Sunday Search: Genealogy Shows Return!

While many television shows are wrapping up for the season, there is another batch of programming that is just starting their new seasons. While Who Do You Think You Are? started it’s short season a few weeks ago and is already approaching the finale, Genealogy Roadshow has yet to begin with PBS scheduling the premier for May 17^th at 8:00pm. Here is the preview for the new season:

Thankfully for many of us, having the genealogy shows starting now allows us to indulge in our passion for family history without having to miss some of our favorite dramas and sitcoms. While I am a fan of both, it is nice to take a break from the fictional world to watch people discover new aspects about their ancestors. And, in reality, some of the connections that people make to historical events and people would not be accepted as plausible in the eyes of many television producers. History will trump fiction just about every time. I have seen it and I have experienced it firsthand… it is hard to believe the stories that the facts provide sometimes.

What is also interesting to watch during this time of year are shows like “TURN: Washington’s Spies” on AMC which bridges the gap between history and fiction not only in the story itself which has elements of both but in the production as well. While you may watch scenes taking place in colonial Philadelphia in reality, many of those scenes were filmed in Colonial Williamsburg. It is actually quite interesting to watch an episode and see some of the buildings that I had walked by and through just last summer.

In fact, Colonial Williamsburg has started a sweepstakes this year for fans of both the show and the historic site. All you have to do is tweet at @colonialwmbsurg using #IspyCW every time you catch a glimpse of the colonial capital during each episode of TURN: Washington's Spies, for a chance to win. The winner will receive the following: roundtrip airfare for two, a $500 gift card, two nights' hotel stay at the Williamsburg Lodge, and two Colonial Williamsburg admission tickets.

This is one of my favorite photos from our trip to Colonial Williamsburg last summer... 

While these three aforementioned shows are quite different from one another I hope that the results are the same. I believe that history is an essential part of our knowledge and understanding the world around us and knowing your own family history can have the same impact on understanding ourselves. And the best part about it, at least for me, is that this is a never ending process. I know I will never be able to learn about every aspect of my family history let alone history in general but that doesn’t stop me from learning, researching, and sharing what I know with family, friends, colleagues, and anyone who reads this blog. After all, we must preserve history and perpetuate the ancestral knowledge that we have worked so hard to obtain in the hope that every succeeding generation knows just a little bit more.

Don’t Mind The Cannon Fire

I can’t recall the last time that I took an entire week off from work like I did last week. While I did work from home and been out of the office for an extended period of time I was nevertheless still working. It was quite the shock to the system getting up this morning and having to drive to the office rather than the next place to visit. It was equally a drastic change to leave my son for the day after being able to spend a week and a half together.

However, I can’t say that I complete cut out work for the week. While I didn’t receive the deluge of emails that I usually sift through each day, I still had to reply to a number of requests as well as keep current on the plethora of projects always in the rotation in one form or another. And, of course, there were the calls that I had to either listen in on or provide direction on certain weekly campaigns. Thankfully no one seemed to mind the cannon fire in the background. I may have been on vacation but, as it turns out, I was still able to put in a fair amount of hours into each of the accounts.

Thankfully, I was able to schedule much of the needed work activity into small breaks throughout the week or while walking from one place to another. That is really the only way to do it as this was first and foremost, family time and I wasn’t going to ruin it for everyone else because of my corporate addiction. What really struck me about this was a conversation I had with my dad toward the end of last week when I had to stop and answer a few emails before dialing into a weekly call. In response to apologizing for the distraction his said “been there”. As if I needed the proof… I have finally turned into my father.

While it was a bit of a pain jumping back and forth at times, it paid off today as I was up to speed in about an hour rather than falling a week behind. The other benefit is that I am reaping the rewards of taking those calls and reading those emails because I am able to resume keeping work at the office and focus all of my attention when I get home on my wife and son. It may still be far from ideal and the whole thing may not seem like its balanced but it actually is working out well. 

West vs. East - South vs. North

Today was the day. After nine days on the road we returned home from our Virginia exploration. However, after Colonial Williamsburg we did make one last stopover in Richmond. Basically it granted us an opportunity to visit a city that we have never visited and it got us an hour closer to home.

We left the lodge in the early afternoon yesterday and almost immediately ran into traffic… the shift back to reality was already taking place. After unpacking one last time at our final hotel and taking a moment to breathe we walked across the parking lot for a quick, and early, dinner before getting back in the car and heading into the city. Now that we have been there once I am not sure that I will be visiting any time soon unless I need to get some family research done as it is the capital of the Commonwealth.

While most of the museums were closed we were still able to walk around a few minutes once we found an open spot in the hospital parking lot. It wasn’t much but at least now I can say that I have seen both White Houses as the Confederate White House is still standing in the middle of the city (in the middle of a hospital campus actually).

With limited space around the structure, there was still room for the preservation of a small garden in the back…

…and the front of the house looks to be well maintained.

Given recent events in this country I couldn’t help but think about the importance of these places still existing. Many of you may not like it but it is a part of our history. Many of us whose roots are in the south may even have ties to this era. I know for a fact that, given our genealogical geography, my family fought on both sides. It is a part of our past that needs to be remembered, the good and the bad, the victories and the defeats, the right and the wrong.

So that was basically the extent of our time in Richmond. From there we got back on the road and circled around a few detours before returning to the highway and the hotel where we put our feet up for the first time in over a week. And I am glad that we had the chance to do so because the drive back home today was one that I would rather forget. Just another reason why I prefer the Mountains in the west over the urban coast in the east. Back to reality and back to work tomorrow.

Slowing Down In Colonial Williamsburg

On Thursday we drove across Virginia following the James River (via the highway) from the mountains to the coast (at least near the coast). We arrived at the Williamsburg Lodge late in the afternoon, unloaded the car, and made our way (albeit a little slower than previous days) into Revolutionary City for the evening. A little weary from our travels, I didn’t take many pictures that night. At least none that are worth posting. It was a temporary mental block as I wasn’t even conscious of the camera strapped across my chest for much of the evening.

However, with season passes in hand (an extra bonus included with our rooms), a good night sleep behind us, and an over the top complimentary breakfast in our bellies, we spend the next day and a half exploring the living history that is Colonial Williamsburg. In addition to the numerous old…

…and new shops…

…lining the streets there we also numerous places where we were able to learn a little bit about colonial life.

One of those I wrote about yesterday but there were also other locations were people specialized in woodworking and brick making.

Of course, being a tourist destination, there were also other amenities available to us including a spa across the street from the lodge where I sent my mom and my wife during our last morning in town. Although modern, the structures still seemed to fit in.

However, the majority of our time was spent walking around enjoying the lacework of picket fences... 

...the flowering summer gardens…

...open spaces...

…trees…

…and the interplay between nature and architecture.

Anyone who has been here before, and it has been a long time since I last walked these streets (at least two decades), knows that there is always something going on, there is always some kind of event or activity taking place. This times around, especially given the heat and humidity, we simply wanted to enjoy our time there and soak in the atmosphere. It was a nice change from the packed schedule earlier in the week which allowed us to take our time, look around, and watch as the air cleared…

…the street lights turn on…

…and the sky slowly change from blue and white…

…to orange reflecting off the wood houses…

…to the amber and gold blanket welcoming the warmth of the night.

We couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our only complete day at Colonial Williamsburg and, while not as interesting as our previous activities, it was a much needed respite from the constant activity. At this point, with one more night and a long drive remaining, we are all looking forward to our final stop of the vacation. With that said, there are a lot of things that I wasn’t able to see that will certainly keep me from waiting such a long time before our next visit. Given the ties to our family history, maybe we will even add Yorktown and Jamestown in the future.

Firearms Friday: Revolutionary Run And Gun

It always comes back to Botetourt!

I was wondering what I was going to write about this Friday for my usual firearms centric post as I wanted to tie it into my current travels in Virginia. I really was at a loss for any idea connecting the two until earlier today when we stumbled upon ‘militia training’ while walking down one of the long gravel paths behind the main thoroughfare in Colonial Williamsburg. As we got closer to the encampment I was welcomed with the familiar aroma of gunpowder hanging in the humid air.

The presentation began with a brief introduction about the living history display and what we can expect when exploring the different station at the camp including drum corps, artillery, and light infantry. From the cool cover of this briefing tent we ‘marched’ over to a large tree where we were instructed to take a “rifle” (i.e. large stick) and place it on our left shoulder. At this point we conducted a series of simple drills to simulate loading, aiming, and firing the weapon. And then there was the bayonet drills which my mom seemed to thoroughly enjoy.

Once we cleaned the rack, we had a choice as to which station we would like to experience. Given both family history during the revolution and my own interest in run and gun, it was an easy decision for me to immediately head over to light infantry. After a quick refresher of what we had just learned and a little more detail as to the role the light infantry played in the militia it was time for volunteers. No surprise, my hand was the first one up at which point we watched the demonstration of the course I was going to run.

First stage was at the 10 o’clock position where I was to load and fire. Bang!

Second stage, forward and at the 2 o'clock position from the first stage, was a repeat of the same procedure with the addition of throwing both a tomahawk at the silhouette and a grenade over the wall (disappointingly made of wood in both instances of course). I decided to go for the headshot. Bang!

The third and final stage was to return to where I started and provide cover fire for the next ‘soldier’ running the course. Bang!

Given the blisters that I had developed over the last few days and my overall un-athletic physique, I was rather surprised by how quickly this fat man can still move (without being winded at the end by the way).

From this station we moved over to artillery. It was interesting to watch a few volunteers go through the steps the first time around but it was much more entertaining when the demonstrators took their turn and put an actually, albeit light, load in the cannon.

I had no interest in drums so the best way to conclude this experience was with the fresh smoke and smell of gunpowder swirling in my nose.

Preparing For The Drive…

While we have no idea where the time has gone, we are now finding ourselves scrambling to get everything together for our family vacation. The last time that we took such a long vacation was nearly three years ago so there are a lot of things that have changed since then. Things are completely different now that we have our son as in the past packing for vacation was never a real issue. Looking at the piles of stuff that needs to be packed, it is amazing to think that we will be able to fit it all in the car. I don’t think we have packed this much stuff since we left for Israel.

For the first time since I started with my current company, I am taking an extended period of time off away from work. Even when our son was born, I was out of the office but still working remotely. With the exception of a few phone calls and emails that I am most certainly going to have to take, I am staying far away from the world of work. It’s not like I am going to have the time to take care of things as our schedule is pretty full. Here are just a few of the things that we are going to be doing and places we are going to visit while in Virginia:

• Family Reunion
• Natural Bridge
• Caverns at Natural Bridge
• Eagle Rock
• Fincastle
• Various Family Cemeteries
• Roanoke
• Dixie Caverns
• Bear Mountain
• Monacan Museum
• Lynchburg
• Lexington
• Colonial Williamsburg
• Richmond

This is a trip that I have been looking forward to for years. This is the first reunion that I have been able to attend since 1987 and I have learned a lot about the family since that time. It is a trip 28 and 250 years in the making and I am excited to see everything again with new eyes and also to introduce my wife and my son to where our family comes from.

Obviously, this is just the short list but not a bad schedule for the week. This is what we plan on doing and seeing… that could easily change and we may see more or less depending on how the week progresses. And, as you have come to expect, I will be taking plenty of pictures and writing about our adventures in the southern commonwealth.  

I am open to suggestions of places that I may have overlooked so, if you know of any in the western part of Virginia (especially along Skyline Drive) I welcome them. While we may have a good schedule for the extended vacation, I really don’t want to stick to a hard schedule. This is a time for us to relax and spend time with family.