Historic Triangle

   Hello!  I am now writing my last blog entry, and it's from Chicago.  My flight was on time and without incident.  There was almost an incident, however, because despite the fact that Chris and I left Williamsburg in plenty of time to get to the airport for our 4:30 flight, the traffic was horrible.  When we were merely 7 1/2 miles from the Richmond Airport, traffic stopped completely for close to half an hour.  People were getting out of their cars to assess the situation (many were even backing up the on-ramp!), but there was no clue to what was causing the delay.  We thought it was either an accident or President Obama's motorcade coming through.  Turns out, we discovered from the guy who issued our tickets at the airport, it was the latter.  Obama had flown into Richmond and was on his way to wherever and two freeways, ours included, were shut down.  Grrrr!
   I'll back up now to breakfast.  After we all checked out, we ate at Shield's Tavern (they have delicious grits!) and I sat with Minnie, Alli, and Daron.  We talked a lot about languages, which was fun.  Daron's wife is from Morelia, Mexico, the town I lived in for a summer when my dad was teaching at Albion College.  After breakfast we took an air-conditioned bus to Yorktown, the third point of what's called the Historic Triangle (Jamestown and Williamsburg being the other two).  There, we took 5-minute bus trips to several points of interest, the most significant being Surrender Field.  (You can guess why it's given that name.)

battlefield

Surrender Field

                                                     

cannonball embedded in Sec. Nelson's house

   

   At Surrender Field we were given the opportunity to write a new "essay" about what it means to be an American citizen; some people read theirs.  Some were getting pretty choked up; it was very moving.  I didn't read mine but I did say that I thought it should be a requirement that every American should take this week-long institute class. I'm serious!  There was thunder in the background and Mike, one of our guides, said to pretend it was cannon fire.  Then we all received our certificates and group photos and boarded the bus for Bruton Heights School for our farewell lunch, Panera.  

Mary (one of our awesome staff members) sharing her bag of
Garrett's with Kristen

   After lunch we took photos and distributed all our gifts to the staff.  Kristen told the staff members that if anyone wanted to share the popcorn, that would be great.  Of course she was just kidding, but the photo on the left shows you what happened. The Garrett's idea that Katie had was a great one!  In fact, Minnie just texted me from O'Hare, where she has a 2-hour layover on her way to Hawaii, to tell me that she was heading to the stand there to buy some there now.

   So the CW Teacher Institute week is over.  It was one of the most important, incredible, and enjoyable experiences I've ever had.  My adjectives are overused and inadequate because I can't really describe the week the way I want to.

   I hope I at least gave you a good glimpse of what it was all about.  But it definitely was one of those "you had to be there" situations.

  I'll close by saying that I just spoke to Lauren and asked if she'd been reading this blog.  She said yes, and that she posted the photo of me, Sarah, and Monica (all dressed in colonial clothing- I had posted it on one of my earlier entries) on her facebook page.  What can I say??

some of us saw the fife and drum corps parade down Duke
of Gloucester Street as we walked to our cars or shuttle buses

Farewell, Williamsburg!

   

   

Friday the 13th, Cont'd

   It's the morning of our last day here and I made some time to write.  The last I left off, we were set free from the Secretary's house.  The area around it is called Revolutionary City, which the elderly interpreter so endearingly called "Rev City."  We could hear shouting in the distance, so some of us walked toward that noise- there was a little play going on along the street.  A huge crowd of tourists had gathered (at least 200 people) to watch; in this reenactment the actors had microphones, so their voices were amplified from these looooong, vertical speakers that were camouflaged on large trees.  Suddenly a man in tattered clothing began shouting, "The Redcoats are coming!" and the entire crowd walked along with him to a grassy area near the Capitol.  It was quite effective.
   Sure enough, an interpreter portraying Benedict Arnold came riding up on a horse.  He spoke at length about his cause- incredible.  People were encouraged to say things to him.  Many booed, and he snapped, "Quiet!  You sound like farm animals!"  One very old man in a Phillies cap shouted at him, "You'll go down in the annals of history!"      

                           After he rode away, the crowd was led to a stage where a black preacher gave his viewpoints, and he was the last person acting for this portion of the reenactment.  We had 40 minutes left till lunch; Daron and I wandered over to the blacksmith shop and spent a good amount of time in there watching them work.
   Next was lunch at the patio, followed by an activity in the courthouse where some of the teachers volunteered to "perform" a scripted play about how a court case would be handled.  Oh, in between lunch and the court case we had 20 minutes of free time; I went with several women to Mary Dickinson's shop, where Sarah bought a pair of stockings to go with the colonial clothing she'd bought the day before.  I hadn't seen her wearing the garb, but I saw a picture and it was perfect!  She said she stood out on the steps of her house and answered a couple of questions, which cracked me up because she is so funny anyway!
   Next we walked to the military encampment and did some rank/file exercises and musket training with gun-length sticks.  The "sergeant" who trained us was great because he treated us as if we really were in his army.  He yelled at us for the smallest things!  It was fun and would be great to see photos of it, but we were all busy being trained so I have none.  :(  We also learned about the food that was cooked, the fife and drum, and lastly we fired a cannon.   When we left the encampment we happened to run into an enchanting woman riding side saddle.

  

Pat and I

   Next we went back to the Capitol and were taken on a tour by an actor portraying Patrick Henry.  He was fantastic!  He took us around inside the building and then spoke with us outside.  It was interesting to hear first the loyalist view (the woman from the morning) and then the patriot view (PH).  
  Next we went back to the Secretary's house and anyone who wanted to could share what they did for their homework, which Robin had compiled into a little book.  Ellen, one of the CW Institute people, said that they use these projects to show potential scholarship donors- great idea!
   Our debate was next, which was back in the Capitol building.  The patriots won, but only by one vote!  In actuality, it was unanimous.  Very interesting how being here makes you realize why not everyone wanted to support independence.
  Dinner was at Kings Arms Tavern.  Delicious! And great conversation!  It was our last dinner at CW.  Then was the ghost tour.

Jen (CA), Monica (FL), me
properly wearing our linen napkins
as we toast

  

                                                                                                                                                                              

Ghost Tour on Friday the 13th

   The ghost tour was not quite what I had expected.  There are different types of ghost tours here- this one was a more historical one, but I've been exposed to so many wonderful, talented actors and the ones telling these stories were not that caliber.  But we had fun!  All over town at dusk and dark there are clumps of ghost tours happening.
   Again...another jam-packed day!  And tomorrow we have to check out by 7:15.  This morning after breakfast we walked to the Secretary's house and were treated to an interpreter portraying a staunch loyalist.  She was excellent and I'm guessing near 80 years old.  As we walked to the building, we noticed many state troopers and other security forces around the Capitol (the CW Capitol) because the governors were going to be in that area.  Next thing you know, we were cordoned in with yellow security tape and told we couldn't leave the building.  People were thinking that Obama, who is scheduled to be in Virginia, was joining the governors.  Even the poor interpreter couldn't leave!  I said that it was a new reality show:  "Held Hostage in Colonial Williamsburg."  Below on the left you'll see the group being "held hostage."                                                                                                                                          
   Fortunately, our next activity (an interactive lesson about voting) was  in the same room so we were                                           

not praying, but texting

granted permission to walk as a group to the washrooms outside and down the hill if we needed to use them.  They were definitely taking extreme caution.  After our lesson we were set free from the building and were encouraged to go off on our own until we met for lunch on that patio again.  
  And I hate to do this because I've been so good about writing, but I need to go to sleep.  I don't know if I'll have time to write tomorrow morning or not.  All I know is that I am completely exhausted!!
   We go to Yorktown after breakfast and before we all leave on our various modes of transportation.

Reprint Corrections

Good morning!  It's a bright, sunny day this morning, which is a first.  Usually it's cloudy early but sunny later.  I think it's supposed to be nice all day.

   Just wanted to say that I have two reprint corrections for my post last night.  First, I believe I should have called it clay, not mud.  Secondly, the place we ate dinner last night is called Dog Street Tavern.  Minnie's friend said that the locals call Duke of Gloucester Street, the main thoroughfare in CW, Dog Street.  Get it?  DoG?  I ran past it this morning toward William & Mary's campus.

   I saw something today that I'd never seen before:  a guy operating a horse manure vacuum.  Too bad I didn't have my camera with me!  

   Speaking of cameras, I didn't want you to write a post without uploading photos (boring!) so here are a couple to start your day.  I am off to Shield's Tavern for breakfast now!

the view from my side bedroom window

the closet in my house-
from right to left:
iron, hairdryer, heavy-duty flashlight

Oyster Shells and Mud

   I'm back earlier than I thought I would be tonight because I ended up not going to Chowning's (pronounced choo-ning's, which I hate!), the tavern that everyone raves about.  But it's still late!  And I'm still very tired, although not as exhausted because our day was a little lighter than previous days.
   As I said yesterday, I did not run this morning because I wanted to finish my homework assignment.  I've never explained what it is, have I?  On one side of our paper we had to write a "bio-poem" about the person from Williamsburg whose name is listed on our nametag.  My person is Frances Tasker Carter, who was married to one of the wealthiest men in Virginia.  We were all given primary source documents and a little "stat sheet" on Monday that gives information on the person.  On the other side we had to fill a silhouette of a colonial person's head with our thoughts about Colonial Williamsburg.  This is what we needed the photo of ourselves for.  Here's what mine ended up looking like- sorry it's sideways!

   Breakfast was at 7:30 at the lodge.  There's some kind of big U.S. Governors meeting going on in CW, so we often see state police escorting important-looking people- I think they're staying at the lodge.
   We walked over to Brick House Tavern to listen to an interpreter talk about economics in Virginia during colonial times.  This man was probably the best yet.  He could make money in Hollywood easy!  (He's worked for CW for 35 years!)  We saw him portray the judge at the witch trial.  The presentation was really interesting.
   After he spoke we had another application session and were then set free from 10:00 until 1:00!  What a treat!!  I ended up hanging out with Minnie (HI) and Daron (TX) for a while- we were supposed to visit different tradesmen.  We saw the cabinet maker, the printer, and the brick maker.  Cool thing is that everything is done using the tools of that time.  Very cool!

intricate chair in process

printer applying ink on ink balls

I am squishing through mud to mix it up for brick making.

Now I'm getting the mud off!

   The paths around CW are paved with broken oyster shells and they always sneak into my Keens...it felt good to step in mud instead of sharp shells!

   Next we were joined by Robin and Alli.  We went on part of a tour of Peyton Randolph's house, and then walked toward the place where we were supposed to have lunch- that same patio area behind one of the taverns.  Daron wanted to stay for the whole tour so we left him and it was just the four of us.  Lunch was low-key:  a Colonial house-shaped box with cold fried chicken, an apple, chips, and a packaged cookie.  Sarah (SC) got stung by a bee and she's allergic to them, so that was scary but it ended up being okay.  She told me later that she had told one of our guides that she'd been "stung behind the tavern" and he cracked up because he said that meant something entirely differently than what she really meant!

   After lunch we had until 2:00 to roam around some more so we went in a few more trade shops and then walked down to the little souvenir shops and a combo William & Mary & Barnes & Noble store.

  The church, Bruton Parish, now an Episcopal church that's still in use is pretty cool but the presentation wasn't that interesting.  And....then it was back to Brick House Tavern to do a great application session on the global economy of those times.  Our activity needed a lot of space so we had to go outside and do it right in the street.  I was a French merchant, in case you were wondering, wanting to trade wine for tobacco.  

   Then back downstairs again!  Some people were still finishing up their assignments.  We were then split up into three groups, based on colored "tickets" we'd picked.  One group is the loyalists, one is the patriots, and one (mine) is undecided.  Everyone's ticket has a description of their character on it- I am a clergyman.  My little blurb says:  You are a Quaker pacifist. You do not tolerate (or sanction) violence of any kind.  We had to get together with people from our group, read over some documents, and talk about how we would vote (independence from Britain or no?) and why.  Obviously we're the group to be swayed.  Tomorrow we're going to the courthouse to have a debate, which should be really fun.

   Then at 5:30 we were set free for the entire evening!  We could even take off our nametags!  A bunch of us stayed and helped Robin fill up the gift bags with everyone's gifts to the staff.  Since we only needed five gifts from each set and I had brought six bags of Garrett's popcorn, we shared the sixth bag.  Everyone loved it!  Of course.  I let people know who are traveling through Chicago on their way home that there's a Garrett's at O'Hare.

   Oh, which reminds me that Chris is traveling through O'Hare back to San Francisco area- we started talking and we're on the same flight from Richmond.  Then we found out we're sitting next to each other!!  How big of a coincidence is that?!  I really like her (she's the runner) so we'll have good conversation.

   For dinner, after a series of complicated logistics and shifting of restaurant choices, it ended up being me, Minnie, Minnie's friend Margaret who used to live in Hawaii and now lives in Williamsburg (her husband is a Naval officer), Daron (but he'd already eaten so he just drank), Robin, Chris, Alli, and one of the Jennifers.  We ate at Bad Dog Tavern, a brand new restaurant.  It was really good!  We were all so excited to be able to choose from more than just three menu options!

Chris (CA), Alli (MA), Jen (CA), and moi, all being geeky

    A few from the group went to Chowning's, as I'd said earlier.  Robin and I left them there and went to our rooms.  Tomorrow night a group of us is going on a ghost tour.  Ooo....ooo.....ooooooooo......

   Breakfast isn't till 8:30 tomorrow!

 

      

Longest Day Yet

   I just got locked out of my bedroom because the junebugs are going crazy, and there was one in my sitting room as I started to write my post and I had shut the bedroom door so it wouldn't find its way in there and I shut the door, forgetting that I hadn't turned the latch thing horizontally.  Pardon the run-on sentence, but that's how I feel right now...going and going and going and going!  I went upstairs to Julie and Patti's room (both from MD) and called for a key from their room.  And the guy rode over promptly on his CW bicycle, which is the transportation between the inn and the colonial houses, and let me in.  Now I'm all set!
   Today I ran my usual 2 1/2 miles, this time over to and around the William and Mary campus.  Very beautiful area!  I'm going to go there on my next run too, which won't be tomorrow because I need to finish my homework assignment, which is due tomorrow before dinner.
  We met at 7:15 a.m. at the Brickhouse Tavern, where Robin and a couple of other teachers are staying, and then walked over to Bruton Heights School for breakfast.  Panera assortment.  At this point in our comfort level with each other, we're pretty wired right from the start, so even breakfast can be loud and animated.  I love it!
   Then we walked to Mr. Powell's house (he's middling sort, or class) and learned how to set a table and had other lessons in and around his house.  Everyone loved the animals in back:  bantam chickens, a rare breed of pigeons called "giant runts," which are essentially pigeons on steroids, and oxen.  On the right below are the oxen--we all wanted to pet them but were told we couldn't.  :(

Darrell with Dan and Dick

  One of the highlights for me was learning some of the outdoor games.  We had a hoop-and-stick relay race among three pairs.

Here I am in action

Kristen (IA) and I are the champs!!

  
















   Then volunteers could try a game called trapball, which, according to our guide, is still played in England.  Ian??  Below you'll see me about to hit a small canvas ball after I've whacked it airborne from the "trap."

   Then we listened to one of the interpreters portray an enslaved woman.  She was a young William and Mary grad (theater major) and we were her first audience for this particular character, Aggie.  It was such an incredible, moving performance.  So very real.  She took our questions in character and out of character, as all the actors do, and she had so many important things to say.  Here is "Aggie":

 

   I'm going to sum up the rest of the day quickly because I'm starting to crash.  It's 10:42 p.m. and I can barely keep my eyes open.  Next we had sandwiches at a little outdoor patio somewhere (we all loved that salad was spelled sallat- someone googled it and it shows up as being some type of helmet!), then we took a bus to a faux plantation and learned all about tobacco farming.  Another interpreter told us about slave trade and how slaves were treated.  It was really interesting.

   Next we went to the Governor's and talked about the gentry.  Another interpreter was Lady Dunmore(sp??) and she showed us around the palace, inside and out.  She was great too!  They're all fantastic--have you figured it out yet???!  My favorite line from Lady Dunmore is her response to someone who asked, "Can I take your picture?"  She replied, "I'm sorry, I have no picture to give you but you may sketch me."  And she warned us not to sketch anything while on the landing because we might fall.  Loved it!

   Next we went to Christiana Campbell's Tavern for dinner.  Some of us walked; others rode the bus.  The food was great!  We were all upstairs in one big room- it was just as fun as last night's dinner!  Then we met back at Brickhouse Tavern for an application session and to work on our homework, which most people still haven't finished.  There's no time!  (Have you figured that out yet????!)  And after that we went to an African-American storytelling show at a little wooden outdoor stage.  I enjoyed that but did not like sitting on those benches again.  So the day ended around 9:45 p.m.

   Tomorrow we have an easier day, which will be nice.  Someone mentioned that the high school teachers had a two-hour break yesterday and we groaned.  Being with and getting to know these teachers is really a rewarding experience- it's like summer camp for adults.  I love how there are just the right number of us- not too many where it would be overwhelming and not too few where some might get left out.  The way it's all orchestrated and the way everyone drifts in and out of different groups is pretty incredible.  You might sit with one group of people for one meal and another group for another.  There are some teachers who actually work together so they tend to gravitate toward each other, but it's not always the case.  

   I'll close with a photo of Robin (remember, she's the peer facilitator) (CA) and Allie (MA), who both absolutely love George Washington.  They're doing heart signs to show their love for him.  Crazy girls!

   

Jamestown, aka Jamestowne

   Hello!  Another very, very busy day (are you surprised?) and tomorrow we have to meet for breakfast 15 minutes earlier than usual because we're walking to Bruton Heights School to eat a catered meal there.  Once again, I am exhausted.  So forgive my brevity.  I haven't started my homework assignment yet either.  Some teachers were joking that they're going to pull an all-nighter to get it finished.  :)
   The high school teachers arrived last night (they're a day behind us) and ate breakfast with us and took the bus with us to Jamestown, which is a 20-minute bus ride.  Funny that we elementary teachers (and one editor) all feel like we've known each other forever, so we were all talking and joking around on the bus, but the high school teachers aren't quite there yet, so they were very quiet.  Understandably, there are many more boys in the high school group; we only have three in ours.
   Yes, I ran again before breakfast--there's a woman from CA named Chris who's a dedicated runner as well, so it's fun to talk to her.  Then it was off to Jamestown for a variety of lessons and activities, although nothing was as intense as yesterday's activities. It was really cool to see the archaeological dig in progress.  While we were there, the woman in this photo found what she thinks is a knife handle made of bone.  

   Next we took a short bus ride to the Jamestown Settlement. We ate lunch in the cafeteria there and were encouraged to shop in the gift shop.  One thing I got for myself was a funky little ceramic frog made in Guatemala.  That had nothing to do with colonial times but it was just so darned cute, I couldn't resist! Then we heard an incredible interpreter describe her journey over from England.  There were other attractions there too--our guide was a guy who looked just like Fred MacMurray.  He noticed I was from Glenview and told me that he grew up in Chicago by the HIP Mall (they were just building it then!) and graduated from Lane Tech.  He stayed in Glenview whenever he did Air Force stuff.
   Then we took the regular bus back to CW and had a quick application session and then were let loose in the gift shop again. We went back to our rooms for a half-hour break, which is when I saw these guys parading down the street.  Very impressive!  Probably high school kids, and completely expressionless...and very talented!

Look how the gate works!

      I took these shots inside and outside my little house because the "technology" is so interesting in each photo.

my 4-poster canopy bed with
a little cupboard in the wall-
what's inside?????
(answer at end of this blog)

  









      We met back at Shield's Tavern for dinner, and that was really fun!  We were off in our own little section--two long tables in one room and two small and one long table in another room.  We had the most fun, I think!  Oh, there's so much to say but I am so tired.
   The photo below is the "cool" table.  Why am I slouching?  Those black marks on the walls are ghosts...not really!  They're smoke stains from candles.

Clockwise from back left: Alli (MA), Sarah (SC), Minnie (HI),
me, Moni (MI), Chris (CA), Renee (FL)

   Lastly, we went to see "Cry Witch," which is an interactive reenactment of an actual witch trial.  It was great except for the benches we had to sit on.  The group that was here in the spring saw that too.  We found our witch guilty.  While I was waiting in line for that show, Doug Shipman came up and chatted with me.  Oh, and while we were waiting for dinner, Alicia Hainsworth spotted me and introduced herself.  She said to say hi to the spring group! 
  I have no idea what our agenda is tomorrow.  This is such a well-run, organized program--it amazes me!  And everyone here is so friendly and knowledgeable.  And I've come up with a little saying:  At the CW Teacher Institute, one day = one week.  That's what it feels like!
  Good night!

                   *Answer to question in caption:  a television!