24.06.17
So with our time in Washington now come to an end we are on the open road and out of the big cities ..... The kids are absolutely shattered after NY, Philly and DC (can't blame them, I am too!). So this is where our adventure really starts and our Road Trip down the East Coast ....
Love all the buildings that are dotted on the landscape just along the side of the road
YORKTOWN - 24.06.17
We arrived in Yorktown at the heat of the day .... and it was Hot Hot Hot
Yorktown, named for the ancient city of York in Yorkshire, Northern England, was founded in 1691 as a port on the York River for English colonists to export tobacco to Europe. The lawyer Thomas Ballard was the principal founder of the city along with Joseph Ring.
The town is most famous as the site of the siege and subsequent surrender of General Cornwallis to General George Washington and the French Fleet during the American Revolutionary War on October 19, 1781. Although the war would last for another year, this British defeat at Yorktown effectively ended the war. Yorktown also figured prominently in the American Civil War (1861–1865), serving as a major port to supply both northern and southern towns, depending upon who held Yorktown at the time.
Today, Yorktown is one of three sites of the Historic Triangle, which also includes Jamestown and Williamsburg as important colonial-era settlements. It is the eastern terminus of the Colonial Parkway connecting these locations. Yorktown is also the eastern terminus of the TransAmerica Trail
The bus that transports people around Yorktown - it's like a tram
Silly selfies ....
It's not a Bermuda sunset ... but it is a sunset all the same 🌇
WILLIAMSBURG 25.06.17
Today we have the whole day to explore Williamsburg and it's history ....
On our walk in to the town we came across this garage .... Eleanor said that this could be Kim's new business!
Some of the homes that we passed were so grand - I could quite easily see myself living in one of these.
William and Mary Law School
William & Mary is the second-oldest college in America. The original plans for W&M date back to 1618 — decades before Harvard — but were derailed by an "Indian uprising." We couldn't make this stuff up.
On February 8, 1693, King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter for a "perpetual College of Divinity, Philosophy, Languages, and other good Arts and Sciences" to be founded in the Virginia Colony. And William & Mary was born.
Workers began construction on the Sir Christopher Wren Building, then known simply as the College Building in 1695, before the town of Williamsburg even existed. Over the next two centuries, the Wren Building would burn on three separate occasions, each time being re-built inside the original walls. That makes the Wren the oldest college building still standing in America, and possibly the most flammable.
Williamsburg was founded in 1638 and was named after King William III of England. It was the capital of the Virginia Colony from 1699 to 1780 and played a significant role in the American Revolution.
Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting part of a historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Colonial Williamsburg's 301-acre (122 ha) Historic Area includes buildings from the eighteenth century
African American Baptist Meetinghouse
The Theatre
The Church
The Main House
The Visitors Centre
The Scale model of the town
Walking to the Visitors Centre they had these plaques in the pavement
Somebody dressed in costume - probably going back to work
The Carpenters Workshop
Somebody else giving a demonstration
The is where everyone would meet for a trial and where public hangings would happen
The Prison
Two In-mates
One of the many restaurants - that was once a Meetinghouse
The State Church
Along the high street there are lots of shops with traditional wares for sale
Another lady sitting outside her shop waiting to demonstrate her trade
The local Pub
The Market Square
The Grand Old Union Flag 1775
According to legend, one day in 1775 General Washington approached Rebecca Flower Young, a Philadelphia pennant and colours maker, and asked her to make a flag for use by the troops. The flag he designed became known as the Grand Union Flag. Years later, Rebecca assisted her daughter in making an even more famous flag for our country, the "Star Spangled Banner" used at Ft. McHenry.
This flag is still being used in Williamsburg Town Colonial ....
A Traditional Shop
A Herb Garden
At the end of a very hot day we headed over to see what the Festival that was in Williamsburg and who was playing. Tickets were quite pricey so Neil was reluctant because of the children and whether or not they would like the music? Well, a complete stranger walked up to us and offered us two tickets for free (well we gave him $20 so cover a bit of the cost) and then another stranger handed another ticket over .... so that meant Neil only had to buy one ticket (which obviously made him happier ... and me as we got to join in the fun!). It was a shame we weren't here for Friday - we just missed Cheryl Crow.
https://www.funhousefest.com/
Up first was Hiss Golden Messenger - who are an American folk music band, originating from Durham, North Carolina, led by MC Taylor. For the various recordings, he is joined by a number of guest musicians. The band's main influences include the Beatles, The Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield. In 2016, Taylor released the album Heart Like a Levee and embarked on an international tour. The band's music contains elements from various musical genres, such as folk, country, dub, country soul, rhythm and blues, bluegrass, jazz, funk, swamp pop, gospel, blues, and rock.
Chillin'
💖 "Virginia is for Lovers" 💖
The Staves, originally from Watford, England, are three sisters: Emily (vocals), Jessica (vocals, guitar), and Camilla (vocals, ukulele) Staveley-Taylor. They released their first full-length album—2012's Dead & Born & Grown—to critical acclaim: the London Sunday Times called it "a debut of stellar beauty and hidden depths," while the Telegraph, in its four-star review, noted that the "graceful melodies reveal a supple strength and modernity." BBC’s on line review of the album praised its “personal tales…coated with close harmonies as delicious as a homemade carrot cake.” Since making their recording debut, the trio has toured the world, including opening spots with the Civil Wars, Mumford & Sons, and Bon Iver. The group’s 2015 album If I Was examines life on the road, singing about what is left behind rather than endless highways and hotel rooms.
Bruce Hornsby & Sonny Emory - Bruce Hornsby’s work displays a creative iconoclasm that’s been a constant in the artist’s two-and-a-half decade recording career. His commercial stock soared early on, when “The Way It Is”–the title track of his 1986 debut album–became one of the most popular songs on American radio. Despite his early mainstream successes, Hornsby has pursued a more personal, idiosyncratic musical path, focusing on projects that sparked his creative interest, including collaborations with the Grateful Dead, Spike Lee, Ricky Skaggs, Don Henley, Ornette Coleman, Bob Dylan, Bela Fleck, Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, and Robbie Robertson. Hornsby’s performance will offer a glimpse of a restless spirit who continues to push forward into exciting new musical terrain. Bruce holds this Festival each year and is originally from Williamsburg.
Sonny Emory is a native of Atlanta who received his first drum set at the age of four. After graduating from Georgia State University with a Bachelor in Jazz Performance, Sonny began his transition into becoming a professional drummer playing with Joe Sample and the Crusaders. With over 30 years of live performance and studio work behind him, Sonny maintains a busy schedule in the music industry and is highly regarded in the business. He also used to be the drummer for Earth, Wind and Fire for 13 years.
The last act of the evening was Rhiannon Giddens - she is the co-founder of the GRAMMY award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, in which she also plays banjo and fiddle. She began gaining recognition as a solo artist when she stole the show at the T Bone Burnett– produced Another Day, Another Time concert at New York City’s Town Hall in 2013. The elegant bearing, prodigious voice, and fierce spirit that brought the audience to its feet that night is also abundantly evident on Giddens’ critically acclaimed solo debut, the Grammy nominated album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, which masterfully blends American musical genres like gospel, jazz, blues, and country, showcasing her extraordinary emotional range and dazzling vocal prowess.
Wow - what an amazing day. Williamsburg was brilliant and to top it our evening was amazing watching all these very talented acts. The atmosphere at the festival was very relaxed and the people were so friendly and helpful. Love this place 💓
JAMESTOWN 26.06.17
The Virginia Company of England made a daring proposition: sail to the new, mysterious land, which they called Virginia in honor of Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, and begin a settlement. They established Jamestown, Virginia, on May 14, 1607, the first permanent British settlement in North America.
As we didn't have much time before needing to move on we popped in to the Visitor's Centre quickly. They explained that we could drive around the Jamestown settlement as most of it was by car anyway as it was all marshland. Now I know how many animals and bugs are living out there so being in the car suited me fine!!
Goodbye to a lot of history and a trio of quaint towns .... definitely worth another visit I think and note to self give ourselves more time to explore properly. To sum up I thought Yorktown was just stunning, Williamsburg was intriguing and interesting and well worth the visit, and Jamestown ..... well I'm sure there was more to it but as there were no original buildings I felt we'd seen enough.
Neil: "Yorktown - found it was a beautiful place with a lot of history, well worth the visit. Williamsburg - amazing historic colonial town with lots to see and do and what a bonus having the Festival. Jamestown - Stunning drive through the island."
Patrick: "Loved the fun musical surprise. Everything impressed me, 5 *****"
Eleanor: "Old, pretty and loved the houses and the concert"
lots of love The Wise Old Owls xxxx
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