Hometown Tourist

Last week Ryan's dad and stepmom came down to visit for the weekend.  On Monday Ryan had duty, so I took them up to see Colonial Williamsburg.  I've lived smack dab in the middle of what is called "The Historic Triangle" for most of my life, and I've kind of taken for granted that I grew up amidst so much history.

I mean seriously, every year until high school we took a field trip to the Jamestown Settlement.  Every.  Year.  I've planted corn at Great Hopes Plantation.  I lost my glasses in the James River trying to use a fishing net like the colonists.  My one "field trip" sophomore year involved walking out the back door of my school, across the soccer field, hopping a ditch, and ending up at Surrender Field.  What is Surrender Field, you ask?  Well, that's where Gen. Cornwallis surrendered to Gen. George Washington on October 19, 1781 - ending the Revolutionary War (You history buffs will argue that the white hankie was officially waved on the 17th- and it was- but the Articles of Capitulation were signed on the 19th).  See?  Told you I grew up in the middle of history.  But I digress.

It was a lot of fun being a hometown tourist for the day, and it was even more fun getting to be a mini tour guide (I was amazed at all the semi-useless information on Colonial America I managed to call up).  I probably talked Ryan's parents' ears off, but they were good sports about it.

Close-up of the lectern in Bruton Parish Church

A Day in D.C.

Growing up in Virginia, I've always taken for granted how close I live to our nation's capital.

I have family in that area, so the Washington Monument has always been a familiar sight, and I was a little surprised when Ryan said he'd never been.

So on Saturday morning when he suggested we go, I jumped at the chance!

Well, what was supposed to only be a two-and-a-half hour drive took nearly five hours!

I don't even want to talk about Virginia drivers.

So, after much swearing and braking and talking about turning around, we finally made it to D.C. right around 5 PM, which turned out to be pretty lucky, because we got there right after a nasty rain storm cleared up.