The Expedition Journals and Our Own New Instagram Account

Happy New Year!  Here in Charlottesville we got some snow yesterday and in the early hours.  We got to thinking about the weather, and we reread some journal entries from the Expedition, particularly ones about how the weather impacted journal writing.  Since Jefferson wanted journal entries, the condition of the ink brought along was very important.  It froze at the Mandan Villages, making for difficult journal writing...and then it evaporated fast in the hot summers of the Plains.

Nowadays, our modern equivalent is when the electricity goes out and we can't get to our blogs and social networking.  Luckily, that didn't happen yesterday, and we actually started an Instagram account:  @lewisandclarkcville    Please follow us.  Also notice that we're following a lot of wonderful museums all over the country, including the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

We posted our first of monthly photo assignments on Instagram:

Just take a photo and post it with the hashtag #lcecweather.  We'll be on the look out for it!  If you don't have Instagram, also feel free to post it to our Facebook page.  We're excited about encouraging new looks at what's around us.   Here is an example below, of an ice sculpture by local Montessori teacher Patrick McCafferty.  (If your ink freezes, use the ice.)