I have not visited Colonial Williamsburg in many years.  It has always been One of My Favorite Places, and it continues to be.  But today I experienced Too Much Information, Colonial Style.
The visit to the Brush-Everard House began like most of the others on our two-day tour, with a fifteen minute wait outside for admission in a group with a guide who would take us through the house.  But once inside, we were TRAPPED by DETAILS.  For example, we had to hear the excruciating story of the recovery of unused 250 year old china from the bottom of the sea.  Piece by Piece.   For my money, just saying, hey look over there in the china cabinet would have been fine.  And then, we learned it was not a china cabinet at all.  It was a “bowfat” or, as we all know now, a “buffet.”  Could have survived without that piece of trivia, too.  Then there was the history of EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF FURNITURE in the room.  Sorry, it was enough for me to know they were all period originals.
We learned the history of every print on the walls, the hue of the paint, the way wallpaper was hung, and how carpet was woven and  sewn together.  Upstairs, we heard every detail of the daughthers’ marriages and deaths.  I mean every detail.
Back downstairs, all of us were waiting for a chance to dash through the back door.  As the tour guide followed us out, wailing, “Don’t you want to hear about the outbuildings?” our group was making a break for it through the side gate, one by one.  I do love history and Williamsburg, but word to the wise:  there are only so many details that are (a) interesting and (b) pertinent and (c) that the human brain can absorb in a sitting.  Anyway, we made up for being BORED with a good lunch and a walking photo shoot this afternoon.  No more being TRAPPED inside on guided tours.