Happy 27th Birthday, Ben

Ben turned 27 yesterday. We can hardly believe how old we're getting! I made him pumpkin pie for his "cake," since that is what he wanted, and we went to a couple of historical places during the day; then, we rounded out the day by going to the James River for a little bit so Ben could try out his new crab trap that I got for him. We have much to learn about how to go crabbing, but having the right equipment is a start, and our "Let's Go Crabbing" how-to book should help as well! We'll let you know how we progress in this new skill. Meanwhile, here are some pictures from our day yesterday:

Below is the first place we went - Bacon's Castle. It is across the river from us near the town of Surry. It's famous for being the oldest documented house in Virginia, dating back to the mid-1600s, and also for the guy - Nathaniel Bacon - who led a rebellion against the governor of Virginia after taking this house over and using it as his "base" during the rebellion. The guy who built the house (Arthur Allen) was a very affluent man, and the house - though simple-looking today - would have been considered huge and opulent at the time. It was originally smaller than it looks below, but an owner in the 1800s put an addition on the right-hand side of the house when he bought it (to the right of the right-hand chimney). The garden shown below matches the one Mr. Allen built in the 1600s with the house. More here on the history of the castle.

Next stop was Sherwood Forest Plantation, the home of 10th U.S. president John Tyler. President Tyler's grandson and family still own and live in the house today, so house tours are expensive. We just toured the grounds. The house is apparently the "longest frame house in America" - which you can see when you look at the side view below (there are long wings on either side of the middle part of the house that make the whole thing extremely long!).

This is the picture of the day... this squirrel was either too hot to do anything, or he could hear the distant rumbling of the thunderstorm that struck soon after we left the plantation!

The backyard:

The smokehouse, where they would have hung hams (and herbs) to be cured:


Some pretty flowers against the wine house:

This mulberry tree on the plantation grounds dates back to the 1700s. I guess we might all look like this if we were 200+ years old:

Later in the evening, we went crabbing/fishing on the James River just before it got dark:

Me smiling despite the fact that I have sand flies all over my legs and feet - you just don't go out at night here without bugspray!!

Oh Deer!

Tonight, Ben and I took a bike ride on some nearby trails at dusk. When we reached a large field, we saw dozens of deer all over the place. They were standing, eating, and jumping/bounding. We didn't get very close, but here are some pictures of them from far away (look closely), along with one of Ben, and some of the flowers in the field.

Oh, yes, and did we mention that there are Canadian geese EVERYWHERE here? They make themselves comfortable just about anywhere, both in fields and just a few yards from the major roads:

A Quiz

Can anyone take a guess as to what this is a picture of?

Nobody got it. Okay, so nobody guessed :) The above is a picture of fireworks on July 4th, but when I first saw it, it looked to me like some sort of outerspace photo - of a faraway nebulae or star cluster or something. I thought it was interesting, although it's really just that I was trying to figure out how in the world to properly take firework photos with my digital camera (which is relatively new to me!). You have to predict when the fireworks will go off and take the photo about 4-5 seconds ahead of time, and meanwhile hold your hand really steady. I sometimes think the old-fashioned cameras were a little easier! -Jenny

Colonial Williamsburg Pictures

Colonial Williamsburg is a charming little place, if a bit tourist-filled at times; if you've never visited it, we highly recommend it. We've not yet gone to many of the tours and shows available but hope to do so throughout the coming year as time permits! Below are some photos for you to peruse to get a glimpse of the town.

We moved July 2-3, so we were fortunate to spend July 4th here. Ben's parents were here too, and so we walked around Colonial Williamsburg that evening, when they had a fife and drum corp marching around all night playing patriotic music. Afterward, there were fireworks, of course!

Below is our favorite tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, Christiana Campbell's. There are several other taverns as well, but we enjoy the menu here the best. Our all-time favorite here is (or, was, before they stopped serving it last spring!) sherried crab soup; now, we get the next best dish - a seafood meal with a similar sherry-based sauce. They also serve some delicious "spoon bread" (sort of a mix between corn pudding and grits), and talented musician-singers come around during the meal to entertain. This is just how things would have been in colonial days - except those dining would have been expected to join in the singing. George Washington himself dined here, along with numerous other famous early Americans.

Duke of Gloucester is the renowned street that runs through the middle of the town:

Below is the Governor's Palace. We watched fireworks from its front lawn.

The Capitol:

Below is Bruton Parish, an Episcopal church established in the 1600s in the heart of Williamsburg - it still holds services today. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry each attended the parish.

A windmill in the town:

A garden in front of one of the colonial homes - there are several similar gardens, one of which contains a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers and shrubs (including a pomegranate tree, shown in one photo below):



Colonial Williamsburg has a rather large collection of sheep, who meander around fenced-in yards and eat grass all day. A "Rare Breeds" program breeds these sheep so that they are genetically similar to the ones the early colonists would have owned. The sheep are large and woolly, and they shake when they are sleeping (but we couldn't quite capture that on camera!).

27 LBS. OF FRUIT

Today we went to a nearby pick-your-own vegetable farm and picked blueberries and peaches. We managed to pick 5 lbs. of blueberries and 22 lbs. of peaches!!! It was great fun. Please send your favorite peach and blueberry recipes our way!! Here are some pictures from today, as well as a few from yesterday:

(Above: These are nectarines. They were not available for picking, but they looked delicious!)

Above: The farm/orchard owners had a hummingbird feeder that was attracting about 5 or 6 hummingbirds at one time!

Yesterday:

We went fishing and crabbing after dinner on the York River from an area off Colonial Parkway. We didn't catch anything, but something took a gigantic bite out of our crab bait (chicken). There was also an absolutely beautiful sunset!

Below: A tree on the William and Mary campus was ripped apart by a heavy storm Thursday night.

The 2nd Oldest University in the U.S.

We promised pictures, so here they come. This is the first round. It takes time to upload these things and put all the captions in, so we're going to do a little at a time. Basically, it would be better if you just come visit us, but just in case you aren't able, here's a taste of our town.

First up is the College of William and Mary, which happens to be the second oldest university in the United States (next to Harvard). Since we will be spending quite a bit of time there, we thought you'd like to see some parts of it... Enjoy. Also, in case you're wondering, the campus is located directly adjacent to Colonial Williamsburg. It is an easy walk across the street!

Above: The Crim Dell - one of the more famous & picturesque spots on campus.

James Blair Hall, which houses the history and philosophy departments as well as part of the University Development Office. James Blair's statue reminds passersby of the founder of William and Mary.

Above: The Brafferton, the Offices of the President and Provost, housed in a building built in 1723.

Above: The Sir Christopher Wren Building. This is the oldest academic building in continuous use in the United States. (Building on it was completed in 1699!) This is the location of last year's nationally publicized contoversy over the building's cross. Interestingly, the cross - which is to be displayed prominently in a glass case according to the compromise reached - is still not there. Hmm...

The porch of the Wren Building...

...where this plaque is posted, describing the original purpose of the College - which included spreading the Gospel to the Indians in addition to offering an education in "good Letters and Manners."

Ben in front of the Swem Library - an amazing facility which also houses the Omohundro Institute in its basement.