Skywatch Friday: James Fort

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This is the shape of a building that once stood on this site in Jamestown, Virginia, where English settlers first set up camp in the New World. The first photo is a view through the suggestion of a roof on this suggestion of a building where, under the direction of John Smith, the colony did OK despite myriad challenges. After Smith left, sickness and bad relations with the locals led rapidly to the decimation of the colony.

I liked this hint of a building very much. Looking through it, I wondered what dreams lived in the hearts of the folks who were here for the first time. I wondered what it was like to completely misunderstand the nature of the people around them and of the New World itself but continue to look up and dream. They carried their limitations with them, but their dreams continued nonetheless.


More Skywatch Friday at Wiggers' World

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106 Comments

  1. Nothing has changed,even now if our leaders fail us or we fail ourselves we could return to dust.
    but I doubt it there are always courages and resouceful people to carry on.

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  2. Anonymous3:33 PM

    Your first photo is a stunner!
    I love seeing geometrical patterns appearing in photos.
    And the sky is perfect.

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  3. So artistic, Sandy! I love that blue sky; I haven't seen too much of those lately. Thanks for the history too.

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  4. I love the first photo!!

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  5. I loved the first one very much, and I always like to read what you say about each photo you publish.

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  6. Great story and fantastic shots.

    my double reflection is now up please feel free to visit-thanks.

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  7. Anonymous3:42 PM

    This is really interesting. I assume it is a reconstruction based on the best knowledge available. We have an Indian village nearby that features grass covered buildings which is after their style. And I was amazed at how large they were and how cool they were in the dead head of August when it is hot and humid here.

    Nice photos.

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  8. The picture withe the "grid" was just great!

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  9. Sandy: Very nicely captured for SWF. The air can certaily enter the fort.

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  10. Your first photo is a really good capture. Love the pattern against the blue sky.

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  11. Love that first photo for its beauty but also like the second...I always visit places like this when given the chance and wonder about the people's dreams that lived there.

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  12. Anonymous3:56 PM

    Nice shot through the roof. Have a wonderful rest of your week Sandy!

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  13. Very very nice and great info.

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  14. Anonymous4:00 PM

    What a great post! Unique shots, and I love the view through the first one too!

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  15. I love your first photo!
    The colours are beautiful!

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  16. perfect shots, nice one for SWF! thanks for dropping by.

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  17. At first glance, I thought this was Plymouth Plantation!

    What beautiful photos!

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  18. When "Louis" saw the first photo, he thought of the yard behind the last of the missions in the California mission chain at Sonoma - THEN - he tought of Jamestown - BEFORE - he read your text. Excellent choice!

    "Louis's" Sky Watch Friday post will be up at 00:01, Paris time.

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  19. this is excellent, well done.

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  20. Love that first photo Sandy!
    When I lived in Virginia we took our fourth graders to Jamestown every year. I always enjoyed it.

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  21. this is interesting, really interesting:)and beautiful!

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  22. Well done Sandy.. a great Sky Watch and a history lesson for old womtig ;O)
    Thank you for your company on this trip we take each week... it is always a pleasure to see you name on blog after blog.

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  23. One looks past the woods and it is really a pretty sight! But the wood is a lovely addition! Happy Sky Watching!

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  24. very beautiful pictures of the sky with such beautiful colors

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  25. The sky through the lattice is beautiful.

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  26. Pretty pictures. Congratulations

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  27. I love the first photo, too!!
    Great catch.

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  28. Great sky watch :)

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  29. The detail picture is terrific, and the skeleton of the house is fascinating.

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  30. Wonderful, wonderful post.
    I love history and good photography.
    You did both very well.
    I also wonder what happened to the dreams of the people there.

    Thanks for the visit,
    Troy

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  31. That is really neat!!!

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  32. That is so cool! I can imagine just looking up there for hours.

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  33. what a fantastic shots! thank for dropping by.

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  34. Love that first one! Gorgeous!

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  35. Anonymous6:35 PM

    lobe the first one great SWF

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  36. that was very interesting! bloghopping here...tc

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  37. Great sky, wonderful history pointer.

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  38. Wonderful! That first picture is very creative! I love the way the two pictures complement each other and complete the story you wrote.

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  39. Two excellent photos in an awesome post!

    I enjoyed Jamestown with my family a few years ago!

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  40. Especially love your hint of a roof in the first one with beutiful sky behind :)

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  41. Anonymous9:26 PM

    The composition of the first picture is great.
    For a second I thought you were building a shed or something :P
    Thanks for the information on it :)

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  42. Anonymous10:02 PM

    History, tradition and great shots.
    The first one is so good.

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  43. Anonymous10:14 PM

    wow ... love that first shot! :)
    thank you for sharing with us the story behind it, too.

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  44. Nice photo shot. A great way to capture the sky through the fences. Thanks for visiting my blog. :)

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  45. amazing how your ancestors lived in those times. nice place to recall the old times.

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  46. Always a pleasure to read your blog, Sandy...nice entry today!!

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  47. Great shots Sandy. I liked reading your imaginations too and appreciate how you feel for them.
    Have a nice weekend. :)

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  48. Anonymous12:40 AM

    me tooo....1st photo is great :D blueeee sky...

    Hope you visit mine too Thanks

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  49. Two lovely photos and a very interesting write-up. An excellent sky watch contribution.

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  50. Anonymous2:33 AM

    the first is amazing. great geometry

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  51. What a wonderfully historical photo! The sky is so crisp and clean and BLUE!!!!

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  52. Love the first one....so imaginative and thought provoking. Your words as ever link in so well.


    Dxx

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  53. i like the patterns.excellent!

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  54. The photos are great but the thoughts written are even more so.

    I wonder what's going to happen next because we westerners misunderstand the nature of most of the people in the world. We also carry our limitations with us too.

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  55. Sandy,

    I love the first photo, but what I love most is your commentary about it! This is my first time here and oh I've been missing out!!

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  56. Lovely photos.Have a nice day!

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  57. Its hard to heat a place like that lol!

    Great job Sandee very good info!! :D

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  58. Nice shots, Sandy. I really like the first one.

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  59. Happy Friday, Sandy :D

    thanks for the history lesson. In re: bringing one's limitations along, yes - "wherever you go, there you are". Clearly, it was so very HARD to attempt to do what they were doing - carve out a place and a way to live in a wild, untamed land, starting with NOTHING and having to build it in order to live in it, hunt for it in order to eat it, etc. Those dreams they were dreaming must have been incredibly powerful motivators.

    Today at my place, I have some philosophical questions about blogging and one’s obligation to one’s subscribers. Would love to hear everyone’s opinion, so come on by and leave your thoughts if you’ve got a spare moment.

    Tink *~*~*
    My Mobile Adventures *~*~*

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  60. Nice photos but more than that, very thought provoking.

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  61. What a beautiful and interesting photo. I loved reading about this structure. Your blog looks gorgeous and I must browse your writings. Karen

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  62. WOW! this is amazing and i love how that building was constructed.

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  63. Beautiful and interesting shot.

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  64. Great pictures and great text. Dreams are all we have sometimes. MB

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  65. how unexpected the first photo! wonderful! a sky full of hopes...

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  66. As an American History buff .. I am fascinated with Jamestown.. this is a wonderful peek into a place I long to visit in person.. thank you ... these are just a delight!

    :-Daryl

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  67. Beautiful shot Sandy, through the tree branches of the house. They have some new things since I've been there...

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  68. I love seeing the sky from a different point of view.

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  69. A sky full of dreams! What a great idea. I like these photos and your thoughts as well.

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  70. Oh, my, gosh!
    I love the photos, especially the first one. Magnificent!

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  71. Sandy, excellent photos! The first in particular is a great shot!

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  72. I love that first photo!

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  73. Anonymous12:05 PM

    I wonder hoe they survive living in that house! wow!

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  74. Great shots and the blue colour on the sky is amazing;)

    Petunia's SWF

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  75. Beautiful! The first photo is very artful, the second very informative. Love them both! I hope to get out that way - the land of our earliest history - someday. Thanks for sharing these, Sandy!

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  76. Very interesting but do we understand people around us now?
    Great skywatch.

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  77. Wow Sandy,
    This is really an impressive collection of "how to look at a sky" thank you!

    Thanks for missing me, last week when I had no internet... Now I join the SKYWATCH Friday as usual,

    Have a good skywatch
    I wish you a good weekend!:)

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  78. great post, sandy. that top pic is very clever. I also like the suggestion of a building. Isn't it sad, no matter where people go, or how idealistic they may be, they always end up squabbling!

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  79. Anonymous2:15 PM

    What an interesting, well-thought out post! I hope I get to visit Jamestown some day. Love the photos, especially the first one.

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  80. Wonderful fun photos ~ enjoy your weekend.

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  81. I love your pictures, both of them.
    The first represents the thought that nothing can narrow, and the second, manual labor. Your comment is, for me, non american, precious and interesting. Love the way you think in place of these men.

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  82. Love that first shot!

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  83. A clever view of the sky and thought-provoking photo and post. . .My visits to Jamestown, especially the church, always left me a little sad and bewildered.
    Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend!

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  84. Great shot through the open roof. Interesting information about the fort. Thanks.

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  85. That is a very interesting structure. Cool concept.

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  86. Anonymous4:42 PM

    wonderful shots and very interesting information. Thanks for sharing Sandy!

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  87. Very interesting and educational post. That first photo is wonderful. Very artistic.

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  88. Anonymous6:17 PM

    magnificent shot and great post!

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  89. Wonderful shots! The first one is just fantastic! Love the other one too. Well done:D

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  90. Anonymous6:55 PM

    I like the log cabin. very nice shots!

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  91. Anonymous7:06 PM

    great shot and colors!

    the journal is interesting too.

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  92. We can learn from our past if willing. your pics are worth a thousand worjs

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  93. Anonymous7:17 PM

    I often wonder too Sandy, what were they thinking, what dreams did they have and what were the everyday worries. The first photo puts us in that place of wondering easily. I hope your day was a nice one.

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  94. I do the same thing — wonder about how they felt, what they did in the days, how the nights were. It is such a small building. The photo of the sky through the beams is awesome, Sandy. And your writing? it's inspiring.

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  95. Beautiful photographs and thoughts. I always wonder what drives people to explore - or to settle down in places where it's so difficult to live.

    My Skywatch this week - some of the sights along the drive between southern Laos and Vientiane.

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  96. We went there last summer. The temperature was a balmy 100 in the sun. Gotta love those summers!

    I especially like the first picture - very impressive.

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  97. Anonymous6:58 AM

    I love the perspective of your first photo!

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  98. Anonymous10:08 AM

    While both pictures are great ..I loved the first one . The grid pattern against the blue and green really looks fantastic !!

    The little story that goes with them is so very interesting too.

    Thanks for stopping by .

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  99. Hi Sandy :)

    As always your photos are so great :)

    A wonderful week-end to you

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  100. Anonymous1:39 PM

    Wonderful pictures..
    I am late visiting SWF participants, but we have a holiday weekend in Canada.
    Thank you for your visit.
    -Cheers.

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  101. That? A fort? My impression of fort is always bricked, thick-walled...
    now...that's new "p

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  102. Very nice sky beyond the grating.

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  103. Nice skywatch photo.

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  104. Your photos are remarkable and I enjoyed your other postings as well. My grandfather was a zen priest so I enjoyed your writing very much.

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Thanks for being here.