Home again!

We left not too long after breakfast and headed down Route 5 past the James River Plantations to Hopewell and Petersburg and then down 85 home.  It was a beautiful ride through the country.  What a great time in DC and Williamsburg.  We came home relaxed, refreshed and ready to tackle the crazy months ahead.  Thanks again LeeAnne for making it all happen!!

Visit with Patrick Henry - The English Pianoforte - A Public Audience with the Marquis de Lafayette

After meandering through the Village for a couple of hours and dropping in on house tours and

tradesmen like this Cooper above, we headed to Tucker House for the 11:00 Visit.

Patrick Henry was the guest today.  Jean acted the

part of Patrick Henry during a 4th grade play and has

had a kinship with him ever since...he was great!

The to the Trellis where we shared a marvelous fruit salad

 and my new favorite Carolina Stew - to die for!

 Then back to the Art Museum Auditorium for yet another concert.

This time by Andrew Willis, a University of North Carolina music professor, who performed on three different pianoforte instruments from the collection.  It was a delightful presentation.  A great way to spend the afternoon.  

Following that we headed to the back of the Palace for a Public Visit with the Marquis de Lafayette.  It was outstanding.  This character interpreter is incredible.  Another wonderful experience.  This is the most wonderful place to visit!!  We went back to the Timeshare and had leftovers and packed up.  We're heading home tomorrow.

Wythe House - A Visit with Martha Washington - 18th Century Women at the Keyboard

It was an adventure day today...off to Colonial Williamsburg to see what's happening there...

We decided to tour the Wythe House this morning...

Looks like lunch is set.

George Wythe, a well to do mid 18th century gentleman, was a tutor, and friend of Thomas Jefferson. He was the first professor of law at an American University - William and Mary - and the first Virginian to sign the Declaration of Independence.

In addition to his large home, there are five

 major outbuildings and a large garden on his property.

Quite the lawn mower.

The Wheelwright Shop was busy today.

The volunteer docent explained wheels...fascinating.

They're burning off the rotted wood from an old wagon

so they can reuse the fittings.

We have discovered something wonderful - Visits with the Nation Builder Interpreters at Tucker House. They are open to any donors.  Today our favorite, Martha Washington was there.  Brilliant discussion!  Best kept secret in the Colonial Village.  We headed to Merchant Square for a quick lunch and then over to the Art Museum's Auditorium for 18th Century Women at the Keyboard.  They are having a workshop this week on 18th Century Music and have Concerts and Displays featuring the instruments of the era.

1762 Jacob Kirckman harpsichord from the Museum's

extensive instruments collection.

Joyce Lindorff, professor of music at Temple presented a wonderful demonstration & discussion of these instruments and women in music in the 18th Century.  John was asked to take some pictures following the performance.

We then spent some time walking through the display.

The renovations department here is outstanding.

The upper picture is how they received the instrument...

the lower is the restored instrument.  Amazing!

It was a wonderful afternoon!

A Farewell to LeeAnne - Catch up Day - Review of Troops - Christiana Campbell's

Sadly, we dropped LeeAnne off at the Amtrack Station this morning for her return home.  We did have a good time indeed!  Thanks for asking us along, LeeAnne!!  Safe travels to you!  We returned to the timeshare and just spent some down time this morning.  Did laundry, worked on pictures, and looked at the schedule for the rest of the week.  Since we have this nice place to stay, we've decided to remain here until Saturday.  We do really enjoy this place!!  After lunch we headed back to the Visitor's Center.

The flag is out which means this house is open for a tour...

Fairly affluent merchant who has special china

and crystal to show off to company.

A pianoforte - quite the progressive.

New research has come up with some different colors..

not sure about this one!

Tea time.

Etched into the window was a ship...

General Washington reviewing troops...

local militias are in town in preparation for the siege of Yorktown...

practice shots...

and cannonfire...cover your ears!

And a lovely belated anniversary dinner at 

Christiana Campbell's...one of our favorites.

Relaxing day...very nice!

Capitol - The First Oval Office Project - Edith Cumbo - Shield's Tavern - Workin' the Soil, Healing the Soul - On to Yorktown and Victory

We walked from the Visitor's Center this morning.  It's another beautiful day, though chilly in the early morning.  But, there's nothing better than being in the Village before the crowds arrive!

 Our first stop today was the Capitol.

 We had a wonderful tour and explanation of how the

government was working at the time.

We then stopped by the Secretary's Office to learn about the reconstruction of the marquee that served as George Washington's headquarters during the Revolution.  

There was a wonderful display describing the project in the adjoining room.  It is a joint project between Colonial Williamsburg and The American Revolution Museum.

 Off to the Mary Stith House for another Meet a Nation Builder program.

 Meet Edith Cumbo, one of the few free Blacks in

Williamsburg during the Revolutionary War.  Interesting.

 Then to lunch at Shield's Tavern.  Yum! 

Our afternoon program was Workin' the Soil, Healing the Soul, a rather "in your face" presentation of how enslaved people on rural plantations lived.  A hard life indeed.

The Plantation's Bull...he's a big boy!

The Plantation Kitchen

We visited a few of the shops in the Village and at Merchant's Square and then wandered down for the Review of the Troops.  Today General Washington was there to address the citizens of Williamsburg in preparation for the seign of Yorktown.  Then home for dinner, some quiet time, packing for LeeAnne and off to bed.  Another Great Day!!

Crystal Concert - Martha Washington - Audience with George Washington - Ghosts Among Us

Had a quick breakfast and headed to the Visitor's Center to purchase some tickets to programs we wanted to attend in the next couple of days.  Then we just walked for awhile.

 One of the real joys of Williamsburg is that you can go through almost any gate and walk into the backyard.

Frequently you find lovely gardens, wells, small outbuildings...always an adventure.

We found this watering jug at the garden center in the Village..ingenious.

 The weaver shop was open today.  

 This young lady did a wonderful job explaining her trade!

 LeeAnne and Jean headed to the Palace for a tour while

John roamed with his camera.

 Bruton Parish Church

 A small private residence.

 The gunsmith shop.

 Then LeeAnne and Jean attended Dean Shostak's Crystal Concert.  His specialty is glass instruments and it was a fascinating concert.

 Benjamin Franklin made the first glass armonica.

Dean had one made and is one of 8 players of this instrument in the world.

 He had the crystal hand bells made.  Lovely sound.

 This is one of 2 glass violins in the world.  Wonderful tone.

Wikipedia describes this as "The Cristal Baschet is a musical instrument that produces sound from oscillating glass cylinders. The Cristal Baschet is also known as the Crystal Organ and the Crystal Baschet, and composed of 54 chromatically-tuned glass rods. The glass rods are rubbed with moistened fingers to produce vibrations. The sound of the Cristal Baschet is similar to that of the glass harmonica.

The vibration of the glass rods in the Cristal Baschet is passed to a heavy block of metal by a metal stem whose variable length determines the frequency produced (i.e., the note). Amplification is the result of fiberglass cones fixed in a wood frame and a tall cut out metal part, in the shape of a flame. "Whiskers", placed under the instrument to one side, amplify high-pitched sounds.

We grabbed a quick sandwich at the Cheese Shop (it was chilly eating outside!) and then headed to the Art Museum Auditorium for a Meet A Nation Builder:  Martha Washington.  What a treat!  She discussed her duties as the wife of the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.  What a wonderful presentation.  She did take a few questions from the audience near the end.  She's a marvelous Martha interpreter! 

Did more touring of houses and visiting of craftsmen following Martha and then we headed behind the Palace for a Public Audience with George Washington.  He discussed his Continental Army and happenings of the day.  Was great to have him following the Martha talk.   We then headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner and enjoyed a little wine on the deck and dinner.

Then we got bundled up and headed back to the Village for the Ghosts Amongst Us walking tour.  We stopped at several different buildings and past residents did a brief ghost related presentation.  Then off to bed for us all.  Wonderful Day!