Much much much cooler weather today - it even sprinkled on us a while this morning while we were walking in the colonial area.
Yesterday was at least twenty degrees warmer; I forgot to mention that we got a couple of hours at the pool yesterday. Like most of the amenities here, "the pool" is an understated misnomer. There are actually several pools - an indoor lap pool, a huge hot tub, a large family pool and also a specifically-named quiet pool.
I was splashing around in the family pool with Jamie and Grace and enjoying the sunshine, when Jamie yelled, "Mom, DUCK!"
So I ducked, and he pointed and said, "no, Mom, DUCK!" I turned just in time to see a beautiful mallard land in the swimming pool right next to us. (Thus far at Williamsburg, we've seen horses drawing carriages, and several new spring lambs, but a duck in the pool?) Of course, Jamie tried to approach the duck, who was not interested in being approached and quickly took wing.
Today we walked around the upper end of the colonial area near the Governor's Palace; we also toured the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum. My favorite part of the museum was the map exhibit; it was fun to look at original maps of the colonies and picking out my old stomping grounds based on the location of the "Tenefse River".
We also toured the "Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds". It broke my heart to see the cruel ignorance of a prison cell as the place of "confinement" for those suffering from mental illness in colonial America. (Not sure they had much choice, but I guess that's fodder for a future blog post.)
Completely unrelated to anything else - I thought I should mention that we saw a young father who had the longest hair of any human being I've ever seen, literally down past his calves, and twisted in matted dreads. His wife's hair was comparatively short, ending at her hips, and their small son had a regular, little-boy haircut. The sight got stuck in my mind for several minutes...how does he wash it and comb it? How does he sleep without getting tangled up and choking himself? How many years has it been since his last haircut? I didn't feel particularly judgmental - just curious.
The Mister gave me the gift of time to myself this afternoon to go enjoy the spa. I got a "reflexology" massage, where they focus just on your hands and feet - it was amazing. Even more amazing were the extras associated with receiving services at the Colonial Williamsburg spa - a relaxation room with crazy-soft blankets; a steam room with optional menthol mist; a huge jacuzzi that would easily seat a couple dozen folks; one of those giant showers with a showerhead as big as a hula-hoop; lavender-infused shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion; every personal hygiene item you could possibly want; and use of a silk-and-terry robe that felt a lot like wearing a cloud. The massage was great - but the additional amenities made it an incredible experience.
So basically, I am spoiled rotten at the moment, but so grateful to my better half for such a wonderful gift.
Tonight we're thinking about room service and taking it easy. Since we've cut Roanoke out of our itinerary, we will have a long day's drive tomorrow to Gatlinburg. Getting excited at the thought of being home!
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