Tag Archives: jamestown

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The Lord of Misrule and some happy Christians.

March 18, 2020 Rivergirl 15 Comments

Toward the end of our tour of the Jamestown re-creation settlement, we were startled by a loud noise.

It was the Lord of Misrule and his motley crew.

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Jamestown Re-creation…. the settlement, some rusty tools and a cocktail tease.

March 17, 2020 Rivergirl 9 Comments

The first settlement in America looked something like this.

And I have to admit the buildings were larger than I thought they’d be.

This was the church.

And I swear it’s bigger than the one in my town today.

I loved the thatched roofs on the cottages.

And we enjoyed poking around inside them.

Some of them were simple.

Some a little more grand.

Check out the armor on top of the cupboard.

Nothing like some weaponry over the dining room table to get the gastric juices flowing.

Speaking of that…. there was an armory.

And it doesn’t matter how many times I see these, I still can’t imagine having to wear them into battle. I mean damn, they make my underwire bra look positively comfortable in comparison.

Needless to say the husband was loving all the old tools and farm implements.

Yes dear….

Rusty metal…. I see it.

The last building we checked out was a communal kitchen.

And you know what I found… right?

Wandering at will….

Hoping something would fall off the table.

There were also fake cocktails, which is a rude tease to those of us who happened to be thirsty.

Hell, if these fell off the table they’d bounce.

And that’s not my type of cocktail at all.

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Okay.

Now we’re talkin’….

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Day 14…. The Jamestown Settlement Re-creation. A photography ban, some chickens, and a salty character.

March 16, 2020 Rivergirl 17 Comments

This was the day we explored the Jamestown Settlement which is part museum and part living history re-creation.

The museum section was large….

But immediately pissed me off with the no photography allowed rule. (I took this one just because I’m ornery.)

We’d spent the last 2 weeks visiting museums filled with amazing artifacts and fine art, but this…. fake trees and cheesy dioramas…. was off limits? Go figure.

Okay….

Fast forward to the full immersion cinema we were learning were common in these parts.

Admittedly, when you’re there?

It’s pretty cool.

Especially when the smoke starts rolling along the floor.

Finished with the film, we headed outside.

Past whatever this was.

And into a Native American village.

It was basically the same thing we’d seen at Plymouth Plantation earlier this year.

Except there were no bare chested young Indian men to chat with.

Boo to that.

There were more huts.

And a couple of people making baskets.

And of course, because I find them everywhere…

Chickens.

Aggravated roosters…

And fluffy butted hens.

Next up was the harbor…

And the reconstructed vessels that brought the first settlers from England.

We toured the deck.

The husband chatted up a crew member.

We toured down below.

Where accommodations were small….

And pretty basic.

Unless you were the cook.

Who got his own room.

Of course it was also the kitchen, so there is that.

The husband chatted up another crew member.

And we enjoyed the views.

While marveling at how more than a hundred people could travel together for months on end in these small spaces.

And mind you, we were on the large ship.

The whole time were touring?

There was a soundtrack….

He was quite a character.

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Museum oddities, death, Pocahantas, a scenic drive and some vultures.

February 17, 2020 Rivergirl 23 Comments

I could bore you to tears with all we saw that day, but let this suffice..

A portrait of an evil cherub who looks like she’s ready to stab Fido with an already bloody knife.

But no.

It’s just a 17th century pacifier. “Your mouth is sore sweetie? Here… suck on this metal and coral pointy thing.”

No wonder she looks pissed off.

“Inveterate dysenterical fluxes”.

Doesn’t that sound like fun?

The museum was filled with artifacts unearthed from the original site.

And things thrown down the communal well.

Naturally, the husband was appalled at the waste of all those perfectly good rusty tools.

The takeaway from most of the history we read?

We might romanticize the idea of the first settlers… opportunity, adventure, a brave new world etc., but in reality? It was starvation, illness and death.

And Pocahantas…. of whom much is written and little is really known.

The only actual image drawn during her lifetime is this English portrait:

A much later Anglicized version of her true self.

Child trading. A fact of which I was heretofore unaware.

So there you have it, historic Jamestown.

Where a t shirt we saw in the gift shop said it all…..

Leaving Jamestown, we got back on the Colonial Parkway…..

And saw some deer.

Some swamps.

And a whole bunch of these strange mounds.

Too small and numerous for beaver.

Any southerners care to weigh in on what constructs them?

The Parkway slides along the James River….

And was a lovely, peaceful, traffic free drive.

Except for the black vultures.

Which are neither lovely nor peaceful….

And often cause their own traffic jams when they discover a fresh kill.

And no, I didn’t include a photo of the canine corpse.

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Historic Jamestown Museum.

February 16, 2020 Rivergirl 21 Comments

Through with our outdoor touring of the site….

We found the museum.

An odd looking building we were assured was totally green.

Although it looked pretty brown to me.

climate change

Although I called it a museum?

They call it an Archaearium.

Technically that means an archeological excavation covered by a glass building.

Which it was.

Because the remains of the first government building was literally under your feet.

The exhibits were well done and history rich.

And it shouldn’t surprise you that we spent a good couple of hours here.

They’ve apparently taken a good deal of flack over the display of actual remains.

But to be honest, it was fascinating.

Granted if JR was my 10th great grandfather I might feel differently….

I mean, it doesn’t look like he died peacefully.

But then again, this poor fellow had to be in dire need of some Excedrin as well.

Early surgical instruments?

Or the Marquis De Sade’s toy chest?

Tough call.

I’m guessing this poor soul didn’t get any Novocain either.

Of course back in the day…. this pointy little piece of metal?

Yeah.

Not your average Q Tip.

Way.

And if you remember my post from yesterday about the hardships the settlers endured?

This 14 year old girl was eaten.

It doesn’t get much harder than that.

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Day 7…. Historic Jamestown

February 15, 2020 Rivergirl 11 Comments

Part 2 of the historic triangle in the Williamsburg ,Virginia area is Jamestown. What I didn’t know before arriving was that there are 2 distinct ways to experience it…. the National Park site and the more touristy recreation.

We opted for the National site first, by way of the Colonial Parkway.

The Parkway is a beautiful 23 mile road that runs along the James River from Williamsburg to Yorktown.

We jumped off at Jamestown and drove the 5 mile Island Loop, a self guided tour that explores the natural environment and history of the area.

Then it was on to the visitors center.

I won’t bore you ~~more than I already do~~ with the story. You can read about it here. Suffice it to say Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement, the birthplace of Virginia… and basically, America.