So far, we've had many happy surprises. The peaceful beauty of the Colonial National Parkway has been another unexpected pleasure. Snowbound Disappointments have been few, and might be summarized as the Weather Problem and the Food Factor. Williamsburg promotes its mild, four-season climate, and though winters are sunnier than up North, we didn't expect last January's blizzard that dropped 12 inches of snow and left our street unplowed for nearly a week. The long, sticky summers can be punctuated by hurricanes.
Food is the other pet peeve.
In this coastal region, fresh, simply cooked seafood is hard to come by, as is the chewy rustic bread we took for granted back in Connecticut. A few new restaurants and gourmet groceries are helping to rectify this gap. In addition, within a short drive are numerous battlefields and historic towns commemorating the bloody campaigns that raged up and down the peninsula during the Civil War. Colonial Williamsburg alone has 1,000 volunteers, mostly retired, serving as museum guides, gardeners, archaeological researchers, and in myriad other ways. Jack Tier, a retired U.S. Army colonel, has found a second career transmitting Powhatan Indian lore to legions of schoolchildren who visit the living history museum at Jamestown Settlement, which celebrates its 400th anniversary in 2007.