General Washington and goodbye to Williamsburg

Sunday October 6, 2013
Williamsburg, Virginia

 

 

We are enjoying Williamsburg so much I hate to leave.

 

We are only here four days, not nearly long enough, but I turn those 4 days into 9 blog posts.  Good Grief!  But this one is the last, I promise.  We just had such a good time.   Our special passes are good until the end of this year but I doubt we will be passing this way again before then and we have doctor appointments to keep so we must go. 

 

For now, we leave the Palace kitchen garden and the wayward heron and walk on down the Palace green.  

 

David goes into the gunsmith’s shop that we missed when we visited Mr. Geddy’s residence.  I’m not so much interested in guns so no pictures from there.

I stay outside and walk over to Mr. Geddy’s garden.  Maybe he has a heron too???

 

Well no heron but look what I do see!

 

Talk about brazen – right here in broad daylight in the late afternoon just helping himself.  And right outside the gunsmith’s shop too. 

 

 

We have a stand off for maybe as much as 5 or 6 minutes until he finally waddles off into the shrubbery behind the garden.  

 

 

 

 

I need all the hugs I can get.  But not from groundhogs.

 

We’re on our way to the last of the craftsmen that we will have time to visit when we walk by another tree that really needs hugging.  I suspect this one might have been around to see all of the original events we’ve experienced in our time here.

 

 

We visited the printer on a previous day and wanted to come back to the bookbinder’s.  

The letterpress printer is here as well though it’s too late in the day for it to be in use.   That’s too bad.  I’d really like to see that.  Wish we had ONE MORE day.

 

 

 

It’s time to meet General Washington.

 

The very last thing we’ll be doing to day is attending the public audience with George Washington held in the coffeehouse backyard.  I’m afraid we are too late to run in for another cup of hot chocolate as much as I’d like to.

On our way we see the signs of coming cooler weather in all the piles of wood ready for the fireplaces and stoves which heat these 18th century homes and buildings.

 

 

 

We walk by Chowning’s Tavern.  I just love the 18th century “signs” which are often symbols of the craft or service.  Shoe hanging from the shoemaker, hat at the milliners.   Chowning’s of course is a tavern.

 

 

 

 

As you would expect, the place is packed when we come in.

 

Luckily  some very nice people in the front row slide on down so we can sit beside them.  And just in time, here comes the General.  He appears to have on his dress uniform right down to his gloves but then I guess he would to make a public presentation.

 

 

 

He is somber and talks about the war and the bravery of the fighting men.

 

 

Unlike Patrick Henry, he doesn’t say a great deal before turning things over to questions.  

 

 

 

One person asks if, when the war is over, and the country is independent, he would be willing to be king.   He very forcefully assures that there will be no king here.  Although he does see that there is a need for a strong federation between the states and a federal government.

 

 

Somehow he didn’t look like I expected him to but it was wonderful hearing him speak.

 

 

And now it’s really over.

As we walk through the town for the last time, these are some of the memories we will take with us

 

of the people

     

 

 

and the scenes.

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Today we have parked at the end of this lovely path.

 

We walk out of town looking back at this idyllic scene of sheep grazing in the fields and who is that at the end of the path going down to the water?

 

 

 

 

He sure gets around doesn’t he??

 

  

 

Bah Bah Williamsburg!

 

We’ve had fantastic days here and I’d love to spend even more time especially since all our days from now until December 31st are already paid for with our special pass.  Of course that does not include our railroad track side campsite.  

 

But move on we must.  
Good bye Colonial Williamsburg, thanks for everything