Williamsburg

November 2001

We decided it would be a way cool thing to spend Thanksgiving in Williamsburg, Virginia, and also see the surrounding colonial countryside. Eddy had been there a year or so back, but didn’t get to see anything, and John had been there a few years before that with a few theatre buddies with whom he had done the musical “1776”!

We flew in to Richmond, drove to Williamsburg on Thanksgiving day and had a wonderful dinner! We did Jamestown and Yorktown (Colonial National Historic Park) the next day.

Colonial National Historic Park

	Eddy walking down one of the paths through the ruins of Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World. The original townsite is divided between the National Park Service and the Virginia Society for Historical Antiquities. The NPS has the better preserved portion, but the VSHA probably has the are with the more significant potential findings, but hasn’t done much with it.
	John standing outside one of the public buildings in Yorktown. We took the picture because the leaves on the tree were so gorgeous. Yorktown was the last battle of the Revolutionary War, so we kind of got the full spectrum of the colonial era from start (Jamestown) to finish (Yorktown).
	Eddy in front of the Yorktown memorial, a huge marble column overlooking the York river. John had to get on his back pretty much to get this picture. He was NOT happy!
	Eddy on the banks of the York river. Just up from here, is the art deco Greek seafood restaurant where we had lunch. It was kind of surreal, being surrounded by all the colonial and revolutionary history, then sitting down to eat in a Greek restaurant. John had she-crab soup!

Colonial Williamsburg

	John walking down one of the streets outside the historic district, where we did some shopping. It rained that day, but the rain seemed to enhance the beauty of the colors of the leaves.
	Eddy also walking down one of the streets while shopping. We saw all sorts of things we’d never be able to afford! We had lots of fun in a Christmas shop, and having lunch at an outdoor café.
	John in the garden of the Governor’s Palace. The Palace was very impressive. The governor, as the representative of the king, was pretty much royalty himself. We had the opportunity to hear a concert of colonial music performed on violins, cellos, and harpsichord one night of our stay.
	Eddy and a Christmas wreath. As our good luck would have it, the day after Thanksgiving is the official beginning of the Christmas season in Williamsburg. Though not really historically accurate, the townsfolk decorate wreaths with local materials for the season, with apples, pinecones, cotton bolls, pomegranates, wheat, shells, and various and sundry other items.
	John sitting on a tombstone outside of Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, one of the oldest in the nation. The yards surrounding the church are filled with tombs and gravestones. Some of the more prominent members of the church over the centuries are even buried under the floor of the church itself! All the benches have plaques on them noting which family’s pew was whose, such as George Washington!
	John inside the church, in front of the pulpit. We got to spend a Sunday morning service at the church and sat up in the balcony. The church has done real well at hiding any modern conveniences, like expanded pipes, which are now in the belfry. It was interesting to hear sound coming from the closet behind us.

It was a wonderful time. It was chilly, and sometimes rainy, but the leaves were still on the trees and beautiful shades of gold and red. We got Colonial NP patches and William and Mary rain slickers to show for the trip!

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