Last Thursday began my wild, wonderful weekend quilting adventure, and I arrived home Sunday evening--tired but excited about the friendships renewed and the fun I had--and the sewing that was accomplished!
Since I was driving through Williamsburg on my journey to Hampton, I wanted to stop and visit some friends we knew when we lived in the colonial city for ten years back in the 90's. I planned a full itinerary!
My long-ago homeschooling friend, Christine, and I met for lunch here at The Old Chickahominy House on Jamestown Road. Have you ever experienced eating here? It's quite popular.
Here's the porch sign below that greeted visitors and announced their pies of the day:
We both enjoyed Miss Melinda's Special - Cup of Brunswick Stew, Old Virginia Ham on Hot Biscuits, Fruit Salad, Homemade Cherry Crumb Pie, and Tea. It was so nice to see my friend again. Thanks, Christine!
Next on my itinerary: I invited myself to our former neighbors' home who used to live in our cul-de-sac and who now live in an independent-living facility. We have fond memories of our neighbors hiring the kids many times to help in their yard and reminisced about our time in Williamsburg.
She knew I was headed to the quilt festival, so she showed me her sampler quilt, below. It was beautiful!
Unfortunately, I didn't quilt when we lived in the same neighborhood for her to give me tips...I was too busy homeschooling those years!
Next stop: Duke of Gloucester Street! One of our favorite past times when we lived in Williamsburg was walking down DOG Street, finding the Colonial Bakery, and buying a gingerbread cookie and hot apple cider.
Another long-ago homeschooling friend, Beverly, and I strolled the street for old times sake! She treated and bought us both cookies and ciders as we walked and chatted. Here's Beverly with one of the colonial interpreters:
My sister-in-law in Connecticut used to work for Colonial Williamsburg as an interpreter, so these next pictures are for her--maybe she'll recognize some of the workers pictured:
My last stop in Williamsburg was to the home of our Japanese neighbor who lives directly behind our former home. Chiaki was in our neighborhood Bible study along with this couple who also was invited to dinner at her home:
Chiaki prepared some traditional Japanese appetizers for us...three dishes this southern girl had never experienced before. The cute little pouches to the left are Inari Sushi, and the food to the right is Sushi with Smoked Salmon, with capers on top.
And the mango shrimp fruit dish was delicious, consisting of mango, shrimp, parsley with lemon juice, curry powder, olive oil, salt/pepper, and ginger. It was quite spicy, and the fruit was delicious:
The rest of our menu included piping hot beef stew with a flavor unlike any I'd experienced...very delicious. Bread and a green salad accompanied our meal. Dessert was Banana Nut Cake topped with Vanilla Honey Yogurt with strawberries and blueberries. Chiaki worked hard in the kitchen for us!
Whew! What a day full of renewing friendships! I enjoyed myself a lot! I still had a half-hour drive in the dark ahead of me before I arrived at my quilting friend's house for the night.
The next day's plans were to attend the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival. Stay tuned for more from our wild wonderful quilting weekend. We've only just begun our adventures!
~Deb
How wonderful that you were able to visit your friends and share such good times. It all sounds just perfect.
Posted by: Connie | Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 05:37 PM
They say getting there is half the fun, so it looks like you fulfilled that part! It's always nice to see old friends; I'm glad you got to do that on your trip. I'm thinking we'll have to visit Williamsburg sometime if we ever get to that area. It looks like it has lots of my kind of things to do!
Posted by: Susan | Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 07:07 PM
Sounds like so much fun! You are blessed to live in such a beautiful and historical area of the country. I would love to take my girls to Williamsburg sometime. My oldest, who is ten, loves history. Looking forward to these posts! Many blessings to you!
Posted by: Sharon Baksa | Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 07:54 PM
It was fun seeing Williamsburg again, even if through the lens of a camera!
Posted by: Brenda Nuland | Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 09:20 PM
Always fun to see former friends.
Salmon Sushi would have been hard to eat!
Glad you made it to the festival.
Posted by: Tammy C | Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 09:43 PM
Williamsburg - one of my favorite places. I'm so glad you got to go and catch up with old friends. What a beautiful quilt your friend made.
Victoria
Posted by: victoria | Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 08:44 AM
Oh my Deb, you put a full week of visiting into a day, wow! What a way to kick off a fun adventurous weekend. What a treat to have been able to visit with so many friends. I'm so looking forward to hearing about your next leg of your trip.
When you got home did you need a rest from your travels? ;)
Laura
Posted by: Laura | Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 08:56 AM
Hey Deb, I'm not sure, because his back is turned, but I think one of the group of guys is someone I know. It's nice to see the old stomping grounds, and be reminded of when I had a really fun job. In addition to ginger cakes and cider, chocolate almonds were always a favorite treat. I'm glad you were able to visit, and enjoy the "aura". LOL Toots
Posted by: Toots | Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 02:46 PM
Deb, your trips are always so much fun as we experience through what you share. Thank you for including us too!!!! What a wonderful beginning with friends, fellowship, beautiful sights. I've never been to Williamsburg, and have always wanted to go. Looking forward to the next part of your trip.
Posted by: Lisa Spivey | Friday, March 01, 2013 at 09:06 AM
What a great trip. I love how you seem to turn a trip going somewhere into more than just a way to get from A to B.
Posted by: Nic | Monday, March 04, 2013 at 12:27 PM