Apr 15 - Colonial Williamsburg, VA

   Last night, at 2:30 am my cell phone woke me up with a tornado warning (not a watch) alert, saying we should get to a safe shelter--that the warning was in effect for 45 minutes in our area.  Of course, an RV doesn't feel like a particularly safe shelter.  From my childhood days in Detroit, waiting through tornado watches, I knew that we didn't have a basement to get into, or a storm shelter, like one of the Thousand Trails campgrounds had.  So, we got dressed, and walked over to the nearest bathhouse, which turned out to be contructed of cement blocks.  It hadn't actually started raining yet.  Two other families had the same idea, and I saw a few get in cars and drive away.  We sat there and chatted until 3:30 am, sitting through a torrential downpour and thunder storm, but not much else.  Finally it eased up, and we went back to bed. 
  We spent the day at Colonial Williamsburg.  This is a living museum of Williamsburg, just before the American Revolution.  It is like a much larger version of Sturbridge Village.  Where Sturbridge is in a small town/country area, Colonial Williamsburg was the capital of VA at the time. 
  One of the talks was a conversation between re-enactors doing the Marquis de Lafayette, and an enslaved friend of his, James Lafayette, whom he helped to free, and who also played a significant part in the victory in the Battle of Yorktown.  Peter was thrilled. 
  Then we stopped by the Courthouse, where a re-enactment of a court session was done.  I was asked to be a juror, and Peter played a defendant (his part was scripted).  Interesting and fun.  We walked through the town, and stopped at various houses and shops, listening to the history and stories of the times and places.
  On the way home, we stopped at the Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, since they actually have them here.

Colonial Williamsburg photos:

Mock Trial in the Court House photos:

Marquis de Lafayette and James Lafayette presentation: