Vacation

I set off last Friday with an aching hamstring for a family visit to my parents' retirement Shangri La on the fourth hole in Williamsburg, VA.



As you can see, my parents are gothic and unpredictable. My dad's gardening hat has flaps. When the flaps are down you know that trouble ain't far. His flaps are down here. And he is holding a pitchfork. When these people say No Running you know they mean business.

So I didn't run for a week and half. Excepting pregnancy, this may be an all-time record.

But we did manage to pack in quite a bit of activity. (Because, really, my parents are delightful and we had a fun visit).



Brian and the boys, who are too young and wacky too fully appreciate all of the historic splendor of Colonial Williamsburg, spent lots of time climbing trees and running through the maze behind the Governor's Palace.



Nell and I explored the town. Nell especially enjoyed going into the shops and chatting with the shopkeepers. Unlike me, she has quite an eye for detail. She spent long minutes fingering each and every trinket and knick-knack while I jumped from foot to foot by the front door, doing my absolute best to be patient.

She came out of one store and caught me illegally sitting on the steps. Sign?? What sign?? I'm INJURED, for heaven sakes. Anyone can see THAT!

Ben was instrumental in returning a wandering cock to its rightful owner, so his trip to the colonial capitol was not complete waste of a ticket.


And, of course, everyone loves a parade.

I went to college at William and Mary which is right across the street from all of this and, being the person I was then, young and totally irresponsible, I never took advantage of anything colonial. I could have gotten in free with my student ID. Never darkened the door of a colonial house or shop. Never, never. What was I thinking? The whole place is so interesting!

We hit the beach at Yorktown one day under darkening clouds. We stayed through the rain. No crowds and lots of giggles.


Jamestown was a big hit with the entire family. There was a Powatan Indian Village and an English Settler's Village as well as a few ships to make the voyage to and from Mother England.


And through it all I did not run. Not one step. But I did swim in the hotel pool with a noodle knotted between my legs for a pull buoy. And I walked and walked with food and water for 5 people strapped to my back every day. And, man, by the end of the week I was tired. We all were.

We tempted fate by attempting to stop in Washington, DC on the way home. The kids did not want to be there. They wanted to go home. And who could blame them? I hated museums as a kid, too. But we did manage to take in the Air and Space Museum, the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden and the Museum of American Hisory (Julia Child's kitchen!!) before everyone melted down completely.

Here I an utilizing my hydration pack at the American History Museum. I gave the kids pulls off it all day, much like a nursing mother pig to her young sucklings.

And as a grand finale, we saw an IMAX movie in 3D about the sun. The kids loved that. Almost made it worth the trip.


And when we got home I begged and whined my way in to see the best PT around here, Bill Burns. He gave me the okay to run again. Tally ho! Huzzah! VT 100, here I come!