9/13/2019

A Little Jaunt

Wednesday afternoon, we packed up and headed down to Williamsburg. It's their annual homeschool days (which basically means it's more affordable to take the family and actually go in things rather than just wandering the streets and looking.) They had a few extra options just for homeschoolers, but with the littlest's attention span clocking in somewhere right around non-existent, we figured we were probably better off skipping those for now.

Anyway, we drove down Wednesday night and landed at our rather nice hotel (I will admit to being a bit of a hotel snob, so it's nearly always a Hilton property if I'm given the option. These were the Homewood Suites and they were, as usual, a delight.) and were nice and settled for an early start on Thursday.

Thursday. Or as I am going to call it, "The day the sun landed on the earth."

Holy Hades it was Hot.

We walked and sweltered and like to died from 9 until about 3 when I finally cried Uncle and decreed by fiat that we'd seen enough and it was time for the pool.

There was no resistance to this plan.

So we swam at the pool for about an hour (maybe a little longer) and then loaded back up in the car after a few texts back and forth with the hubby's parents, and headed down further to where they are building a new house.

There is so much in-law drama to unpack here that I'm not sure I have the energy. I think I've touched on it before, but, long story short, when they lived maybe 20 minutes away, we couldn't nail them down to see the boys for love or money. Major holidays, sure, they'd come to the combined celebrations. Beyond that? Maybe we could swing dinner every six months. And not for want of asking on our end. But fine. Whatever. In January, when they moved down to the Virginia Beach area, Mother-in-Law commented how she was sad to go now that there was a grandchild up here (meaning sister-in-law's child, not my boys. I'm not sure what my boys are, but I guess they're not her grandchildren. I'm trying to let it go. I am failing miserably.)

Anyway, after they moved basically 3 hours away, we start getting the "Oh, it'd be so good to see you. Why don't you come down?" madness.

Knowing his parents, hubby was like, "Let's figure out a reason to go down there that we want to be down there for, and then we can swing by." Thus Williamsburg.

Anyway, we drove out. They have a lot that has a dock and I'm sure the house will be lovely if they ever actually finish it. (That's not actually entirely true - it isn't going to be lovely. If it was built by a normal person, it would be lovely, because the normal person would buy normal materials and look at the houses in the neighborhood and try to blend in. My father-in-law looks for deals. If he can get it cheap or, preferably, free, then he is going to find a way to make it work. Thus, while the other houses in the neighborhood have lovely wooden or stone stairs leading up to the main entry (which is not ground level because flooding), hubby's parents have what I would call metal bleacher stairs. Honestly, they're like the Beverly Hillbillies.)

We toured their construction zone. We walked down to their private beach. I listened as he tried to tell me about his plans to have a bungee type swing between two of their trees that they can hoist up to the 3rd floor deck to get on and release and won't the boys enjoy that? (My internal answer? No. Because hell will freeze over about eighteen times before I would allow them to get on the thing. I don't think broken spines are really a grand plan, thankyouverymuch.) I just smiled.

They went on and on about how they hope we'll come down a lot and it's going to be such a great retreat and blah blah blah...until I finally had to say, "You know I hate the beach, right?"

Silence.

Then he tried to sell me on the fresh seafood. Yeah, I don't eat fish and I'm allergic to shellfish.

I'm not trying to be a b*. I'm not. But if they couldn't be bothered to see us when they lived 30 minutes away, why am I suddenly supposed to be all jazzed about driving three freaking hours each way to go get sand in every imaginable crevice so I can see them?

Yeah, no.

Anyway. We finally headed back to the hotel.

Today was a shorter day at Williamsburg with tours of the Capitol and the Governor's Palace. In contrast to yesterday, today was cool and rainy. We skipped the gardens because of the rain and because youngest had simply had it. He was done. Capital D done. (And he'd probably capitalize the other letters as well.)

We snagged the Sleepy Puppy from my dad's house (where he was apparently a holy terror, but my dad loves him anyway) and now we are home and I remember why, as much as I love the idea of vacation? They kind of suck.

2 comments:

  1. Have you taken the boys to Jamestown? That's a nice trip and very kid-friendly.

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  2. We have! But we're overdue for a return trip as littlest was...maybe 3?

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