The Coat Saga

The next time you take your coat from a public coat rack, take a close look. On December 17th after my husband and I finished eating at a Chinese restaurant as I took my coat next to his from the long rack by the front door and slipped my arm into the sleeve, it felt tight. I took a look at the label. This was not my coat; but my black quilted coat with a hood was nowhere to be found. This coat's appearance was similar, but there were no gloves in the pockets and it definitely was a different brand. I left my name and telephone number with the owner who also works the payment desk. I hoped when the person who took my coat hung it up at home, she would realize it was not hers. 

Our church was to go Christmas caroling that afternoon. At first I was in a real funk. Finally I decided I was not going to let this incident ruin my day. I found my old blue coat with a broken zipper but that still snapped shut and a different pair of gloves. I got by OK. However, the forecast was for temperatures in the single digits and teens for the upcoming weekend. I waited until Wednesday around 1 p.m. and went back to the restaurant. By now it was warm enough for no jacket or a light jacket. A single coat hung on the rack: the black hooded ladies coat that was not mine. The restaurant had heard nothing.

I knew my old coat was probably not going to keep me warm enough once the frigid air arrived. I went to the store where I had purchased the coat 2 years ago hoping there would be something similar. They didn't even have that brand, but the store's online site had something by that brand and on sale at a good price. Midnight was the deadline for free shipping. I ordered it with free expedited shipping with the possibility of getting it by Saturday. By the time the web store processed the order, the FedEx message said delivery by Tuesday after Christmas. Then FedEx posted that because of wind shear problems in Memphis the coat would not arrive until Wednesday after Christmas. I would have to make do. 

I had loved my black coat. It took me a long while to find a coat that fit well with all of the features I wanted. I knew its disappearance was a mistake, but I still harbored bad feelings toward the person who had my coat. I struggled some to release these feelings and to forgive her, but finally I was at peace.

Upon arriving at church Christmas Eve morning, there hung my coat. Oh, oh. I was the one who had taken the wrong coat and wore it to the restaurant. I went back to the Chinese restaurant to retrieve the other coat. Then I posted an email message to the church list explaining that I had taken the wrong coat and to call me so I could return it quickly. Nobody called. Well it was a holiday and the lady could be out of town. It was not until Thursday morning that a lady from my church called. My husband took the call. She hadn't noticed the email (though I checked and she was included), but somebody else mentioned it to her when she told them about her coat. It is now safely back in her possession. I asked for her forgiveness for causing her problems. She graciously forgave.

It was a blessing that the new coat did not arrive until after Christmas. Since I now had my coat back, I returned the internet-ordered coat to the local store per the instructions. I had not worn it or removed the tags, and the whole return process was easily accomplished. 

I learned how attached I could be to one of my possessions; I saw God work things out with the delay of the new coat to ease its return; I was humbled from causing another person to worry and to wonder. This morning when the man behind me teased that he was sitting behind a coat thief, I smiled back. I now keep a cheap scarf in my coat pocket which I place around the hanger so there will be no doubt it is mine. Take a good look at that coat you grab.

Iridescent Clouds

On the drive home from my sister-in-law's house on Christmas Day I saw a phenomenon that was new to me. The cirrus cloud in the sunny sky looked like it had a piece of rainbow in it. This was an iridescent cloud where the ice crystals in the sky around and in the cloud diffract the light into a prism. It stayed that way for at least 10 minutes. 

This afternoon coming home from the restaurant, I saw another cloud with irisation. In this one the colors were fainter and softer. I think a bigger cloud near it also had a little bit of color at the edge, but again not as distinct as the Christmas Day phenomenon. 

I did not have my camera with me either day; the photo above is from the internet, and the colors are a bit darker and more distinct than what I saw. Have you ever seen this?

Merry Christmas to You!

Third Time's The Charm

Remember the hiking boots I showed you when I went to Merry Lea? They were not water-proof, and the dew from the grass soaked through them.

They were about 12 years old. I bought them in a northern suburb of Dallas at an outlet mall. I wore them very little until we moved to Indiana; then I found them a good choice for walking on snowy or slick surfaces because of the good tread. I had repaired the left shoe 1 1/2 years ago where the toe connected to the "rubber" tip. The cobbler did a fine job. I planned to take the boots with me to Williamsburg for all the walking. They were comfortable. About 3 weeks before our trip, I noticed the side of the right shoe had separated from the sole. This was irreparable.

I looked at stores locally and finally in Fort Wayne. The selection of women's hiking boots was laughable. I wanted water-proof ones and could find only two different hiking boots to try on after searching half a dozen stores including sports stores. None of them were water-proof.  
I finally searched Zappos and Amazon (which does not necessarily carry the same shoes as Zappos even though they bought Zappos). A good number of choices and reviews were helpful. I had ordered from Zappos maybe 9 years ago; my husband had used my account a few times since. 

Though I really liked the fit of my old Timberland boots, I decided to order the Ahnu Montara boots after reading the reviews. They arrived two days later. The shoe part of the boot was so comfortable, and the boots were light-weight and didn't look clunky. However, the part that came up around the ankle rubbed that protruding bone on the outside. It was easy to return them. I have a UPS agent in the Staples near my home. I received email permission from Zappos to return, printed the return label, and they were shipped free for me back to Zappos.

For the second try, I ordered Timberland Chocorua Trail boots. Determining the right size to order is apparently a big deal for hikers. I ordered the size I wore in my old boots. Maybe if you were backpacking and wearing heavy socks, you would go up half a size. The fit was fine for me. The part up around the ankle rubbed slightly but would have been tolerable. However, one of the reviews mentioned how this boot showed creases when flexing the foot. Indeed it did. I didn't like the material very well anyway, but after walking thru my house with the boots on, a crease formed above the tongue and the color of the crease was different from the original color. It was ugly. So back they went.

By now, it was too late to order boots for the trip. I took my Nike walking shoes. However, I did an internet search for a REI store and found one in Columbus, Ohio, near to our route to Williamsburg. I wanted to look at a boot by Vasque. I tried them on in this REI store, and the boots were uncomfortable. I had already decided that I probably didn't need a boot with ankle support and could get by with hiking shoes rather than boots. Since the Ahnu boots had been comfortable except for the ankle rubbing, I chose the Montara hiking shoe. REI had them, but not in my size. But at least I had eliminated the Vasque so the stop was worthwhile. REI has lots of hiking boots/shoes for women in its stores.

After we came home, I ordered from Zappos the Ahnu Montara hiking/trail shoes. This time I kept my ordered shoes. 

Since we have a wintery precipitation mix tomorrow and snow Sunday, I will have a chance to see if these are truly water-proof and if the tread works well.

My experience with Zappos was positive. Free shipping and free return shipping if needed. I would recommend them especially if you have trouble finding your size in stores or for specialty shoes like these hiking ones. There is a long return period so I could send these back if they don't perform as described, but I'm pretty sure they are keepers.

Cozy Winter Afternoon

It is a gray misty second day of winter. Wednesday I had some shopping to do and decided to look for a new jigsaw puzzle. I really wanted something Christmasy, but there were none in the 3 stores where I looked. Instead I bought a cozy winter puzzle.

I thought this was a fun puzzle to do. I discovered small details as I worked on it. I hadn't noticed the mice in the picture while in the store.

Sorry they are blurry, but they are above the pillow next to the logs.
The rocks that made up the fireplace were the hard parts. No sky, but non-descript rocks.

We have been munching on Spritz Christmas cookies. I ran out of frosting. LOL. I gave 4 of my neighboring condos a plate of these with homemade chocolate chip cookies (all "left-overs" gone!) and some candies, including those white chocolate peppermint truffles I love made by Lindt. This is the first time in years that I have baked goodies for the neighbors. 

The songs my choir sang last Friday night keep going through my head. Not bad for earworms.

I picked up two books at the Grace Village library this morning. Tiffany Girl by Deeanne Gist. I enjoy this author. Then Washington's Lady by Nancy Moser. I have never read any by her, but this one about Martha Washington caught my attention since I have recently seen her impersonator at Colonial Williamsburg.

Shirley Plantation, Berkeley Plantation, Williamsburg Museums

It was a misty and eventually rainy day when we motored to two early plantations on the James River. Neither allowed photography inside so my photos to share are few. Tours were conducted by a guide. 

Shirley Plantation was established in 1613. The plantation was named for the founder's wife, who never stepped foot in America, but remained in "civilized" England. Crops are still grown (no longer tobacco as it badly depletes the soil), but a large part of the family's business is paid tours of the Great House and the grounds. The Great House was started in 1723 and completed in 1738. It has been continuously occupied by descendants of the founder. The current owner is the 11th generation, and he and his wife have twins two-years-old, who as the 12th generation will inherit the property though no one knows whether it will be divided in some way or whether it will be the son or the daughter who resides there. Edward Hill IV died at age 16 without issue, thus the property has been passed to a female heir in the past, in that case to his sister Elizabeth. It was Elizabeth and her husband John Carter (scion of "King" Carter considered to be the wealthiest man of his time in Virginia) who built the Great House. 

The pineapple figure on the roof is the sign of Southern hospitality. It is said people could see it from miles away as they navigated the James River. The large oak tree to the right has been used for special events in the family, including some weddings, for decades.

A very special wedding took place 1793 as Ann Hill Carter married Henry Lee in the parlor. Ann had been born in the Great House. Ann and Henry are the parents of Robert E. Lee, the Confederate General.

An interesting feature we saw in the parlor was a faucet attached to the side of the fireplace. A Pump House constructed in 1771 brought water to the Great House, the Laundry building, and the Kitchen. The device attached to the fireplace somehow heated the water. During refreshments in the parlor and the next-door dining room, the dirty dishes were soaked in hot water before being carted out to the Kitchen. You have to realize the Kitchen was a separate building in those days, not in the Great House. 

The picture of the staircase is from a post card I bought. Nobody could see any visible means of support for the floating staircase. In recent decades, part of the staircase was dismantled to reveal a beam and pipe construction. The family lives in the upper two floors (we could hear the tots scampering around sometimes), the tours are limited to the bottom floor.

One would expect a house with strong ties to the Confederacy to be destroyed by Union troops as so many antebellum houses were. According to our guide, two of the adult sisters woke up one foggy morning to the sounds of moans outside their window. The Union troops had pulled back from a battle in a hilly area dragging their wounded and dead to flat ground. In the fog, they did not realize they were next to the Shirley Plantation house. The sisters tore up their linens and helped bandage the wounds and comforted the dying. A promulgation by the commander stated the house and its occupants were not to be harmed in any way; this was as a thank you for the ladies' kindnesses. 

The kitchen at Shirley Plantation; the slaves lived on the upper floor. 

The laundry building faced the kitchen and looked much the same.

There is a gift shop inside the former laundry.

The other plantation we visited was Berkeley, built in 1726. It was raining steadily by the time we arrived and again no interior photos were allowed. There is a introductory film in the cellar. 

Benjamin Harrison, son of the founder, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and three-times governor of Virginia. William Henry Harrison, Benjamin's third son, born at Berkeley, was the famous Indian Fighter known as "Tippecanoe". He later became the 9th President of the United Sates in 1841. His grandson, Benjamin Harrison, was the 23rd President. 

Though the kitchen building suffered some damage (see the cannon ball hole above) from British troops, the main house was not destroyed. The furnishings were looted, but the house itself was preserved. These troops were led by Aaron Burr who was told he could have any property/house he wanted as a reward for his services to the  British, and he wanted Berkeley. There is an underground tunnel from the Kitchen building to the main house so meals could be transported easily especially in inclement weather, but part of the tunnel system has collapsed. 

After the Revolutionary War, the Harrisons restored the house and even extensively renovated it to the plans given to them by Thomas Jefferson, a frequent visitor. It was very attractive with double arches put in place between two parlors to make it an open flowing area.

George Washington and the following 9 U.S. Presidents dined in Berkeley's dining room. A descendent of the Harrison family still occupies the upper levels occasionally. Like Shirley Plantation, visiting in a warmer time of year would allow enjoyment of the gardens. 

The pass for Colonial Williamsburg includes free entry to the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum which share a building. I was happy the Folk Art Museum was open as when I visited Williamsburg a decade ago, it was closed for renovation. 

Other than visiting the doll house gallery in the Wallace museum, my time was spent in the Folk Art Museum, part of that time in a group with a docent. 

Folk art is created by amateur painters/artisans with little formal training. This lack of training is evident in the poor proportion in paintings of children. I love these little sisters, but see how their heads are large, the legs too short, etc.

Before the advent of cameras, these paintings were the way to preserve the likeness of a loved one. Local or itinerant untrained painters were paid by fairly well-to-do families. One of the paintings we saw had 9 or 10 children dressed in complementary outfits and posed outside. The museum plaque said the little blonde girl in the front (about 3 years old) died the following year. This was her parents only visual representation of the deceased daughter.

The museum gift shop had many nice things. I bought a bookmark featuring the prominent buildings of Colonial Williamsburg.

There was a beautiful wedding ensemble of the colonial era displayed but not for sale.

There were a few outfits for sale, however as well as fabric and patterns.

In the museum café, a Christmas tree had been decorated with handmade ornaments. The café was on a lower level so the tree could be admired from the stair landing as well as close up.

When I was at Williamsburg a decade ago, I bought a pewter candle snuffer with a pineapple form on the bell. In Merchants Square I saw the pewter shop was still there. In the shop that featured china, glassware, household goods, etc., I bought a towel.

After dining at the Dog Street Pub, my husband and I looked inside some of the other shops. We used the restrooms at the William and Mary College bookstore. I bought a small item for my printer's box at All Things Williamsburg. Then my husband and I each chose a truffle from the display case in Wythe's Candy Shop. We carried the little bag to Bruton Parish Church where we heard the concert. When we got back to our motel, we indulged in the rich chocolate and fillings. 

If you have never been to Colonial Williamsburg, Christmastide is a wonderful time to visit.

Colonial Williamsburg

We were in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, December 4-9 on a Road Scholar trip. The great thing about the Road Scholar program is that besides the sight seeing, you have lectures and guest musicians and special coordinated field trips all planned by the organization. Other than arranging transportation to the program site (which for some trips they help with as well), everything is planned and done for you. We stayed at the Best Western less than a mile's walk to the historic "living museum". All of our meals except one were either at the hotel buffet or at taverns or other restaurants near our field trips, and except for some beverages that cost extra, all the food was included in the program fee, even the tip. 

At our farewell dinner at the Kings Arm Tavern we tied one on, i.e., the long napkins were tied around our necks as was the colonial custom.

There were 30 participants from 11 states in our group. They were all pleasant and for the most part interesting people. We had a few that were not quite as spry (used canes), but the tour host was careful to make sure they did not get separated from us. The pace of our program was pretty active though; by Thursday when we had the afternoon and evening free to explore on our own, some were glad to slow down. 

We had been at Colonial Williamsburg about a decade ago on our own. We stayed 2 nights after visiting the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was enjoyable, but I really didn't realize how this city fit into the early history of Virginia. Now I do.

Besides our program booklet, we received several handouts from the lecturers and brochures from the plantations we visited.

We had fabulous weather the first full day (70 degrees and sunshine) when we walked the length of Duke of Gloucester Street with a guide provided by Road Scholar. This man had lived in one of the private residences several years ago.

On our second full day we toured Bassett Hall where the Rockefellers lived for several months of the year while reconstruction and restoration of the colonial buildings took place. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his wife Abby were the principal investors in the restoration of the historical sector of Williamsburg which had fallen on hard times. In the visitor center of Bassett Hall one can see photos and even news clips of what the area looked like in the 1920s. Gas stations and auto repair shops had replaced many of the private residences. Many of the roads remained unpaved. The Capitol building and Governor's Palace had burned down and were charred ruins. The Williamsburg Foundation promised those living in the remaining houses of the 18th century that they would pay for the building but allow the current residents to remain as tenants if it was allowed to restore at least the façade to its 1770 look. In current colonial Williamsburg, employees reside in some of the buildings which are not open to the public but add ambiance.

Bassett Hall Exterior

The Rockefeller family continued to use the house occasionally even after the deaths of John and Abby, but mostly it is for touring since John's death in 1960. One of the descendants gave funds to have it restored to its 1940s décor to honor Abby. She chose the colors and furnishings after selecting some of the  paintings she collected to be featured in a room. The paintings' palettes dictated her choices.

Bruton Parish Church, started in 1674, is one of the original buildings from the 18th century though it has been remodeled some. It is still an active Anglican church. We attended a lovely Candlelight Chamber Music Concert of Christmas music on our free night (Thursday). Our group had spent some time with a member of the church one afternoon who told us about the history of the church; she also lectured at our hotel meeting room about religion in the New World throughout all of the original colonies. 

 There is one corner of the graveyard where the ashes of present members of the church can be buried. Only the rich had tombstones in the early days so you do not realize how many folks have been buried here. A register is kept.

 I found this gravestone interesting; on 3 sides of the cube, various family member names were etched, but on the 4th side the inscription was for Mammy Sarah, the beloved servant. 

 The engraving is eroded on many tombstones; some you can't even read anymore.

Our lecturer Anne Conkling is the lady under the window facing the aisle in the cluster of 3 people. One of the wonderful aspects of Road Scholar is its assistive hearing devices. We wear this little receiver around our necks in a pouch and put the ear piece around and into our ear. The lecturer wears a transmitter. While I was wandering the graveyard after the lecture, I could hear her conversing with these people inside. These devices are not only good for those hard of hearing, but as in this case you could wander and take photos and not have to be bunched around a person to hear. Many founding fathers attended this church while in Williamsburg or as students at William and Mary College: George (and Martha) Washington, Patrick Henry, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson are a few.

The grounds and buildings of colonial Williamsburg are "populated" with costumed tradesmen and citizens of the 1770s going about daily life. The tour guides within the buildings also dress of that time.

One had to buy a pass to tour the buildings. The shops are open to the public and of course the church. A few of the taverns are also open to the public though many require reservations. Road Scholar had obtained two-day passes for our group. The mile between the Colonial Capitol building and the College of William and Mary, including a modern shopping square, is pedestrian (and bicycles) only. Also the side streets. There are also carriages and wagons you can pay to drive you around. On the perimeter there are bus stops for shuttle buses which are included in the entrance fee. Later in the week when it got colder, riding the bus was preferable to walking in the cold from place to place. 

We were motorcoached to Wren Chapel on the campus of William and Mary College where we were given a private organ concert on a 1760 instrument (not original to the building). There are no foot pedals and a single keyboard. 

We had excellent performers throughout the week. We heard the armonica, an invention of Benjamin Franklin's.

Debbie Downs sang wistful black songs of the era and told us stories that were integral to the survival of the slaves and to the culture they knew in Africa; one was based on the Anansi or "Aunt Nancy" story.

Lee Ann Rose came to us as Martha Washington. She told how her friend arranged for her to meet George Washington at a party and once they were deeply engaged in conversation have the other guests leave them alone, though George always told everybody it was a coincidence that he met her. Her Christmastide was in Boston during some of the war years though she would have liked to stay in Virginia. Her friend Mrs. Randolph of Williamsburg had left because her husband was a Loyalist. Her children by her first husband (she had none with George) died at age 2 (a son), age 4 (another son), age 17 (her daughter Patsy). Her adult son Jackie was killed in one of the war battles. She was left with Jackie's two children, her solace after all of her children had died. When she opened it up to questions, someone asked how Patsy died. With tears in her eyes and a tremulous voice she explained how during one of her "spells" Patsy banged her head on the floor. George scooped Patsy up into his arms and shortly after Martha made it up the stairs, Patsy smiled at both of them and expired. In the tavern where we had our farewell dinner the lighting was so poor that I had tried to change the settings of my camera, and failed to reset the mode properly so my photo of Martha turned out as a video, except I thought I was taking a still photo. I was able to get a small still frame to show you.

One of the perks of touring in the Christmas holiday season is the decorations. There is a contest for the private residences to see who can have the most creative/beautiful wreaths. This was an aspect I was really interested in this time around as we were there in the fall before. I was told they can use wire or twine but no glue guns. The materials have to be something that would be available in 18th century Virginia. The irony is that colonial people did not use wreaths to decorate nor have Christmas trees. They put greens on the mantels and doorways, but no decorations on the exterior. 

Chowning's Tavern had mini pewter beer steins with cotton representing the foam.

One of our classroom activities was making a clove-studded pomander and arranging greens.

The instructor gave us Clementines. The ribbon is held in place with a straight pin for now because as the fruit dries out it will shrink and the ribbon will have to be tightened and adjusted.

The centerpiece was to have a candle and a pinecone, but we are not allowed to use live flame in our condo at Grace Village so I did not include a candle. Also, there were not enough magnolia leaves for everybody so I only used fir and pine.

For the participants flying home, the greenery décor stayed to be donated to nursing homes; these days airport security would not be amenable to live flora.

Rebecca who led us in doing the decorations had a session earlier in the week where she had us come up in pairs to help her set the table and buffet table for her mistress. Keeping in mind the principles of height and symmetry, the participants selected the dishes to be used and where to place them and then various ones put fruit on the pedestaled dishes.

She proudly showed us her employer family's forks which were a recent addition to the table; Rebecca herself still used only a spoon and knife. She also showed us the shrub glasses which often held syllabub. The syllabub is a popular 18th century dessert consisting of cream treated with an acid, usually citrus juice, and mixed with wine. The different types of syllabubs are based upon their mixing style. Once placed in serving glasses, syllabubs separate into a two-part mixture when the cream rises and the clear liquids sink.

It was almost comical as the Road Scholars were given free reign to change the previous person's work as they were given other fruits to add and almost every one did just that. So much for principles.

We learned how to fold the napkin to make a pocket to keep the roll warm.

It is these everyday items that I enjoy about history; I don't care much about the military activities and the political intrigue.

I was disappointed Saturday morning when our presenter of Colonial foods was iced in after the previous night's sleet and dusting of snow. We decided to head for home rather than stay for the music and wassail toast that was to end at 11 a.m. 

The roads were in good condition as we headed west. In Richmond there were 2-3 inches of snow on the ground. Slightly west of Richmond a light steady snow began to fall. The woods and hills were beautiful with the coating of fluffy snow. We had a nice lunch in Staunton at a Mexican restaurant; shortly after entering West Virginia, the snow stopped and we even had a little bit of sun. As we arrived at the Hampton Inn in Gallipolis, Ohio, the desk clerk commented we had stopped just in time as snow was expected to start in the next 10 minutes. Indeed he was right. I was surprised a little about how much snow we had on the ground at home, about 3 inches.

The favorite image in my mind that delights me is of the Tavern Illumination on Thursday night. I took no photo with my simple camera. Our tour guide on Tuesday had answered that the wrought-iron baskets called cressets filled with wood and kindling and hanging on poles in front of the taverns would be involved in a special activity later in the week. Thursday night was the only time we were in the colonial settlement after dark. About 5:30 as we stood in front of Wetherburn's Tavern on the Duke of Gloucester Street, around the corner from the side street came men carrying torches and a corp of about 3 dozen fife and drum players marching. They stopped in front of the tavern and posed for several minutes. The cressets were lit. It was a spectacle I will never forget.

I borrowed this picture from Pinterest.

I have rambled too long. I will tell you about two plantations we visited in the surrounding countryside and about the two art museums in colonial Williamsburg in another post.