Travels with my daughter

Since it's just a hop, skip and a jump (as well as a short car ride) from D.C. to the Historic Triangle, today's coffee mug is about another adventure with one of my children, this time my daughter.  With four children I seldom had the opportunity to do something with just one of them, so in the same way I treasured my trip to the nation's capital with my son I also enjoyed the adventure my daughter and I set out on her sophomore year of high school.  Due to the way spring breaks fell that year, my husband's spring break did not align with our children's school calendar, so we found ourselves facing a week off from school and no way we could do anything as a family.  My youngest son decided to visit his brother in Hollywood, and my daughter and I decided to indulge ourselves in a trip to the past, namely the Historic Triangle of Virginia.

 

We explored Norfolk, Jamestown Colony and Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown and Williamsburg.  We enjoyed our day at the Jamestown Living History Museum, where we visited the replica ships Susan Constant, Discovery and Godspeed.  The original ships arrived at American (well, I guess technically it was English shores at that point) in 1607 after a four and a half month crossing of the Atlantic, carrying 105 passengers and 39 crew members.  After climbing around the ships we both agreed four and a half months would be about four months and one week too long to be on board...

We toured the living history museums that included a Powhatan Village and an early colonial settlement.  At Yorktown we visited a Revolutionary War encampment, and treated ourselves to a rather spooky ghost walk in Colonial Williamsburg.  Today's mug has a picture of the Susan Constant on it, and every time I choose this mug from my cabinet I savor not only my first sip of morning coffee but also reflect on how lucky I was to have such a wonderful week with my daughter.  The mug is faded from many trips through the dishwasher, but it still has a place in the special mug cabinet. 

Morning coffee and sweet memories...a winning combination!

To the Virginian Voyage

By Michael Drayton (1606)

 

You brave Heroique Minds,

Worthy your countries name,

   That honour still pursue,

   Goe, and subdue,

Whilst loyt'ring Hinds

Lurke here at home, with shame.

Britans, you stay too long,

Quickly aboord bestow you,

    And with a merry Gale

    Swell your stretch'd Sayle,

With Vowes as strong,

As the Winds that blow you.

Your Course securely steere,

West and by South forth keepe,

    Rocks, Lee-shores, nor Sholes,

    When Eolus scowles,

You need not feare,

So absolute the Deepe.

And cheerfully at Sea,

Successe you still intice,

    To get the Pearle and Gold,

    And ours to hold,

Virginia,

Earth's onely Paradise.

Where nature hath in store

Fowle, Venison, and Fish,

    And the fruitfull'st Soyle,

    Without your Toyle,

Three Harvests more,

All greater than your wish.