I’m not sure you could find a more charming place to spend the day than Colonial Williamsburg.
History aside….
It’s just a perfectly lovely town.
Did you know the pineapple is a symbol of hospitality?
Learn why here.
Live Oak trees dominate the landscape, spreading their limbs for decades on end….
And I was seriously enjoying the all natural Christmas decorations.
How clever is that?
And while I was wreath gazing….
The husband spotted the entrance to a lounge reserved for veterans and their families.
To be honest I dreaded going inside. My husband has the gift of gab every day of the year, but when surrounded by other servicemen and women? I’ve spent half my married life waiting for him to conclude conversations.
But there was free tea, coffee and hot cider…..
And thankfully, a veteran free room.
Of course he spotted the challenge coin cases which started a 45 minute long convo with the staff of volunteers….. but he added a coin of his own, which admittedly was rather nice.
An hour later? More decorations…
More wreaths…
Some cleverly trimmed shrubbery ….
And the silversmith’s shop…
We oohed and aahed and chatted with the man who ran it.
Did you know the phrase “put your money to work” dates from colonial times before the advent of paper currency? You were normally paid in silver, and instead of having bags of the stuff laying around your home…. you took it to the local silversmith who melted it down and made you a fabulous coffee urn or tea set. Your money was “put to work” and you got to flaunt your wealth to visitors. A win, win situation.
Many of his beautiful pieces were for sale in the shop next door…. but the husband wasn’t thrilled with the idea of me spending his hard earned silver to bring some home.
So we strolled.
And were amazed to learn some of these nice little homes were still privately owned.
Who in the world would want to live in the middle of a tourist attraction?
But more importantly…
Where do I find a peacock for next year’s Christmas wreath?
How do you get a pineapple to hang all decorative-like on a railing like that? Was it a real pineapple or a lightweight fake? I find that photo worrying.
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Most of them were cut in half and the flat side mounted on a board. And yes, they were all real!
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OK, got it. Still it’s kind of weird…
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You two put a LOT of activity into your activities…
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We try.
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I never noticed that Liberty Lounge. I’ll have to check it out next time I’m there.
Did they have an auction while you were there? I won my wife a very nice wooden checkerboard at an auction. I then went to an antiques store and bought an old barrel and glued the board to the top so we would have a checkerboard table to place between our rockers on the front porch just like at Cracker Barrel. Wait, have you ever been to a Cracker Barrel?
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The lounge is tucked away in back. That small sign on the sidewalk is the only thing you’ll see from the street. On the left, past Chownings Tavern.
No auctions when we were there… but I wouldn’t have let my husband go even if there was!
And yes, I love Cracker Barrels biscuits.
😉
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I fell in love with the town after seeing the first photo – that house, that tree!
The silversmith might be another reason to fall in love 😉
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That’s exactly what it was… lovable!
😊
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You’ve taken some awesome photos River, and thanks for the best Christmas wreath ideas for next Holiday season. I LOVED the one with the cinnamon sticks and oranges (I think they were orange slices). The pineapple and peacock wreaths are just beautiful!
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The husband thought I was nuts stopping at every wreath…. but there are some great ideas there!
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“Did you know the pineapple is a symbol of hospitality?” and they are edible! Peacocks are a little tough to eat.
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I’ve noticed that most of these places have wreaths on the doors. Is that symbolic of something?
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It was December and the heart of the Christmas season when we visited.
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Oh well that makes sense then 😅
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They really do up the wreaths. I likey.
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They do. And very cleverly….
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