Beckley, WV to Wiliamsburg, VA – 3/5/2017 – http://fulltimetimeshare.com/blog

March 5, 2017 (Sunday)

We got up and left at about 9:15 AM. We went downstairs and had a small breakfast in the lobby. Yesterday, after we had left Pam’s house, she had texted and said we really should try to see the Tamarack, a strictly West Virginia artist type shop. We were too tired yesterday to do anything, so we wanted to get up a little earlier and see it before we left the area. So glad we did as it was so beautiful. More of an art gallery than anything. Gorgeous. Never would have imagined there were so many artisans in West Virginia – glass blowing, pottery, sculpture, wood furniture, wood bowls, food, shoes, all sorts of crafts. Just lovely.

Tamarack, everything made in West Virginia.

Almost a full size wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Loved these morphed wood figures. Great combination of drift wood and art.

We left and started our journey to Williamsburg, Virginia – a little over 300 miles. The road was all highway and great. We went over hills and some beautiful West Virginia countryside. We were a little worried that all of West Virginia would be like Eastern West Virginia, mostly industrial. Western West Virginia is very beautiful.

We got into Richmond, Virginia at around 2:30 PM and made our way to the Capitol Visitor Center.

We wondered what church we were parked near. Turns out it is a Gothic office building and part of the Capitol complex.

Thomas Jackson, aka Stonewall. Controversy over the nickname if it was a compliment or a pejorative. The General that uttered it was almost immediately killed after saying it. His chief of staff said the general was unhappy with the length of time it took Jackson to reinforce his troops that were under fire saying, “Look at him, standing there like a stone wall.” Jackson’s men suffered more death and injuries than any other confederate brigades. and stopped the Union advance that day.

Governors residence right next to the Capitol.

The southern history is hard for us to understand. The wrongness of slavery so overwhelms any other aspect of the conflict. And yet, how can you not honor your heroic dead? But dying for the wrong cause, even if it is one you believe in, seems like it should not be glorified. We would not respect the memorial to the dead suicide bomber. This is difficult stuff.

Statue of Edgar Allan Poe. Thinking we need to come back and explore his museum.

Visitor entrance to tunnel that leads to the Capitol building.

Our tour guide was Betty Allen and she was a font of information. She was a retired school teacher so she was strict and threatened a test at the end. I could not retain even a 100^th of what she was saying. She was so very knowledgeable and so fun. Loved the tour. The Capitol in Richmond is very different and it doesn’t look like it has a dome, but it does have an inside dome. Very grand and lovely. The tour lasted almost two hours.

A nice exhibit on Churchill and his visit to the Capitol.

The climb up the hill and into the Capitol.

Original state flag that flew over the Capitol. It is huge.

Mr Jefferson. Given all the credit for the design of the Capitol. It would be an understatement to say he borrowed heavily from the Greek and Roman influences.

Upgraded with buttons for voting and mics for speaking.

Great historic paintings of the revolution.

Jefferson was in Paris, had this model made and shipped it over for the builders to use. The local engineer changed the base.

Third copy of Declaration of Independence.

Betty Allen on the right of Washington’s statue. The sculptor wanted him in a toga in Greek style. Washington insisted not. Sword hangs on post and a plow is behind him. Peace maker and farmer was what he wanted to be remembered for.

After we left the Capitol, just as we had pulled out from our parking spot, Michael was hit on the side by a young man who had been changing lanes and didn’t see him in the lane. As accidents go, this was the kind to have as everyone was fine and both cars were operational. Michael will have to deal with the insurance aspects of it and, hopefully, the young man’s insurance will cover the cost to get our front fender fixed. (I was so glad Michael was driving as I would never hear the end of it if I had been.)

We left Richmond and headed to Williamsburg, about 45 minutes away. Once we got near our resort, Wyndham Patriot’s Place, we stopped at a nearby Cracker Barrel and had dinner. Michael had their Sunday special fried chicken. I had an apple vinegar chicken breast. Very good. We talked about going grocery shopping but it was getting dark and we both decided to go grocery shopping in the morning. Michael and I are both having a hard time driving at night as the other car lights seem to hit us and it feels like all the cars have on their brights. We try to avoid night driving if at all possible, and since we already had one accident today – we felt we should wait until tomorrow.

We got to our resort, checked in, and then we were sent to the dreaded parking pass people. We walked up and said to the nice lady, Karen, we don’t like you and don’t want to do anything and leave us alone (or things to that nature). She was so fun and nice and we are weak. She wanted us to learn about the new web site and something about my credit card getting upgraded – so we said yes. So weak.

Washing machine and dryer, always a favorite.

Looks good, but sucks. Small, noisy, bouncy, not up to the Wyndham standard.

We are now in our lovely unit and it has a washer and dryer! Very comfortable and I think it will be a very nice week. Also, the internet is okay. That was our day. Hope yours was great!