Day 2 - Newport News
We were a little slow getting going this morning. I don't know why driving is so tiring. Anyway, we decided today was going to be spent in historic Williamsburg. Opening the curtains, it was a lovely surprise the sun shining and beautiful blue skies. Bill made a yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and of course toast. Now it was time to get out and see the sights. We started up Big Red in the hopes that the awful noise would somehow be miraculously gone but sadly it was to remain with us until we eventually got to Camp Hatteras, OBX. Off we went to Williamsburg, 10 minutes down the road. We parked at the visitor center, got our tickets which allowed us to tour the open buildings, and then got on the free shuttle bus. We got off the bus at the Governor's Palace and walked over to start the tour. It was wonderful to tour the building with only 6 other people. Going off season definitely has it's advantages. Leaving the Palace we wondered through the cook building where we met a lovely lady from Cheshire. She was a character in all senses of the word. As the head cook, she had just made Chelsea Buns, which were a food staple back in the 18th Century. We had a great conversation all about Southport, Eccles and Chorley cakes, and even Parbold Hill. We had to stop the conversation when the cook house was full of other visitors who had no idea what we were talking about.
By now it was lunch time and someone was starting to get hangry. As I meandered through the main street Bill was very focused on finding food. I have to admit that it was 1:30pm by this time. After getting me on the "hunt for food" train we made a bee line for the Kings Arms pub. I'm thankful that our timing was good and we got right in. We both had the pasties. I must admit they were nothing to write home about but it was food.
Note: This translates to Helen saying she wanted to get food, then stopping to faff about taking pictures of every costumed colonial cosplayer and goat that was wandering around. Knowing that lunch was limited I am far more focused than my wife is in getting a task done. There may have been some prodding to move along. -Bill
After the "so-so" lunch we poked around a few store fronts. The most interesting was the wigmaker shop. The guy who was behind the table making wigs was really interesting. He took his craft seriously and was very well versed in the art as well as the history. We must have been in the shop at least 20 minutes chatting with him. He was very enthusiastic and loved to talked to anyone who took the slightest interest. It turns out that his shop is one of only three wig maker shops in the world that make wigs with real hair. One custom wig from that shop would cost upwards of $10,000.
Our last stop on our visit to Williamsburg was to listen to George Washington who was presenting on the stage by the Capitol Building. What an orator. He re-iterated the speech that he gave when he was leaving office. It was really interesting. At the end of the speech he opened it up for questions. He responded to each question completely in character. He was fantastic. We then headed over to the Capitol Building for a quick tour and then decided it was time to head out. After a very fast bus ride; the bus driver thought he was driving the Indy 500, we arrived back at the Visitor Center.
We kept dinner simple as we both still needed to catch up on some work before Monday hit us. We fired up the Weber and had brats, side salads and chips. We then made a few more chocolate chip cookies. That Tollhouse pre-made cookie dough is awesome.
Bill -
So cooking gear is important when you are dealing with a small space. Yes, we have a fully functioning indoor and outdoor kitchen. However, a small grill is really useful. We bought the small Weber 1200 propane grill. It operates off small canisters that work with old style Coleman cookware. It's perfect for two people and can cook a pack of Brats or Hamburgers easily.
It folds up and if you wanted, you could buy a stand. It's one of those perfect things for a couple who wants to cook on the road. The only drawback is that we don't have a great place to store it. So it goes in the back of Big Red when we travel.
Day 2 - Newport News Pictures
