We drove through seven states in fifty-five hours over President's Day weekend to experience the coming hope of spring in Southern Virginia. Mom and Dad and five of us children met up with my uncle, Sam, and his three boys to tour the James River, Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg. Jamestown and Williamsburg have been recreated to match their historical prime and actors have been placed at the sites to reenact the life of the village. The villages were a fun historical connection (we were searching for our great (x10) grandfather, William White, who arrived at Jamestown in 1607) but the true highlights of the trip were the lovely purple flowers, the bald eagles that soared above the James River, the perfect blue sky and the warm weather. At the end of the day, we stopped along the banks of the James River to collect sea shells and walk barefoot along the sandy banks.
We spent twelve hours driving home yesterday because we decided to take a circuitous route (we got to see the Blue Ridge Mountains, 2nd to last picture) home in order to attend Rockingham Friends (last picture) for meeting. The drive home took us through West Virginia, at which point we thought it appropriate to stop listening to Sinatra's rendition of New York, New York. Country music seemed more apropos for West Virginia, and we especially enjoyed singing Country Roads, Take Me Home along with John Denver!
(And this post would not be complete without a special thanks to Luke who stayed home to care for Grandpa. His resume for medical school is growing and we think Luke will make an excellent doctor.)