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Yorktown, the Riverwalk, cocktails and finally…. some food.

February 18, 2020 Rivergirl 25 Comments

After our long day at Historic Jamestown, it was time for some refreshment. Liquid and otherwise.

So we headed to Yorktown…

And their popular Riverwalk Landing.

I had planned to leisurely stroll around, check out the cute little shops…..

And walk the waterfront.

Until a stiff wind blew in and made it feel like -10 degrees.

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New plan?

Drinks and dinner.

This place looked promising from the outside….

From the inside? Not so much.

And while the cocktail list was interesting…..

And the Mulberry Muddler quite tasty, it was basically a loud sports pub with a menu that didn’t satisfy the husband’s cravings.

So one extremely large soft pretzel later, we left…. and went next door.

And were very glad we did.

Ah, much better.

It was a lovely place, and practically deserted off season.

Cocktail?

Well, if you insist.

While I’m generally not a wine drinker, I do occasionally like Sangria…. and this one had apple brandy. Scrumptious.

We relaxed. We watched the sun set. We drank….

And yes, food picture screamers… we ate.

The menu was intriguing….

The food marvelous and artfully prepared.

Husband had the catch of the day…..

While I opted for the lamp chops.

Were they good?

I picked them up and gnawed the bones…. so in a word, yes.

Full, but never too full for dessert… we split this, which almost put me in a chocolate coma.

Day 7, done.

Only 8 more days to go!

If that helps?

Sure, be my guest.

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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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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.

There was a wonderful theater…

With multiple screens… where we brushed up on our high school history.

Outside there was a long boardwalk…

That led to a monument…

Which I’m sure the husband was glad he didn’t have to climb.

It was there we waited for our Park Ranger tour guide.

Who led us to the original settlers’ site.

That’s Pocahantas to the right… and yes, there was a Mockingbird on her head. A real one who proceeded to poop on her nose.

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The only thing left from the original settlers’ buildings was one crumbling wall of a church.

But archeologists have been actively digging here for years….

Removing thousands of artifacts from the fort….

And various other buildings.

Here, the husband checks out a model recreation of the site.

The soldiers barracks.

Where the Queen visited a decade ago.

And the required selfie by the water.

There was an outline of a church with markers for the identified graves.

And a graveyard for unidentified remains.

It was a lovely spot.

But the history of the hardships the colonists suffered sure made you appreciate the wealth of opportunities and conveniences we have now.

Famine, civil unrest, severe weather, murder, Indian attacks…. even cannabilism. They experienced it all.

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Second required selfie by the water to lighten the mood.

It was a fascinating tour…

And we learned a lot.

But it was lunchtime…. and the husband’s stomach was growling.

Not wanting to waste time and drive back to town, we were glad to find a small cafe on site.

You couldn’t beat the view.

Chicken salad spinach wrap with potato salad for me…

Tomato bisque and a Sloppy Joe with potato salad for the husband.

Thus fortified, we headed for the museum.

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When in Manteo…..

February 14, 2020 Rivergirl 33 Comments

Granted, it’s not Rome.

But Manteo, North Carolina has an interesting history all it’s own.

Manteo is located on Roanoke Island, site of the famous Lost Colony.

A very brief history is here.

Living in North Carolina you encounter cities, towns, streets, schools, sports teams, forests, streams, hospitals etc. etc. with the names Raleigh, Virginia Dare and Croatan. Do we know for certain what happened to those early colonists?

No, we do not.

But after visiting this National Park, reading the history and having one extremely long conversation with a Park Ranger…. I wondered why it was a mystery at all.

We stood at the exact site of that early fort.

Granted, there wasn’t much to see.

A few humpa humpas and a sign.

There was also a squirrel with a very large nut, but I’m guessing he wasn’t an original 16th century squirrel.

Walking around the park we did find a theater where they hold seasonal plays.

Weird diving board not withstanding…

It didn’t hold our attention for long…..

Even with the interesting tree branches….

And lovely old live oaks.

Back at the visitor center I learned the whole story and basically, it goes like this.

The first English settlers arrived in 1585. They were a military group sent by Sir Walter Raleigh to colonize the New World. They built a fort, the effort failed, they returned to England.

The second group of settlers landed in 1587. This consisted of approx 120 men, women and children. They figured they would fish for food…. but none of them were fishermen. Great plan!They met friendly Indians who totally supported and fed them for 2 years until a drought in the 3rd year left the Indians barely enough to feed themselves. The English were ticked off that the gravy train had run out, so they slaughtered the chief and stole his food. Thus ending the friendly relationship with the native population.

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Disease, famine, and a harsh winter all took their toll. When Governor John White sailed back to England for supplies, he had no idea a war with Spain was about to start…. and didn’t make it back for 3 years. When he returned, the colony was deserted. The only clue? The word Cro scratched into a tree and Croatan scratched into a post.

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Did the Indians kill all the colonists? Maybe… but I doubt it.

The Croatan were a local tribe with a history of assimilating other peoples into their society. Later English settlers spoke of meeting blue eyed Indians.

Where’s the mystery? Sick and starving, the remaining colonists set out to find the friendly Indians and scratched Croatan as a message to those who followed.

Blue eyed natives?

What do you think they were doing for those 3 years.

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See? There are memes about it…

It must be true.

Anyway…. the visitor center had some interesting items.

And I adore old maps. This way there be monsters….

Liz was there.

As was Walt….

But how about that ceiling?

Made my neck hurt just thinking about painting it.

And the walls?

Were not just any old walls.

Yes, I’m really blogging about walls.

Just go with it.

A pineapple…

And a flying fish (painted by none other than Governor John White, the only unlost member of the Lost Colony) later…..

We left Roanoke.

Drove back through the Outer Banks…

Just in time for me to try and snap some sunset pics at 85mph.

That didn’t work well.

But the sun was perfectly poised on the horizon…

As we went over the bridge…

And headed back to the mainland.

Two hours into the 3 hour trip back we stopped at Cracker Barrel for a quick dinner. You’ve all been there, no pictures required.

But country fried turkey? Definitely reminded me we were in the south.

They’ll fry anything!

Last photo of the day is that weirdo building in Virginia I asked about previously.

Although this time it was quite colorful as we went by.

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Elizabethan Gardens… Manteo, Outer Banks North Carolina

February 13, 2020 Rivergirl 28 Comments

Next up on our Outer Banks day trip? The Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo.

But first?

Some rocks…

You’re welcome.

From Nags Head to Manteo?

Scenery.

Scenery from a bridge.

More scenery.

How’s that for detailed description?

The Gardens were recommended to us as a must stop… so we did. Even though it was off season and very little was blooming.

Gardens without flowers? Let’s go!

It was a pretty spot… with lots of different areas to explore.

They were in the middle of their annual Christmas light show….

So of course we went in the middle of the day when the sun was shining.

There was an impressive set of gates.

Neatly trimmed boxwoods…

And Queen Elizabeth I.

There were paths with balls…

And paths with statues.

And some extremely large butterflies.

Funky Christmas lights were everywhere.

And I’m sure it would have been quite pretty….

Had we been there at night.

Okaaaay.

Not sure what that was all about, but I don’t like peas either….. so, huzzah!

There was a lonely ruin of something.

And a man shivering in the cold wind.

Oh, wait. That’s the husband…. I didn’t recognize him from the front.

There were fountains.

And ass ends of statues.

Surrounded by tightly trimmed bushes.

Stop snickering…. I know where your mind went.

There were creepy garden gnomes.

And an indoor butterfly garden…

With no butterflies.

But plenty of fluffy gnomes.

Garden path U turns…

And yay!

Finally something was blooming.

There were also the type of Christmas decorations you only see down south.

Wouldn’t be much point of laying these on the ground up my way.

But there was an impressive old tree.

And yes, I do mean old.

Now that’s a senior citizen!

More paths…

More decorations….

A courtyard….

A gift shop….

And a fellow with a wilder hairdo than me after the windy pier.

By this time we’d looped back around to the beginning.

But not before we learned a few things…

About bees.

In case you’re wondering, Maine’s state insect is also the honeybee. Although we designated it as such in 1975.

Long live the bee!

And plagiarism apparently.

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Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head North Carolina…. cold wind, cursing, birds and the death of a hairdo.

February 11, 2020 Rivergirl 28 Comments

Continuing farther down the coast of the Outer Banks, I wanted to stop and walk out on a pier.

(Have I mentioned that I have a knack for picking the coldest, windiest, most frigid days to do this? Seriously… it’s a gift. If there’s one bitter cold day on an otherwise delightfully warm 2 week vacation? That’s the one I’ll choose to walk out on a pier.)

There’s the husband, bracing himself against the wind and giving me (and my phone) the evil eye.

And there’s the entrance to Jennette’s Pier, the biggest and best in Nags Head.

Gladly.

This type… and the other. It was too damn cold for either of them.

Approaching the entrance…. you don’t follow a yellow brick road.

But a line of memorial blue fish.

I love this idea!

A quick peek at the beach…

The map…

And me mumbling ‘Holy Crap it’s freezing! Can you read the pier history a little faster please?’

A quick peek at the beach on the other side.

Through the gate…

Past the turtle.

And finally, the door…

Where the husband had to hold on to his hat so it didn’t fly off.

It was that windy.

A brief warm respite inside to pay the $2 ticket price and out we went.

As piers go?

It rocked.

Even the birds agreed.

These guys were everywhere.

Fighting the wind just like us.

Hairdo?

Not so much.

So we walked….

Shivering in the arctic blast…. with the husband cursing me under his breath.

Good times.

Every now and then there would be a wind break where we’d huddle to catch our breath.

And then finally, we reached the end.

Where the husband realized we had to walk back, into the wind…. and started cursing me under his breath all over again.

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Colonial Williamsburg… Shield’s and Wetherburn’s Taverns

February 2, 2020 Rivergirl 18 Comments

Now don’t get excited food people, these taverns were for touring not eating.

Shield’s Tavern was closed, but had something the husband wanted to photograph.

Men. I can’t explain them….

But the gardens out back were lovely.

And I enjoyed a stroll among the well tended shrubbery.

I think Edward Scissorhands would approve.

There were vegetable gardens…

And wreaths…

I even saw an old ball and chain gate closure.

And then down the road, we found Wetherburn’s Tavern.

Where we had a guide give us the history and a tour.

Taverns back in the day were far different from what you might think. Rooms were rented for private parties, balls were held in the great rooms, owners lived behind the kitchen and the upstairs served as a hotel.

Which rooms you rented depended on your social standing.

Up to 12 men bunked in here.

I like cozy, but not that cozy.

Middle class families might sleep 8 in this room.

A private room? You had serious money.

Business deals were struck and government policies were made in rooms like these.

While the tavern keepers cranked out the meals in here….

That’s one high tech rotisserie right there.

Many taverns had their own smokehouses and livestock.

Which prompted a 30 minute conversation from my husband about being raised on a dairy farm.

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An appropriate wreath was decorating their door as well.

We may not have seen any beer…. but it was still a tavern.

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Colonial Williamsburg…. the Apothecary Shop, the Capitol and the Gaol.

February 1, 2020 Rivergirl 16 Comments

Still strolling Duke of Gloucester Street, we found the apothecary shop and it’s mistress in the middle of recounting some 18th century cures.

Trust me when I say you should be glad you weren’t sick in the 18th century.

Many towns and villages didn’t have doctors and these pseudo pharmacists were as close to modern medicine as many people could get.

There were some interesting drawings….

And a back room were the cures were administered. Though why that fellow in the corner needs a hat, I’m sure I don’t know…

Next up was the reconstructed Capitol building.

The birthplace of American government if you will.

The flag flying at the entrance meant it was open for tours…

So we settled in to wait for the guide.

With the husband admiring the rather odd gutterless drainage system.

Which was really more of a moat.

If you’re interested, the history of the Capitol is here. I’ll spare you the retelling and just post a few interior shots.

Local representatives met here, first to report to the crown….and then to form a new government.

The speaker had a throne… make of that what you will.

Here are the rooms our founding fathers formed the basis of the country we know today.

One can only imagine how they’d react to our current state of affairs.

I’d say that’s pretty close.

There was also a court where grievances and victims of crimes were given justice.

To me, the nicest part of the tour was when our guide proudly told us that he had helped officiate over the swearing in of 250 new American citizens on that day…. a 300 year old tradition lovingly continued on site.

Leaving the Capitol, we found the gaol, pronounced jail.

Which didn’t look too bad at first.

Until I realized that wasn’t the gaol.

The history of the gaol is here.

Many men and women were held here awaiting trial, and it doesn’t look like that would have been too comfortable.

The cells reminded me of horse stables.

And yes…

That is what you think it is.

Minus Mr. Whipple and his Charmin.

(We’ll visit the Public Hospital… read, lunatic asylum... another day)

The sound of that large door slamming shut?

Perfectly eerie.

The administration office was much nicer.

And it’s natural wreaths, nicer still.

All it needed was…

The clip clop of the carriage horses hooves to remind me how we could have been traveling.

Bad husband.

Bad.

bad-husband-sleeps-on-couch

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Strolling Colonial Williamsburg…. The Liberty Lounge and peacocks.

January 31, 2020 Rivergirl 17 Comments

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.

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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?

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Colonial Williamsburg… Duke of Gloucester Street

January 30, 2020 Rivergirl 22 Comments

Done with the Governor’s Palace, we headed to the main thoroughfare.

Colonial Williamsburg is a town, like any other.

If all the other towns were full of beautifully restored 18th century historic buildings that is.

George Wythe was Thomas Jefferson’s mentor.

So, you know…. that kind of town.

At the corner? The Bruton Parish Church, established in 1674…..

Still an active Presbyterian presence…

You can almost see George Washington walking amongst the stately old live oaks.

(Yes, he worshiped here.)

Taking a left put us on Duke of Gloucester Street, the busiest section of town.

Every house and business was decked out for Christmas….

With the traditional natural fruit and greenery it’s become famous for.

Another carriage made it’s way by….

And as much as I wanted to take one…. the husband had no interest whatsoever.

I mean, look at them…

They were just waiting for me to climb aboard.

But no. The husband had caught sight of this:

And that was where we went next.

Yay. More weapons…

Okay, the collection was impressive as hell.

And filled with various painful ways to kill people.

And yes…

The armory fellow was well versed and full of interesting facts.

But… but…

Horsies….

Are cuter than cannons any ole day.

And you can’t ride a cannon.

(Or maybe you can… but you probably shouldn’t.)

Next up was lunch at Chowning’s Tavern, where it’s wreath spoke volumes.

A reconstructed public house Josiah Chowning operated in 1766…

The menu of Brunswick Stew, Shepherd’s Pye and Welsh Rarebit reflected the fare of the day.

I opted for the hot smoked turkey trencher which was marvelous…. while the husband continued his French Onion soup trend.

Rum cake?

Don’t mind if I do.

Light, rummy and utterly fabulous.

Hot tea and mixed berry crumble for the other half.

Which to be honest, was so God awful sweet he could hardly eat it.

( Lunch photos just for you Martin.)

River's world…..

Tag Archives: photos

Yorktown, the Riverwalk, cocktails and finally…. some food.

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

Day 7…. Historic Jamestown

When in Manteo…..

Elizabethan Gardens… Manteo, Outer Banks North Carolina

Jennette’s Pier, Nags Head North Carolina…. cold wind, cursing, birds and the death of a hairdo.

Colonial Williamsburg… Shield’s and Wetherburn’s Taverns

Colonial Williamsburg…. the Apothecary Shop, the Capitol and the Gaol.

Strolling Colonial Williamsburg…. The Liberty Lounge and peacocks.

Colonial Williamsburg… Duke of Gloucester Street

Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.