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Iris and Bill were good friends when we lived in Worms, Germany in the 1980s. Their son, Matt (at the outside of both photos), and our son Matt were best buddies, jungle explorers (at the Heidelberg Zoo), and imaginative crime fighters in these pics from 1989. Today they still fight the forces of darkness, this time in the Army, frequently in Iraq, where they are both sergeants.

of	Bill and Iris opened their home and hearts in Fredericksburg for us. With Iris's great cooking, it was like staying at a dream bed-and-breakfast from the 1700's.

Cherie and Iris hadn't seen each other since 1989 — about 18 years ago. But it was like only yesterday when they met again...and neither of them had changed, remarkably. Their husbands, well, they were showing a little wear and tear, but only just a little.

A Walk through Fredericksburg
Iris's house, below, is the first stop on her guided tour of town landmarks. At right she shows off one of the estates on Washington Avenue.

She showed us the Kenmore Estate, the one-time home of Martha Washington's sister. There are cannonballs embeded in the brickwork on both sides of the house, remanants of battles in the Civil War when the estate was positioned between the Union and Confederate lines.

Across the street from their house is the apothecary, and a short walk away the Confederate cemetery

Another tavern sits caty-corner from their house

A later-generation drug store is a few blocks down the street from them ... it still has a working soda fountain from the early 20th century

	And for the modern generation Fredericksburg has an appropriately named tatoo parlor... ...where, we're sure, one can get an appropriately old-fashioned stars and bars or old glory etched on your arm.

Williamsburg Williamsburg was the seat of Virginia's government, culture, and society in colonial times. Streets and buildings where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patric Henry, George Wythe and others lived and worked are restored to their appearance in the 18th century. Iris calls it colonial Disneyland, disparagingly. Revisiting it after 13 years I'd have to agree. It has lost much of its charm while transforming into a commercial enterprise. Guess that's life in modern-day America. The capitol building stands where the Virginia legislature assembled from 1705 through 1779.

Town and Country Being a small town, and one dependent on the land for survival, farms with animals and crops are just a short walk from the busy shop-lined lanes. At right, a grocer takes a pipe-smoking break on the stoop of his shop.

The Governor's Palace At right, the residence of nine colonial Virginia governers, including Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson

Before neon and electricity were available, the shops advertised their wares with hanging shingles, below.

Cherie and I enjoyed lunch and a flight of wine at the Trellis Restaurant in the Merchants Square Shops area adjoining the historic section.

Jamestowne Site of the first English permanent settlement in America, Jamestowne was celebrating its 400th anniversary the week we visited.

The hardships of the first settlers didn't end with the voyage across the Atlantic

The original fort was besieged by hunger and disease, as the settlers were faced with the dilemma of risking their lives from starvation within the fort or risking their lives at the hands of hostile natives outside. In 1609, only 60 of the original 214 settlers survived. Replicas of the three ships which landed at Jamestowne are harbored nearby. The area is actively being excavated to learn more about life among the early American settlers. The artifacts discovered within and around the fort area are displayed in a new archeological museum sitting over the foundations of the colony's original legislative building. The town settled on the banks of the James River. Unfortunately for the original settlers, it was on a swampy island that offered brackish water and swamp-borne diseases.

WIthin a generation, the town expanded beyond the fort walls and houses, churches, and shops were built along the river bank.

Every successful man stands upon his wife's shoulders

The ruins of subsequent generations of buildings are in various states of repair. The Ambler Mansion, left, was built in the 1750s and burned down during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars.

But mostly, only foundation markings survive in this town that was Virginia's first settlement, first capital, and one of the first outposts of civilization in America.

Cherie stands beside a trench dug in the Civil War by Confederates repelling Union attacks on the James River...a truly historic area.

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