1607

On Saturday we again took advantage of one of the great things about Williamsburg and visited the Jamestown Settlement, which is just up the road from our families. I went a lot as a kid, but we hadn't been in ages. The big kids went last year as part of "Camp Grandma," and K wanted us to go back so he could show me something about the bunks on the ships. They have redone the settlement since I had been there, in celebration of Jamestown's 400th anniversary. It was really nice! We spent time in the Powhatan village, exploring the dwellings and watching an interpretor make stew and corn cakes on a rock. EB was a riot - she insisted on walking everywhere, toddling in and out of the houses and fingering everything. Such a tiny tourist! Then we went to see the ships, but K was too scared to stay on board very long. He was SURE that they would fire off the canons, and even more concerning, that they would fire them off at him. I even had him ask the captain about it, and he assured K that they would NOT be firing any canons, but I don't think K believed him. So I didn't get to see what it was the K wanted to show me about the bunks (except that they are REALLY small and I am so glad I don't have to travel for 4 1/2 months on a 17th century cargo ship to get to a wilderness land populated by hostile indians). BUT, here's my interesting bit of trivia (especially for my friend Heather who thinks I have all kinds of interesting tidbits in my past) - G does a lot of genealogy, and he's traced my mom's direct line back to 2 people who came over to Jamestown in about 1614. I knew my family on both sides had been in VA FOREVER, but it's neat to know that they came over so early and to see how they probably lived. I don't believe either of those ancestors was a governor... Anyway, below are some highlights from the day.

The Powhatan dwellings were filled with all kinds of animal pelts. EB couldn't keep her hands off, and A thought it was interesting that they still had faces. Interesting, but a little creepy!

Tiny tourist heading out to the next building

The "scary boat" filled with canons. We waited safely on the dock while the others explored on board.

Trying on protective gear in the British settlement. K was so worried about the guns they were firing off nearby, so we told him this would keep him safe. EB's helmet was a little heavy, but she was determined to try to wear it.

Chores - trying to carry water. That yoke was so heavy!

It got pretty warm and the kids were tired, so we headed inside the new visitors center museum. They had recreated several houses inside the museum that you could walk through - another cool fact: my brother Ben actually built this house for the museum. He would come in after hours and work on it at night. It was amazing to see his work!

The visitor's center had a kids craft program, and K learned how to play mancala while A finished her craft. It was really fun!