Williamsburg

Saturday we headed down to the beach first thing (after a quick trip to Walmart for supplies). We went down a little road to a beach at the end of a quiet lane (I think it was called Westland but isn't really on the map). The drive was lovely and the houses down there were amazing with their own jetties. The little beach we found was mostly deserted (except for a boy and his grandfather at the car). We spent a while just wondering along. It was great having the place to ourselves.

Only other people we saw.

View to Chesapeake Bay 

Kiss on the beach for the camera! :-)

Deserted

We ended up at a little marina where we stayed for bit, me and dad taking lots of photos, before going back to the car. It was lovely. And exactly as I imagined a Chesapeake Bay beach. I loved it.

Camera face-off!

On pier spikes.

Friendly sandpiper

After the beach we got back on the road and headed to Williamsburg where we stayed for the next few days. The drive was really nice, along sunlight roads and quiet lanes. We were staying at the Historic Powhatan resort (named after the Indian Powhatan who was Pocahontas' father). We checked in but couldn't get the keys until 4pm so went into Williamsburg for something to eat and look around. After lunch (and with tiramisu for mom and dad for later that evening), we had a wonder around and found Colonial Williamsburg. They have shops and buildings set up from the colonial era with lots of people walking around in period costume. We didn't pay to go into the buildings as the tickets were super expensive. But we could still walked around the roads and see the people and buildings from the outside. For those in the West Midlands, it was very similar to the Black Country museum.

The gardeners.

Loading a carriage

Straw hats for sale

Another carriage

Maids

Piper

There were also lots of butterflies about. (My dad was really jealous with some of my photos!)

Best butterfly photo of the day

On the way back to the car, we found a gourmet candy shop. It was love at first sight. I got a selection of chocolates for later and a few bits. The shop was awesome.

The best toffee apples I have ever seen.

Chocolate covered twinkies and the largest cornflakes cakes.

Giant slabs of fudge

When we got back to the resort, we got the keys for our apartment. It was amazing. And so posh! I should point out I got the 2 nights on a really good deal from Groupon. We had a 2 bedroom apartment. Both rooms had queen size beds and were en-suite. The only thing the apartment didn't have was a kettle but there was a microwave so that was fine. (It even had a huge blender in case you wanted a smoothie. And most importantly, wine glasses and a corkscrew.) It was amazing!

My bathroom

Mom and Dad's bedroom

Our living room

Mom in the kitchen.

View from out balcony.

Enormous TV and enormous fireplace.

The site was gorgeous as well. I was very impressed. I was going to take some photos of the grounds but didn't get time. 

We couldn't be bother going out that night so we had cheeses and meats for dinner. And we had brought deserts earlier, along with a bottle of Oyster Bay sauvignon blanche. We just watched some films and opened the bottle of sweet wine from the Ingleside vineyard. (I was right in my prediction that the wine wouldn't make it home!) 

Rappahonnock River Cruise

On Friday we went on a river cruise up the Rappahonnock river. It was a little further away from where we were staying than we realized but the roads were really quiet and the drive was nice. After a little stress (the SatNav/GPS wasn't exactly accurate) and stopping to ask a nice man where we were and should be, we got to the dock in Tappahannock. 

Mom and Dad as we leave the dock

The cruise went along the river past lots of eagle nests, but for the first half all we saw were seagulls. And at one point, a lot of them! 

Seagulls following the boat.

We saw a few eagles and everyone on the boat got very excited. I couldn't get pictures of most as they were just too far away or moving. But they were beautiful. And very well hidden!

The cruise ends at Ingleside vineyard, which is one of the best vineyards in Virginia. When we got of the boat, we saw the pilot/driver, running away across the road, which was a little unnerving! But he came back with an awesome blue (ex-school) bus. It was a squeaky bumpy ride and brilliant! :-) He pointed out the house of the vineyard owners, which has 41 rooms (for the 2 of them). It was huge! They also own a plant nursery covering a few hundred acres.

Blue school bus.

When we got to the vineyard, we had a very nice lunch with a pork sandwich, real coleslaw, pasta salad, and a chocolate brownie. (Of course I could only eat a little of this as it's a lot of wheat but what I did have was lovely. And mom delighted in telling me the brownie was very nice. She is evil!) We sat eating in a pretty little courtyard.

Fountain in the middle of the courtyard

Courtyard.

After lunch we had a tour of the vineyard and winery. It was really interesting as it is harvest season so we got to see them harvesting and processing the grapes. And we also got to try some of the Viognier grapes that have just been picked. They were really nice and sweet and I would have liked more! But I guess they are better off as wine. :-)

Just picked and ready for crushing

Passing around grapes to try

We got to try 7 different wines. I liked all of them but I brought my favorite, which was a white blend from their Blue Crab series and a bottle of sweet wine. Mom and dad got the Blue Crab blush and Blue Crab red. The boat driver was also helping out in the winery, packing the bottles and they even put them on the boat for us! 

Bar at the tasting room

wine sample sheet.

Back to the Captain Thomas, our boat.

On the evening, we went to a restaurant called Willaby's on the river front, with live jazz music. Well eventually. The little map wasn't as accurate as we initially thought so it took a little trial and error but it was worth the trip.

I had an amazing He Crab soup and salad. Mom ordered a shrimp starter as her main thinking it would be small. That didn't work out. There were tones of shrimp! But she really wanted to finish them so started palming them off on me and dad!

Mom and Dad at dinner

When we got back to the hotel, I went to mom and dads room next door and we opened and emptied my bottle of Blue Crab Blanc from yesterday. It was very nice. :-)

Monticello

My parents have flown over (finally) to spend a few weeks here. They arrived on Monday (Labor day). I was so excited, I got to the airport nearly an hour early. We didn't do much on Monday and all got an early night. They had been traveling all day and I was up early cleaning and tidying. I got nearly everything cleaned except my floor as the vacuum kind of exploded a little and then just sparked. So the floor looked worse!

Tuesday we went to Red Robins for lunch which my mom really liked. She has already ready asked to go back before they leave! Then we headed to Target to get a new vacuum. Not exactly exciting shopping but needed. We ended up just chilling the rest of the day.

On Wednesday we headed into downtown to meet Duncan for lunch at Gillies. I also showed my parents around downtown, which took 2 minutes. :-) Then we went back to Target. After some research last night we had decided and found the best deal for my x-mas present. A new DSLR camera!!!!!!! I love it! And we got a great deal on a zoom lens. On the evening I took them to my wine tasting (where I go every other Wednesday). They had a great time and it was lovely for my friends to get to meet them and vice versa. And they picked out 2 lovely wines, a red from the Cotes de Rhone (my dad's favorite) and a French white (I can't remember which one - mom's favorite). I don't know if they are going to take them with them, if they last that long. :-)

Thursday was the start of our road trip. We are headed over to the coast but decided to split the drive there up with a stop at Monticello, which is just outside Charlottesville and on our way. Monticello was the house of Thomas Jefferson, and considered the second most important house in the the USA. 

Monticello garden entrance

We couldn't take any photos inside the house but the tour was really interesting. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and was president for 2 terms. But he was also really cool. He was a scientist, astronomer, inventor, conservationist, historian, and teacher. He founded the University of Virginia, and the Lewis and Clark expedition. He had a dumbwaiter just for his wine to be brought up from the cellar. As well as separate wine, beer and cider cellars! Respect!

One of Jefferson's wine cellars

Basement kitchen

Covered walkways under the house

Jefferson's private greenhouse

Though he did entertain. A lot. The house was often full with many guests and all of his family staying. And he had 6 children with his wife Martha and then loads of grandkids so that was a lot of family. He may have had another 6 children with a slave called Sally Hemmings, but it's still unclear. Her children were definitely be one of the Jefferson family but they can't be sure who. However Thomas Jefferson was at the house 9-10 months before the birth of each of her children. So.... 

Still it is hard not to like him. He had his own book room, a bright yellow tea room, an amazing desk with a rotating book table, and a huge wine cellar. :-)

After the tour of the house, we wondered around the gardens a little before the next tour. The gardens were lovely and the weather was amazing! 

The second tour was on slavery at Monticello. Although Jefferson was anti-slavery, he was a slave owner all his life. The tour guide was very good and talked about what they knew about the lives of the slaves and how they know. She told us some stories about some of the slaves and where they ended up.  Although Jefferson was good to his slaves and his family were very close to some of them, he only freed 5 slaves in his will and very few others during his lifetime. He couldn't afford to free them as he was in huge debt (over $100,000) at the time of his death.

It was a really interesting tour and I am very glad we went. On the way down (we got the shuttle bus up the hill as the house sits on the brow of a little mountain), we pasted Jefferson's grave where he is buried under an obelisk with other members of his family. At the bottom we watched a film on Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence, which was interesting, and I got my picture taken with him. :-)

Me and Thomas Jefferson

We were only going to spend a little time there but ended up there for over 4 hours! I recommend it. We then had to head for another 2.5 hours over to Kilmarnok where we are staying for a few days.

Dad at the wheel

Bridge over the Rappahannock

Chesapeake Bay

It was a long day but fun. We had Italian for dinner and an early night.