Where are my woolies?

Williamsburg, VA -- Beautiful azalea shrubs decorate the front entrance to our KOA campground here in historic Williamsburg. We've seen lots of gardens on our journey today displaying this showy emblem of spring in shades of red, peach, pink and white -- lovely. The campground is large and beautifully maintained, and surprisingly underpopulated at the moment, so we almost have it to ourselves.

 Brisk was the descriptor of the day today; I was loathe to emerge from my snuggly sleeping bag this morning! Expecting that it would warm up as the day wore on, I donned my usual light clothes and sandals and Val set out with T-shirt and shorts. By the time we stopped for lunch, we noticed most people were dressed in long pants and fleeces, and after supper we capitulated and turned on our furnace for the first time! It barely made it into the low sixties at best -- no idea why, but apparently the chill will be short-lived: tomorrow they're predicting 81 for a high.

Again today, we set out on Highway 17 north, but not long afterward we branched off to Highway 13 in a northwesterly direction. I had seen a Walmart Supercenter on Google Maps last night as I scoped out our route, and in due course we found it and turned in. In addition to a few groceries, we wanted to get a large plastic tote box to organize our stuff in the back of the RV a bit better, and having measured the space beforehand, we found exactly the right size. The RV has lots of wonderful nooks and crannies, which we've been filling up happily as we go along -- and still there is room to spare. We've also identified a few things we brought but don't really need (like Val's dozen pairs of sox!!) so we can pack more effectively on our next trip.

I realized by the afternoon that I hadn't seen a single strand of Spanish moss hanging from any trees today. We asked Janice at the Williamston campground if there were alligators this far north, and she said that one had been spotted a few miles from their site. But most of the southern flora and fauna are tapering off now that we have crossed into Virginia, even though this state was considered part of The South, historically speaking. Any self-respecting lizard or alligator would have made a beeline for warmer climes on a day like this chilly day has been.

Our route took us through Suffolk, and past Portsmouth and Norfolk, and we aren't even in England. The landscape ranged from flat, rural farmland, with fields freshly combed for spring planting, to heavily industrialized areas where ships dock and factories spew smoke, to genteel neighbourhoods with pillared homes and groomed lawns.

When we arrived at our destination and went in to register, Peter, the staffer who handled our arrangements, had a strangely familiar look. Tall and lean, with a thin beard around his angular chin and glasses perched on his nose, he could easily pass for Abraham Lincoln by simply donning a cravat and top hat! We asked him if he had ever portrayed the former president and he said yes -- a part time role he plays for business groups in the area. Even his voice resembled that of Daniel Day-Lewis, who starred in the excellent movie Lincoln that we have watched.