Day two 


No riding but plenty of sight seeing at Colonial Williamsburg.   If you ever get a chance.. check it out.  I am staying at the Governors Inn (CHEAP but clean) and the room price includes admission to the historic district.


I stopped by the Bruton Parish Church for a mid morning service.  I have to say that the prayer service was very nice but I could not help but think how cool it is to be in a church that Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, George Wythe, Patrick Henry, and George Mason attended.

Throughout the day I attended many presentations and visited many historic buildings.  The Governor's Palace was what you would think it would be.  The gardens to the rear of the building were even better.

Later in the evening after dinner at Christianna Campbells, I attended an evening music recital at the church.  Superb organist...  very average trumpet player.


All in all a great day...very hot.

On  the morning of July 4th I left Pittsburgh at 7:05.  The skies were blue with some light clouds hanging around.  I say this thankfully because the entire night  before my departure we had some of the most severe thunder/lightening storms that we have had in years


Get away day is just that....  put some serious miles between yourself and home as quickly as possible.  My first destination was Colonial Williamsburg.   I elected to take the standard roads towards Washington and then Richmond to get there.  The traffic was not too bad and I arrived in Williamsburg around 4:00.  A grand total of 400 miles.

Why Colonial Williamsburg? Well,  it is part of the 5th grade curriculum.  My goal was to experience  Colonial Williamsburg so that I can provide a better experience for my students.  

After arriving I checked into my hotel and proceeded to the downtown area for a fourth of July Celebration, I purchased tickets to attend a luncheon on the Governor's Palace Greens and for preferred seating ofr the concert by the Virginia Symphony.  The organizers wisely decided to take the picnic indoors because of record high temperatures. I am glad they did.   The food was standard faire but was totally delicious.

During the picnic entertainment was provided by various performers from a local troupe.  Slaves songs, puppet shows for the kids, juggling and even a contortionist! 

After the picnic we were escorted to the Governor's Palace by a Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corp.  Shortly after taking our seats, the Virginia Symphony put on an hour and half show featuring American music from Sousa to John Williams.  The symphony is directed by JoAnn Falletta.  The performance finished up with Tchaikovsky's  1812 Overture and John Phillip Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever.  

There were over 25,000  people on the Palace green for the concert and fireworks.   The tent in the picture above is where the symphony  was located.  Even though it was not going to be evening for quite a while, you can see that everyone was picking their spot for the festivities.

A great day and a great experience.  Tomorrow, I explore  Colonial Williamsburg.

Test tuesday