Weekends during the pandemic don’t look like they used to.
While we’ve been staying home like good little citizens, we did have a big day out last Saturday…. which I’ll share with you now. (Since we won’t be vacationing in the foreseeable future and I know you’ll miss my travel blogs.)
We drove to the Limington Harmon airport.
Which, as you can see…… is not quite Chicago O’Hare.
As travel destinations go….. it lacked a certain something.
But the husband was investigating an incident/accident and had to take pictures of the runway.
So at least we walked in the fresh air…
With absolutely zero chance of anyone breathing infection on us.
And I guess that’s about all you can ask from a day trip these days.
Now that the Virginia vacation saga is finally over, it’s time to clear out the photo files.
If you remember… before we left for the Cape Cod vacation in November, the husband was desperately trying to finish the remodel on our baby barn from Hell before the snow started flying.
He started putting the siding on….
Which was a nightmare of non squared corners and uneven ground.
Yeah, there was a lot of that.
His answer? Plant a shrub in front of it.
He was still using his 1950’s power tools and probably wishing for a larger wheelbarrow.
Siding around the window resulted in some very colorful language.
As did turning the 3rd corner where things didn’t exactly line up.
Unfortunately that’s as far as he got before the weather turned….
And now I have to stare at this split personality horror show until spring.
In other news, our neighbor and her daughter fed our deer while we were gone.
She sent me this picture while we were in Williamsburg, and wanted me to know the child took her responsibility seriously.
And for that she was rewarded.
Flowers for mom and a thank you deer for her daughter.
That little guy cost me a fortune but he was hand made and too damned cute to resist. Look at those feet!
It snowed right after we got back.
But the white stuff sure does make a nice contrast for the sunrise.
We were happy to see our resident buck was still around.
He’s an impressive fellow….
And clearly his women agree.
He’s got quite a little harem going.
With 4 fawns that we know of.
Funny thing is….. as much as I love to travel, it’s sights like these that always make me glad to be home again.
In case you haven’t already guessed, there was not a single wine filter gift to be had in the entire state of Virginia…. so the only thing left to do was drown my sorrows at the Yorktown Pub.
This unassuming little place got great reviews and had been recommended to us by numerous people so we gave it a try.
While it’s definitely a no frills local hangout….
The riverfront views were lovely.
The feral cats were friendly….
Plentiful, and well fed by the bar owners and staff.
And while the cocktail list was basic?
The drinks were tasty, potent and cheap.
What more can a girl ask?
Good food.
The husband’s weird combination of chicken fingers and mixed veggies looked odd but he was happy with it…. and my fried shrimp were quite honestly the best I’ve had in years. Fresh, juicy, and perfectly cooked with a light crisp batter. Add homemade tartar sauce, some marvelous fries and another cocktail?
And River was a happy camper.
Long live beer diversity!
And cheap meals.
Since the sun was setting…
We took a stroll along the water.
Hand in hand…
Enjoying the scenery…
And the non traditional ways we choose to spend the holidays.
The next stop on the driving tour was a solemn one.
Where I found it a sad statement on today’s society that this sign even needed to be posted.
Silence and respect is the very least we can give them.
I’ve always found cemeteries to be beautiful places.
And never fail to become emotional…. constantly close to tears.
It doesn’t matter that none of my people were here…..
They’re someone’s people.
Someone’s son, husband or father.
And they made the ultimate sacrifice for a country we all share.
Cemeteries are a perfect place for personal reflection.
And I made sure to give my veteran husband some time alone with memories of his war… and those he lost.
I have to admit I was ignorant of the tradition of coin laying. You don’t see this up our way, but almost every grave had coins on it in Yorktown.
According to legend, the coin left belongs on the gravestones of U.S. military veterans. Visitors who wish to show their respect leave coins on the headstones in different amounts. It shows their loved ones of the soldiers family that someone has come to visit the grave.
Leaving a penny means you visited and want to thank the veteran for their service. A nickel means you trained at boot camp with the deceased, while a dime suggests you served with him or her. Finally, a quarter signifies you were with the soldier when they passed away.
The origin of the tradition, like the meaning behind it, is still up for debate. But many people believe it started in America during the Vietnam War. America was having a crisis of conscience. Any discussion of the war usually devolved into a more significant discussion about politics. Leaving a coin was a way to say you appreciate the soldier’s service while avoiding an inevitable uncomfortable conversation.
I really wish I’d known this before our visit.
I would have broken my piggy bank and put a penny on each and every one.
Even with the milder winters we’re having, we still see our fair share of snow, ice, and sleet. But temperatures are warming and we’re not seeing those epic dumps of the white stuff like we used to.
This used to be a normal February.
Tunneling was a way of life.
Now? We get a few inches and it melts.
Then it freezes.
I am so done with ice.
Yes, it’s pretty.
But when walking to the mailbox means you might slip, fall and crack a rib?
You can have it.
Give me a foot of snow over pretty shining crystals any day.
And with all that snow, melting and ice?
This –
A leak in the roof.
And what looks like an expensive repair to the ceiling.
It’s the worst possible time of year for it.
So from now until spring, when we can get it fixed, I’m going to cringe every time it rains.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Where there's only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous.
River's world..... 