Tuesday, February 23, 2010

My World Tuesday = Shirley Plantation

I'm late.
I'm late.
For a very important date:
Posting my My World Tuesday pics.
(This what happens when you upgrade to Windows 7 and you have to reinvent the wheel so to speak.)
Above is my very favorite plantation home in the state of Virginia.
It backs to the James River and has been farmed by the same family for over 14 generations.
Can you believe that. Do take note of the beautiful wood moulding and paneling on all the walls.
This is one of the main drawing rooms of the three story home. Jack and I first came here to tour it in July of 1983. While we were listening to the tour guide we saw a man in farm jeans and shirt enter and go up the grand walnut staircase to the second floor. The tour guide then told us that this man in work clothes was the current owner of the plantation and was coming in for lunch in the family quarters after being out in the field harvesting a crop. I think the crop was either wheat or hay. Since 1983 we have made two more trips back to Shirley to tour it.


It was on the 1983 trip that Jack and I got into big trouble. The plantation owner who lived upstairs had two yellow cats and they would follow us from one room to another and both my daughters who love cats couldn't resist going up to the cats. Jack took a picture of Jennifer looking at one of the the cats on one of the big colonial beds (see above pic) and he also took a picture of three year old Jeanine looking at the same cat. (see below pic)

In the next room that we visited with the tour guide and about twenty other tourists I was concentrating on what the tour guide had to say when the tour guide stopped and announced that the parents of the children who are pulling the cats' tails in the colonial crib need to attend to their children. Jack and I look around and oh, my gosh, we were the terrible parents who were not watching their kids close enough and allowing them to pull the cats' tails in the crib!

Oh, we were so embarrassed but not as embarrassed as our two redfaced girls! By the way, the crib that the cats were lounging in was the very same crib that Robert E. Lee from Virginia used as a crib when he was a tiny baby.


Well, that is my Virginia home tour for this Tuesday. If you haven't done so already, please go visit some other My World Tuesday memes by just clicking here:
http://showyourworld.blogspot.com/

6 comments:

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Joann: Wonderful story and fun photos from the past.

Carver said...

What a great story. I think we all have embarrassing moments with our children at some time or another. Thanks for the tour of the beautiful plantation house.

SandyCarlson said...

That's a really lovely place. What a beauty.

(Our ice sculptors were local dudes. The event is all about Connecticut.)

Marites said...

lol! can imagine the cats trying to get back their tails from your daughters! That's really a funny story :D the home is really beautiful and well-preserved.

My world is here.

Melusine said...

What a lovely place,
and interesting reading!

Jenn said...

Enjoyed your post. Love the house too. I also like that the photos showed its years, love the yellowish tone... well they actually are old photos. :-)