Mountain Musings

Good Idea for a Family Vacation

Answers in Genesis recently opened their long-awaited Creation Museum, and it is definitely on our list of family excursions this year. From what I've heard some families say, it is well worth a visit.

After the Hayden Family left our home here in Virginia on Monday, they headed to Kentucky where the Museum is located. If you're interested in seeing some great pictures taken inside and around the Museum, check out Caleb's blog here. (He also has posted some additional pictures of their visit to the Shenandoah Valley.)

Has your family visited the Museum yet? If so, let us know what you thought of it.

~Deb

Remembering Jamestown

Many homeschool field trips to Jamestown Settlement to visit the three ships and the Indian Village created lasting memories for the kids through the years. Of all the different places we've lived in Virginia, Williamsburg is where they spent their growing up years and the place they most remember. 

Here's a very young Jonathan trying his hand at grinding maize. Whenever we see pictures of Jonathan with his blue "D" cap on, we automatically think of Doctor Doley's Dodgers, his softball team, which brings back lots of sitting and rooting on the bleacher memories.

Below is a picture of all four kids aboard the Susan Constant, taken around 1995. What a young crew!

The local Jamestown Ferry leaves several times daily to cross the river just down and over from where the three ships are docked. We often would board and enjoy the 20-minute ride across, turn around, and ferry right back feeding the seagulls as we journeyed. Big doings on a Saturday evening in rural Virginia!

Well, that's all the memories I have time for this morning. Lots to do as we have company arriving tomorrow--the Hayden Family from Kansas on their way back home from the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Celebration!!

So, we'll get to hear first-hand all about this exciting week. If you've been following Caleb's blog you know their days have been packed full of interesting excursions and speeches on God's providence through history. We're looking forward to meeting the Haydens after being introduced to them through blogging! (Sounds like another post for sure!)

Hope you have a good Saturday and a great Father's Day weekend!

~Deb

Our Favorite CW Interpreter

No matter where we've lived in Virginia, we've always enjoyed having folks visit us. I mentioned in yesterday's post that we would often invite guests to stroll down Duke of Gloucester Street in Colonial Williamsburg when we lived there years ago.

Sometimes our favorite costumed interpreter, Tom's sister, Sue (a.k.a. Aunt Toots), would take us through the historic buildings in her tour group. We especially enjoyed being on her tours of the Governor's Palace because she always went above and beyond her official duties as tour guide. Her performance was great!

Here's how it all started. Back in 1997 Sue came to visit us, and we took her on a tour of CW, of course! It happened to be the exact week Chinese President Jiang Zemin was visiting the area, and Palace Green was roped off so the crowds couldn't get too close to him. I never was able to get a picture of him that morning, but we sure had an enjoyable visit with Aunt Toots that fall.

Soon after she returned home, we received a call saying she'd decided to move to Virginia from Connecticut and get a job in our town. Her goal: become a CW interpreter! 

She practiced her trial speeches for us--what fun that was to watch her preparing for her new role and seeing her rewarded with an interpreter position! Actually, she worked first for Sherwood Forest, the plantation home of John Tyler. She was able to acquire experience there and eventually became a historical interpreter for Colonial Williamsburg.

Below is a picture of our family and visiting relatives standing in front of the Courthouse with Aunt Toots in her colonial garb. Tom's sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews, plus my mom, came to visit so they could see where Aunt Toots was working and to hear her CW speech. Wow! Everyone in that picture is now almost ten years older! And also Sue moved back to Connecticut after awhile.

It's been lots of fun this week digging through some old pictures (makes me want to start scrapbooking again...when the yardwork is all done). Tomorrow I'll be posting some final pictures from Jamestown to wrap up our week of highlighting Jamestown's 400th Anniversary Celebration.

~Deb

A Williamsburg Parade

Living in Colonial Williamsburg for over nine years, our family has many fond memories of treks down Duke of Gloucester Street (or DOG Street as the locals refer to it). We lived about two miles from the area and often took guests to hike from one end where the shops were located down past Bruton Parish Church, the Magazine, the Bakery (of course, we didn't just pass the Bakery, we went in and sampled the delicious homemade ginger cakes!), and various taverns until we made our way to the end and back--about a mile each direction--a great afternoon's entertainment to soak in the colonial atmosphere without paying the ticket prices to tour.

Knowing a homeschooler who played in the Fife & Drum Corps, we always had fun attending any of their performances. Here's one of the many parades put on for tourists.

I am enjoying all the posts and wonderful pictures from various ones attending the Jamestown 400th Anniversary Celebration this week. Check out the links in the previous post to glimpse some up-to-the-minute pictures of what's happening this week in Jamestown and Williamsburg--hot air balloons and boat rides on the James!

~Deb

Jamestown - Captain John Smith

Captain John Smith, 1580 - 1631, sometimes Governor of Jamestown, Virginia, and Admiral of New England.

"First I commend my soule into the handes of Allmightie God my maker hoping through the merites of Christ Jesus my Redeemer to receave full remission of all my sinnes, and to inherit a place in the everlasting kingdome."  ~ expressed in Captain John Smith's Last Will and Testament

If you'd be interested in reading the entire World Net Daily article, "Our Most Politically Incorrect Founding Father," by Doug Phillips, go here.

Also I just found out that Caleb Hayden is live-blogging their family's trip from Kansas to Virginia and has many great photos on his blog of their first day in Jamestown and all the friends they're meeting there. (Okay, I'm working really hard not to be jealous.) It will be great to keep abreast of all the happenings this week via Caleb and Carmon.

~Deb

Sleepless Sleuths

Phase 2 of the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt is complete. After many months of persevering in researching history and solving mysterious clues, Jonathan, Sarah and I came so close to finishing on time but had a couple more objectives to crack when the 2 am (CST) Wednesday deadline arrived. It was off to bed until later in the morning when we were able to reach the end of the adventure. These past couple of days it has been almost non-stop clue-solving! Although we won't be one of the 100 people participating in the physical part of the hunt at Jamestown, we've had an exciting and very informative trip through history (as well as an intriguing fictional tale). Congratulations to those who will move on to Phase 3! I'm sure we won't forget what we've learned about key characters in the history of our nation and God's providential hand.

"Oh God of Nations by Thy guiding hand were our forefathers led to this blest shore, when they were seeking for some friendly land, where they Thy praise, from fervent hearts might pour..." from the Official Opening Hymn at the Jamestown Exposition 1907, by William M. Pegram

~Hannah

Headlines in the News

In case you're interested in what newspapers are saying about the Virginia Tech shootings this morning, you can check out The Newseum and read 512 front pages of headlines across the country. Very interesting since we get our information from newspapers, computer news sites...and blogs. Glad to hear Susan's fiance, Adrian, is safe!

Hat Tip: John, newspaperman over at e-ink

~Deb

A Call for Prayer & Fasting

If you're a reader of Scott Brown Online, you're already aware of the call for prayer and fasting--for the marriage of precious daughters for the glory of God--on Tuesday, April 3.

This is actually an excellent follow-up to the on-going discussion about daughters and their God-given roles alluded to in yesterday's post.

You might want to read all of Scott Brown's posts on this subject (just scroll down as there are no individual permalinks working):

• A Call for Prayer and Fasting for Daughters (which includes suggestions of what to pray for, wisdom from scripture, when to pray, and twelve examples of fathers who cried out for their children)
• Biblical Thoughts About Fasting
• A Most Unusual Generation of Young Women

Will you pray with us?

~Deb

I Agree, It is Enough

In a recent post Carmon states, "Family life is not mundane." I wish I'd been able to articulate my thoughts on the same subject a little better when recently asked,

"Are Hannah and Sarah ever going to do anything...big?"

We think preparing to be a wife and mother is about as big as it gets.

~Deb

Lusting for Cultural Relevancy

See Dr. MacArthur's article about Grunge Christianity and the inevitable result of putting a premium on "engaging the culture"...

~ Tom