Day Four - Williamsburg

We spent Friday in Williamsburg, one of the first colonial colonies that developed in our land. It was incredible to think that it still existed after hundreds of years. Many of the buildings are the actual buildings from that time, while others have had to be recreated or restored to their original state. We started at the gardens of the Governor's Palace, which was beautiful, then were wisely directed to the Brickmaker. We learned some really neat things about the bricks that were, and still are, used to make the brick buildings. First of all, only the wealthy had brick homes. The middle class might have had a brick foundation, but most had homes made of wood planks and dirt floors. To make a brick is quite a process. First, the abundant medium was clay and that had to be dug up. Then it was placed into a pit with wood sides, where it was mixed with water. Then, this had to happen:



The was undoubtably the girls' most favorite part of our trip to Williamsburg, if not their favorite over all! They couldn't believe that they were actually being able to play in mud! Next, the mud is taken out and placed in wooden forms that were dusted with sand. The concept is like that of baking a cake, when you dust the cake pan with flour before you put in the batter. Then, they are taken out of the forms and set in the sun to dry, and then they are stacked. To seal the bricks, they are fired. But guess what? They are not put into an oven -- they ARE the oven! They are stacked into somewhat of an oven shape, with a tunnel left in the base. Then the brickmaker places the wood inside the tunnel and makes a fire. The fire then begins to bake the bricks. The bricks that are dark, nearly black, are the ones closest to the fire. The ones that are a deep, brick red are the ones near the middle, and the lighter colored ones are the bricks near the outer layers. So when you look at an old building make of brick, that's why you see the multi-colored bricks. Isn't that cool info?? Okay, maybe it's just me but I love this kind of stuff! The brickmaker informed the girls that the mud they were squishing would be made into bricks that would eventually be used to recreate the coffee house that they are currently unearthing. So, when they came back with their children someday, they could tell them that they helped make that building!

It wouldn't be possible to post something about everything that we saw. But we went to the wig-maker, the silversmith's home, the post office, the jeweler, the fort, one of the restaurants, the Capitol building, the courthouse, (where the picture from the top of post was taken). That day was also the day of The Drum and The Fife band and The General's Review of the Troops. So, they did a reenactment of the Marquis of Lafayette (not General Washington) coming out to encourage the troops as they headed out to battle.

Huzzah!

The cannon and guns nearly shook us out of our pants, it was so loud! I was so glad that we got to see something of this sort, since we didn't get out to any of the hundreds of battlefields that were nearby. An added blessing to this day was that we were able to spend some time with my Aunt JoNell and Uncle Ronnie.

I have been on a reading kick of a series of books that talk a lot about the founding of our country and the progress of it. Someone said recently, after traveling to see this area, that it was a miracle that we are even here, that this country survived the wars that we've had here on this land. I hope that more people are encouraged to know more about our history as a nation, because it might encourage you in the future. Some of our history is not so noble, but we have had men and women that truly believed in God and what they wanted our country to stand for. It is not the godly nation that it might have started out to be initially. With the laws and initiatives that are on our ballots today, it would be easy to be discouraged. With the leaders that we have around us, it would be easy to be discouraged. But there are those among us who are willing to stop talking and start walking, trying to make a difference. For the complainers, don't let your lips flap, but tighten up your bootstraps and head on into the battle. We had such a person on the Council in the city of Fairfield (our neighboring city). His name was Matt Garcia. At the age of 21, he was elected as a councilman. He was determined to make a difference. Apparently this was his m.o. no matter where he was. He did what others his age would've never thought could happen. Recently, he was gunned down by what is suspected to be a gang member. As a human being, I was amazed by the reports that came out about what he had already done for the city but even more so by what he has inspired in other people, who refuse to let "the dream" die. Also, Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin gave a very powerful speech at the Republican convention and encouraged us also to get involved in our school, city and state leadership. In other words, do what you can to make a difference, instead of sitting around complaining -- which I'm sure many will be doing after the election, no matter who wins. Leave a legacy that future generations will look back on and be amazed at how things got done, not be embarrased that their ancestors didn't have a clue.