Grandma Fjeldsted arrived on August 5th for a visit. We worried that she might not make it because of severe thunderstorms. I watched the weather all afternoon. The storms came early enough in the evening that her flight was not interrupted. On August 6th we had a leisurely start to the day, did some shopping and ate lunch at one of my favorite spots, Panera. That night we visited the local farmer's market where we bought some delicious bread and a variety of vegetables.
On August 7th visited the Jamestown Settlement. We began our exploration in the Powhatan Indian Village. This area shows the culture of Virginia's original inhabitants with replicas of reed- covered houses, a ceremonial circle and crop fields.

We then boarded the Susan Constant, a re-creation of one of the three ships that sailed to Virginia in 1607 to establish America's first permanent English Colony. The ships were really small! We complain not having enough counter space in our kitchens. The cook on the ship really had to put up with cramped quarters and I can't even imagine sleeping in the bunks, especially when only the officers had the luxury of having the bunk to themself.

Our final area was James Fort. The area consisted of a triangular fort with thatched-roof houses, storehouses, and a church. They are currently building a house for the governor. They discovered ruins at the original Jamestown site and are re-constructioning it based on their discoveries.




We ended our visit to Jamestown by watching a video presentation on the settlement of Jamestown. We were tired, worn out by the heat and so we skipped the exhibition galleries. It would be interesting to go back and see those another time. Mike decided to bring us home by taking the ferry over the James River. It was a peaceful, relaxing ride back home.