Tag: #memorialday

Virginia is for Bloggers!

We were looking to for a quick getaway from Connecticut this upcoming Memorial day weekend (2018) and Williamsburg, Virginia fit the bill.

 

I lied (smile) here’s what really happened:  just under 2 years ago we attended the Travelers GHO Tournament in Cromwell, CT where my partner James purchased an unlimited golf resort vacation package in Williamsburg, Virginia for us

and we looked up and discovered time was running out…

so we finally just got around to using it (double smile).

 

We flew out of Bradley International Airport on a Sunday morning with another couple we invited – James’s golfing buddy Bill and his gf Kathy.

 

Since we flew (and it was not a direct flight) we departed from Hartford, CT to Charlotte, NC then caught our connecting flight an hour later from Charlotte, NC to Newport News, VA.   From there we rented an Kia Sedona SUV and drove the 40 or so odd miles to Williamsburg, VA.

As I mentioned,  we departed on our 4 day mini-vacation on the last Sunday in May so that it would include the actual Memorial Day Monday holiday and we would use up less of our “vacation” days.

 

By the way, our golf resort vacation package included 4 days/3 nights of unlimited golf, a large town house with 2 full bedrooms, 2 full baths (the master bedroom had an ensuite bathroom with a shower and jacuzzi tub), wall to wall carpeting, a sunroom, open-design kitchen, dining area, living room, wet bar and a BBQ grill outside in the grilling area.   The Kings Creek Plantation resort vacation package had all of the amenities you would expect:  outdoor Adult swimming pools, outdoor Children’s swimming pool, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, sauna, indoor heated swimming pool for the family, tennis court, basketball court, take-out restaurant, fitness center, WiFi, golf package, Business Center, Aquatic Center and Trading Company.

The Townes

The Townes, where we were stayed,  were described as such: “…luxury town home living, your home away from home.”   They did not disappoint…

 

Unlimited Golf

 

As luck would have it, Memorial Day Monday turned out (weather wise) to be a perfect golf day for James and Bill.

 

 

You have to squint but here James and Bill are on the beautiful greens –  The Colonial Heritage Golf Club in Williamsburg, Virginia

 

Dining Out (in and around) Williamsburg, VA

As it turned out, it was mostly rainy and/or unbearably humid all 4 days we were there (I’m thinking even Connecticut had better weather (smile).   So our dining choices were utmost on our mind…

 

Yummy Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap and Golden Fries at Ocean and Ale Restaurant

 

 

Delicious wine at Second Street, An American Bistro

 

 

Delicious salmon and green beans
Fat Tuna Grill and Oyster House lives right up to its name (smile)

 

Cocktails and apps in the bar area of Opus 9 Steakhouse

 

Historic Colonial Williamsburg

The hardest part about going to historic Colonial Williamsburg downtown is finding a place to park.  However, once you are situated, everything is within walking distance, including the stunning and beautiful campus of William & Mary, the second oldest institution of higher education in the country.

 

The campus of William and Mary

 

Tour of Colonial Williamsburg

Interesting town
beautiful little cape
carriage house?

 

Felt like I was back in time
Cobblestoned streets and all
perfectly landscaped and easy to navigate

 

Hampton Roads Vineyard & Winery

I was curious to see what the Williamsburg, VA’s wine trail was all about so we chose this particular vineyard and winery partially based on the fact that we had to catch the James River Ferry to get here!

 

Hampton Roads Vineyard and Winery – a picturesque winery – to get here we had to catch the James River Ferry

 

Wine Tasting – 8 tastings (half glasses) for 5 dollars!  To say we were tipsy when we left would be putting it mildly (smile).

 

Loved the layout of the shop on the vineyard. Lots of interesting souvenirs to buy

 

Shopping for Souvenirs

While the men golfed on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, Kathy and I went shopping for souvenirs.

R.P. Wallace & Sons General Store (our first stop) just so happens to be Williamsburg’s oldest gift shop.

 

Kathy and I could have spent hours in this gift shop! There was so much to see and buy!

So we blinked and it was Wednesday!

The 4 days flew by as much of our time was spent on travel.   However, what I discovered was that Williamsburg, VA  is still the perfect place to decompress and unwind.   That’s because of its historical character, beautiful topography and back-in-time feel.  In my mind, it is most definitely a must see!

 

Sincerely,

 

TVFL

Chocolate on the Beach

It’s getting close to Memorial Day, the unofficial start of Summer, which means that me and my partner James will empty my car trunk of Winter gear and re-pack with the good stuff–Summer items like portable beach chairs, beach umbrellas, beach bags with sunblock, towels, beach blankets, etc.  We keep my car trunk filled up (not his as it is chock full of golf gear) like this all Summer long as you never know in New England when a beach day will appear.

 

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We both love the beach and look forward to laying out on our beach chairs with my cooler filled with ice cold water, adult beverages and snacks and sneak dips in the ocean when the heat gets to be too much.  We are truly ‘Chocolate on the Beach’  as we are blessed with skin tones that are ‘Hershey bar’ chocolate, especially in contrast to the bright sunlight of the beach.  For as long as I can remember I have been a fan of the beach.  I grew up in a small town on the shoreline of Connecticut where we had 5 beaches, so it was natural and a beautiful thing to spend as much time as possible at the beach.

 

Plus my late mother Jean loved the beach and made it a point every Summer to pick up her beach pass at the town hall in Groton.  So one of the ways me and my siblings honored her when she passed almost 6 years ago was to have the bench she so often sat on at Eastern Point, her favorite beach in Groton, named after her.

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I think of her often but especially today as it is, after all, Mother’s Day…a day when I am reminded of her goodness.  I was one of seven children and although I came from a large family,  my mother had this special and unique way of making me feel as much love from her as if I were her only child.  And we all felt that powerful love.  I consider this one of the many gifts that God blessed her with and completely understand why she was nicknamed ‘Care Bear’  at her church, Walls Temple AME Zion in New London, CT.

Jean Anna Tinsley Hollis

So Happy Mother’s Day to all and a special Happy Mother’s Day to my mother Jean in Heaven.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

TVFL