More vacation pictures

Yes, dear friends, there are many more pictures to be shared.  I can't believe that I didn't take any pictures at our friend Ellie's house, which was our first stop on the road trip.  She has a beautiful home and served us a wonderful lunch with dessert and coffee afterwards.  Forgive me Ellie for not taking any pictures.

I started taking pictures in Colonial Williamsburg.  I do have pictures of the hotel we stayed in

 (The Williamsburg Inn)

and pictures of the rooms and such, but for today we will take a quick tour down Duke of Gloucester Street.

Walking towards the center of it all you see the beginnings of lovely gardens (it was early April) in the backs of some of the houses.  If the gate is open to the fence feel free to roam about quietly and enjoy them.

On your way to the main street you see lots of restored homes that I wasn't sure what they were, Peri said that some were private residences. I've come to find out that some of the restored structures are also used for lodgings and are staffed by the same folks that run the Inn where we stayed.  These houses are much more original inside, with canopy beds and even trundle beds, some sharing a bath and sitting area with other guests, and some are houses that you can rent the entire dwelling for your stay.

 Here you see the Brick Tavern Inn, with a sign that states there are "Sixteen Good Rooms for Ladies and Gentlemen".

Hmmmm, now that's a thought, actually staying in one of the restored buildings in the middle of everything that happens.  Anyway, I digress and I'm not sure I'm ready to "rough it" after staying at the Inn.

Here is a beautifully restored house that has a sign attached to it, but I can't remember what it said, and can't quite make it out.  It may also be lodging.

We were taking our time as we were walking, something I thought would be easier than it actually was. The walking, that is.  It's a long street, and it's not a bad idea to get a carriage ride.

Further down the way we come to a building that has a sign that says grocer, with a cutout piggy, but I didn't see a flag outside, the signal that you may come in, so it may also be a private dwelling.

The main reason I took this shot was for the doors that appear to go to the cellar, on the beautiful barn shaped house next to the grocer.  I just love everything about the houses in this picture and probably will use it for a watercolor painting.

We saw a man with his oxen.  Later in the day, Peri talked at length with this gent and can give us the info on them in a future post.  (It's about time for her to be guest author, anyway.)

These structures were painstakingly restored and are proudly maintained. There is much history about the restoration itself. There are, in fact, several blogs about Colonial Williamsburg that would really give much better information that I can, but in the meantime I'm still walking, talking and taking pictures.

I went in one shop that had all kinds of pantry and kitchen items for sale, including this wall of lovely pottery and crockery.

Colonial Williamsburg is a historical tourist site after all, and while they try to keep everything low key and staffed by folks in period attire, there still has to be bar codes and scanners and all the things that keep modern day merchants on top of things.  (some of the proprietors will tell you in their British accents that they dislike the new fangled gadgetry and wish it were not so).

One of the shops sells stationary and inkwells, along with printed material pertaining to colonial times, that is actually printed in the lower portion of the dwelling. 

 Print Shop and Store

I, being retired from the commercial printing industry, should have taken the time to visit the printing area, but there was still so much more to see.

We ate and did other things that I'll discuss later, but the main thing I wanted to do was get back to the hotel and soak in the tub.

I knew as I stepped into this narrow, deep tub that I would have trouble getting out, but I really wasn't prepared for how difficult it would be.  I didn't have a phone handy or I might have called Peri for help.  After about five minutes of maneuvering, I was able to get on my knees to stand up.  I just could not for the life of me, push my self up to a standing position using the safety rails.  For a few moments, I felt a bit like a beached marine animal with no rescuer in site. Whew, finally I figured out how to do it and got myself out.  A bit embarrassing, even if I was by myself.

Many, many other fine things happened on our week long road trip and you will have more (yes, I did say more) pictures in the next few posts. 

It was good for me to get away from home and learn that the world is still the same as I remember it and I can do things and go places.  My life is different now, but that's to be expected and I'm learning to make the changes that I need to.

I have to say once again, that the love that my sisters have shown me, doesn't surprise me in any way. It's just that I know that they loved Tim, too and they miss him and want me to be able to make the most of this new life.  Friends and neighbors have been kind and thoughtful, but these two sweeties have shown me, that my life is about me now.  They are helping me move forward and have done so much to help me to keep Tim's memory alive in a wonderfully strong and healthy way.  I love them both so much.

OK, enough of that.  Hope you liked this weeks travelogue.  Stay tuned for the next installment.