The three of us got to Williamsburg a day or so before everybody else. I decided to take a walk that day, just to see what was around.

     

All of the sewer caps and storm drains in the complex where we were staying were made in India. I remember the day when I was surprised to realize that the price of the energy used to make and transport these things was a small compared to the labor and overhead component of the price.

     

In California the private roads tend to have signs that don't look like they were put up with government money. We also have public roads with names that look like ads for the private enterprises on them though.

  

Walking down this road gave me that "I remember this place" feeling. I spent much of my youth walking down these narrow roads with ditches instead of shoulders, going to destinations that were hours away. When you get away from the tourist traps, the look of Virginia hasn't changed much since then. There are still lots of old tires and empty beer containers in the weeds.

It must be a southern thing to put "Plantation" in your development name. The exploitive connotations of the word made me shiver.

It was only a few years ago that California celebrated its 150th Anniversary. I remember that occasion well.