Here we are looking for Jerri and wondering where she is. Actually, this is a put-up photo. Jerri got sick the day before we were to leave and it turned out that she had covid for the second time (It was a blessing in disguise that she got sick before we left). The building in the background is Salem’s Old Town Hall. The gilded frame was there for all to take photos.Jolee posing in the JFK Library. It is quite an education to visit the library and interact with some of the exhibits.The Mayflower II was our next destination. We enjoyed that tour and were glad we weren’t among the Pilgrims looking for a new place to live and worship. 102 Pilgrims lived for three months plus crammed into the “tween deck”, seldom getting to go up to the main deck for fresh air.Burial Hill, resting place for many of the early Pilgrims. The Plimouth Plantation, a living history museum that brings to life Wampanoag and Pilgrim stories through the 17th century English Village and Wampanoag Homesite. I just happened to catch a view when no one was in the main path. We met characters living the part of settlers and the Wampanoag. Working gardens, livestock and crafts are created and used in this depiction.Fall River, MA: Lizzie Borden house where the famous murders were committed. We took the house tour and were glad we didn’t have reservations to spend the night in the house. TOOOO creepy! Did Lizzie Borden commit her father’s & step-mother’s murders? We think not. We think the uncle did it in cahoots with the maid (who disappeared shortly after the trial and turned up later with quite a bit of money and a ranch in Montana). Sorry about the photo. We failed to take a picture of the houseWhat an enjoyable dinner we had at the Tipsy Toboggan, on the Fall River waterfront.Ready for Halloween at the Tipsy Toboggan!From Fall River, we headed north and visited Lexington, where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired.The image I have when I think of Walden Pond and Henry David Thoreau.Fooling around at Walden Pond. This would be a lake in Nevada! Ropes House, built in 1727 in Salem, MA, that was used in the Hocus Pocus movieA very tasteful tribute to the “witches” killed in 1692.Part of a memorial for the 19 killed for being witches in 1692House of Seven Gables was the model for Hawthorne’s book of the same name. The tour was interesting and we even got to enter the secret room.Playpen in Hawthorne’s birth home across the way from the 7 Gables house. Whoever used it must have felt like he was in prison!My future home? The Home for Aged Women presented by Robert Brookhouse, 1861. Somehow this doesn’t fit with the witchy décor in other parts of downtown SalemPart of the purpose of this trip was to see the vivid fall colors in New England. It turns out that we were about 10 days ahead of the spectacular display. This is Lake Winnepesaukee, a charming lake, but little to no color.Merry Meeting Marsh in New Hampshire. The best we could do with the colorsA delightful sculpture in a public park in Kennebunkport, NH.Part of the Kennebunkport marina.It wasn’t really very cold in Kennebunkport, but Jolee and I were not used to the damp cold. I needed to get a heavy sweatshirt!Jolee spotted this interesting item while we were walking early one morning after breakfast. We were wondering if it was testing the weather, asking for help or just sayin’ “What’s up, Dude?”Waiting for the T. This is the greatest thing and the best way (in my opinion) to get around Boston. No muss, no fuss and no looking and paying for parking. We did get our steps in every day we used it though.Us at Bunker Hill Monument. We were bummed that it wasn’t open. It turns out that U.S. Government run sites weren’t (at that time) open on Monday and Tuesday. Just our luck. We had looked forward to climbing to the top.Jolee taking a photo of the entire Bunker Hill obeliskJolee’s photoCemetery near Bunker Hill and the Old North Church (which we did not visit because we were too cheap to pay a fee just to sit in the pewFor those of you wondering, we did walk the Freedom Trail and the Black Heritage Trail (14 historic sites that are former residences, schools, businesses, churches of this thriving black community as well as several stations on the Underground Railroad, along which escaped slaves fled from the South to freedom in the North and in Canada). This is the home of Lewis Hayden –a fugitive slave and leading abolitionist among other life highlights. His home was also a station of the Underground Railroad.We also rode the Boston Red Trolley (hop on and hop off tour) and learned of more places. We visited the USS Constitution museum (the actual ship was closed for tour because it also was closed) We were disappointed but enjoyed the museum and also some fascinating artworkOur last day in Boston found us doing a bit more touring and then visiting the “Eleanor,” a ship that was loaded with tea in 1773. This was a time when the Colonists were upset with the taxes levied by the British to help pay for the French and Indian War. The Sons of Liberty protested and were leaders of the “tea party.” We got to participate in the tea party by participating in a town hall meeting and then going to the “Eleanor” to toss the tea into the harbor.Jolee is doing her share to help the Sons of Liberty.All in all, 342 chests of tea were tossed into the harbor. That is about 92,000 pounds of tea… worth in about $1.7 million in today’s money.The view from our room looking out on Quincy Bay, south of Boston proper. (We found out Quincy is pronounced Quin-zee, not Quin-cee) Learn something new every day. We were sorry to leave that hotel… nice room, good pub, and extremely courteous, helpful staff.
buzzardnotes 