Minuteman National Historic Park

5/31
A beautiful morning!! No plans for the day, but as I pondered the possibilities, I decided I could not miss this beautiful weather, so would spend it outside! The thought of a walk along with some photos appealed, and I headed to Concord to the Old North Bridge, where the Revolution began and " the shot heard 'round the world" was fired.  I love this area, with its wealth of history and beautiful surroundings, and with my buddy not along, I figured I could roam and shoot to my hearts delight!  And I did just that!

I walked down to the bridge and realized I should have gotten out a bit earlier, as the sun was already getting a bit high for photos, but I managed a couple that weren't too bad....at least enough to document the day, if not frameable!  Walking back to the visitor center from the bridge I encountered busloads of kids on school outings.  What a great way to have a history lesson....to actually see it!  Once not a fan of history at all, I love visiting historic sights, and fully grasping the meaning, instead of memorizing dates and names.  If only we could approach all learning this way!  One little girl, lagging behind, said hello, and when I asked how she was, she said, "great! Isn't the scenery beautiful?"  Indeed it is! This bridge is not the original, as it was washed away, and in fact there was no bridge for 80 years.  But it has been reconstructed, and stands as a testament to the courage of these men.

The base of the Minuteman Statue alongside the bridge is engraved with "A Concord Hymn", written by Emerson, and includes the immortal words " the shot heard around the world."   www.nationalcenter.org/ConcordHymn.html

Within site of the Bridge along the banks of the Concord River, sits what is now known as The Old Manse.  Built in 1770 for minister William Emerson, it became the place where Ralph Waldo Emerson, Hawthorne, and Thoreau spawned a revolution in philosophy.  Emerson and Hawthorne both called it home for a time.  The centuries old stone walls that surround the home are prevalent in the area.  Farmland when the war took place, the minutemen were able to take shelter behind these walls to fire upon the British.  

I had loaded the bike on the car, and after my walk, I sought out the old battle road trail for a ride.  Five miles long, and I soon remembered the area was hilly, and I would have to return.  Well, I chickened out, and din't do the whole 5 miles, but turned around at Bloody Angle, where the heaviest of the fighting occurred that day.  A memorial to the British soldiers was at that angle, complete with flag.  I was sorry when I got back, because it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I would have passed more structures, and the point where Paul Revere was captured.  I have been to those sights, but it would have been fun to follow the route.  Now I know, so another time!   So I drove to the other visitor center, where Clem and I had visited last year and watched a film, and got my stamp!!  I should have purchased the Park Passport years ago.  It is so much fun getting your stamp!  We had been to parks before we had the book, so I guess we have to go back!  A little boy was watching me, so I explained how it worked, and his Grandma bought him a book!  Very cool!    

I have to mention that the previous night I had the rare opportunity to go watch Emma ice skate!  She is doing very well, accomplishing the necessary skills to advance to the next level, and even starting waltz jumps!  I used to skate in the very arena where I watched her.  Pretty neat!  They are having friends come skate next week!  Perhaps we should stay a bit longer!!  :-)

Hiking Day!

It turned out to be such a nice evening, as David and Cindy took me out to dinner to entertain me in Clem's absence, and then Chris came by for a visit at the coach!  We had fun chatting and awaiting the big storm that my phone kept announcing!  It had beeped all day warning of storms in Florida, then spent the evening beeping about one approaching here!  Cool app.....would not let you sleep through a storm for sure!

The day dawned gray again, after heavy rains last night.  I decided to take a walk, and surprised that it was actually warm, decided to look up nearby hiking trails for a longer walk with the camera.  I have a cool app on my phone for that!  Surprised?  Anyway, the hiking app showed some that were about 1/2 hour away, but a search on the internet turned up one in the same town, which turned out to be a stone's throw away.  Problem was, it took me nearly half an hour to FIND it!!  Probably why it is not listed on the app!!  

The trail followed an old stage coach line, where you can see marks in the rocks from the heavy coaches, and led to overlook rock,  the highest point in the town, with an elevation gain of 200+ft.  While that seems like very little to my Portland hiking buddies,  with whom I have done 1000 ft gain and more, it is huge by Florida standards!  A nice warmup to getting back to hiking!  A few birds chirped, and chipmunks scattered, but not many photos.  A lovely hike in the woods just the same.

mountain laurel 

have to admit I did not see the spider hiding when I shot this

At the summit, granite pegmatite rocks were scattered on the  ground, and crystalline chips were everywhere.  I wanted to gather some for the girls, but they splintered!  I did gather a couple of small rocks with the pretty crystals for them to see.  Not familiar with this rock, I had to look it up, and discovered it is formed of molten rock material and this one solidifies beneath the earth's surface, and  is usually composed of quartz, feldspar, and mica, which must be what the chips were.  Now I just hope to someday be asked in a trivia game or something what igneous rocks are!

   

Grace

Emma

Later in the afternoon, the kids came to us for some fun in the pool and on the swings, and then a BBQ.  School day follows, so they will return for a bonfire and s'mores next weekend!

It was interesting to see the campground literally clear out!  Guess most of them needed to be at work and school tomorrow, too.  It was almost erie to be pretty much alone.

Clem drove to NY this morning to visit his Mom and sister, which was easier than trying to find a campsite near them.  I am doing a solo for the first time, and though strange initially, I settled in with some nice music, a load of laundry, and a pot of spaghetti sauce simmering, while pouring over travel books and thinking about the rest of the route.  A few coaches arrived in the meantime, and I now have a couple of neighbors again.  This time, interestingly, class A coaches, like ours.  Most of the weekend RV's were trailers.  Lots of young families and kids, and lots of dogs!  All amazingly well behaved....not a bark or yip to be heard, regardless of kids zooming on bikes, or strangers walking by.

Memorial Day

Rain was forecast all week, but we lucked out!  Unfortunately, Emma had an unfinished school project to complete, so Clem and I went alone to a small parade nearby, instead of the larger parade complete with Minutemen that we had attended with them last year.  Both Chris and Marcia were in the high school marching band, and marched in that parade, so it is cool, AND nostalgic!  One year Chris played the echo trumpet to the taps at the cemetery, hiding behind a tree.  Very neat, and very well done!  (proud mother here!)  I do love the Minutemen in their Colonial garb and muskets, marching alongside the service men.  We do honor all of them this day, not only the fallen, but those who sacrifice so much to give us freedom.

in the land of "lawbstah"

We have left behind the beignets and BBQ, and entered New England clambake and "chowdah" country!  Familiar foods like whoopie pies call to us, and Italian grocers, restaurants and goodies are plentiful.  As are folks that look like me......you know, dark hair, prominent noses!  haha!  Obviously, the corn here is not yet ready, and they have brought  some in  from Florida for the holiday weekend.  Based on that price, I should have stowed some aboard!  

Also featured were fiddlehead ferns!  They used to grow in our back yard in Ct, and are considered a delicacy, thought I have to admit I never tried them.   I spotted Uno's pizza in the refrigerate department.....one of our favorites from Chicago.  We will definitely stow some of that in the freezer! 

Boston Duck Tour

Little Vannas!

The Public Garden

The kids came to see the new motorhome and have a picnic lunch, before heading to Boston via train for a Duck Tour.  Boston is one of my favorite cities, with its great architecture and history.  We walked part of the Freedom Trail on last year's visit...easier to get photos, than on a bouncing WWII amphibian vehicle! I have to say we have done these trips before, and have had more amusing drivers, and the girls would have enjoyed it more that way.  But it was a nice day, and we had a great dinner in the city before heading home, all tired and ready for bed!

The Public Garden pictured above, was created in 1837 to be a flower garden for meandering, as opposed to Boston Common, created in 1634 and intended for crosstown travel.  The purple flowers are  the biggest alliums I have ever seen!  The garden contains exotic trees, plants, fountains and monuments, and the Lagoon, where the 130 year old Swan Boats, the only of their type in the world,  delight and charm riders and viewers alike.  They have been featured in stories  like The Trumpet of the Swan and Make Way for Ducklings, who have their very own bronze sculptures in the garden!

As an aside, Florida has NOTHING on Boston when it comes to humidity!  It is somehow a more oppressive, sort of a wet blanket that hangs over when it decides to, and leaves you looking for air, and wanting another shower.  Yesterday was such a day, and we were relieved to step into the blessedly cool restaurant.