Wet and windy

Let me start of by correcting information in my post yesterday.  The wind speeds are to be between 30-40 mph (sustained) with gusts at 60+ mph.  Rain has been falling all day.  It was a lighter rain earlier today but now there are sheets of heavy rain coming down.  Winds have also picked up in frequency and intensity as the day moves on.  It's now dark outside but we can hear the wind howling in the trees around the house.
The power blinked off and right back on about an hour ago and it's probably only a matter of time before it goes out again and doesn't pop back on.  When the power blinked, the motion detection light at the garage came on so Mr P went out to set things right so the light goes out after a few minutes.  As he was headed back in the house, he heard a big crack off to the left of the house back in the woods.  Damage will be assessed tomorrow in the daylight.
The Governor canceled work today and also tomorrow.  I had already taken tomorrow off work to go to some appointments.  One appointment for tomorrow morning was confirmed by telephone early this morning.  Later in the day, the other appointment was rescheduled due to the weather and as we were having dinner, the earlier appointment was postponed and will be rescheduled on Wednesday when everyone feels things will be getting back to normal.


What to do with an unscheduled day off work?  I tidied up the house, ran the vacuum in some rooms and then settled in front of the TVto watch the news of the storm as it slammed the Eastern seaboard.  I also worked on a crocheted afghan that I started earlier this month.  I love to knit and while I can crochet, I don't do as much so it takes much more concentration on my part.  


Last Thursday was the day I turned another year older.  OnlyDaughter, OnlySonInLaw, Grandsons #1 and #2 and all the four-leggers in their household had a lovely arrangement of fall flowers delivered along with a big box of chocolates.  I will try to get another picture of the vase which will become a candle holder once the flowers are done. 

The flowers below were given to me by my coworkers and there was homemade carrot cake (my favorite).  Mr P got me new sneakers (leather so that my toes don't poke through so quickly while the tread is still good on the soles).

Thanks to all family and friends who took the time to wish me a happy day.

I will be back tomorrow to report on where things stand with Hurrican Sandy.  Hope you are high and dry wherever you are and also not caught in the snowstorms some areas of the country are experiencing on the fringes of the storm.

We Interupt the Williamsburg Posts..

to bring you news of Hurricane Sandy.  Currently still out in the Atlantic Ocean, models on television show that we will be hit with heavy rain causing flooding and high winds causing power outages.  Rainfall predictions for our area are for six to eight inches between now and Tuesday.  Winds are to get up to sustained speeds of up to 70 mph.

Mr P mowed the lawn on Friday to mulch the many leaves laying on the ground to get rid of the potentially soggy ground cover.  The front porch is stacked with firewood, leaves have been blown from the house roof and the gutters cleaned out.  A much needed trip to the grocery store on Saturday for the normal weekly shopping made me think that everyone else decided to get to the store exactly when I was there.  There was no bottled water in any size container on the shelves.  Good news was that I didn't have to wait in line to fill the car up with gas but business was brisk at the pumps too. 

Right now, there is work tomorrow but that could change as the week progresses since the storm brought inland by Sandy is to cause problems for more than just a day or two.  We feel fortunate to have a whole house generator so unless a tree falls on the house or the generator, putting it out of commission, our problems should be kept to a minimum. One of our main concerns is saturation of the ground around our home which is wooded and then winds that easily topple trees, pulling them up by the roots. 

No pictures in this post since I have none at this time related to the storm.  I'll try to keep you posted on the happenings as the week moves on during the Frankenstorm, as the news media has dubbed this monstrosity.

Fortunately, my walking buddy and I got out for our early morning walk both yesterday and today.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and the Williamsburg posts will continue shortly.

The End of the First Day

The Magazine at Colonial Williamsburg was built in 1715 and equipment necessary for defense against Indians, slave revolts, pirate raids and riots was stored there.


 

 

All the weapons stored in the Magazine are in working order.  The array was vast and interesting.

The building in the background on the far left is the Capitol.  More on that building in another post.  The Fife and Drums marched from the Capitol to the Palace Green in the afternoon.  Some of the players (fife and drum) were very young in age.

We walked through the tunnel below on the way into the city and again on the way out at the end of our day, only much more slowly having walked a lot that first day.  

We left the City looking forward to a repeat visit the next day and a chance to see what had been missed on this first day.  

The Lesson Continues

We decided to take a carriage ride around the city to get a better sense of where things were in the city and our "coachman" Kate offered much information and many tidbits about things that would be of interest and shouldn't be missed.

Did we take this carriage? No, even though Mr P loved the dappled gray horse.



This one?  Nope!

We choose the Carter C.  The Carter Carriage was the carriage of the Carter family whose home is located to the right side of the Governor's Palace at the end of the Palance Green.  The carriage is in the picture below and as mentioned above our "coachman" was Kate.  Kate, who has driven carriages at Colonial Williamsburg for three years, explained that she was a coachman because during this time period there would not have been any women drivers, therefore, no coachwomen or coachpersons - all terms that would be considered more politically correct these days.
Our horses were Jeremiah in the back in this photo and Thomas in the forefront and they have been Kate's team since December 2011.

The step up into the carriage is steel and drops down from the interior of the coach after the door is opened.  Kate was gracious, assisting me in entering the carriage and then taking some photos, at our request, after our carriage ride.

 

What a fun ride!

Our mid-day meal was taken at one of the authentic taverns within the city.  We chose the Chowning Tavern which was opened by Josiah Chowning in 1766.  

Upon reviewing the beverage menu, I knew immediately what I wanted to drink.  Our waitstaff suggested Mr P have a bottle of Old Stitch, an ale that is brewed, bottled and now sold in gift shops in the City.   

I ordered a Pimm's Cup - a favourite British cocktail.  It consists of a blend of Pimms #1 and ginger ale and was lovely.  Now I'm on the hunt for Pimms so I can enjoy this fortified drink at home.

I
Lunch was pork for Mr P and roast beef for me and was delicious.
There was much more to see and do after lunch so look for my next post.

PS The local liquor store carries Pimms #1.  I will be stopping this evening after work to pick up a bottle.

A History Lesson

Because of the uncertainty of the health of our yellow Lab, no plans were made last year to take a few days to go away somewhere different from home.  When our yellow Lab, Buck, had to be euthanized in early July 2011, we still couldn't decide on when and where to go.  This year it seemed as if the year would slide by again with no plans for a "vacation".
A coworker of mine (and good friend to both of us) had recently taken a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia and enjoyed their time there very much.
Based on this feedback, Mr P made arrangements for us to go away for a long weekend and gave me the dates to request off from work.  Friday morning saw us off to Williamsburg, Virginia for several days.  The drive took us about five hours but the scenery and changing colors of the leaves at this time of year were a treat in themselves.  Once in Virginia, vineyards and horse farms were numerous.

Virginia, also referred to as Old Dominion, is one of the original thirteen colonies making it home to many dramatic historic sites. Two other historic towns close by are Jamestown and Yorktown. Virginia is the birthplace of eight of our President's beginning with George Washington.

We arrived at our hotel, checked in and then after dinner, scouted out the lay of the land for the next day's visit to Colonial Williamsburg.
We were up early the next morning, stopped for breakfast at a pancake and waffle house finally making our way to the visitor's center at Colonial Williamsburg.

We decided to split our time there between two days since we would doing a good deal of walking and there would be time spent at the attractions to participate in the programs offerred.  Anyone can enter Colonial Williamsburg and walk all over the city; however, ticket holders can gain admission to programs designed to allow admission to the buildings themselves and have a history lesson on the building and the things going on in Colonial Virginia at that time.  
Saturday's Revoluntary City time frame was 1775-1776 - The Old Order Collapsed
A tour of The Governor's Palace was first on the list of things to see.  The Palance was the residence of seven royal governors and the first two governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  There are a number of reconstructed buildings in Colonial Williamsburg, this being one.  The Palace was reconstructed on its original foundation on Palace Street.  Our visit coincided with preparations for a ball to be held to celebrate the christening of Lord and Lady Dunmore's youngest daughter.  According to our guide the Lord and Lady were at church and the household was making preparations for the ball to be held that evening.

The Governor's Palace

The housemaid who welcomed us into the palace.

One of the downstairs sitting rooms 

An office area for Lord Dumore

The French nanny's bed in a corner of the bedroom the two older Dunmore daughters shared

The ball room with carpet that stretched from one side of the room to the other and from one end of the room to the other.  What a luxury in that time!  This room also had this larger "heater" to stave off any chill.

This room also had a "heater" but only an area rug.  While you can't see it in the photo, the walls in both this room and the ball room are wallpapered, not painted as they may appear.  The wallpaper is in squares of about 18 inches square, pasted together before they are applied to the walls.  While these walls had no pattern, those that did had to have the squares placed so the pattern matched before applying it to the walls.

During the previous night British soldiers had taken the colony's gunpowder and shortly after we left the Palace,  members of the Williamsburg Independent Company marched up the Palace Green and stormed the Palace to demand its return.

A stroll down the Palance Green brought us to the Lumber House where we had a short wait before taking a carriage ride.  More on the carriage ride and our visit in another post.

Breast Cancer Month

The water in the fountain at the back of the state capitol building in Harrisburg changes to pink during the month of October in honor of Breast Cancer month.  When I walked over at my morning break, the fountain was not in full spew, just running over the sides of the stages in the fountain.  I took a picture of the pink water but was hoping for more of an action shot.


I checked the state's website to see if the fountain is on a timer but couldn't find any information.  I was in luck when I returned at lunchtime to take a picture.  The water will be pink the entire month of October and I walk by it everyday on my walks at break and lunch time.  What a pretty sight!

 

OnlyDaughter got her birthday box on the big day and knew that the do rag was a do rag; however, she said it probably won't help keep her from getting helmet head.  We called her in the evening to sing to her and wish her a Happy Birthday.  She was having a good birthday.

When she was learning to drive, we purchased a 1974 semi-automatic VW beetle for her to use.  In school she was well known as the "girl in the green bug".  The bug was restored when she was in her later years of college and will go to her and her family some day.  (Hear that W, it's yours!)
She asked that I send a picture or two of the bug, named Peche, to show to a friend who is a car buff.  I sent these two pics and decided to put them on the blog too.

 

It's Friday and the weather is beautiful.  My walking buddies and I will be out tonight enjoying the beautiful day.  Temperatures are to drop dramatically over the weekend and rain is to arrive tomorrow for the day.  That means comfort food over the weekend.
We'll be out walking in the morning just bundled up more than tonight.
Hope everyone has a good day and a wonderful weekend.  Monday is a federal holiday and there is no work.  I'm looking forward to the extended weekend.

Happy Birthday OnlyDaughter

Happy Birthday OnlyDaughter!
Sending you lots of love and wishing you a day filled with good things.

The mortar board below is only one of the many hats she wears.  Daughter, wife, mother, writer,  aunt, niece, cousin, granddaughter and friend are just some of the roles in her busy, busy life.

We're proud of her in all the roles she manages.  I only wish we lived closer so we could enjoy each others company more.
     

I found some Alexander Henry fabric that I made into a do-rag for under her motorcycle helmet since she now a bona fide female motorcyclist.
While the fabric is entitle "los novios"  representing engaged couples, the artwork reminded me of the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration that she likes.  Hope she knows what it's for when she opens the box we mailed over the weekend.  

 

A day late

with the 1st of the month picture but here it is.  The lily pads are prolific but will be gone once cold weather gets here.  I think the only thing that will eradicate them is to lower the water level in the puddle, bring in a TracHoe and dredge the pond.  It's been a number of years since that has been done and I'm not sure if there is someone in the area who has a TracHoe anymore.


I have been working long days lately but tonight was my volunteer night at the library so I left work at my usual quitting time.  I made a stop at the Donut Shop next to the library to get a dozen donuts to take in to work tomorrow.  At the library, during a quiet few minutes, the librarian took time to show me and another volunteer how to get started on crocheting a plant holder that looks like an owl.  I'll post pictures of the finished product if it's not too embarassing.  I'm more comfortable knitting than crocheting but have plans to do more of both as the weather gets cooler and I'm inside more in the evenings.
Hope you had a good day wherever you are.