For some strange reason, my photographer didn’t set his alarm clock for the morning of Friday May 21, 2021. And because of that, Tom got an extra nine minutes of sleep before we headed out on our final day in…
Author: Thomas Watson
My name is Thomas Watson and I've been a U.S. history fanatic since I was 9 years old. In 2013, I decided to take my passion to the next level when I purchased a Thomas Jefferson bobble head with the sole intention of photographing that bobble head at Presidential sites. From that first day on July 10, 2013 at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio, this journey has taken on a life of its own. Now, nearly 40,000 miles later, I thought it was time to share the experiences, stories, and photos of Jefferson's travels. Keep in mind, this entire venture has been done with the deepest respect for the men who held the office as our President; no matter what their political affiliations, personal ambitions, or public scandals may have been. This blog is intended to be a true tribute to the Presidents of the United States and this story will be told Through the Eyes of Jefferson. I hope you enjoy the ride!
141: THE DAY THE BOBBLE HEAD STOOD STILL
We had made it to the seventh day of the trip and Tom’s alarm rang at 4:30am on Thursday May 20, 2021. My photographer had a grand scheme to ride into Washington D.C. with Mongo and capture sunrise images at…
140: BOOTH’S TRAIL TOOK US FROM DIRT TO MUDD
As usual, my photographer’s alarm rang at precisely 6:00am. It was Wednesday May 19, 2021 and from my perch alongside the TV in our Dahlgren, Virginia hotel room, I watched as he and Mongo got ready for the day. While…
139: YOU SAY TYLER; I SAY TAYLOE
My photographer’s alarm rang at 6:00am on Tuesday May 18, 2021 and I was anxious to hit the road for two reasons: First, I knew I was headed for a tour of John Tyler’s ‘Sherwood Forest’; and this time the…
138: MONTICELLO – AN AMERICAN CHATEAU
When the alarm clock rang at 6:00am on Monday May 17, 2021, I nearly jumped off the television stand and into the camera case due to pure excitement. Even though we had three hours to wait before Jefferson’s home opened,…
137: JEFFERSON’S OLD STOMPING GROUNDS
The weather was mostly overcast when our alarm rang at 6:00am on Sunday May 16, 2021. The more I thought about it during the night, I truly believed that Tom and Bob selected Wytheville as their place to spend the…
136: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ANDREW JOHNSON
Tom’s alarm went off at 6:15am on Saturday May 15, 2021, which was a tad bit later than usual. But since we were only two blocks from our first site of the day, my photographer enjoyed the extra 15 minutes…
135: OUR FIRST NIGHT BECAME FRIGHT NIGHT IN GREENEVILLE
I had spent the entire night in the camera case, which was among the numerous belongings that Tom had packed for our two-week Presidential adventure. My photographer and I were once again hitting the history trail with Bob Moldenhauer on…
134: I SURVIVED THE WEEPING WOMAN
From behind the closed bathroom door where my photographer sat at 6:30am, I heard him yell out to his wife: “I have an idea of a place we can go to this morning if you’d like, but it’s about 50…
133: A SIMPLER TIME IN ANDY’S MAYBERRY
My companions got out of bed around 6:30am on Tuesday July 28, 2020 at the SpringHill Suites Hotel located near Charlotte Motor Speedway. Although we had several NASCAR-related sites to visit in the Charlotte area, that was the day our…