To Williamsburg...

Another enjoyable day! I really do enjoy traveling, even if it's to less than exotic places. Wherever we go, Dear Diane and I meet the most pleasant and interesting people. The staff at the Holiday Inn Express in Smithfield, NC were helpful, cheerful and seemed to truly enjoy their work. After our excellent complementary breakfast we got back in our Kia and made our way to downtown Smithfield, all of a mile away. We parked the car and strolled along Main Street as we waited for the Ava Gardner Museum to open. Smithfield seems like a pleasant town, one of those nice, comfortable small cities undergoing a bit of a renaissance. We parked near the Greenway that runs alongside the Buffalo Creek and Neuse River and enjoyed the view. I took a short stroll on the riverwalk so I could snap a few photos.

The Ava Gardner Museum is actually quite interesting and well designed. Our visit began with a brief (20-minute) film on her life, after which we viewed the many displays highlighting her early years in Smithfield, her film career, and her later life outside of Hollywood. Diane, a devotee of old movies, took it all in, and the docent on duty, a lovely woman named Sarah, answered every question with a smile. After an hour or so we had probably learned more than enough about Ava Gardner and her three show-biz husbands: Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw, and Frank Sinatra. Here's a photo of Ava and Frank, a romance that ended like the others in divorce.


I bought a coffee mug and Diane a book from the museum's shop.

Leaving Smithfield in mid-morning we made our way north to Virginia along country highways. As we passed through one rural county after another it became obvious that we were in cotton country. Most of the fields had already been harvested, but I was surprised that so many were still filled with unpicked cotton. Actually, a cotton field that's ready to be harvested is a beautiful sight, so I was pleased to see so many and took a bunch of photos.


We stopped for lunch at the Hungry Rooster, a nice little restaurant in the unusually named town of Boykins, Virginia. The food was quite good, the prices reasonable, and our waitress was just about a nice as she could be. 

By mid-afternoon we had arrived here at Williamsburg where we met up with our friends. We moved into our temporary home, a two-bedroom suite at the Holiday Inn Club Resort, caught up on family news over a glass of wine, then went out for a light dinner. On Tuesday we hope to take in the wonders of colonial Williamsburg.

On the Road Again

Once again I find myself wide awake in the day's early hours listening to Dear Diane's soft breathing as she sleeps in our hotel room's remarkably comfortable bed. Diane needs more sleep than I so this is a normal occurrence for us, especially when we're traveling. Yesterday she and I spent the day driving north along America's most-traveled corridor, I-95, and ended up in Smithfield, North Carolina.

By the time we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express the sun had set and so Smithfield remains a bit of a mystery. It's one of those towns we have passed by a hundred times in the past but never stopped to see. From what others tell me, it is a farming community known for its excellent hams. But what has intrigued me most about Smithfield is its claim as the birthplace of the late actress, Ava Gardner. I know this because there's a prominent sign on the interstate encouraging travelers to visit the Ava Gardner Museum. We intend to visit the museum this morning and by doing so take away a bit of the mystery surrounding this community.

Actually, in my younger days I, along with a few million others, had a bit of a crush in Ms. Gardner. She was, after all, a beautiful, woman. I really can't comment on her acting ability since that was never an interest. I suppose I was a bit like Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM, who after viewing her screentest demanded that the 18-year-old beauty be signed to a contract. In a telegram Mayer wrote, "She can't sing, she can't act, she can't talk, She's terrific!" Yes, there was just something about her...Anyway, after the museum, we might buy a Smithfield ham, a more than fitting souvenir for a town so closely connected to Hollywood.

We expect to shake the dust of Smithfield from our feet by about noon, and then make our way via the back roads of North Carolina and Virginia to historic Williamsburg. We plan to spend the next four days there with our dear friends, the Lees, and get in touch with a few of our national roots. I'm looking forward to having a meal at Shields Tavern, a Williamsburg establishment dating back to colonial times. Our son, Ethan, who has an interest in the family genealogy, has informed Dear Diane that she is a direct descendant of the Mr. Shields who first opened the tavern. Maybe they'll give us a pint on the house.

It's now time to greet the rising sun and sample the hotel's complimentary breakfast. We have a busy day planned and will need nourishment. More tomorrow.

God's peace...