Williamsburg Weekend

I spent a weekend (February 15-18) in Williamsburg at the invitation of friend Al Zambone who is the scholar on a curriculum project being undertaken by Educational Enterprises, a charter school organization.  The object of it is to create a character curriculum which can be integrated into social studies and literature courses through literature based units that will teach virtues while focusing on the lives of early American heroes and historical fiction from the early American time.  If they succeed, they hope the curriculum will be used both in secular and religious schools.  The project is being funded by a foundation with the stipulation that they focus on this period of America's history to accomplish the teaching of the targeted virtues:  Respect, Justice, Self-Sacrifice, Responsibility, Courage, Diligence, Integrity.  Rather than focus on behavior only, the intent is to get more at the "root" from which virtue comes as being a person's identity--purpose--performance.  If one can relate the virtue to their identity as a human being, this then gives them a purpose in performing it.  That's the basic idea at play here.

It's certainly an ambitious project.  I was going to be on a writing team for a particular grade band, but I am now in more of an advising role as a resource person, being the only librarian working on the project.  We shall see.  The conference was packed from morning until night, so most of my seeing of Williamsburg was after it was over and before I drove home.

I thought so much about the Williamsburg Charter week way back in summer of 1988 when we spent a week there.  Each day, Eden, Elliott, David, and I spent hot and interesting days going in and out of all the little shops and houses, gardens, mansions, and colonial capital building.  We saw all the animals and heard as many presentations by reenactors as we could.  And now, that was so long ago.  Also I had happy memories of taking Jessica and Jonathan on a homeschooling field trip there where we spent one night in a cheap hotel between the two days of seeing the town.

My hotel room at the Williamsburg Lodge

The Colonial Capital

Bruton Parish Church--I went to noon prayer there one day during lunch

The milliner's

The cobler's

My box lunch one day

The Armory

The minstrel at dinner one evening at one of the colonial taverns

Patrick Henry came to visit us.

As did George Washington in his younger days (bad picture!)

A lovely winter afternoon in Williamsburg

Bruton Parish Steeple

Wyth House from the perspective of the chicken coup out back

Thank you, Elliott and Becca, for our Authentic Italian meal!

Becca and Elliott sent us ingredients for an authentic Italian meal. We created it last night.  We added our own fresh vegetables to their wonderful sauce and pasta...

The vegetables went into the parmigiano reggiano sauce with spaghetti

The shrimp went into the basilico sauce with cavatelli pasta

Enjoying the gift!

The Sicilian wine found at Whole Foods to supplement
(Steve wasn't really asleep just caught in a closed eye moment)

The after dinner chocolates and the special spreads plus olives 

The founders of the feast!

Thanksgiving Day at the Garbers'

Thanksgiving brought the scurry of family and friends and cooking. It was the kind of weather one always hopes for--mild and sunshiny. Becca's, our daughter-in-law, family joined us for the feast and brought the turkey and sweet potatoes. We missed our dear Elliott, Becca, and Lena, but one of the pictures shows us passing the laptop around for everyone to say hi to them on video chat (Well, really to try and get Lena to say our names) When evening came, our dear friends Kevin and David Offner came for dessert and the rousing end to the Redskins beating the Cowboys. We are so thankful to God for --well, pretty much everything!

The table is set and ready

The necessary outdoor football activity

The nibbles -- mostly for show

Jessica and Eric, Becca's brother

Dessert time

Jessica's dessert -- individual pumpkin Nutella cheesecakes with chocolate ganache 

Eden and Kevin

Me and Jessica :)

Passing around the computer while video chatting with Lena, Elliott, and Becca

Emily, Becca's sister, and Jessica

Jonathan & Erika's Rehearsal Dinner

I doubt that I can improve on my daughter-in-law Becca's post about the rehearsal dinner for Jonathan and Erika at our house.  But here are a few more pictures and a little of my commentary about it.

Though we'd been preparing for the day for weeks, when Saturday finally arrived I woke up with butterflies in my stomach, wondering if we'd accomplish all that we needed to that day.  Another huge variable was the weather--Would it be pleasant or rain?

"The Pig" was the focal point of the dinner.  Steve and I put it on around 9:00 a.m. with some difficulty.  Note to self:  Do not start the coals before you put the pig on or you will burn yourself as you situate the pig.  The blister on my ring finger knuckle is just now healing!  But once it was on and situated it rotated throughout the day getting browner and browner, as you can see from these pictures at the end of the roasting, and smelling more and more delicious.

Jonathan plucks a juicy morsel after affixing the apple in its place with James, 

a Gordon buddy, in the background.

The tables had been set since mid-afternoon, when a sudden burst of wind and cloud had us scurrying and preparing for the possibility of rain. But it turned out to be the entrance of the cold wave and blew away leaving sunshine and cool temps.  (Thank you, Lord!)

Help yourself to some cider-tea and munchies while mingling before we start.

Getting some of the 12 dozen biscuits I'd made into the serving dish with dear friends there solely to help--Gail and Clydette.

Ready to serve!  Come and get it!

Uncle Frank & Aunt Nancy

My first daughter-in-law, Becca, a photographer 

Erika's parents--Bob, Patty, and her two younger sisters, Ashleigh and Jessie

Steve and Uncle Frank relaxing together with a cold drink

Aunt Nancy

Erika and Jonathan in background with Erika's mom's twin sister Paula in foreground

Our littlest darling, Lena ... :)

Jonathan with good friends

Sam, Jonathan's long-time friend and best man, with girl friend Annelise

 Jessica

Elliott and Lena at the warming station

Some of Erika's extended family enjoying the fire before dinner

Eden

Becca and Lena

David



Jonathan with his two significant ladies--Jessica (twin sister) and Erika (wife :)

Delicious evening ending (by Jessica)

Yes, it's really crazy that I don't have any good picture with Jonathan and Erika in it together or any of Erika alone!  That may change as I call in my resources.  In the meantime, all of this is getting further and further into the past, and Jonathan and Erika have been happily married now for six weeks.