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Mystic, Connecticut

Not Just Any Psychic.

Mystic Connecticut 11.08.2015

Almost out of Town

Main Street from the Bridge

We left early for Mystic this morning. The romantic coming of age film “Mystic Pizza” was set in Mystic, though it was filmed in neighboring towns. The pizza restaurant was filmed in a converted house, not at Mystic Pizza!

Mystic Pizza

Mystic Pizza, the movie

Heading into town, at a “T” we could go to the Seaport or to Old Town, We chose Old Town and turned north. We breezed past a general store and had gone in and out of Old Town in a minute! Old Town is very quaint, but very very small. With another U-turn, we headed back toward the Seaport a bit disappointed in Old Town.

We passed Mystic Seaport Museum on the right and a huge parking lot on the left and continued south on Greenmanville Ave to Main Street. Driving down Main Street into town, the famous draw bridge over the Mystic River is unmistakable. Mystic is a typical New England Coastal Town. It is beautiful.

Not Mystic Pizza

Crossing the bridge, we drove up Main Street past a Ice Cream shop on the right, up the hill toward the old church and past Mystic Pizza also on the right. Even this late in the year Mystic is a busy town. I cannot imagine how hoards of tourists transform the town during the summer. There were no parking signs everywhere. We drove out of town and U-turned again to return. The best way to get the feel for a town is to drive through slowly. We were looking for interesting places to visit and a level place to park, I drove down a narrow street along the Mystic River to a dead end and U-turned in a business’ gravel lot. A workman watched my three point turn in with an amused look. We found pay-parking a bit further down the road at $1.50 per half hour. That could add up. Parking fronted on Main Street and the shops. I deployed our HD antenna, it locked onto the satellites, and we started recording the JETS game. Rather than watching the game, hit record. We shut down all the electronics except the PVR and refrigerator and off we went.

The Company of Craftsmen

We first walked into The Company of Craftsmen, a typical high-end tourist shop that sells pottery, original art, photos printed on aluminum, and jewelry. This was not your typical bric-a-brack The shop was empty but for us, the shopkeeper, and a middle aged couple. The fellow is a local and knew the shopkeeper; his wife didn’t say anything as she casually explored the art. The guy and the shopkeeper were in a conversation about the local fishery. Shopkeep said there were orcas spotted just off the coast here. That is unusual, he had never seen them this far south in his lifetime. I said perhaps conservation had let to a resurgence of fish that the orca are following south.

The Fishing Industry, “they went somewhere else”

While the woman continued looking around, her man turned to say, “conservation? No. The fishing was great for years until run-off and pesticides did the fish in. They all went somewhere else.” I agreed that fertilizer and pesticide runoff contribute to the industry problems, but that conservation is necessary too. This fellow was a fisherman and conservation was not in his vocabulary. I said that fishing to extinction would do nobody any good. He grudgingly agreed, but suggested that big money and state politicians bury the run-off issues and that that is the real issue. He thought new insecticides were the major cause of a recent fall off in fish. “They just went somewhere else.” Or were they fished out locally? I’d never considered that fishermen would think “went somewhere else” rather than “we over-fished.” Weird!

After the couple left, the shopkeeper said, “the problem is very complex. Factory fishing and illegal fishing are a big problem. Conservation is necessary too. A good friend of his is a Green Peace Captain who has spent time in jail in Russia. Now that is a nasty prospect.

The shop had quite a few very well done photos printed on aluminum, unique pottery, and woodwork. We saw quite a few items we liked, though we did not purchase any art in his shop. It was a different story in the spice shop: habanero salt, lapsang souchong tea, herb dip spice, and pumpkin cinnamon tea. Lapsang souchong had long been considered a second rate tea and has fallen out of favor in most tea shops.

We walked up Main Street to Mystic Pizza and had a slice at the bar. On our way in, Ellen asked if Mystic Pizza was filmed here. “No”, the hostess said,”this used to be just the bar. We’ve expanded, but the movie was shot in a local pub.” No surprise there, the local pubs have more character than Mystic Pizza.

At the bar, the guy to my right was savoring a slice of pepperoni pizza that looked great. I had one too and a local IPA. Their pizza was good, the crust was a bit oily but we didn’t care. The fellow beside me worked on submarine computer systems at Groton harbor. We talked football some: Patriots and Jets, not much about submarines. Leaving, Ellen had the sense to ask for parking validation and left with a validation card. Cool.

Marine 1 Fireboat

Mystic Drawbridge

Mssive Counter Weights

Reforest the Tropics!

Walking the Mystic River East Side

Next we headed back over the drawbridge to walk along the east side of the Mystic River. The drawbridge with its counter-weight design, is one of only three left in the country. There was no traffic on the river; the bridge stayed down.

As for walking along the east side of the Mystic River, No Doing! The walkway along the river is gated after about a hundred yards. so we walked local roads that fronted on the river. It was a gorgeous day, cool but not cold and even warm in the sun. We found a pier with gaff and square rigged ships moored alongside. One was for sale.

Formidable is For Sale!

Are the canon included?

The Maritime Museum in the Distance

Further along a SUP couple paddled by and turned into the boat ramp. Ahead was a boat-works museum that was closed off from this side.

On the fence was a map of the museum showing the entrance just up the road. This was the museum we passed driving into the Seaport. Great. I had walked ahead as Ellen took photos as she walked. I went on to the museum, bought a ticket for both of us and arranged for her to get her ticket when she arrived, “Can you give this ticket to my wife, Ellen, she’ll be arriving shortly. She’s dressed in a bright blue jacket. She’s short with light blond hair” I then called Ellen and told her about the arrangements as I saw her walking into the Museum.

On the Old Seaport Waterfront

The Maritime Museum is located on the old whaling town of Mystic. I think the buildings are re-creations of the original buildings. The museum also has a number of whalers and historical schooners moored riverside. :I overhead a fellow explaining that three of the whalers are not here now. They were moored over there (gesturing), but now there are only two of them. Two boats were under reconstruction and were closed to the public. One was just a skeleton housed indoors to protect it from the elements. A walkway led above decks, then wound down below and out topside once again. It was fascinating to see the beams, the keel, and the planking that were this ship. Two of the whalers were open to the public, you could just walk aboard. Plaques recorded the history of these ships and the whaling process itself. Today whales are endangered. Back then, whales were plentiful. What amazes me is the bravery of the crews of the whaling boats. These were small dory-like boats with five or six men at the oars, a coxswain, and a mate at the harpoon. Once the whale was impaled, the New England Sleigh Ride commenced. Whaling is what made coastal New England.

The “Boston Sleigh Ride”

We absorbed the museum as we walked its extensive grounds. I had wanted to go to Groton to visit the Nautilus Museum in Groton, but I am much happier walking around any sailboat. Tall ships are special, even if they were whalers. There were a number of antiques hidden in the houses dotting the Seaport. One was a clock works, another a hoop manufacturer for tall ships, another housed an old horse drawn fire pump. The pump was hand driven; firemen were big burly fellows much like they are today. The second floor of one housew the entire captain’s and mate’s quarters taken from a large merchant sailing ship. It was impressive for its woodwork, though the beds were quite small. People were much shorter back then.

The Old Seaport Bank, 1833

In the Fire Department (note the hand pump)

Walking back to The Beast, I wondered how much the PVR had drawn down the batteries. We have not calibrated battery wear based on what’s running and for how long. For us, it is still very much a crap shoot. I thought there was a good chance that after three and a half hours, the batteries could be drained. We passed a shop with free fudge samples. The sample was “ok”, but not worth buying. We stopped in another bakery and the cookies were too much to resist. Then we happened by the Mystic Oyster Company, a restaurant. Not having had my fill of steamers, we stopped in and asked if they have steamed clams. “No, but we have littlel neck clams” Not the long neck oval clams, but the small round ones. We asked about steaming them and left with the impression they would steam clams for us.

So do we order a pizza or go for steamed clams for dinner? First we checked on The Beast. The doors unlocked, stairs extended, and the PVR was still recording. The battery voltage was 12.1 which was good. With the football game three quarters over and our battery showing minimal wear, we felt good leaving things as they were for another hour or so. We headed back to have some “steamers”.

An Old Oyster Boat

At the Mystic Oyster House, we were told that the little neck clams were served cold. Could they be steamed? No. We ordered the clams served in the half shell. An IPA for me and a banana strawberry cocktail for Ellen. We both ordered a beet salad with scallops (Ellen) and swordfish (Ron) that was very good. The Oyster House could not validate parking. We ate slowly watching the lighting change over the Mystic River as the sun set. We had a window side table.

On the River, Crab Pots!

Across the River

Back at The Beast, the batteries were still good. I must have put the parking validation card in upside down, it did not work. I paid with a credit card before the attendant asked, “Can I help you”. I showed her the validation card and she said, “that will work” Too late, I had paid already.

Back at Mystic KOA, we did not have a gate card. We did not need one the first day. Renewing the second day we did not know we needed one and the fellow at the desk assumed we already had one. We arrived at the KOA gate with no way to get in! I took my phone over to the office door, found an after hours phone number, and called. It range, some one answered and my phone went dead. Ellen then started calling to me about something. I had been in range for The Beast to take over the phone call. Ellen was talking with the after hours fellow when I hung up thinking the call had failed. Isn’t technology grand? I called back and was told that there are after hours packets in the laundry room, just take the one furthest in back.

Playing with Shadows

We pulled into site B6 which was not very level. The campsite is almost a ghost town. There might be five other RVs here. We just pulled into A6 which was closer to level and hooked up. The evening is cool, but it will not go below freezing tonight. The fellow at the desk this morning said they would not turn the water off unless it was going to freeze. We should be OK tomorrow morning, but I will disconnect our water before hitting the sack tonight just to be safe.

We’re watching the JETS game we recorded earlier today and we have local cable channels. With luck we’ll watch Madam Secretary and The Good Wife a bit later.

We enjoyed our outing today. We had some exercise and had a great time too.

The Cangarda, restored in California, has seven steam engines!

Square Rigged Whaling Ships at the Maritime Museum, Mystic Ct.

The Joseph Conrad

Under Restoration

The Charles Morgan

Home Town

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Today we left still later than usual. We stopped by the Normandy Farms office to extend our stay another day. Our campsite is booked on 11/05. and the entire campsite is booked this weekend. Is there a PAT’s game at Gillette Stadium? Probably. We’ll be moving on to Rhode Island, though we may visit Boston one last time.

Walden Pond, Concord Massachusetts

Our first stop was Concord. I have fond memories of family visits to Walden Pond as a child. I caught craw fish, walked and swam in the pond, and read On Walden Pond by Henry David Thoreau. The pond holds a special place in my memories.

Walden Pond in Glorious Color

The parking lot as I remember it is on the right as you drive past the pond. Not so any longer. We drove right past the large parking lot to the left before the pond. Another U-turn for the record books. Luckily, I am not counting. There is an $8.00 fee for all day parking, $10.00 for out of staters with an electronic payment kiosk at the entrance. When we drove up there were two cars ahead of us and two guys at the kiosk not making any progress. I walked up to make the count three. The first fellow tried everything he could think of and anything we two suggested. Nothing worked. Then a passer-by said, “That machine will not work with the new chip cards!” Oh, right. Things went smoothly thereafter.

Fall Foliage in November

Funny though, The two guys ahead of me paid, got their ticket, and drove off. There I was at the kiosk with forty feet between me and our car. The fellow in line behind us grew very impatient as i was paying our parking fee, to the extent that he had words with Ellen and was starting to drive around us as Ellen moved into the driver’s seat and I walked back to the car. He said something about holding the line up and I responded with, “You cannot wait a few minutes while I get a ticket. Why are you in such a rush?” Apparently, Ellen had already suggested he cool his jets. We parked and never saw the guy again.

Mockup of Thoreau’s Pondside Home

Apparently Walden Pond has grown more popular in the past 50 years. The parking lot is many times larger, there is a mock up of Thoreau’s house near the parking lot, and a huge visitor’s center is under construction. A statue of H.D. Thoreau stands on the walkway toward the pond and a ranger greets visitors.

Ranger Nick

Nick said the population has roughly doubled since the ’60s and a number of improvements have been made. Yes the parking lot used to be past the lake on the left side. Prior to 1974, the pond was administered by the town of Concord though the land is owned by the state. In 1974 the area became a state park administered by the state park system. Cement piers have been erected at the site of Thoreau’s home. Nick also mentioned that Walden Pond, a glacial lake, is the deepest body of water in Massachusetts at 100 feet. I asked about fishing. I was an avid fisherman back then, but never caught anything on the lake. Nick said the lake has been stocked, there are big mouth bass, trout, and muskellunge. A passerby stopped to say, “Yes, there are muskellunge in the pond, but they’re hard to find”. Nick said the lake drops off quickly and there is no water flowing into or out of the pond. There is no natural place for the fish to congregate and local fishermen will not share where they find the fish.

A Peaceful Walk

Nick also recommended that we walk around the lake.

Thoreau’s Homesite Memorialized

Today was a very unusual day for November; it was much more like September. There was no wind and not a ripple on the lake, except for the wake kicked up by two swimmers. The air temperature was in the low 70’s with highs in the low 80’s in the sun. It was glorious to be walking the lake remembering things as they were years ago. One summer Greg, Fitzi, and I bicycled from Arlington to the pond up Rt 2!

We took a number of photos as we walked around the lake.

From Walden Pond, we drove through the towns of Concord and Lexington. Not surprisingly, both have grown in size. The streets are very busy. I had hoped to find Buttricks Ice Cream in Lexington. The family would drive to Buttrick’s on Sunday afternoons for a family drive and a treat. Mom would always have Mocha Almond Fudge in a cup. I always had a coffee frappe. I could not find Buttrick’s in Lexington or in Arlington. They and Brigham’s have gone out of business?

From Lexington, I drove to Arlington thinking I’d remember the way. I didn’t! We wound up using GPS to drive into Arlington on Summer Street, a back road and not Mass Ave.! I recognized the turn onto Mill Street by the old Sporting Goods Store build near the bridge over Mill Brook. The Sporting Goods Store was gone. School was getting out and traffic on Mills Street was wicked (a Massachusetts term). Turning Right on Mass Ave. we passed Arlington High School. I turned left onto Field Road and left again onto Woodland Ave to head back to Bartlett Ave. This was my old home turf, between Mass Ave., Bartlett Ave, Brantwood Road, and Pleasant Street, and especially Menotomy Rocks Park.

Menotomy Rocks Park

This park was one of my go-to places to fish, climb rocks and trees, make lean-to hideaways, and imagine life hundreds of years ago. I played a few football games in the field here. Used a fly rod to catch bats in the evening. We discovered this could be done while practicing fly casting one evening.

The Pond

Funny how the streets that seemed too wide and long as a child, look narrow and short today. I drove Bartlett Ave and pointed out Harry’s house, our doctor’s house on Jason Street, Rick’s house on Gray Street, Fitzy’s house at the corner of Gray and Jason. We walked the pond in Menotomy Rocks Park stopping to talk with two older gentlemen who happened by. The small merry-go-round was gone. Older kids would turn it so fast that smaller kids would be launched from it or get sick or both. I was both a smaller kid and later one of the big ones. I remembered tobogganing down the slope above the now playground and having the toboggan hit a tree and split in two. We had all bailed out before impact. Then there is “Eagle Rock”, an outcropping in a hillside that was a favorite place to play and imagine other times and places.

Eagle Rock

My Neighborhood in Arlington Mass.

The Boston Skyline from Kensington Park

We walked across Jason Street and up Brantwood Road to Kensington Park and the house where my siblings and I grew up. The houses are just as I remember them, though the colors have changed. There was the house the English Professor rented, there the house the Lickliter’s owned, there the house where I raided the concord grape vines one summer, there the house where my childhood friend lived and his father had me help harvest his pears. He was a psychologist. There the house the first black family in the neighborhood bought. And there was my old house. I had forgotten that I had a view of the Boston skyline from my 3rd floor windows. Many of the houses in the neighborhood now have a historical plaque displayed prominently by the front door announcing the original owner and the year the house was built.

Neighborhoood Heritage Homes

We walked past the house where I was badly bitten by a dog. We walked past the house where I traded something of value for a small toy car. My parents walked me back to that house and had the trade reversed after they read me the riot act and had calmed down. We walked past the house the artists owned where I often climbed the highest pine tree in the neighborhood as high as I could go and felt the wind sway the vary top of the tree. We walked past the house where my friends and I interrupted a girl’s sleep-over (I will say no more).

Neighborhood Homes

Neighborhood Foliage

Thanks to my mother’s decision to move into a neighborhood with extremely good schools, I had the joy of growing up in a thriving neighborhood.

My Childhood Home

Harvard Square, Cambridge Ma.

Hunger set in and we headed to Arlington Center for a bite. We drove past the center and on to Harvard Square, passing the old sub shop, the old pizza shop, the fire station, the music school (that was no longer there), and into Cambridge. We parked in pay for parking and walked the square. Except for some large developments on the south side of the square, the buildings were the same as I remember but the shops were entirely different. I had hoped to stop by the Hoff Brau,, but it was gone. We walked past a number of fast food restaurants and cafes looking for an inviting place to eat. The deviled eggs on the menu at Grafton Street Pub and Grill really appealed to me. Ellen suggested walking Harvard’s campus which was just across the street. Off we went. Sometime later we discussed where to eat. Should we continue on or go back to Grafton. By now we were both starving and I was getting testy and really wanted to go back to the pub. Ellen, agreed we go back. We ordered deviled eggs, clam chowder, the Pork Loin entree and the steak entree. The meal was paced slowly giving us time to savor each bite. This might just be the best meal I have had on this trip. The Pork Loin was fabulous. Ellen had a remarkable steak and potato and arugula dinner. She had ordered the steak done medium rare and it arrived rare. I assume the waitress did not hear the “medium”, She went off shift before the entrees arrived. I mentioned that Ellen’s steak was done too rare;; Ellen added that she wanted the meat done medium rare, and the dish was whisked away. It took quite some time for the dish to return. The manager arrived with the steak. He said that rather than simply re-heating the meat, they had prepared and entirely new serving as the dish would lose some of its flavor if it were just re-heated. This was great service and a wonderfully presented and timed meal.

The Pub

Newburyport Green Head IPA

Pork Loin, Perfection

Study Hall and Theater build like a Church, Harvard Square

World War Memorial Church, Harvard

Caramel Macchiato & Sweet Cream Latte

On the drive home I missed a turn and wound up driving back and forth across the Charles River before finding route 90 south. Boston is like that. The roads are not well marked and often if you are not setup well ahead for a turn, you will have no way to make it. In California, we have Bots Dots, reflectors built into the highway. That reflection makes the lanes quite visible. We even have lighted roadways in many cases. In Massachusetts the roads are dramatically dark, the drivers can be anxious and dart across lanes; and the roads are notoriously poorly marked. Driving at night can be challenging.

Home again,, the beast sat awaiting our return.

Ron

Boston Massachusetts, 11.03.2015

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Indian Summer

After weeks of on again off again good weather with a smattering of cold rain, drizzle, and freezing temperatures, today was an amazing day. The sky was clear, there was no wind, and the temperature soared. It might have hit 80 degrees today. Many people were sporting T-shirts on the Gardens. It’s November in New England; this is September weather. Sometimes we get a few weeks of great weather in mid October that’s called Indian Summer. Mid October is one of the best times of the year to be in New England. This November weather is both highly unusual and very welcome.

This morning we had our typical late start on the day. Retirement does that to a person. We had our morning coffee and some breakfast in The Beast, then a time warp set in and *pop* it was 11:30 as we drove toward Riverside Terminal in Newton for the train to Boston. It’s a half hour drive to Riverside from the campground and another forty minutes to downtown by train from the station. With plenty of parking we had no problem leaving our rented KIA at Riverside. The Beast we left safely at the campground fully setup for our return.

Why is it that ticket kiosks are setup with the display facing the sun? There were three ticket booths that were not usable! There was no way to read the text. I tried shielding the display with my hand, my body, my day pack and nothing worked. Luckily there were two more ticket booths at train level upstairs that were oriented away from the sun. I said, “How poorly designed, to have the ticket kiosks directly facing the sun” and a ticket agent sitting nearby said, “Tell me about it. Those went in six years ago and were planned to face the other way. It’s been six years and nothing has been done to change them back. You should be here for a game.” He then took a ticket from his pocket and asked where we were going. “Arlington Station” I said. He then showed how to add a fare to the ticket; in this case four of them: two out to Arlington and two returning to Riverside. He said you can add more to the ticket as you need. Any number of people can share one card. He then activated the style for each of us and we boarded the inbound platform bound for Boston Gardens.

I know Arlington Station from my years as a teenager going to the Commons and Gardens to meet with like minded friends from all around the greater Boston area. We would hang out on Charles Street at a cafe or lounge around the Commons. It was a far more exciting place to be than my home town or Arlington, though we would also frequent Harvard Square. I was curious to see if I would remember how to get around Boston. The last time I visited the city on foot was 46 years ago.

The train from Riverside makes 17 stops on its way downtown. It does take some time, though the train was near empty when it left and never became crowded. We got off at Arlington and took the stairs up into brilliant sunlight and a very warm day. Ellen immediately took her coat off. I was toasty in my shirt. Boston Gardens is a beautiful open space in the heart of the city just south of Beacon Hill and Boston Commons. I remember swan boats on the small central lake, but there were none today. Either they no longer ply the lake or they’ve been retired for the season.

Boston Gardens

What a gorgeous day. Many of the trees were in full color. There were couples walking the grounds, students reading under trees, people on their lunch break enjoying a warm day outdoors. It felt like I had never left. The city was no more crowded than I remembered, though there was significantly more traffic. I found Charles Street easily; this was our hangout. Jim, Frank, and I would while away Saturday afternoons in Brigham’s talking about whatever interested us.

Charles Street, Boston

Would any of the old haunts still be there? Of course the buildings had not changed, but the store fronts were entirely different. The Church of the Advent had not changed, though everything else had. Brigham’s was still there, but it was now a Starbucks. Hunger was setting in as we walked Charles Street. We passed a number of small restaurants and bars that were appealing, but settled on Fig’s Restaurant. It was small and very busy. The host ushered us in with, “Sit anywhere you like” Ellen asked to be seated at the window and he said, “sit any place you like but not that table.” It was a four-top. Ellen asked to be seated at the bar and we began unloading our gear. I swung my day pack off my back while Ellen placed her camera on the bar. The host relented. “You have a lot of equipment and that is a very nice camera”, he said of my 400 mm lens. “Go ahead and take the four top by the window.”

That began a wonderful lunch. Ellen ordered a beat salad and I had the basil Gnocchi, both were exceptional What made the gnocchi especially good was the way they were placed in a bowl swimming in marinara sauce topped in the center with a mild cream and cheese sauce and flanked with fresh tomato and basil. The dish avoided becoming boring; each bite was different than the last.

I highly recommend Figs Restaurant at 42 Charles Street. The restaurant is small with bare brick walls and closely arranged tables. The restaurant can get noisy. That is a small price to pay for the quality of our lunch.

We walked Charles Street as I recalled some infamous moments Jim and I shared in 1967 and 68 here on Charles Street. We had fun together, Jim and I.

Boston Commons

Some photos taken in the Commons

The State House, Boston

From Charles Street we went back to Boston Commons to find the Freedom Trail. We saw it marked on a typical tourist map and thought it would be interesting to follow. What I did not expect was to find a brick path laid in the sidewalk with banners and trail markers along the way. It is quite an historic route winding past the State Building on Beacon Hill.

We walked and talked and followed the trail past King’s Chapel Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Boston, to the Old Meeting Hall where the Declaration of Independence was first read to the people of Boston, on to the site of the Boston Massacre, and to Faneuil Hall, and the Marketplace.

King’s Chapel Cemetery

It was in the Marketplace that I saw Steamers on a menu. “Yes, we have steamers.” Then “Well, let me check to be sure we still have some.” And finally, “Yes, would you like an order?” Wow, finally I can order some Steamers and beer in celebration of the afternoon I spent with my Mom the last time we were both in Boston together. Then I had Steamers and beer a number of times as Mom and I walked around Boston and talked. The beer was a small pour, but good. The Steamers were all that I had expected. Everyone makes noise about Maine Lobster. I enjoy lobster, though I prefer steamed clams and Dungeness Crab by far. I suppose I prefer Steamers to crab only because I’ve had so few clams and so much crab these past few years.

Faneuil Hall

The Old State House

Details on the Old State House

On a Boston walk:

By now it was getting late. We walked down to Christopher Columbus Park by the harbor, past Joe’s, then headed back to the Arlington Station and home. Along the way we stopped into “Thinking Cup”, a coffee and pastry shop and left with a berry rice pudding and a caramel cheesecake. We found the Boylston Street outbound subway station. It was rush hour and the D-train headed to Riverside was crowded. There was standing room only with more passengers added at the next few stops before the car half emptied out at Fenway. Past the Chestnut Hill Station, the train became an express going directly to Riverside. The pastry survived the trip intact. Going home, traffic was heavy but flowed at a good clip. Our iPhone GPS apps guided us right back to Normandy Farms Campground. I punched our code into the gate control and we zoomed in at 9 mph. The Beast stood at site #1001 propped on his stabilizers, awaiting our return. With a twist to turn the water on, a push of the LP button, and some light switches we settled in for the night.

Site 1001 at Normandy Farms Campground has an opening through the trees to DirecTv’s satellites. It is not perfectly flat, but it is close to the heated shower facilities with seemingly unlimited hot water and floors so clean you could eat off them. We still have not visited the weight room, pool room, or indoor pool.

Tomorrow’s weather should mirror today’s. Boston beacons, we will return to follow the Freedom Trail again tomorrow, starting where we left off today. Jean O’Neil messaged us that the Museum of Science has a Pixar exhibit that presents the science/engineering behind the Pixar movies; we want to see that. Old Ironsides is moored in Boston Harbor and that is something I want to visit. Then there is Concord, Lexington, Arlington, and Cambridge yet to consider.

This morning I went over my Facebook posts since starting this road trip. How easily we forget all the people and places we have visited when faced with the people and adventure each day holds. What joy we have had! What new adventure will unfold tomorrow?

Tonight the Northern Lights should be visible from Massachusetts! This is quite unusual. We’re in the country and should have a good view if in fact the phenomenon is visible.

November 4, 2015

Boston’s glow to the north masked any northern light sighting we might have had. We tried. Our PVR recorded last Friday’s Real Time with Bill Maher with he interview of Tulsi Gabbard a vice chair of the DNC and guest Grover Norquist author of the “The Pledge” that republicans have signed not to raise taxes in the future. Caramel cheesecake enhanced the evening.

Today will be slightly cooler than yesterday, we will tour Concord, Lexington, Arlington, Hav’ad Squa’ya, and the Pixar exhibit at the Science Museum if we get that far today.

R & E