Phillip and I are walking through the passage into the cellar under Monticello, when a woman coming the other direction stops us. Because she wants to take a photo. Of us. For us.
Wait…what?
“It just looks so cool with the light filtering through the fog behind you…it’s okay…I work here,” she reassured us with that non-sequitur.
Still slightly stunned, we hand her a phone, pose for a photo, and then find ourselves in a conversation about our visit to Virginia and her work at Monticello (which does not typically involve walking around taking strangers’ photos).
“Have a good trip!” she calls after us when we finally part ways.
I randomly respond with “Thanks! May the Force be with you!”
She stops in her tracks. “Have you seen it?”
Of course, she means the then-newly-released Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens, that had shocked fans (including us) with the death of a hero.
“Yes!” I was still moving through the stages of fictional character grief, and she just opened her arms to hug me.
The three of us stood in the passageway awhile longer, talking about the movie and the plot twist and feelings and nostalgia, and it was this beautiful moment of connection in a really unexpected location.
P.S. I just posted more about what to see at Monticello and will be posting how to tackle tickets and tour schedules later this week.
Last photo by Liz Marshall.
That is a cool story. We’re planning on going back this summer, all because of you. (Well, you’re the one who got us to go there in the first place.) We want to get the same guide for the slave tour. He was amazing but we don’t know his name to figure out when he’ll be there.
Yeah, they don’t make it easy to find the guides! You can see photos of some of the staff here: https://www.monticello.org/site/blog-and-community/users?field_profile_staff_role_tid=2051
I’d love to go back sometime and take that tour, as well as the garden one!
In the meantime, feel free to let me know if you notice anything that needs to be updated in my Monticello posts!
What a wicked cool encounter, Stephanie! The pictures gave me chills, and that conversation was so serendipitous!
Yes! Serendipitous is exactly the word for it!
This oddly is one of my favorite blogs posts ever. No joke. And that tunnel is breathtaking.
Risa, you made my day!!!
Those photos are amazing (especially the foggy window middle one, my favorite) and what a cool story of connection on so many levels. Gorgeous!
Thanks, Jess! Phillip told me last night that window reminds him of the windshield on the Millennium Falcon (iconic Star Wars spaceship) and asked it that’s why I included it. (It wasn’t.)
What an awesomely random and cool story and connection to make. My mom and I went to Monticello, as part of our trip during spring break, my 8th grade year in school (1989). And being really into Hamilton (the musical) right now, I would appreciate the chance to return.
I hope you can! They’re actually doing Hamilton tours right now, where they discuss his ideas of democracy with Jefferson’s.
It’d be a great year to go! Also, I know a lot of the exhibits are newer. I bet a lot has changed there since 1989!
I forgot to mention, I wrote a little more about that tour (and others!) in today’s post: https://www.travelcraftjournal.com/monticello-2/
What a lovely connection made over love of a movie. I feel the same connection with people who say they read Wodehouse. :)
It is interesting how fandom can connect us with people unexpectedly.