James City County

It was an early goodbye to Melissa, Richard and Liam as Liam had an early Halloween Party at pre-school. Dressed in his Superman costume, we all said goodbye to each other. I've had a great time here and I've enjoyed getting to know them all a lot better. It won't be long before the whole family see each other again in sunny December in New Zealand and I can't wait.

For Alice and I, we were hitting the road again. The East coast has involved visiting lots of cities and areas in close proximity to one another. We had the feeling that as we drove further south, the long drives between destinations were about to start again. One thing in common with the last few days was our first port of call. History! The location was the first successful attempt at settlement by the English at Jamestown in 1607. A whole thirteen years before the Mayflower arrived with religiously persecuted pilgrims aboard, the Jamestown fort was established purely for economic and international political reasons. The Spanish and the French had by this time already established various communities in parts of the continent and England was keen to ensure they weren't left out. The tobacco craze was in full swing in Europe and potential cash crops were to be scouted as part of the mission. I personally find this period of history fascinating and getting to walk around this recently rediscovered site was a joy. The story of Pocahontas and John Smith is adept to myth and it was touching to see the location of the recently rediscovered Church where they were married. Archaeology on this site is still ongoing and it is impressive to see how much has been recreated since its rediscovery in 1994. The adjoining museum is another good example of explaining both the history of the period and how archaeologists know what they do from the artefacts found. It is heartening to see conclusions based on evidence, a trend sadly lacking in 2016. As I briefly mentioned the other day in regards to Monticello, history may seem set in stone but our interpretations, revisions and therefore understanding of the past is constantly changing. This outpost of hope and promise for a band of opportunists is celebrated as it should be for it's epic tale of survival against the odds and the beginning of Anglo influence and commercial interest on another continent. However, what can't be forgotten are the confrontations and cycles of retribution with local tribes and the decision to import slaves to work in the labour intensive tobacco fields that sowed the seeds of future discontent that is still being felt today. With each archaeological find, a greater picture of local trading and the treatment of people of all races and classes is being discovered. Who said history was boring!

We had spent so long at this site we realised we didn't have enough time to visit the other points of the historical triangle in the area, namely Yorktown and Williamsburg. Instead we headed straight to our hotel for the evening and rested for a short while. We then went to dinner at Second Street Bistro and the Halloween themed dressed staff reminded Alice and I that it was indeed Halloween. There was a competition to vote for the best dressed member of staff. There were the usual witches, pirates, angels and a catwoman. However the guy wearing a santa hat caught our attention. We were going to vote for him purely for the originality/laziness of his choice. When he served our food and explained he was 'every holiday man' with other parts of his outfit showing that thought was involved, he was guaranteed our vote. The food was excellent and I had my first steak since the trip began. Alice had an American classic, shrimp and grits, that she really enjoyed too. A good day and fine food.

Song of the Day:
Lovebug Starski - Amityville (it's Halloween people!)Read more