John White -- "A New World: England's First View of America"

Aside from seeing Beth, Ian and Caitlyn... one of the best things about Jamestown could not be captured in photos (well...they could have been, but I would likely have been arrested or something). The Jamestown Settlement is currently hosting a collection of John White's watercolors from the 1580's. These are some of the first pictures of the "new world". As soon as I heard about the exhibit, I wanted to go. Beth and Ian's visit was the perfect opportunity. I can't even begin to describe how awesome the paintings were. I googled John White and found a great article that you can read by clicking here.


Here are a few highlights of the article:

In the 1580s, John White was like a National Geographic photographer, traveling to an exotic new world to capture scenes for armchair tourists.

Instead of film, he used pencil and watercolors. On just such a trek, he created what are now the earliest existing images of the plants, animals and Algonquian-speaking Indians of this region...

"When it comes to understanding this era, nothing is more important than John White's watercolors," said Tom Davidson, senior curator at Jamestown Settlement.

"They are absolutely core to any understanding of the period of discovery and exploration in this part of the world." The watercolors inspired the museum's graphics and guided the design of its outdoor Powhatan Indian village.

White's watercolors are like the "Mona Lisa," much seen and studied, but rarely in person.

Many people know his work through copies made by illustrators and printmakers who altered the scenes to suit their needs.

"Why is it ever important to see the original of anything?" Davidson said last week. He pointed to the tiny figure of a dog in a depiction of the Indian town of Pomeiooc. That alert little pup with upturned tail is not visible on prints. The originals, he said, are "full of detail that is never going to show up in a reproduction."

... Part 5 - Lunch!!

Caitlyn holding the last of her two pigtail rubber bands... After that... she was sporting some crazy hair!


We went to a place called "The Polo Club" for lunch. Caitlyn and I both got chicken tenders and fries. Beth wanted to get Caitlyn spaghetti... but Ian thought it would be too messy. Turns out chicken tenders, fries and a couple of dipping sauces can be pretty messy too!!

This is my favorite picture of Caityln! She sure was having fun with that chicken tender!


Ian tried to clean Caitlyn up a little (she had just been using a cucumber to massage her face, eyes (smart little girl) and hair). However, it didn't take long for Caitlyn to take over the task. The wet wipe was then used for hide and seek as well as a hat!




Caitlyn and Beth after lunch... as we were getting ready to say goodbye (doesn't Caitlyn look sad... I don't think she wanted her Aunt Shannon to leave!)

Jamestown Settlement - Part 4, the English Settlement

As we were walking from the ships to the settlement... we came across to women working on a canoe. They made the canoes by taking HUGE tree trunks and slowly burning them (from the inside) so that they could hollow them out for the canoe. Size depended on usage and number of people or provisions needing to be transported. There were three different tree trunks on display... one untouched (not pictured), another finished and one currently being worked on (however... the women weren't completely in character and said that while the colonist would have tried to get one finished in a few days to a week... they were in no hurry to finish the canoe and were actually hoping to make that display last until next May!)




The colonists had come to the new world to get rich... hoping to find gold and/or silver... they did however find wealth in another resource... TOBACCO! You can see some tobacco hanging from the ceiling. Supposedly, the tobacco that they grew back then was much stronger than what is grown now. People are currently trying to alter the genes of some tobacco plants to get it back to what it was like when the colonists were growing it.


Tools used for harvesting the tobacco.


The wall surrounding the settlement. Supposedly, they had to be very vigilant... and were under constant threat of Indian attacks.


The picture doesn't show it too well. But, Beth and I were impressed with the roof. It is made of straw...about a foot thick! Mike thinks they might have put some sort of tar substance on the top of it. We didn't take advantage of the tours to learn all the ins and out... so I will have a google more on the straw roofs.


The next two pictures are from inside the armory.




The inside of the church. The pews were like super tall... which surprised me. I thought people were shorter back then?!?!?

Jamestown Settlement - Part 3, The ships

After viewing all the carnage (aka, animal skins) at the indian village we headed to the ships. It took a little while to get Caitlyn on and off the boats--she found the ramps way too much fun and would have stayed on them all day if it was up to her!






Inside the boat was pretty dark. At the front of the boat was a little room with a single bunk... we figure this might be where the captain or another higher up slept. I doubt many got their own rooms. Beth had me pose in the bunk. They were rather small... and a little smelly.


Then we put Caitlyn in the same bunk. It wasn't until I looked at the pictures later that I noticed the HUGE stain behind Caitlyn on the mattress (remember... it was dark in there). Totally grossed me out. I was just laying in that!!! At least it wasn't wet... but who the heck knows what it is! Yuck! If I ever go back... no more posing in the ships!


The next two pictures are of Caitlyn stomping across the grates on the ship... she found this to be extremely exciting/entertaining. And was trying to get everyone else to join in... however, we were a little leary about how much weight it would hold!




Armor hanging in one of the private rooms.


One of the canons below deck. And some cargo. These pictures are from the second level of the ship. This is where all the food would have been stored and where the 50+ paying passengers would have lived. They said that the journey was about 4 1/2 months long. They had to bring enough supplies to live on during that time...plus what they would need once they got to the new world. The cargo on the second level came about waste high, and covered the entire floor. Straw mattresses were placed on top of the cargo. Two passengers per mattress. Basically... they only had crawling space to move around, but were so jammed in, their wasn't much room to move. They were rarely allowed on deck. That was determined by the crew. They people at Jamestown said that the passengers were pretty much only allowed on deck long enough and frequently enough to keep them alive (getting a bit of fresh air and exercise).




Here is a picture of the lowest level of the ship. It is where they would have stored all of the heavy cargo and things that would not need to be accessed during the 4 1/2 month journey to the new world (or back to England).


A view of the above toured ship... from a different angle.

Jamestown Settlement - Part 2, The Indian Village

Here are some pictures of the indian village. After peaking in the first of the indian houses, Beth refused to go in anymore. ... She didn't like all of the animal skins everywhere. ... and as you can tell from the pictures...they were everywhere! piled up on the beds, hanging from the walls, ceilings... you name it, they were there! They had a little funk to them too. To me, it smelt a little like animal urine... but, I know that the skins aren't peeing. Someone at my work said that they used to tan hides by peeing on them. I doubt that they would still do that for the displays. who knows....

Trip to Jamestown Settlement with the Nagle's - Part 1

On Saturday the 16th, I met Beth (my college roommate), Ian and Caitlyn at the Jamestown Settlement. They were in Portsmouth visiting her folks... We try to meet up each summer when they come in. Last year we hit the outlets. This year... I suggested the Jamestown Settlement, mainly b/c I wanted to see the art exhibit on display. But, I also figured the guys would like it better. Turned out that Mike couldn't join us...

Here is a picture of the entrance. I have never been to the Jamestown Settlement before, but I am thinking this part was added for the 400th anniversary celebration last year. They have a flag for each state and then a brief history of each state. Sorry to all those who live in places other than Ohio or Virginia... those are the only two I took pictures of.





Here is a picture of cute little Caitlyn in the Chicken Hat that I gave her!



Caitlyn... without the chicken hat! Check out the cute little pig tails!! Sadly... the pigtails only lasted a few hours!




As we were walking to the first outdoor exhibit (the indian village), we came across some hens and a rooster. Another big hit with Caitlyn! Here are some pictures of Caitlyn and Ian trying to get a closer look at the chickens. On a side note: these feathered friends live across the park in the English Settlement, but every morning - like clockwork, the rooster brings his ladies to the indian village to eat the goodies they have growing!

New Plant

So my great clearance shopping skills has extended beyond the grocery store and Kohls... and to the garden. Here are some pictures of my latest clearance plant (only $3). I have to do a little research on the plant... but the interesting foliage really caught my eye.