Moving Down South

After all of the frantick socializing, packing, etc., I finally moved to Williamsburg this past Wednesday with the immense help of my family. Dad and Josh drove the moving truck towing my car, and my mom, Leslie, and I drove separately. We left around noon on Wednesday 3 January and drove to Hagerstown, MD til ten that night, only to be up again early the next day to drive the last few hours to Williamsburg.

Thursday was spent touring apartments all over town. Some were a bit sketchy, some were too expensive or too big, some were plain crap, and many were unavailable. I had a couple to see Friday morning, so as of Thrusday night we rendevouzed with the boys and went to dinner at one of the taverns of Colonial Williamsburg before returning to the hotel exhausted. The next morning, Mom and I went to check out another apartment, one that I actually really liked. I decided to go for that apartment, even though it wasn't available for a few weeks since it was actually a great price, clean, the right size, and the right feel. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting everything else arranged so that I can make do until my apartment is ready (storing my things, arranging lodging, etc.). After that, it was off to eat and shop around town (yay for fabulous outlet malls!). (photos: Moving my things into storage and Josh in a hideous sweatshirt; the family in Merchant's Square; and me and TJ.)





Today (Saturday), Mom, Leslie, and I went to check out the after-Christmas sales at the Colonial Williamsburg gift shops. Beyond the junk aimed at the Virginia version of fudgies, there were tables full of marvelous bargain books (of which I bought six!). Mom and Leslie also liked to tell everyone working at the shops that I had just moved to the area, which sparked a few slightly interesting and slightly awkward conversations. We then returned to the hotel and checked the fam out and me back in (since I'm staying at the hotel for a couple of weeks until my apartment is ready), so that we could head the other directioni on the Colonial Parkway to visit Yorktown for a while. We went to the National Park for a tour, headed downtown for lunch on the river, and then back to Williamsburg for a couple of errands before the family left for home. (photos: a ginormous cannon (12-pounds, I think it was) at Yorktown that can only fire 4-5 shots per hour; the English fortifications, the park ranger, and my family at Yorktown; Leslie poking what she thinks was part of a jellyfish; Leslie, Dad, and I in front of the York River with the Chesapeke in the far, far background; and the scrumptious local watering hole with some of the many motorcycles and convertables we saw enjoying the record-high weekend temperatures.)







Williamsburg seems like it will be a great place to live. There are fabulous little shops, great places to visit nearby, and lots of friendly people. While the mid-seventies weather today felt great, it gets me a bit worried for the summer since it will be a far cry from the relatively cooler weather of Northern Michigan.

By the way: We found this guy at Yorktown. Potentially evil cousin of Hermanio...? Hmmm, I wonder... (more info on Hermanio, see photo entries of Europe)