Beautiful sunrise #13

December 19, 6:55 AM

Colonial Williamsburg in October -- Day 2

Our second full day in the Historic District found us visiting some familiar sites and experiencing something new: our first social call to the private home of a CW interpreter!

We started our day with a lively conversation with the printers in the Printing Office.  Since we were the only visitors to the shop for about 15 minutes, we had their undivided attention.

Here's the copy of the Virginia Gazette that was being printed that day, complete with ink blob imperfections (see the "g" in "accordingly" in the last line of the first paragraph in the middle column).  The printer showed us how he brushes dirt or debris from the type before the next page is printed.

The highlight of the morning was tea (and coffee) at the Walker residence next door to the Peyton Randolph House.  As you might recall from a previous post, we met Brett Walker on Duke of Gloucester Street not far from his shoemaker shop last April, and later met some of his children on Market Square.  They graciously extended the invitation to come visit on this trip, and we all enjoyed the chance to chat and get to know each other a little better.  That's Mr. Walker leaning against the door frame behind Karen, and Levi between the door and window on the other wall.  More evidence of how small the world is: some of the Agnew children had attended Mrs. Walker's mother's Sunday School class when the Agnews lived in Michigan years ago.

This quaint garden on Duke of Gloucester Street near the Nursery was exhibiting nice color even in October!

We were happy to introduce the Agnews to Bassett Hall (the Williamsburg home of the Rockefellers) as the home represents quite a few eras and has some attractive features.  Pictured here is the formal living room.  The colors may not be our first choices, but the home still feels very comfortable.

The gardens at Bassett Hall include this bench that appears to be perfect for photographing five lovely ladies at the same time.

Our afternoon also included a review of the troops conducted by the Marquis de Lafayette.  The intense look in his eyes is typical of Mark Schneider's interpretation of the major general, but we have always found him to be very kind and courteous when encountered on the streets of the town.

Finally, a nicely framed portrait of Jaclyn and Katie at one of our favorite garden gates.

Corn in the backyard 2013, weeks 19, 21, 22, and harvest!

Our final installment of corn watching this year includes this exciting progression of drying leading to a successful harvest.  Farmer Wagenbach waited longer to harvest this year than I expected, but reported the corn measured 16% moisture content coming out of the field, so I think his timing was spot on.

September 29

October 13

October 20

The following close up photos of the ears shows significant drying in the last four weeks, along with some leaf bending, but no apparent ear dropping in these photos.

September 29

October 13

October 20

Harvest was completed in a few hours on October 21, and by the following Sunday our view out the back was changed to what you see below.

October 27

Finally, here's a short video of Farmer Wagenbach making a turn behind our house with a full hopper of corn in the combine that eventually starts being transferred to the wagon beside him toward the end of the video. This harvest was the best he's achieved in this field, and despite the dry weather in the middle of the summer, God blessed him with 230 bushels per acre!  We'll see you again next spring!

Colonial Williamsburg in October -- Day 1

If you've read our previous posts about Colonial Williamsburg, you already know we like to visit in the spring, and you already know we like to enjoy the sites and people of CW in the company of good friends. Although it isn't spring, we were confident October would still be pleasant, and this time half of the Agnew family agreed to join us for a three-and-a-half-day tour of the town.

This photo of four lovely young ladies is out of order with the chronological progression of our day, but it gives you a good introduction to the younger generation of our group. You might recognize the setting as the garden behind the Wythe House.

We arrived on a Tuesday near lunchtime and after completing a few stops outside of CW, we purchased passes and concert tickets for later in the week, and had time for a stroll on Duke of Gloucester Street in our "modern" attire. Wednesday was our first full day in costume, and we started the day in the Palace gardens followed by a tour of the house. This attractive desk in the receiving area just inside the entrance makes one want to pen a letter. As I enlarged the photo above to examine the document most prominent, I could almost read enough to understand its purpose -- almost. If it's sitting out again the next time I'm in the Palace, I'll have to zoom in as close as possible to get a better shot. A railing prevents one from access to all corners of the room, but I think I can improve on this picture.

This room in the Palace is just outside the ballroom and is the perfect place to address any deficiencies in one's wig before making your appearance for the evening. I'd never paid much attention to this room in the past, but I'll have to watch for changes in the items on display here in the future.

This small building attached to the Robert Carter House by this covered walkway is the McKenzie Apothecary.  The railing design is eye-catching and yet looks fairly easy to duplicate. Combine that with the dormer on the front of the roof, the external chimney, the short staircase rising to the walkway, the multiple rooflines, the brick foundation for the walkway, and several other features you can't see in this view, and you've got a very special little structure.

This basket weaver was hard at work behind the Wythe House gardens producing sturdy and functional white oak baskets of all sizes. The scraps on the ground indicate there is sometimes a good bit of waste in the process of preparing a piece of wood for use in a basket.

Although it was the beginning of October, the weather was warm and dry, and the Wythe House gardens hadn't given up for the winter yet.

Our day included a visit with Michael in the Millinery where he was as happy as always to show us his recent projects. The white riding habit in the foreground with the blue waistcoat was constructed with a familiar tailor's style, while the red and green coat just in front of him is constructed with features more familiar to a mantua maker. I was impressed with the striped velvet under the white coat, and could imagine myself in a suit made from that fabric.

A visit to the silversmith is always interesting, although this apprentice was busy enough with other questions that I didn't have opportunity to ask my own.  Maybe next time.

We were happy to join the Agnew ladies on their inaugural visit to R. Charleton's Coffehouse.  Unfortunately, the cups are always too small and the time allowed too short.  I guess that means one simply needs to come back frequently.

We also stopped to see how construction of George Washington's tent was progressing (more on this project in a future post), and found Mark Hutter, the head tailor, taking a break outside the building.  This was one of the few times we've seen Mr. Hutter attired in something other than 18th century clothing, and he was kind enough to entertain our questions and share stories with us.  The tent project has been consuming most of his time for months, and he expects to have it completed by the middle of November.

Our evening ended with a Williamsburg dessert tradition: "Death by Chocolate" from The Trellis Restaurant. After introducing the Agnew ladies to this delight, they agreed that it was worthy of repeating.

Corn in the backyard 2013, weeks 15, 16, 17, and 18

This post includes four more weeks of progress in the cornfield. Not all of the photos were taken on Sunday mornings as we've been out of town occasionally lately. The corn should continue to dry regardless of the weather at this point, although you might notice the yard is slightly greener on September 22 thanks to the heaviest rain we've had in months -- a whole half inch!

September 1

September 6

September 14

September 22

September 1

September 6

September 14

September 22

Not only have the stalks dried noticeably in the last four weeks, but the ears filled out nicely and are drying as we speak. If you click on the photos you can see them enlarged further and can more easily spot some big yellow kernels on some of the ears whose husks have receded. I don't know which corn hybrid Farmer Wagenbach planted this year, but it looks like harvest isn't too far away. Thanks for visiting!

Kitchen makeover revealed

The girls had a vision for our kitchen that would make it brighter and more cheerful than before, and spent quite a few hours stripping, preparing, and painting to change the wall and cabinet colors.  The finished product is amazingly brighter and it's hard not to smile when you enter the room.

New wall color, cabinets painted white instead of stained natural, new stools, new bunting over the window, window frames painted white instead of stained natural, new drawer pulls, and new trim and sill on window.  Otherwise, most everything else was here before.

Karen thought red accents would look good.  We all agreed.  We've got lots of other ideas for red accents, but we're trying to restrain ourselves.  Yes, the coffee maker is new too.

The pantry near the fridge was existing, but it got a coat of paint like all the other cabinets, and crown molding (re)applied.  New baseboard to match the window trim.

This little shelf has held aprons for a few years now, but Lily thought it would look better if it matched the wall color.  I think she's right.

Just the kind of items Karen was looking for at antique stores.

The stools are slightly taller than our old ones, more firm in the cushion, and look a lot more stylish!

We couldn't help but notice bunting in just about every English town we visited last year, and we thought it added a spirit of festivity wherever it was found.  Now we can find festivity in our kitchen!

Granted, the appliances are modern, as is the counter top, and the cabinet style, but the overall look is supposed to remind you of a 1950's kitchen.  You know, in our 1950's house.  The same house that we are trying to make look less like a 1950's house in some respects.  Sound confusing?  Don't try to figure it out.  After all, we never claimed to be consistent.

Special thanks to Kathryn for taking all the Pinterest-worthy photos of our new kitchen!

Corn in the backyard 2013, weeks 10, 11, 12, 13, & 14

Since I've got five weeks worth of photos to share, I thought sharing the same views together would help us get a better sense of the progress from week to week.

July 28

August 4

August 11

August 18

August 25

July 28

August 4

August 11

August 18

August 25

Although some stalk drying is starting to be noticeable, it has been much slower than I expected, especially since our rainfall has been minimal this summer.  The ears have filled out nicely in the last week, and will probably continue to add mass before the drying process begins.  Thankfully, the temperatures have not been as hot this summer as last summer, so the effects of the drought are not as severe as last year. We'll continue to pray for a good harvest for Farmer Wagenbach and all our other farmer neighbors.