Tag Archives: museum

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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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A study in portraiture, some funky hairdos and a watermelon on wheels.

March 14, 2020 Rivergirl 17 Comments

The portrait gallery was large…. and filled with strange and marvelous things.

Can’t say I’d enjoy having her as a Mother in Law.

They are smiling?

Perhaps the weight of that elaborate hair is pulling their lips down.

Oh my.

They say all babies are cute, but I beg to differ.

This is a girl.

And this is a boy.

No, I haven’t had too many margaritas.

It was explained to me that folk art paintings of little girls have cats… and folk art paintings of little boys have dogs. The hoop is also a boy’s toy, never played with by girls.

Yes, another boy.

Could have fooled me.

There were a few sad paintings, like this one….

Since all the family members in black are dead.

But there’s a chicken, so it’s not all bad.

And while these two portraits aren’t the most skillful, they had the saddest story of all.

Jonathan Bartlett was a black man who chose to portray himself as white…. in a heartbreaking statement of life in his time.

Lightening the mood, there was George again….

And whatever this was –

I can’t even do a Name That Crap because I have no idea…

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The DeWitt continued…. George Washington, creepy dolls, weavings, and more Name That (not) Crap.

March 12, 2020 Rivergirl 41 Comments

Aside from all the decorative items, the Dewitt had some pieces of historic interest as well.

Here’s the father of our country casually leaning on a cannon. And if you look closely, you’ll see this…

Yes, they even have George Washington’s jewelry…. which had been lost for nearly two centuries. It was rediscovered in 1990, when the daughter-in-law of a Virginia Beach woman descended from Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall found it in her dead mother-in-law’s jewelry box.

Just think… it could have been put in a yard sale. Or donated to Goodwill.

Damn. Another missed opportunity.

Continuing past the silver, there were vast collections of porcelain and pottery.

Complete with creepy ass vintage dolls.

If you invite this little chicka to a tea party?

She’s going to nibble your fingers like biscuits.

By the amount of tankers on display, there was some serious beer drinking going on in the 18th century.

Have I mentioned this place went on forever?

It was fabulous.

There was a section dedicated to indigenous art as well.

And these were quite special.

Even the husband was intrigued.

Each piece had a story.

But I’ll just give you one example.

Two years?

Damn. That’s dedication.

George showed up again, though in iron this time.

“Dumb” stoves?

I’ve cursed a few in my lifetime, but never knew they were actually a thing.

After George, I knew I’d lost the husband.

Because this is his idea of heaven.

They weren’t rusted, but these are just the sort thing he likes to fill our barn with.

( And if his were in good shape and displayed artfully like this? I wouldn’t half mind.)

And because you know I can’t pass up an opportunity, let’s play Name That (not) Crap again.

What is it …. #1?

What is it… #2?

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Yorktown re-creation… in which we explore outdoors.

February 29, 2020 Rivergirl 16 Comments

The second half of the American Revolutionary War Museum in Yorktown, Virginia is the interactive outdoor exhibit re-creation.

First up…. the soldier’s encampment.

It’s one thing to read about these things and see them in your mind’s eye….. quite another when you can physically touch and experience them first hand.

See those little tents? 4-6 men slept in there….. and let me tell you, it wouldn’t have been comfortable for one.

Meals, such as they were… were cooked here.

And the fire was kept burning 24/7.

There were few doctors as we think of them today, and the surgical tent more than likely contained a barber with a bag of torture implements like these. Please note the large bottle of laudanum in the back. I’d be chugging that like iced tea, thank you very much.

Though if you were bitten by a mad dog?

They had you covered.

The General’s tent was a bit larger….

And served as his office as well.

The laundromat was a bit primitive.

Though you did get a discount if you brought your own soap.

And the entire camp was ringed with wooden spikes to repel attackers.

As well as providing excellent selfie backgrounds.

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Yes, another Revolutionary War museum post…..

February 28, 2020 Rivergirl 24 Comments

But there was so much to see and I’m not even covering an eighth of it.

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Oh, stop.

A little knowledge won’t hurt you, although these might.

While I’m not a general fan of firearms…

Even I had to admit they were beautiful in the 18th century.

The silver work was lovely.

And the under sides of the butt caps really did have grimacing faces… but the lighting, the glass cases, and the reflections prevented any of my pictures from being post worthy.

Everywhere you looked you were surrounded by history.

Which is basically my nerdy idea of heaven.

When I die? I want to find out who killed JFK, how the pyramids were built and the location of ancient Troy.

nerd girl

And trust me, I have a lot of shoes.

Impressive, right?

There was even a tree of knowledge. If only I could spread some of it’s seeds in our nation’s capitol today…..

Naturally we had to check out the surround sound movie.

Complete with battle scene sequence smoke rolling by on the floor.

And in my experience?

There are very few museums who actively instruct you to touch their balls.

Yup.

Seriously big balls.

This now concludes the indoor museum section of our trip to Yorktown, Virginia.

Well, wait….

Maybe just one more thing.

Because who doesn’t love 244 year old rat skulls?

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Revolutionary War Museums can be fun.

February 27, 2020 Rivergirl 33 Comments

Really, they can.

For example…. is it me?

Or is Paul Revere a dead ringer for Jack Black?

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See?

Fun!

America looked a little different in the 1700’s.

Back when this fellow was in charge.

And who knew ole Ben was a songwriter?

Not exactly top 40 material, but hey… he had other things on his mind.

We spent hours exploring…..

And were very impressed.

They brought history to life.

And there was even a little Revolutionary Name That Crap!

Can you guess?

And how about…..

Can you guess?

One more.

This was rusty so you know the husband loved it.

We learned a lot… and I won’t bore you with it all.

But it was a fascinating place.

Filled with fascinating things.

Admit it, you started humming Yankee Doodle Dandy when you saw that drum.

They even had shoes!

How great is that?

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Day 10… A little revolution now and then is a good thing. Or so I’ve heard.

February 26, 2020 Rivergirl 26 Comments

We said goodbye to our company early on the morning of vacation day 10, promising to think about joining them for Christmas. The plan was to head down to Yorktown where I’d heard their American Revolution Museum was quite something….. but first, a Golden Corral buffet breakfast.

Biscuits and gravy and cheesy hashbrown casserole.

Long live the artery clogging south!

The museum?

Was everything they said it was…. and a little bit more.

A sprawling place chock full of fascinating history.

(If that’s not your thing? Leave now… I’ll try not to hold it against you.)

2019 was the 400th anniversary of the arrival in America of the first enslaved people from West Africa and the museum devoted an entire section to the subject.