Thursday, December 30, 2010

But wasn't there snow in Colonial Williamsburg?

Thursday, December 30, 2010
A white Christmas in Virginia is a rarity, but this year a major snowstorm did sweep up the east coast just in time to blanket Colonial Williamsburg late on Christmas Day.

These two photos of Duke of Gloucester Street, left, were taken about 24 hours apart.

But while the snow was a headache for drivers, it also produced some of the most spectacular holiday decorations of all. CW's 18th c.-style buildings don't have gutters along their eaves (a later invention), which results in amazing, yard-long icicles, below. Also note how homeowners follow two rules: clear the steps, and knock the icicles away over the door – though this year, as was likely the case in the 18th c., there were always plenty of boys with snowballs eager to assist with the de-icicle process.

7 comments:

Svea Love said...

How absolutely beautiful! Those icicles are awesome. Haha, what a fun way to take down the icicles! Thank you so much for sharing :)

Charles Bazalgette said...

Looks a bit like my house. Same colour and siding, and icicles, but the similarity ends about there.

The Goads said...

Cute icicles! Happy Holiday!

Isabella Bradford/Susan Holloway Scott said...

Svea, I know from first-hand (if long-ago) experience that there are few things more satisfying than breaking icicles. Although they can break and shatter like glass, you never get into trouble for destroying them, the way you would with, say, a window. *g* And the big ones, if they break off cleanly, instantly become pretend spears, or light-sabres, or unicorn horns, or swordfish-swords, or...well, you get the idea. Nature's best winter-time toy!

Charles, the red building with the icicles isn't a private house, but Weatherburn's Tavern, dating back to the mid-18th c. I'm not sure now if it's ever open as an historic building, or if it's used instead for visitor lodgings. In any event, it's intended for housing a good many folk, so your own home needn't feel too humble in comparison. *g*

Goads, happy holiday to you, too!

Meg said...

Wow! What a stunning transformation! It's funny -- we recently moved from a warm, Mediterranean climate to a place where it freezes and occasionally snows, and I just could NOT figure out why we never get icicles. It never occurred to me that they never form because of our gutters!

A very happy New Year!

Theresa Bruno said...

The pictures are gorgeous. Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Now that's what I call a wounderful Christmas scene. I can almost see George and Martha, Thomas Jefferson and many others celebrating the holidays in style.

 
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