Visiting the Berkeley Plantation on the James River in Virginia with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget and Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Visiting the Berkeley Plantation on the James River in Virginia with Juilliard Graduate Florence Paget and Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

The trees around our Norfolk (Virginia) apartment began to change color.  The golden leaves glistened in the sun.  The red and yellow leaves looked like grapes on a vine.

The crisp, fall air felt good to breathe and made you want to snuggle up in your house.  The fall colors made my commute to work in Virginia Beach especially pleasant.

Laurent, Florence, and I admired the fall colors on our drive to Berkeley Plantation on the James River. 

Berkeley Plantation, built in the Georgian style of the 18^th century, boasts an illustrious history like many small châteaux along the Loire River Valley outside Paris.

Our guide, who resembled all the Jamiesons in the portraits throughout the house, told us that:

-bourbon was first distilled at Berkeley

-military taps were invented at Berkeley during the Civil War

-of the Plantation’s original owners, one Harrison president was born at Berkeley – Henry Harrison (elected in 1841)

The Harrisons loved parties and used the whole hallway downstairs as a ballroom. 

None of the furniture we saw downstairs, though, was original to the house.

The Harrisons best friend, who was Benedict Arnold, had the house’s furniture dragged out and burned during the Revolutionary War.

The gardens at Berkeley Plantation extend down to the James River, where the Plantation’s goods would be loaded onto boats for transport throughout Hampton Roads and out to ports on the ocean. 

There was a monument on the edge of the James River commemorating the first Thanksgiving in 1619.

The Virginia Thanksgiving Festival Group promotes public recognition of Berkeley’s Thanksgiving as the first one, because English settlement in Virginia is older than that of English settlement in New England.

When Berkeley Plantation became the property of the Jamieson family, the first Jamieson family member used Berkeley as a hospital during the Civil War (first floor).

Our guide said that people “with powers” felt many vibrations on the first floor.  I was thinking to myself, “Toss the Spanish Moss around and sell séance tickets for midnight gatherings.”

Laurent, Florence, and I made a second trip down to the river’s edge with our picnic hamper.  The sun shone on us without being too hot.

Laurent and I ate cheese sandwiches while Florence ate a chocolate sandwich.  I also packed yogurt, apples, and cheese.  Florence liked making red wax balls from the mini Gouda cheese I packed for lunch.

Satisfied with a beautiful outing, I drove back to Norfolk and spent the evening writing up comments made by the tour guides in my family journal.

By Ruth Pennington Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Living with Winter Hurricanes by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Living with Winter Hurricanes by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

The damp weather in Norfolk certainly reminded me of Paris (France).  The weather was perfect for staying inside and writing.  Florence came out of her bedroom and told me stories from time to time.

Finally, she took out her colored pencils and worked on the Bellerophon Sleeping Beauty coloring book Laurent and I gave her.  I liked these books, because they gave the biography of Tchaikovsky as well as the storyline of the ballet.

I put on a CD of music from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty ballet that my mom’s friend and one of my childhood mentors gave me for Christmas.

Florence liked the sinister witch’s music from Sleeping Beauty.  I also played the Nutcracker and Swan Lake for her, but Florence did not care for them as much.

I began looking through some French etiquette books that I owned.  One must know how to stir one’s coffee after all.

I read etiquette books as shortcuts to understanding foreign cultures.  Seating order is different in many cultures and reflects different interior design and social structure.

I did a lot more cleaning in February, a good month for nesting in Norfolk due to winter storms called “Nor’easters.”  A big Nor’Easter hit in the middle of the first week of February.

Tides were expected to be four to five feet above normal.  Florence told me when I picked her up, “School might close for rain.”

Children in Norfolk look forward to “flood days” like the kids in the Midwest look forward to “snow days.”  We lived right on the ocean, but were on high ground in a brick apartment building.

I could already see cars driving by that shot five-foot waves of water behind them.  Laurent had duty, so we did have to go out in foul weather on that day at least to pick him up at the port.

The deluge struck the next afternoon.  I felt like I was walking through a never-ending waterfall as I went to pick up Florence from school.

I could not understand why they just did not call off school in the morning.  Rivers of water ran in the street by Florence’s school.

I was waterlogged by the time I saw her.  Laurent was due to leave the ship that evening.  I wondered if he would stay on the ship or not.  I was afraid of flooding at the docks.

I put on Handel’s Water Music, which seemed appropriate for the weather.  Florence wrote out her Valentines.  She put a check next to the name of each person in her class. 

Every person in the class got a Valentine or the student could not pass out Valentines.  The teacher checked the Valentine bags.  I liked Florence’s school’s “No Child Left Behind” practices.

Florence finished and examined her cards and said, “The boys are not going to like the Anastasia cards.”

“No one will care about what’s on the card as long as they get one,” I said.

The rain continued to pour, making me want to cuddle up with a pot of hot tea beside me.  Laurent called at 1 p.m. and asked me to come and get him.

The rain soaked Florence and me just going out to the car.  Our umbrellas flew back in the wind, leaving us exposed to the elements.  The freeways drained well, but the surface streets resembled lakes.

Laurent was soaked when we got him.  I asked him to drive, since I was pretty frazzled by the blurred drive to the port.

“I predict flood day tomorrow,” I said to Florence, who was shivering.

She put her arms around me and smiled.  We stopped at the video store on the way home and we all felt great to walk inside our little apartment warm up.

By Ruth Pennington Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Attending a Citizenship Ceremony at the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg (Virginia) by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Attending a Citizenship Ceremony at the House of Burgesses in Williamsburg (Virginia) by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget-Pennington

The day before Laurent was to be sworn in as a citizen of the United States, I ironed all of our clothes while Laurent polished shoes.  Everyone had to try on their outfits, which I touched up with more ironing.

I made dinner reservations at the Boathouse, so Florence could get a huge bowl of crab claws to remember the occasion.

The next day, we went to Williamsburg (Virginia) for the citizenship ceremony.

Williamsburg has very sophisticated Christmas decorations I noted as we drove into town.  There were no colored and twinkling lights in this town.  Williamsburg dwellers paint real fruit gold to go with the pine wreaths on their doors.

This seventeenth century town made me think we were walking through the streets of England with all the red brick buildings.

Our destination was the House of Burgesses where Laurent’s citizenship ceremony was going to take place.

I told Florence, “We are in a very famous and important place,” as we took our seats on the 400-year-old benches.

A judge swore in the new citizens.  Then, different members of the Williamsburg (Virginia) Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution presided over various pledges and recitations that we were given handouts to repeat and sing as needed:

-the Pledge of Allegiance

-the Americans’ Creed

-the Star-Spangled Banner

The Daughters of the American Revolution then introduced Donald T. Regan, the speaker:

Regan, who was President Reagan’s former Chief of Staff, exhorted the new Americans to learn English and drive the speed limit.

We all received miniature American flags at the end of the ceremony.

“You always get party favors in the U.S.,” I told Laurent and little Florence as we headed out to our blue Nova in the parking lot.

As we were pulling out of the exit, Mr. Regan walked by our car.  We waved our flags at him, and he gave us the thumbs up.

I rolled down the window and said, “We’ll drive the speed limit,” as we pulled out of the parking lot giggling.

We went to the Boathouse and ordered platters of grilled scallops, shrimp, and red snapper.  I got a bucket of crab claws for Florence.

I cracked crab claws for Florence and handed the delicious meat to her and said, “Here you go, kiddo,” after dunking it in warm, melted butter for her.

We ate Key Lime pie for dessert and took photos of Laurent with all his citizenship papers.  Everyone in the restaurant cheered him and loved it that he was a “Navy Guy” husband.

By Ruth Pennington Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Visiting the Holiday Light Show at the Norfolk Botanical Garden (Virginia) by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Visiting the Holiday Light Show at the Norfolk Botanical Garden (Virginia) by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

It was getting dark, so I started preparing for my family’s outing to the Holiday Light Show at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.  My sister sent me a membership to the Garden as a Christmas gift, which we were immediately using for the Holiday Light Show.

I made a huge bowl of popcorn just before we left for Laurent and Florence to munch on in the car as we drove through the light show.  Laurent and Florence sat in the backseat and let me spread out a blanket over them.  I gave them each a big bowl of warm popcorn and set out.

I turned on the Christmas Carol radio station and drove to the Botanical Garden where I got in line with a bunch of cars to drive through the Botanical Garden.

Inside the Botanical Garden, I drove slowly by the twinkling lights on the huge wire sculptures that were set up throughout the Garden, which resembled a winter fairyland.  We all agreed that the gingerbread house made of lights was the best.

“I like the gingerbread house, because there is no witch in it,” Florence said.

“Witches sometimes make you grow up when you outsmart them,” I said as I cackled and made menacing sneers at Florence.

“That’s not true,” Laurent said.

“Hansel and Gretel saved themselves by outsmarting a witch in their fairy tale,” I said.

“That fairy tale is German,” Laurent said, laughing.

We stopped at the gift shop and drank some non-alcoholic eggnog and wassail and sang carols from song sheets.

I still had the Christmas spirit when we came home and made chocolate chip cookies while Laurent and Florence watched the Batman movie.

By Ruth Pennington Paget. author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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