Colonial Williamsburg

We spent a long weekend in Colonial Williamsburg in June.  We happened to be in Williamsburg the same weekend that the tall ships were in Norfolk.  While we did not make it down to Norfolk for the Tall Ships, we did discover that it happens to be the perfect weekend to visit Colonial Williamsburg.  People flocked to Norfolk, and we had the historic area to ourselves.  We were able to spend a lot of time with the Historic Interpreters - we had a great conversation with Patrick Henry - no waiting for any of the buildings, tours... it was a great experience!  

Have you been to the Museums at Colonial Williamsburg?  For the first time ever, we roamed through the museums and stopped at the Museum Cafe for lunch. 5/5, would recommend that experience!  The food is fantastic, and the staff is lovely.

A handful of pictures from our trip:

The Witching Hour!  We were sitting at a patio, just outside of the Historic District.

The Capitol.  The tour guides were great!

The Governor's Palace.

It rained a bit while we were there!  Loved the rainy adventure!

The absolutely awesome lunch we had at the Museum Cafe!

The Bake Shop. Williamsburg Virginia

In my continuing quest to sample the baked goods of multiple bakeries in the Mid-Atlantic Region, we ventured to the Bake Shop in Williamsburg while we were there in June.  Located close the campus of the College of William and Mary, and just outside of the Historic Area, this wonderful bakery is a staple of Williamsburg.  

The Bake Shop has sourdough bread... it is to die for.  They make their sourdough fresh each day.  It goes on sale early and when they are out for the day, they are out.  Personally speaking, I think it is worth the effort to get up early and get over there by 9 am when they put their bread out for sale. It goes fast, because it is absolutely amazing!

In addition to the sourdough, we "forced" ourselves to try a croissant breakfast sandwich and sticky buns.  They were beyond words GREAT!  Alas, we were so busy enjoying the town, eating our breakfast in the Historic Area and people watching that I did not take any pictures of the food.  

So instead of food pictures, I give you the link to their website. The website has mouthwatering pictures of their food! 

If you are ever in Williamsburg and want to step out of the Historic Area for some most excellent baked goods, this is the place to go!

The Bake Shop - website

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

image: worldcat.org

This wonderfully sweet story follows Kiela, a librarian for the Imperial Library.  Kiela flees the imperial city with many boxes of books and a sentient spider plant when rebels take over, kill the emporer and torch the library.  She flees by boat to her home island of Caltrey and moves into her parents long abandoned home.  

Caltrey is suffering at the hands of the empire.  No sorcerers have been to the island in years, and the island is suffering.  Water isn't flowing, the merhorses aren't reproducing, crops aren't producing, and the magical storms are destroying the island.

Armed with her illegal books, Kiela sets out on a wild plan to help her save Caltrey by opening a Jam Shop.  And maybe selling a few illegal "cottage remedies" on the side to help revive Caltrey.

Kiela's attempts to make new friends and integrate herself into island life take an unexpected turn when an Imperial Inspector shows up, searching for the unregistered sorcerer who is making such an impact on the island.

I loved this sweet story!  If you enjoy cozy fantasy, this is a great choice.  I especially loved that there was no violence.  No sex (there was a kiss).. and the problem solving of the women who find ways to get things done without relying on a member of the opposite sex to save them was heartwarming.  I always appreciate strong female leads who are able to keep their femininity!  Thank you Sarah Beth Durst!  There are other books in the series.  Once I catch up on some other books sitting on my desk, I will be reading the rest of them!

My Wayward Laptop, part the last

 The continuing trials and tribulations of my laptop.

My laptop came home.  I thought that we were all set to go!  I turned it on - and for the first week, it worked. Seven days later, it died for the last time.  I ordered a new laptop.  Upgraded model and memory.  You know there's a chip shortage, right?  That's the biggest reason why I wanted to fix the old laptop, if possible.  

Anyway, many weeks later, and I finally have a new laptop.  It works very well.  Ultra fast processing speed!  And it's so light and airy!  It doesn't have all of the stickers that my last laptop had on it, but over time, I'll find them!  I think the sticker I will miss most said "Easily distracted by cats and books."  A friend gave that to me a couple of  years ago when she got promoted.  I think of her every time I look at it.  

So, I am looking at the queue of posts that I had started on before the laptop died the last time.  They need some work - but I will start scheduling those this week.  Believe me, I have a lot to say!

I hope your summer has been going well!