Two Hams on the Road

Saturday, June 18, 2016

We are at a KOA campground somewhere between Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD.  It’s as close as we can get to Steve’s dad’s place.

But the campground is quite nice. Here’s the view out our window:

After Charlottesville and Montpelier, we headed towards Williamsburg.  It was a short drive, so we got the trailer settled and went into Colonial Williamsburg for lunch at one of the taverns.

Colonial Williamsburg is part of the modern city of Williamsburg, VA.  There are a few people who actually live in the colonial area and the church still has an active congregation.  No motorized traffic is allowed between 8 am and 10 pm, but there are parking lots on the perimeter to park if you want to eat at one of the taverns.  I had looked at the menus on line and chose Chowning’s Tavern, which is housed in an 18th century building.

It’s always fun to walk through Williamsburg.  It’s a step back in time, with boardwalks instead of sidewalks and streets that appear to be dirt, but aren’t.  I’m sure it’s much cleaner and neater than during revolutionary times.  Characters in historic costume stroll through, engaging the tourists.  They tend to make a special point with kids.  There were several engaging the kids in games in an open area.  And there are reminders of how different life was.  This is how goods were moved in the 18th century.

We had stopped at Williamsburg for a few days on our honeymoon 43 years ago and had eaten at Chowning’s tavern.  We had Brunswick stew and I bought the Williamsburg cookbook so I could make it.  I still make it once or twice a year.

We also decided on our silverware at Williamsburg.  We hadn’t found anything we liked before we got married and were going to use what Steve had from his apartment.  The taverns in Williamsburg all use a Queen Anne pattern silverware – pistol grip knives and 3 tined forks.  We liked them and were able to find them later.

So – lots of memories at Williamsburg!  We hadn’t bought tickets to any of the historical sites, but the church is open to all.  It’s still an active parish. Bruton Parish Episcopal Church was built in 1714 and has seen a lot of history.  Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia during the revolutionary period, so this was the church that the elected officials attended when they were in town.  Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Patrick Henry all attended this church.

The next day, we went to Jamestown Settlement.  This site is run by the state of Virginia and is next to Historical Jamestown, which was the actual site of Jamestown.  The Settlement has a reconstructed fort, a Powhatan Indian Village, and reconstruction of the 3 ships that brought the settler’s in 1607.

We had stopped at Jamestown before and my memory of the ships was that they were TINY.  They weren’t as small as I remembered.  This is a replica of the largest ship, the Susan Constant.  It was 116’ by 25’ and carried 71 people and supplies for a year.

Only one of the smaller ships was there, the Discovery.  It was 66’ by 14’ and carried 21 people and supplies.

Neither one is large enough for me to cross the ocean in!

Our next stop was Chelsea Plantation, the home where Steve’s 6-times-great-grandfather, George Seaton, grew up.  His mother married the owner of Chelsea when George was about 2.  The house was built in 1709.

We had tried to visit about 18 months ago, but hadn’t managed to make a firm reservation.  Although they accept visitors, it’s still a private home.  The current owner is a descendant of Augustine Moore who built the house, although the house had been sold several time and the owner’s father had purchased it back.  So Steve and Billy, the current owner, are distant cousins and share a relative in Steve’s 7-times-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Todd Seaton Moore, George’s mother.

The public rooms still have the original paneling, including at least one in walnut.  The stairway is lovely and original.  Billy has decorated the house with his collection of antiques and 18th century paintings.  The house is amazing and we are glad we were able to see it.

We then headed for Delaware for a few days and found some great seafood before heading back to Maryland to visit Steve’s family.  We were able to celebrate Steve’s dad’s 93rd birthday with him and Steve was able to get some chores done for his dad and his sister.

Tomorrow we head for New York.  We’ll actually be staying in New Jersey, but just across the river from New York, where we have plans to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

So long for now!

Deb