Our trip to Williamsburg was quite fascinating, as I had planned our history curriculum to coincide with this trip. Additionally, Blossom1 and Blossom2's 4-H sewing projects also followed our Colonial theme.
Blossom1's dress got Best in Show and Blossom2's took second in our county fair. Considering the amount of work they put into their dresses and the amount of supervision, I put in, we were pretty pleased. Of course, then Mama had to promise the Littles that she'd make their dresses... in her "free" time. It's always hard squeezing stuff in, but I'll admit that it was nice to sew for the girlies again. The last thing I'd sewn was several preventive measures to keep Blossom4's shorts from falling off her tiny waist! That's hardly an interesting or challenging project!
Above, Blossom2 and Blossom3 are mesmerized by a woman in full Colonial riding habit. She was an elegant lady. By the end of the day, the Blossoms had learned to drop a curtsy to ladies and gents who passed, earning the same greetings in return, much to their delight!
Their dresses were a huge hit. I could tell they felt like little Colonial ladies and many of the kind folks all over Williamsburg commented on them, which added a super special element to our day there.
Throughout our day, we caught the Fife and Drum Corp three times. Each time, the girlies were enchanted. They were quick to point out that there were actually girls in the Fife and Drum Corps, which probably didn't happen back then. I think they forgave the interpretive liberty though.
Additionally, the military demonstration, complete with a resounding cannon brought rave reviews from our girlie Colonial critics.
I think my nephew may have cried and shouted something like, "HOT!" repeatedly. He was doing the best he could with his almost 2 year old vocabulary to warn us of the impending danger. For the record, his uncles in their youth cried when faced with re-enactors.
Other highlights of the day included the palace gardens, which supplied a pleasing backdrop for a photo shoot of the girlies in their dresses. We toured the Peyton Randolph house and the marble fireplace which is pictured in my previous post of Williamsburg displayed that Randolph was the wealthiest man in Williamsburg, barring the governor.
The Milliner's shop was a grand slam stop for our Blossoms. The young lady posing as the milliner, or more accurately, the mantua maker, talked knowledgably about garments, fashion and sewing methods. It was truly fascinating. If the millinery hadn't suddenly filled up, I'm betting we'd have stayed in there for hours.
The man in the Magazine (weapons and ammunition storage facility, not reading publication) was well versed in his field as well. Speaking of which, each costumed interpreter we encountered knew their stuff, making the experience amazing.
We'd packed a picnic lunch and found a spot along the main road in the shade to enjoy our repast. The Rugged Mountain Man led us near a street-side musician who who's harp music was a Heavenly additional to our little picnic.
If I had to make a recommendation, it's nice to stroll through Williamsburg, which you can do for free. The architecture is truly beautiful. However, there's not much to actually experience unless you get a ticket. Homeschool days are extremely discounted and are two weeks in the spring and two weeks in the fall. Their web site has more info on that. I only wish we'd purchased a multi-day pass, as there was so much we didn't see. We took the time to savor what we did see, making it more memorable and less like Mama and Daddy cracking the touring whip.
We wrapped up the evening watching the US Navy band concert on the main lawn with countless other civilians erupting in cheers at the strains of Yankee Doodle. The little trudging feet were weary and slow, but the grins and memories made up for it.
