Home James(towne), with a nod to Mike O.

Today dawned early, as dawns usually do, and it was my turn in the kitchen. After coffee, omelet and toast, we saddled up to head to Jamestown. The first picture is of James Mill Pond. This is a lovely looking place, and makes one wish for a canoe.

Here's another view of this pond. There is a couple in a canoe barely visible at the mouth of the pond.

This is a picture of Halfway Creek, between Williamsburg and Jamestown. It is more like a salt marsh.

This is a picture of the James River. It is one off the largest rivers in Virginia and empties out into the Chesapeake Bay. I imagine the structure to be a fishing platform.

Here is the entrance to the Visitor Center at the Jamestown National Historic Monument, There is a small museum and video presentation that gives an overview of the area and some of the highlights to look for.

There is a boardwalk from the visitor center out to the site of the original settlement.
At the end of this boardwalk, there is an obelisk that details some of the salient details about the founding of the Virginia company and of Jamestown itself.

The boardwalk passes over a swampy area that no doubt bred mosquitoes the size of swallows to attach the early settlers. Since they didn't have an oversupply of soap, perhaps the odor kept the mosquitoes away.

This is a close up of the obelisk. It is impressive. Note the height of Scooterchick. Not even up to the height of the pediment. This thing is pretty big.

This is a reconstructed gateway to the original fort. it bears the coat of arms of the Virginia Company. They were detailed to settle and  pacify the land, and to establish mines for gold, silver etc. Imagine their great surprise when they learned there was non available in the area.

This is a recreation of the original fort fence. First a trench was dug, then the uprights erected, then crossbeams doweled into place. The original fort took only 13 days to build.

Here is a recreation of the church at the fort. The first continental congress was held here.

This is a look at the original entry, the only original part of the church that was left standing prior to the reconstruction of the original church. You can see the sky where the roof used to be.
  

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This is an outside view of the remaining tower and the reconstructed church. It is apparent where one ends and the other begins. Visible in the background is the cemetery.

This is the Barracks. It is an example of "stud and mud" construction that was popular in England when the colony was established. First a trench is dug then stud posts are installed which in turn are covered in mud, whitewashed and then thatched with a straw roof. Many examples of this construction, built during this time period, are still in good shape in Britain today.

Here is a cannon at the waterfront, pointing down the river in the supposed direction a likely attack.
 

Here's a shot of the James River through the stockade. I tried to catch the sun glistening on the water.
This was semi-successful.

John Smith a captain of one of the first ships to arrive in James Fort (as it was in those days) was an adventurer who thought highly of himself, was arrogant boastful and often tactless, but who nevertheless served as governor of the Virginia colonies, but died after writing 3 books about Virginia in England at the age of 51.

This is a weird tree, isn't it? It has been growing here for a long time, and has been pruned many times to prevent hazard to tourists. I thought it looked weird, perhaps you do too.

Here is a picture of the research center. it is sadly not open to the public.

Here is a picture of a tired Scooterchick heading for the car. We both feel as though we got more than our fair share of exercise. It's time to head back to the car.

We drove around the Island loop, looking at field and forest, bay and stream. I was struck by this curved wooden bridge. Cool no?....Yes!
 

Looking for chow by now, we settled on an eatery that looked promising. The dining room was quiet, perhaps too quiet, we were the only ones there. It was all set for guests;  perhaps we were just early.

The menu held promise though. Anyone who serves grilled beast, medium rare is okay in my book. Here is the front of the menu to give you a hint.

Freshly steaked, we headed home for an ice cream and decaf coffee. This has been a long day with lots of walking, looking and driving, together with seeing touching and blogging has left me bushed.

Hope you are having fun, though it is not as tiring reading as doing.....enjoy.......and good night!