10-7-06 Brunch and Witches
After the fun filled wedding festivities we topped off the weekend with a brunch in Salem MA with Diane Fischer, Rachel’s mom. She lives on Webb street in Salem in a home built in 1886 a block or so from the ocean. The winding staircase to her place lead to a charming home filled with family enjoying those wonderful back east bagels, fresh fruit, juice and a sliver of wedding cake. I had a spinach bagel which was soft chewy and flavorful. The newlyweds seem right at home enjoying their commitment to one another.
Diane’s place is a short walk across a park to the Salem Witch Museum. For blocks people are gathering for the annual influx of visitors and locals to Salem to celebrate the Halloween season. The line to visit the museum stretched around the block with a 40 minute wait. We opt’d out to walk around the shops on Essex Street. Vendors with all kinds of T-shirts, magic wands and other such witch delights lined the streets. People in costume acting out scenes from the witch trials in the 1600’s stopped entertain the crowds. It is a crazy time of year and fills the city.
10-10-06 Portsmouth New Hampshire
We took a ride up to New Hampshire about 50 – 60 miles outside of Boston to Portsmouth New Hampshire. I put in our traveling music in the CD player and realized that I had recorded that same song that John had selected for his Mother/Son dance at the wedding. Now I had more time to listen to the words of “There are places I Remember” by the Beatles. What a special words for a son to share with his Mom on his wedding day.
As you exit to Portsmouth, the first right is an exhibit of the United States Ship Albacore, an experimental submarine used from 1953 to 1972 to test control systems, dive brakes and sonar equipment. It was the first true underwater hull of cylindrical shape that had become the standard for submarines today. It seems small and a visit through in the inside showed how close the quarters really were.
The town has several blocks of fun shops and restaurants. We enjoyed the varied arts/crafts made my local artists and interesting imports. We stopped and had great sandwiches at the Works. The weather was in the 80’s and made for a nice time strolling around.
We kept on north on highway 103 that hugged the coast and within a few miles were in Maine passing through Kittery. The leaves were exploding in color and glimpses of the ocean with sail boats moored in the inlet required a quick stop for a photo. We pulled over at a grave yard and notice ancient white stones from the 1800’s. A grounds keeper was repairing the rock wall. A lady was planting flowers around a newer looking grave.
We sat on the benches enjoying the view of the ocean and the well tended flower garden filled with monarch butterflies skimming from plant to plant. We asked the women, Marjorie, if her was responsible for this beautiful garden. She said that it was a group effort by members of the community. We talked about Portsmouth and the places we had visited there. She said that she sang in the choir at the church, which we saw they were now re-furbishing the outside. Marjorie told us they are spending a million dollars to fix it up. I remember one time we visited a couple of years ago Stan and I went in to hear an organ concert that was going on at noon that day. She said she also sang in the choir for the church across from the grave yard, which I noticed was had a sign in front that said, “1st Congregational Church – 1714”.
Marjorie had just buried her husband Robert in June after a lengthy illness. She was filled with grief and was planting some iris and daffodils. She said he was in the Navy for 35 years and they had been married for 47 years. We gave her a hug and wished her happier days. She said they had lived right on this bay their whole lives. What a lovely setting this made as a resting place for her husband.
A block or so down the road is Fort McClary, one of several forts in Maine. We stopped to take a look and enjoy the peacefulness of the day. This fore was for nearly 275 years to protect the Piscataqua River. There were a few old building that remained. The setting was lovely on a grassy hill that opened into the cove. A couple of lighthouses could we seen in the distance.
Down the road a mile or so we came to Sea Point Beach in Kittery, Maine. You park your car and walk a quarter of mile less through the rustic neighborhood with homes set back into the woods to the ocean. Stan found the perfect rock to rest on that was more like a recliner built for him. The tide was going out and had left remains of seaweed. The beach was mostly sandy, but there were parts that were lined with rocks that had been tumbled by the sea. Neighborhood people were gathering with their dogs who knew it was time to fletch balls in the ocean’s current. This must be a daily routine as the dogs frolicked happily with each other.
Joyce