Colonial Williamsburg in April, Day 2

Our second day in the historic district found us meandering through a variety of experiences.

Tim was the only one in our group that hadn't experienced Charlton's Coffeehouse, so we all joined him for the 2012 version of the tour.  As before, we began in the private room which is furnished with the latest wallpaper from England, wall-to-wall woven floor coverings, comfortable furniture, and gilded wall decorations.

The tour then proceeded to the public serving area, but to our surprise (and dismay) we weren't served beverages there.  Our guide then took us through Mr. Charlton's private office area and into the basement kitchen where we were happy to see beverages being served.  The chocolate was served in paper cups instead of china, but it was still delicious.

We were privileged to watch the filming of a live webcast of an episode of CW's Revolutionary City street drama, which was followed by a moderated panel discussion involving two of the actors and two gentlemen responsible for the production of the Revolutionary City series.

The panel took questions from both the online and on-site audiences, and our friend Rachel was honored to address the panel.  This picture was taken just before this camera went live with "a question from a guest on Duke of Gloucester Street."  We were told the webcast will be archived and available for viewing in a few days, so we'll give you a link when we have one.  Rumor has it that Rachel was not the only one of our party caught on camera that day.

Some of our lovely ladies relaxing in the garden outside the Powell House.

Inside the Powell House, Tim and Elizabeth try to best the interpreter at an alphabet game while there appears to be a party erupting in the hallway.  Coincidentally, this is the room where we first met the Madeiras eight years ago.

A series of these engravings adorned the walls of the parlor at the Powell House, contrasting the behavior of the industrious 'prentice and the lazy 'prentice.  This image shows the industrious apprentice at worship and references Psalm 119:97, "O How I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day."  I didn't take pictures of the lazy apprentice engravings as they weren't very edifying.

Lily redid the polonaising on this Robe a la Anglais you've seen on this blog before.  On this day she wore it over her new petticoat and added a couple new accessories.
 

From the back it should be obvious that the polonaising is now accomplished with internal loops instead of external ones.

This closer view shows Lily's new miniature and nosegay.

All of us except Karen were able to enjoy Death by Chocolate this evening.  I can report that it is still as rich, chocolaty, smooth, moist, and delicious as ever.  Have I mentioned it's good to be on vacation?

Back to Williamsburg in April, Day 1

Since we started visiting Williamsburg in 2004, we've concluded that the best time of year to be here is in April.  The weather is warm, but not oppressive, and most of the world is not on vacation yet.  We're especially glad to be back this April as it has been three years since we've spent a week here in this beautiful season.  Sit back and enjoy the experience with us.

One of our first stops this year was this "prettyish little sort of wilderness" just off Duke of Gloucester Street that has become a favorite garden spot.  As you can tell, we were privileged again to be joined by the Madeira family from Pennsylvania because the experience just isn't the same without them.

I'll leave it to the sharp-eyed horticulturists in our audience to identify the flowers in bloom in this patch.  Fortunately, one doesn't have to identify a flower to enjoy it.

Lily constructed a new Pierrot jacket (1780s) made in a reproduction Indian chintz, and petticoat made from Marseilles fabric that are making their debut on this trip.

 Rear view.

Closer view of the jacket detail (including the cute little covered buttons).

Sleeve detail.

Since we were here last March, these two buildings have sprung up in the Anderson House backyard.  The blacksmith shop has been located here as long as we've been visiting, but the old building was torn down a year ago so archaeologists could explore the site to more accurately represent the buildings that were here in the 18th century.  The white building is the blacksmith shop, while the brown building to the right is the kitchen.  Several more buildings are planned to recreate the Public Armoury that Anderson operated on this site between 1778 and 1780.

One of the cooks in the Anderson kitchen was this gentlemen that we've visited several times in the Palace kitchen across town.  He explained that the fare at this site was typically a one-kettle meal that could efficiently feed the forty workers employed at the armoury.

The blacksmiths seem well adjusted to their new shop.  I have a feeling the white walls and ceiling in this building won't be white very long.

Another good reason to visit in April is that lambing season is usually in full swing.  Here are a few of this year's adorable candidates.

The end of the day found us relaxing in the gardens behind the Palace contemplating how much effort it would take to make our back yard look like this.

Back at our home away from home, Tim and Heather showed their talents preparing a delicious Italian dinner, and yes, that Trader Joe's chocolate ganache cake served as dessert.  It's good to be on vacation!

How to replace an LED reading light in a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country

We make good use of the reading lights mounted in the ceiling of our minivan, so it was a real disappointment when one of those lights suddenly went so dim as to be of little use.  Our local dealer offered to fix the problem for $143.50, which I thought was a bit on the expensive side, so I turned to the internet for help.  I didn't find a lot there, other than one other minivan owner that had a couple photos of the light assembly.  In order to fill that void in the internet, here's my documentation for the benefit of all that attempt this repair after me.

This is the light on the passenger side that is much more dim than normal.  If it's not obvious from the photo, you'll just have to trust me.

By contrast, here's the fully functioning light on the driver's side.

To get to the lights you'll need to pry on a corner of the console enough to get your fingers between the console and the roof liner so you can pull it downward.  Be careful you don't damage the liner trying to get your prying instrument in place.

There are no threaded fasteners holding the console to the roof, so just pull on each corner until you pull the plastic tabs on the console housing out of the clips that will probably still be captive in the slots on the ceiling.

This is what the console looks like detached from the ceiling.  Note the tabs in the four corners, and the two light assemblies on the right side.  Before the problem light was removed, I switched the wires from the passenger light with the wires for the driver light so that I could determine whether the problem was in the light or the wiring harness that feeds the lights.  Since the passenger light was dim when plugged into the other side of the harness, and the driver light was bright after being switched, I could conclude that the problem was in the light assembly itself.

The light is held in the housing by two plastic posts, upon which it pivots in normal operation.  In the photo, I'm using a small screwdriver to pry one of the posts enough to get it to pop out of the housing.  There's enough springiness in the black ring to accomplish this without a lot of force.

The light assembly can then be removed as the other post will easily slide out of its hole.

The clip attaching the light to the wiring harness can be easily disengaged by pressing the small tab with your finger.

This is the light assembly as you'll be able to purchase it from your Chrysler/Dodge dealer.  I doubt that you'll find this one at the aftermarket auto parts stores, although if someone does find it at a non-dealer site, I'd love to know about it!  I removed the two screws holding the printed circuit board to the pivot ring to see if I could purchase parts at that level, but the dealer only sold them as you see in the photo.  In fact, our dealer will only sell these lights in pairs, so I bought two lights for $103, tax included.

Assembling the new light involves placing one post in a hole and simply pushing the entire assembly as shown until the second post pops into its hole.  Barely visible in the photo is a slight ramp outboard of the hole so the post will slide more easily.

Before the console can be attached to the ceiling again, I found it worked best to remove the metal spring clips from the ceiling with your fingers or a pair of pliers.  I found it was actually easier to grab with my fingers, although the clip does have some sharp edges.

The clips can then be pressed on to the plastic tabs on the console housing.

The console is now ready to be mounted to the ceiling again after all four clips are mounted on the four tabs.

Pounding firmly with your fist on each corner of the console will seat the clips in their slots.

The finished product is a properly bright light.  I don't know much about why an LED light goes dim, but unless one can replace the proper components on the circuit board, perhaps there aren't any cheaper options for this repair.  As I mentioned earlier, I purchased two of these lights and have only used one so far.  I'd be happy to sell the second one to any of my friends for $51.50 should you ever find yourself in a light-less predicament.

First mowing of the year

Exceptionally warm weather over most of the last two weeks has convinced all our plants that spring (or summer) arrived early.  One could even argue that our unseasonably warm weather goes all the way back to last November.  Last spring, the mower didn't see use until April 20.  This year, the grass was unruly four weeks earlier, and it looks much better now that we've taken dominion over it once again.  Visiting every inch of the yard is also a good way to remind oneself of all the yard projects that are now available for tackling after being conveniently ignored all winter.  Ready or not, the mowing season has begun!

English Country Dancing

In case you didn't make it to the Very Merry Ball in Batavia, Illinois on February 11, I've included this video of a few steps of one of the more unusual dances of the evening.  A special thanks to Paul and Pamela Butler, Allison Hawbaker, and John Bliss for performing fearlessly in front of the camera even though I failed to ask their permission.  Recognition is also due Nathaniel Sisson for tirelessly calling all the dances, and performing his duties wonderfully, but all this fun would not have been possible without the generosity and organization of the Merrys.  Thanks, Merry family for a memorable evening! Look closely, and tell me in the comments section which other people are visible in this video.  (you can also right-click on the video to watch it on my YouTube channel)