The Film Crew - A Surreal Experience

It's our last day at the Bed & Breakfast.  A film crew has taken over the house, and I'm not quite sure what will be taking place.  By now, however, you should know me - I'm game for just about anything.  I've been told that they will be shooting scenes for an album cover, artist unknown - but he's famous.

A young lady shows up at the door much earlier than expected.  She's one of the models.  Of course I welcome her, show her to the parlor, offer refreshments.  It's lunchtime, and I ask if she's had lunch.  "No," she says, "and I really am hungry."  I offer her several things - including our left over's from last night, hamburger and cabbage.  Surprisingly she wanted our leftovers.  Thus began a very odd day.




Within the hour the rest of the models and film crew arrived.  There was hair-styling to do and makeup.

 

Racks of clothing came in with the wardrobe lady.  Lots of variety - but most of them pretty risque!  (This Christian lady is gettin' a wee bit nervous.)






The photographer/director has now arrived.  After showing him the fabulous rooms of the Bed & Breakfast he seems most intrigued with the antique footed tub.  With the surrounding shower curtain, it is beautiful!

I retreat to our parlor for awhile, but soon decide to venture out with our camera for behind-the-scene shots.  The crew has indeed moved up to the bathroom.  As luck would have it (and unbeknownst to the crew) there is an auspiciously placed mirror ...

Is that a bottle of Jack Daniels?!  And the reflection lady is holding a bottle of wine? and a cigar? Mercy me! 

 And trust me, you don't want to see a full shot of that model!

However, they soon move outside for something a bit more tame.  (Thank you, dear Jesus!)

After one more serving of our hamburger and cabbage, the crew begins to leave.  Whew!  I don't know about them, but I'm exhausted! 

Our time at the most magnificent Oxford Bed and Breakfast is done.  We shall be moving on in the morning with not just a pocket full of experiences but an entire basket full!

Handel's "Messiah"

Ever heard of Handel's "Messiah"?  George Frideric Handel's Messiah was originally an Easter offering.  It was first played publicly on the stage of Musick Hall in Dublin, Ireland on April 13, 1742.  The record attendance of 700 was accomplished because ladies had heeded pleas by management to wear dresses "without hoops" in order to make "room for more company."  Or so says the Smithsonian Magazine.  Now Messiah is a "must play" during the Christmas season.

What has that got to do with colonial Williamsburg?  Well, the above harpsichord was played by none other than Handel himself!  Right here in Williamsburg in the British Governor's Palace!  When did Handel's Messiah make it to America?  It was performed here in 1770, two years before it was first performed in Handel's home country of Germany!  But it is very doubtful that it was played during Christmas.

Of those who kept diaries or journals from that time, many don't even mention Christmas on, before, or after December 25th.  You see, the church back then frowned on Christmas carols because they just might lead to (horror!) dancing!  (Sounds Baptist to me.  Baptist's frown on dancing because John the Baptist was beheaded for a King to please a woman during a raucous dance party.  Baptist's came into being in Amsterdam in 1609 and made it to North America in 1638.)  

In 1647, the English Parliament abolished celebrating Christmas, and they followed up with a resolution in 1652 stating:  "No observation shall be had on the five and twentieth day of December commonly called Christmas-Day; nor any solemnity used or exercised in churches upon the day in respect thereof."

WOW!  Who knew?  

Now, this wasn't enforced during colonial times in Virginia - but it's probably the reason folks weren't writing about celebrations in their diaries and journals.  So when did things ease up a bit?  It might surprise you to know that Christmas celebrations were pretty much ignored well into the 19th Century!  Boston Public schools, as late as the 1870's, were open on Christmas Day, and (Old Scrooge would be glad to know) missing work on December 25th would get you fired!

On To The British Governor's House

It's grown to be quite a hot afternoon.  I wish we could take a carriage to the Governor's House (arrive in style as it were), but that's not to be.  We simply hoof it like the general public would have done back then.

Now, remember, presentation is everything and, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.  That's what the ol' Gov was needing to do with first the Native American chiefs that came to call, and finally with the Colonists as they became rebellious.  So he built his palace way back from the road and gave visitors plenty of room to be impressed.

To me, the palace was large, but I wasn't greatly impressed - until we stepped into the foyer!

My mercy!!  The rifles to the left, a "fan" of pistols to the right, all flanked by well-displayed swords, and a hallway lined with more weapons that all visitors would pass through on their way to see the British Governor.  I believe they said there is some 5,400 guns alone in these displays!  What Indian chief wouldn't think twice about attacking after seeing all of that stuff - and more in the Magazine!

The plaque above the door was solid gold, the room off to the left was lined with cases of silver serving pieces ... the wealth was evident, and great wealth generally means great power.

The guns are double stacked - in a variety of ways!

Swords and pistols at the ready!

The colonists are receiving their instructions in preparation of an attack!

This is an amazing collection!  Some are reproductions and some are real period antiques.  Your average 21st century person will have no clue how to know if one of these weapons is safe to use and/or how to load it even if there was gunpowder available.  But you can bet the folks living back then knew what to do and how to do it.  Their lives depended on it.  The lives of their wives and children depended on it.  I daresay the women would be just as handy at it as the men!

All of this display says, "Don't mess with me."  Peace through strength was definitely preferred. Every person was needed if the colonies were to survive.

The Magazine (But I Would Have Called It the Armory!)

Now, I was not set to be impressed by this place.  With a name like "The Magazine" I imagined (fake) barrels full of gunpowder stacked floor to ceiling.  But nooooooo!

Inside the nine foot brick walls is a courtyard.  Inside the building were a set of very steep, winding stairs. At the tip top of the stairs were a whole bunch of folks absolutely enthralled by a portly speaker.

This man knew everything about every one of these armaments and gunpowder and our early wars!

He said that during the American Revolution, we started out with about 80,000 pounds of gunpowder (if I'm reading my notes right.)  That sounds like a bunch, but consider the fact that, in the first two years of the war, we imported 1.7 MILLION pounds from France.  By wars end we acquired almost 3 million pounds!

He said that saltpeter is hard to make and takes a FULL YEAR to process.

Now, I know that you have desired to know this recipe most of your life, so here it is.

You take an enormous pile of excrement - cow, horse, human, whatever.
Mix in a whole passel of lime to maintain the bacteria.
Once a week for a year you have to soak that pile with urine - cow, horse, human, whatever.
Once a week for a year you have to stir it up.
After the year has passed, (are you ready?) you have to taste it.  If it's salty, you have saltpeter; if it's not salty, you have a huge pile of fertilizer and have to start the whole recipe over again!

If you have saltpeter, put it all in a pot and boil and stir and remove all solids.
Boil until all of the water (?) evaporates.

Then take the saltpeter and in the following proportions create gunpowder:
75% saltpeter
25% sulphur
25% charcoal

(Guess that's why there were no stacks and stacks of barrels of gunpowder, huh?)

Interesting modern fact:  70% of today's saltpeter supply comes from India and is controlled by England!

This guy explained the differences between each of the weapons that encircled the room, it's advantages and disadvantages, and was just a walking encyclopedia of information.  We must have sat there an hour, and he never slowed down.  Granpa finally said, "Let's go and give some other folks room."

Sigh.  Well, if I must ... I'm a sucker for implements of defense, though!