Page Title

Our
Journey:

Avalon's Army of Angels

October 6, 2008
First day in Williamsburg

Rise and shine. Well, Marnita and I rose bright
and early this morning - but the rest of my clan
were closer to unleavened bread at Passover.
And Shine? To be honest, we all could have
used a buff and wax to accomplish that.

Marnita and I were up and out early to be able to
head over to the resort's clubhouse. The
Williamsburg Plantation sells local tickets at a
discount for its guests. They also have the
current schedules for local attractions and tons
of information available. So, while my minions
snored, Marnita and I bought tickets, picked up
maps, and had a lovely morning chat in the
clubhouse. Its fun to pretend to be classy...

Eventually we did manage to make it out the
door to start our Williamsburg adventure. The
first part of the day we were on our own - we
agreed to meet up with Marnita and Kevin for
lunch and site seeing in the afternoon.

We wound our way through town to the Colonial
Williamsburg Visitor's center, to park and get
more information. Unfortunately, the first thing
we learned is that the tickets I'd bought that
morning weren't really tickets. While they were
real - they were simply vouchers. We had to
stand in line to pick up our actual passes. The
morning suddenly didn't seem as rosy.

I feel the need to interject something here. I
believe Williamsburg is a bit of a racket. One
day tickets are obscene. Two day tickets are
only slightly less offensive. And there is no such
thing as a "three day" ticket. If you plan on being
in the village for three or more days - you
basically have to buy a year long pass. We
decided that was our best option, so we could
come and go during our week's stay - without
feeling like we had to rush. Let us say this was
exhibit A in 'the best laid plans of mice and men...'

OK, back to the events of the day.

During our morning rush, I had made time to
quickly peruse the Williamsburg map and week's
events. I had found two things I thought the kids
would like, period dancing at the saloon, and the
Bits and Bridles tour through the stables.
Unfortunately, the period dancing presentation
was early in the morning. By the time we mussed
and fussed with standing in line, getting our
pictures taken for our passes, and waiting for the
bus to get to Williamsburg - they danced on
without us. However, I did have the presence of
mind to book the Bits and Bridles tour while still
at the visitor center. I'm grateful I did.

As for the buses, Williamsburg does have some
neat ones. Sad though - they tend to be staffed
by some of the foulest humans you can imagine.
The buses themselves are very handicapped
friendly. If a wheelchair approaches the bus, the
driver can activate special air shocks and lower
the entire bus to the level of the sidewalk! You
just wheel the chair straight into the bus. Then,
there are bench seats that fold up - and
wheelchair locks so the chairs can be secured
for the ride. They are truly incredible. The chair
buckling takes a few minutes, but I do appreciate
that they thought about it. However, with the
nasty Nellie driver we had for that first ride - we
arrived in Colonial Williamsburg with
less-than-positive attitudes.

Thankfully, the very first interpreter we met today
erased all the other bad experiences of the
morning. He greeted us with a cheerful smile
and warm, "Good Morning!" as we entered the
colony. I decided it might be an OK day after all.

Our first stop was the Governor's Palace. We
made it there just in time for a tour. We left
Anam's stroller and Avalon's wheelchair in the
courtyard, and began our adventure in earnest.
Somewhere along the lines of 100 pictures and
mountains of information later - the girls couldn't
quit talking about how beautiful it all was. Anam
could have cared less.

From the official palace tour - you are free to
wander the palace grounds, and check out the
associated buildings, like the kitchen and
smokehouse.   As you can tell from the pictures,
the kids LOVED the gardens! There is a "Secret
Garden" feel to the place. From the tree woven
paths to the brick walled garden rooms - its all
very mystical. You turn a corner and find an
amazing vista, you look around a bush to find a
hidden bench. You can weave through mazes
and skip around English formal hedges. If I
could, I'd replicate it down to the very last brick.
Better yet, I'd have frozen those moments in
time. My kids were in heaven.

From our palace play time, we had to head
across the colony to meet up with our Bits and
Bridles tour. The tour was led by a wonderful
older gentleman. He was a retired farmer,
knowledgeable about every aspect of
horsemanship, as well as the details of the
historical livestock that Williamsburg breeds. He
delivered the information in a way that was
detailed enough to fascinate me, but accessible
enough that all three girls understood it. He
answered questions with depth and kindness. I
could not have imagined a better interpreter.

We began the tour by meeting at a corner rest
area in the colony. We walked as a group past
several pastures, and down a steep incline to the
on-site barns for the horses that were currently
working in the colony. Our guide explained
about Williamsburg's heritage livestock breeding
programs, and about the schedule of how horses
are worked, then rested for months at a time.
Williamsburg owns hundreds of acres of farm
land outside of the city. Their breeding
programs are centered there, and the horses
rotate time in and out of there.

We learned about shoeing horses, and how the
carriages are built and maintained. Ambrosia
was chosen to be the model on the sidesaddle
display, because she happened to be wearing a
dress. Aurora checked it out too - but she
waited until the tour had moved on. Climbing on
a saddle for a picture is just not cool enough to
do in front of a crowd. Aurora and I tried our
hands at a nifty contraption they had set up to
allow you to feel what controlling reins on a
multi-horse hitch is like. I've always taken Aurora
to watch 6-horse-hitch competitions at the fair.
We were thrilled to get to feel what its like to pull
those reins. It was much easier than we thought!
Our guide assured us, it really does feel exactly
like what we experienced. Who knew?

We were introduced to several of the colony's
working carriages. They are spectacular works
of art. We also got to see non-functional
historical replicas and several pieces of period
equipment. Our guide was honest, explaining
some of the shadier side of true colonial animal
keeping as well. While it may sound odd, I
appreciate that he was historically honest with
us. I don't like it when kids get a glossed-over
version of history. Somehow, that seems to
water down the magnitude of what a few men
with true vision accomplished in that colony. The
men who had the wisdom, foresight, and
commitment to forge this country were
undeniably incredible. However, they were still
fallible, imperfect humans. Each aspect is
important to remember.

Before I get to the next part, I should probably
"out" something about myself. In any tour/public
situation, I abhor the "Pushies". You know the
ones, the people who must consistently shove to
the front, always demanding first and best. I
equally detest the "Ignorers" - the parents who
let their children run rudely amok, seemingly
oblivious to how disruptive and ill-mannered they
are. I am a stickler for behavior and manners at
home. In public, I could, quite fairly, be called
Momzilla. I tolerate no ill behavior from my
children. I also strive to teach them the beauty
of patience. The pushy, nasty people often
learn a fraction of what we do. If you are polite
and wait your turn - its amazing how
accommodating people can be. Often,
guides/employees will go out of their way to chat
with our kids, because we're the ones actually
paying attention to what they say.

Hopefully, that little rant will now make sense. At
the end of our tour, we were all invited to stick
around for a few minutes, to watch two carriages
being hitched up for their afternoon duties. We
had been plagued during the entire tour with a
family of "Pushy Ignorers". The parents
constantly pushed themselves and their children
in front of everyone (including Avalon in the
wheelchair). The children consistently
interrupted our interpreter, pushed you out of
their way, mistreated the items we were being
educated about - and generally speaking, were
royal pains in the keester. Therefore, when the
tour crowd nearly ran to mob a man hooking up
a carriage - we decided we'd rather watch from a
distance. It wasn't worth being mauled again.

About that time, our interpreter introduced us to
Joyce, referencing that she was the horse trainer
he'd mentioned in one of his earlier stories. We
greeted her, and asked if we were in her way
while she was working. She welcomed us to stay
and watch, while she and a very sweet stable
hand worked to pull out her carriage and get her
team ready. We chatted with the two of them,
exchanging discussions of where we were from,
etc. (the stable hand was a full
bleeds-Scarlet-and-Gray Buckeye! He moved to
Williamsburg a few years ago) By the way, that's
something else I try to teach the kids. Everyone
has value. Sometimes, the most fascinating
individuals, are the ones that most people think
are invisible. The stable hand we talked to was
warm and friendly. He was a great piece of our
day. I saw how the "crowd" treated the same
man when he walked out the other horses. They
barely got out of his way.

Anyway, we continued chatting and asking
questions as Joyce readied the team. She also
asked us lots of things, which always makes for a
fun day for the kids. We thanked her profusely
for letting us bother her. I'm sure we slowed her
down! As she was getting ready to go - she said
a few words to the stable hand and he grinned,
nodded, and disappeared into the barn. Then,
she turned to us. She made us an offer to take
the girls and I on a carriage ride from the barn
up to the inn where she picks up her regular
customers. Of course, she grinned, Daddy and
little man sleeping in the stroller were out of
luck...but she would love to invite us if were
interested.

Can you guess it took about a millisecond for the
girls to squeal out, "Yes!" Joyce then asked us
to be quiet about it, because she really wasn't
supposed to do things like this, and didn't want
to upset other families that couldn't have the
same thing (in other words - the Pushies). We
thanked her profusely - and were grinning inside
that carriage in under a minute.

OK, so you're wondering - if Joyce asked me not
to tell, why am I? Well, A) - because you're not
all visiting Williamsburg at the moment, B) -
because if you read this site, I'm pretty sure you
understand how very much we needed
something magical like this, and C) that
wonderful, kind, thoughtful woman gave us a
memory of a lifetime, when we desperately
needed one.

At Disney, they have something the employees
call "Magic Moments". Magic Moments are those
extra-special beyond expectations things that
guests sometimes get to do, like being invited to
be a part of a parade. Avalon's Make A Wish trip
to Disney was a disaster from the MAW
perspective (our volunteers were awful, and the
MAW people weren't kind, timely, or organized).
HOWEVER, thanks to wonderful Disney
employees - we came away with a lifetime of
Magic Moment memories. I still get weepy
thinking about the looks on my girls' faces during
some of them.

Today, Joyce gave us a Magic Memory. We
never could have afforded to pay for a carriage
ride for all of us, its just too extravagant.
Besides, we got to ride while chatting with a
fascinating woman (Joyce), on a path no one
else takes. It was perfect! Bar none, the
carriage ride was the FAVORITE thing of all of
Williamsburg. Avalon was beside herself excited.
From the mom point of view, Joyce reached out
and in one simple act - touched my heart like
she'll never know. She was so gracious, and so
caring. I can't say what that ride meant to all of
us. Sometimes in this world, God whispers into
special people's ears - to send a warm hug for
him. Sometimes, very special people listen - and
do it. Joyce gave us a bear hug today.

Because the carriage ride was wholly
unexpected, it rather mussed a bit with our lunch
plans. We had arranged to meet up with Marnita
and Kevin for a picnic lunch, and then to do
some site seeing at the free buildings they could
get into. We were a smidge late, as we toodled
past them in the carriage. Nick eventually
caught up to them pushing both the stroller and
the wheelchair. Here's the real slowdown though
- as we pulled up to the inn where the carriages
pick up passengers, Joyce told us to sit still. She
said that as of the last time she checked, she
didn't have a first fare - we might get lucky. She
called out for a fare, but sure enough, no one
was there. So off we went - for our second ride!

This time, we went the normal route carriages
take, with a pause by the side yard of the
Governor's Palace. Turns out, they were filming
a historical movie today on the Palace grounds.
We had left the area right before set-up began.
Joyce took us past - so we could see the horse
she trained for the movie. Oh, did I forget to
mention, she trains horses for the motion picture
industry? I wasn't kidding folks, she was really
interesting.

Here's the problem, Nick, Marnita, and Kevin had
no idea where we were going!   They were on
their way to meet us at the inn - and we zipped
by them, going in the opposite direction! After
the ride, I caught some serious flack for not
calling them, or answering their calls, during the
ride to fill them in. OK, they were all right - I
should have been more thoughtful. Problem
was, I was thoroughly enjoying my conversation
with Joyce and didn't want to be rude to her.
Turns out, I was rude to the three of them
instead. Rats. I couldn't win. Thankfully, they
loved me enough to forgive me...

We did eventually make it back to the inn, and to
our picnic lunch. We ate a leisurely lunch, under
a large maple tree, on the village green - with the
palace in the background. It was idyllic. I know it
would be nice to have the disposable income to
eat in the historical inns, and snack at the shops.
But honestly, I can say I wouldn't have enjoyed it
half as much. The temperature was perfect, the
breeze was just right, and the company was
fantastic. Who needs fancy? Friends and
simple pleasures really are better any day.

After lunch, we headed over to Colonial
Williamsburg's church. It holds the record as the
oldest continuously used church in the country.
Local people still actively worship there and
people come from all over the country to marry
there. The surrounding cemetery is beautiful,
and I'm sure filled with dignitaries. You cannot
walk the cemetery grounds, only the brick paved
section close to the church. Its that church
courtyard that brought out the ridiculous in all of
us.

We'd been taking pictures, looking at
monuments, when all of a sudden, I spied two
little headstones right off the path. Something
came over me...and I lost my mind. I had
Ambrosia and Avalon run over there and lay
down - best dead faces, please. The picture to
the right - is one of them. Believe me, there are
more! As we began laughing like
hyenas-on-crack, we realized we weren't the only
ones cracking up. Sure enough, another couple
had stepped up and were snapping pictures of
my insane children. Between giggles, we
managed to introduce ourselves. We all
devolved into more guffaws, when we discovered
they were from Ohio too! In fact, they lived
pretty close to us! We took this as proof positive
its not our fault, its simply in the Ohio water.

The headstone pictures included Aurora, but she
has begged me not to post those. She is a teen
you know, she must maintain some semblance of
decorum. Our tom foolery continued around the
side of the church, where we found a raised
limestone platform in front of a headstone. Tee
hee, it is to laugh.

After making giant donkey rears of ourselves, we
finally calmed down and headed inside the
church. Its very simple, but quite beautiful. We
took turns sitting in the pew that George
Washington and Thomas Jefferson used. That's
a weird thing to ponder - sharing tuckus space
with the men who dreamed up this astounding
country...where time could move forward to allow
us to share their tuckus space... See the oddity
in it all? I'm not a huge history buff, but you can't
help but be moved by the magnitude of what a
few men with vision accomplished in this colony.
Getting to share their butt-space was kind of cool.

On the way out of the church, Avalon suddenly
gasped and bent over. We all slightly panicked,
until she stood back up holding a dead horsefly
that could have easily been mistaken for a 747.
"Oh - the poor thing..." What?!

Sure enough, she was horrified the dead fly was
sitting in the middle of the aisle. She didn't think
it was nice to him, someone might step on him.
About that time, one of the church members who
act as tour guides, offered to take him from her,
if she'd like. (this was between very well stifled
giggles) No no - little miss decided the fly
deserved a proper funeral. She proudly carried
her charge through the church and out the door
to the limestone slab she'd posed on a few
minutes before. The church volunteers assured
us, through not-so-stifled giggles, that this might
very well be the best thing they'd seen in several
years.

A few silly words about what a magnificent life the
fly had had...and we were finally ready to part
with our cemetery playground. No, it wasn't a
terribly educational stop. But, bat farts am I glad
we did it!

After the church, Marnita helped us navigate to a
bathroom, which is seriously a bit of work in
Williamsburg! Good thing we had an
experienced 'tour guide' on our side. Next, we all
traipsed in and out of Marnita and Kevin's
favorite store, so he could keep a yearly tradition
alive. By then, Marnita and Kevin decided they
were ready to head out, and would meet up with
us back at the resort.

We finished our day with a few more stops in
some of the stores, mainly only window
shopping. The fact is, the merchandise is
terribly expensive, and really not kid-oriented.

We did find one fun store though - and we
bought what will be our kids' main (probably only)
souvenirs from the trip. We got them all musical
instruments! Aurora got a mouth harp (like
Snoopy plays!), Ambrosia got a wooden
recorder, and Avalon got a tin whistle. I even got
something, a lap harp. I've always wanted to
play dulcimer, or a regular harp. I figured this is
a poor man's solution to that.

We collectively agreed that the whistles were a
bad idea for Little Man, he would just see them
as "bats". And the $40 drum set? Not
happening. So Anam came home with an
Alphabet Man. Its a reproduction of a period toy
that families used to help teach letters to small
children. He has really long arms and legs, and
you can shape them into the letters. Anam just
likes to thrash him around, but at least it doesn't
hurt like the whistles or drumsticks would!

Once we got back to the resort, Marnita and I
headed off to grocery shop for the week. Nick
took the kids to the resort's pool. From what I
hear, a good time was had by all there.

We ended the day with a community dinner with
Marnita and Kevin. What fun! I totally
understand what people say about shared
dinners now. Making the food was even fun
when we did it together. We laughed and talked
and had a thoroughly glorious time over a simple
tossed together not-even-close-to-gourmet meal.
Ahhh....the simple joys in life.

We also discovered, that only Snoopy can really
play the mouth harp. Four adults and one
determined teenager later - the stupid thing
wouldn't make any noise, and made my teeth
hurt! Anyone reading this who has mouth harp
prowess - please feel free to email me and
share. The rotten little thing flummoxed all of us.

So - off to bed - another big day awaits us
tomorrow! Day two of vacation - perfect!

20 feet in the gate - mom already
made us pose...

Governor's Palace - definitely the
girls' favorite place

Governor's Palace Garden

Can I walk through secret gardens
with them forever? Please?

Avalon did 95% of Williamsburg in her
wheelchair. But in the garden, she
couldn't resist getting out to run
through the trellis, weave through the
maze and trace silly shapes in the
English garden. Its these times we
thank the chair, for helping her use her
energy where she wants to - for fun!