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3:54 p.m. - 2001-07-03 I'm baaaaaaaaack!!Apparently, no one missed me much. That's ok, I had fun. If I weren't so damned cheap, I'd get that gold membership so that I could post some pics of my trip. But, alas, I am part Irish. Anyways. I've come to a few conclusions while driving the crazy roads of New England. Here are some, to name a few: a. NJ drivers are bad, no doubt about it. We drive fast, furious, and occassionally give others the finger. (doesn't totally constitute road rage...) b. NY constitutes road rage. c. CT gives NYers a reason to have road rage. d. MA puts all three previous states to shame. Not only are they *bad* but they rule the roads with some evil ignorance that even makes me shutter. *tsk tsk* Anyways... We went to Sturbridge Village (day 2 and 3). ( I work at a living history museum during the summer in events and festivals, btw.) This wasn't as exciting as Williamsburg, VA. Most of the buildings weren't original to the area. The cost was expensive: $20 adult, $10 kids over 5. The tickets could be endorsed for a free second day. Still, it wasn't that exciting. The highlight of that trip was the horse cart ride (*FREE*) where the driver gave us more of a history lesson than the interpretors in the buildings. THe kids also were able to play "old-fashioned" baseball on the common with some interpreters. (erpre...hmm) The next day we hung out at the campsite. It was interesting. We were the only ones in our area. We had a nice view of the lake. We were up on a hill w/ bugs, pine trees dripping shit on us, and sap. Lots of sap. Lots of sap on my BRAND NEW TRUCK. S'ok, someone's gonna wash it later for me *grins*. The next day we went to Concord (amazing town, really), Lexington (a lil too rich and boring for me...can't believe that's where Revere was caught. Must've been because of the TRAFFIC), and Northern Boston (Bunker Hill and Constitution Wharf). If you haven't noticed yet... We worked ourselves backwards. The actual historical event went from Boston, to Lexington (Where Revere and another man (either Prescott or Dawes, I keep forgetting) were caught while riding to warn the colonists (primarily Sam Adams and John Hancock) that the British were coming...), to Concord (loved it here.....absolutely loved it) where the British and Colonists went at it on the bridge (I was ON the bridge... very surreal). I enjoyed Concord (like I haven't said that before). We saw Ralph Waldo Emerson's house (didn't have time to see Waldon Pond, tho...bummer man), Nathaniel Hawthorne's house, the Alcott house (which leads me to my next observation. Down the road towards Lex., there's another house with the Alcott-Hawthorne's on it. Did they live together? Were they related? Did they trade realestate? The questions continue to mount...), among the most beautifully adorable houses. I liked it there. The people were nice, patient, and welcoming. It probably helped that they ran the only info booth in the town, and sold hundreds of dollars in maps...) The drive from Concord to Lexington set my lil history loving heart on fire. I haven't been that excited since I got to touch Pocahontas' statue at Jamestown. Or, walking through the Union Cemetary in Gettsyburg (tho Jamestown will always ROCK my world). We took the 5th day off. My dogs were aching, and we were sick and tired of being in the car. So, instead, we swam in an indoor pool (heated and reeking of chlorine) all day. ONce pruny, we surfaced to veg in the camper (btw...this is a real campsite. We rented a single-wide with a/c and cable...b/c my husband and boys like making campfires. I, on the otherhand, sometimes like camping, but hate the bugs...) The 6th day we returned to Boston (and only Boston). We parked under the Boston Common, acquired a map of the town (free, always free), and proceeded to follow the Freedom Trail as mapped out for us. That was great. I saw the graves of: Sam Adams, John Hancock, Ben Franklin (HEY PHILLY, I THOUGHT HE WAS YOUR GUY?), John Adams, John Winthrop (first leader of MA), The victims of the Boston Massacre (including Crispus Attacus, the only black man killed), Otis Warren (Mary Otis WArren is relatives with him, I believe), Paul Revere, Billy Dawes (another rider w/ Revere), the man who lit the lanterns that started Revere's ride, Revere's wife (my son noticed that Paul and his wife were not buried near one another...anyone from Boston know the answer to that one?), oh god, who else....well, let's just say....lots of dead famous patriots. We also visited the churches (didn't go inside, too hot): Old North, Old South, and the one that William Lloyd GArrison did his famous anti-slavery speech in, as well as the old town hall (listened to a fife and drum corp dressed in Colonial Militia uniforms and sweating their pahtooties off). We crossed over the Boston Massacre site, walked down towards the harbor to Quincy Market (THIS PLACE WAS COOL!!), then to Revere's house (cute, but crowded and couldn't get inside), up the hill to the Old North Church, then further up the hill to the Copps' Cemetary (Cotton Mather and family were buried here, and the first black mason *Prince* someone...), as well as several other people (one bearing the same first AND last name of my oldest son...we took a pic of that for sure). Boston was nice. Boston smelled funny. Boston's harbor is STILL dirty. Boston isn't cheap. There are more park rangers in Boston than police (go figure). When it rains, it floods Boston. When its hot in Boston, the harbor stinks up the city. I loved the FREEDOM TRAIL, though. I walked the whole damned thing (from Boston Common to Bunker Hill). It was long, 96 degrees and muggy, and crowded. I guess I didn't realize that people *needed* that freedrom trail to find their way around Boston as we did. It was fun. But, when I got to the Copps Cemetary (by the church where Revere had the first lanterns lit, directly across the harbor from Bunker Hill), I said enough is enough. (We did Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution two days before and it was not as hot, but just as muggy). We took a taxi back to the Commons, which, incidentally, has an underground parking garage in the middle (good planning, I appreciated a shaded car after walking in the heat all day). The views would've been great had the construction not impeded my view. Everything was under plastic and had extension cords running around it. It was one of the less exciting moments. Tho, speaking of exciting...at one point, we were overcome w/ US Navy guys (I'm so totally NOT complaining about that one). ;) I loved it. I would live in the cleaner part of Boston to be sure. We even experienced (for a nominal fee) the Boston Tea Party (cute, but expensive). I even went below deck on the SS Beaver (no lie, my students next year would die if I said, "Hey, anyone want to see Beaver?"), which reminded me of my gramma's house IN the heat... as well as a curious floating bench on the river nearby (anyone know about this?). The next day, we didn't rest. We hurried to Cape Cod (another 2 hour ride). We sat on a wind-blasted beach, dodging sand pouring from some kid's shovel, as the wind beat the hell outta us. I got sunburned. All was good. The following day, we rested. (It Monday.) We swam, did laundry, and I even took my 7 yr old out in the canoe. But, fierce winds shoved us aground at someone's campsite....and prevented me from paddling back to the dock. Fortunately, the lake wasn't big, and my husband found it funny. He was on the shore laughing. My 7 yr old wanted OUT of the canoe. My 10 yr old almost got a paddle across his mug for mocking me. I CAN canoe. I CAN'T paddle in the wind by myself. Thank God my husband stopped laughing. It would've been worth the muck and mire of this large moldy pond to dump his ass over... but he did save me from the rocks. *gotta love a white knight in shorts and white legs* All in all, the trip was fine. I am glad to be home. I missed my dog (who we re-kidnapped back from my mother's house before she got home from work), my bed, and a real shower. Well, I need to unpack... Will fill in the blanks later. Tah tah
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