Christmas in Richmond

We finally arrived in Richmond, Virginia on Friday, the 17^th of December after leaving Sunriver on November 12.

As we prepared to leave our final stop at Appomattox, there was a wonderful sunrise going on and you know what a sucker I am for such beauty in the sky, and we have had so many instances of it on this trip.

Plan A was to be at Colin and Leslie’s house when the kids got off the school bus on Friday afternoon. However, as with the best laid plans of mice and men (and grandparents!) there had been a dusting of snow and so the kids, Alex, 10, and CJ, seven, had already been out of school for two days.

Richmond rarely gets snow and the appearance of more than a couple flakes in a 24-hour period pretty much paralyzes the city and scares the school buses totally off the road. As a result, the kids were waiting for us when we arrived instead of the other way around. Regardless, it was a happy reunion and we were glad to have finally arrived. Plan B suited us just fine.

It seemed like the kids had grown a foot since we last saw them at our place in July and they couldn’t wait to drag Grandpa D into a Kung-Fu fight which was one of their favorite activities when they were with us. As usual Grandpa declared himself the winner and the kids swore that they beat him hands down. (The kids are right!)

Kids win at Kung Fu once again!

We brought with us one or two Christmas gifts for the kids. OK, it was a ton or two of gifts. We cut back this year…yeah, right! Well, at least we said we were going to cut back…

After discussions about going out and getting a live tree (like we did last year in a snow storm) or using Colin and Leslie’s pre-lighted-tree-in-a-box, we dragged the tree down from attic because that was the option that was decided would be, "The easiest on everyone."

That’s when things started downhill. We finally got the beast erected but then, after numerous attempts, it absolutely refused to light.

It was at this point that Leslie and I made our really big mistake. We decided to remove the lights from the tree and put on a few strings that were already on hand. This was, of course, a job for Leslie and I. All kids and husbands instantly disappeared. They were obviously smarter than we were.

Five or six hours later with skinned and near bloody fingers, Leslie and I pulled off the final nasty little bulb.




I don’t know who designs and builds these things, but these lights are NOT made to be removed…EVER! Light strings are wrapped in and out and all around with millions of little plastic clips the same color green as the tree so that they are darned near invisible and refuse to let go of the limb.




In the end, we nursed our hurting fingers and wondered why on earth we had ever started this project.

It took only about 20 minutes to get all the new lights on the tree and light it. It was then that we noticed what it said on the box that had held the tree. “Pre-Lighted Tree with 600 Clear Lights.”




OK, either that was a typo or someone was flat-out lying! Leslie and I will both swear, under oath, that there were at least 6,000 of those little monsters! Who do they think they are kidding??? (Note to Self: Next time just burn the stupid tree!)

Alex and CJ then decorated and placed all the gifts under the tree. It all looked so beautiful and completely belied all that had gone before. That is part of the magic of Christmas, isn’t it?



The tree is finally done!

The neighbors here at Christmas time, organize and distribute luminaries throughout the entire neighborhood and follow it with Christmas caroling on a tractor-pulled hay wagon.




Alex dressed in her reindeer costume for the occasion, which turned into a Rudolph costume when, after I took this picture, she painted her nose bright red (which stayed red for two days).




Then and she and I headed out to the Caroling/Hay Ride. There was a small bonfire, hot chocolate and lots of sugar-laden snacks before we piled onto the wagon.

Alex as Rudolph

Rudolph keeping warm

It was cold, there was still a little snow on the ground, and the luminaries were all lighted up and down the streets, so it was a perfect atmosphere for caroling.




This being 'The East', most houses at Christmas look like they are straight off a Hallmark Christmas card. They are mostly two-story colonial style homes, with green wreaths, red bows and candle lights in every window of each house. Add to that, the luminaries and additional Christmas lights while singing Christmas Carols… It is all very pretty and nostalgic.

A typical Richmond house decorated for Christmas.

Luminaries along the (bumpy) streets.

This is one of my favorites. The star is 30-40 feet up. On the left is an angel.

Taking pictures in the dark on the back of a bumping hay wagon, is tough, resulting in a few fuzzy-looking luminaries.

In between Kung Fu fights, gingerbread house building and such, we took the kids on a couple outings while we waited for Christmas morning to arrive.

One was to the Children’s Museum of Richmond, a wonderful place for kids. Among many other things, there is a sort of town, where they can do things in a store, a cafe, a grocery store, auto repair shop, a bank and much more. We had a tough time getting them out of there because they were having so much fun.

Alex and CJ attempt to milk a not-so-real cow.

CJ concentrates on changing a car tire.

One of the things they have there, is a "TV studio," where one kid mans the camera and the other gives news, weather or sports. There is a closed circuit TV screen on the outside of the "studio" room where parents can watch as the children preform.


CJ, being the natural showman of the family, loves to be in front of people, so he was in his element at this one.

Camera Girl, Alex.

"And the final game score was four to...."

My favorite pair of rotten eggs.

We're having way too much fun!

Christmas morning finally rolled around. The kids have to undergo a certain amount of parent-inflicted torture by waiting at the top of the stairs till the coffee is made and mom and dad are ready to give the word. Then they come flying downstairs and into the living room where the real chaos takes place.

"When can we come down?!"

Everybody, out of the way!

"I'm going to open the tiny one first and then the next to the tiniest one..."

Alex likes organize her gifts in the order she will open them, smallest first, saving the biggest surprise for last.




CJ prefers to go for the biggest one first. Like most siblings, these two are very different in many ways. However, they do take turns opening gifts which means it takes a long time, but politely thank whoever it is from, so it is not just a rip and tear affair, in spite of how the floor looks when they are done.

The aftermath of a great Christmas Morning.

It is Christmas day and a few snowflakes are starting to fall. How nice. But it is not likely to be anything close to a “White Christmas,” I tell myself.

After a morning of opening and playing with gifts, it is time to head over to Grandma and Grandpa Gibson’s (Leslie’s parents) for more gifts and a big family Christmas dinner. Hmmm. It’s still snowing. Might be a white Christmas after all…

At the Gibson house, Alex and CJ see their new little cousin, three-month-old Clarke, who they adore. Alex, who loves little kids, cannot wait till she is allowed to baby sit.

On Christmas Eve, Don and I had attended a lovely Christmas Eve service at a local church. The pastor mentioned he hadn't seen a white Christmas in 27 years and wouldn't this year either. We planned to attend again on Sunday.




I checked their website Saturday afternoon for Sunday service times. The first service was cancelled with the status of the second service to be announced after 7am on Sunday. Canceling church for an inch of snow??? Boy, we are not used to that! I guess the pastor expects to get his White Christmas this year.

After dinner it is really snowing hard and starting to pile up to a couple inches, so we all clean everything up quickly, load up the car with all the new loot, and head for home.

*********************************************************                                                  
It’s now the morning after Christmas. There are six inches of snow and it is still snowing…a possibility of 10 inches by tonight and no likelihood of seeing a snow plow for at least three days.




The neighbor across the street brings over an old sled he had used as a kid for Alex and CJ to use. Kids don't normally own sleds in this part of the country. Church has definitely been cancelled.

"Look out, snow, here I come!"

Too bad half the family is now down with the flu and Don has developed a bad cold…Leslie says it wouldn’t be Christmas unless someone was up-chucking.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a snowy night…!

Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia

As we headed east toward Appomattox, we saw the last of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. Maybe next time we are in this area, it will be in a warmer season when all is green and we can drive up into the mountains more easily.

The beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.

We arrived in Appomattox yesterday. It was cold and sunny with snow in the forecast.


Considering that, the first thing we did was head to Granny Bee's cafe, a small no-frills eatery in downtown Appomattox for lunch.


We stopped here last year and it was definitely on our list of MUST RETURN. Lunch was fried chicken, two sides (for me Southern sides of corn pudding and stewed tomatoes) and SIX of the best homemade hot yeast rolls ever! Oh, by the way, the price was $4.95! (Cheeseburgers were only $2.30.) Amazing. And amazingly good!

After a satisfying pat on our tummies, we headed off to the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park while the sun was still shining.

Appomattox National Historical Park

After a two-hour battle here on April 9, 1865, General Lee came to grips with the impossibility of the South winning the Civil War. As a result, it was here at Appomattox Court House where Grant and Lee signed the surrender papers, ending a very sad and tumultuous time in US history.

Just to clarify, Appomattox Court House was the name of the village, it does not refer to only the court house.

Several buildings still stand in the original village though most have been restored and all are in good condition.

Original Courthouse on Left, Saloon behind it.

The actual signing of the surrender papers occurred in the parlor of the Wilmer McLean family's house. Wilmer McLean had volunteered his home when another suitable location for such a historical event could not be found on Palm Sunday in this tiny town.

McLean House and Well House, Front View.

McLean House, Kitchen Building and Slave House, Rear View.

McLean's parlor where surrender was signed.

Artist's picture of the parlor signing in the court house museum.

Ninety minutes later the negotiations were complete, and the soldiers left the home, but not before several of them, recognizing the magnitude of this event, took items from the house as souvenirs, including the youngest daughter's rag doll.

Actual doll that was stolen from the parlor but eventually returned for the museum.

I am sure Mrs. McLean (pregnant with her 6th child and no doubt hormonal) had a rather pointed discussion with Mr. McLean after that meeting, strongly encouraging him to not ever volunteer for such things again...or at least that’s what I would have done!

Master Bedroom

Bedroom shared by four daughters.

Bedroom of the son. (The neatest boy's bedroom I've ever seen!)

Warming Kitchen

Dining Room

Inside the Cook House.

Slave House

Inside Slave House.

Terms of the surrender were considered to be very generous on the part of General Grant.


The Confederate soldiers had to pledge not to take up arms against the North again and to lay down their rifles. They were allowed to keep their side arms. They were were not kept as prisoners of war, but given “Parole” papers proving they were not deserters. They were also allowed to keep their horses (that they had originally brought with them) in order to help them start farming when they got back home.

Presses on which the nearly 9,000 Paroles were printed within 48 hours.

Some of the Paroles given to the Confederate Soldiers proving they weren't deserters.

It was a very sad day for the Confederate troops, but the Union soldiers treated them with great honor as the entire process took place. It hadn’t been all that long ago that they had been neighbors, brothers, and all part of the same nation.


Now, with the events of that day, the healing of our fractured country could begin.

Nearby is a small Confederate Cemetery, mostly graves are of Unknowns, including one of an Unknown Union Soldier.

Confederate Cemetery Marker

Thankfully, we did this all yesterday when the weather was good. Today we are pretty much holed up in the RV watching the snow and/or sleet fall. Right now there are a two or three inches on the ground with possibly about three more inches coming the rest of today and tonight.

Our son is threatening to ban our visits since every time we come, they get big snow storms, something pretty unusual in this part of the country.

However, tomorrow morning we will drive, (weather permitting) an hour to another RV park and put the motorhome in storage for three weeks. Then we will drive 45 minutes into Richmond where the World’s Most Wonderful Grandkids, anxiously awaiting our arrival.

By the way, Grandma and Grandpa D are anxious, too.