Weather today was the nastiest yet. Seems a storm is stalled off the New England coast and keeps sending waves of showers across the Boston area.
Before I get started -- if you are interested in photos from our Sunday adventure - I added them tonite to the Sunday post -- too tired last night...
Today we drove over to Salem on the north side of Boston -- infamous for the Salem Witchcraft trials. Drivers there were crazy and the roads narrow, narrow, narrow! Stopped at the site which holds the "House of the Seven Gables" and the home where Nathaniel Hawthorne was born.
We also got a look at the Atlantic Ocean from the Salem harbor. From there we drove up north into New Hampshire and Maine.
Mom stopped at what claims to be the oldest candy shop in the country.
Tried to catch the lunch buffet at Pizza Hut but the GPS took us to another invisible restaurant! Third in three days. Tells you how the economy has been affected out here. Lots of boarded up buildings and out of business spots. Fortunately, across the street from the invisible Pizza Hut was a Qdoba! That was GOOD! Hadn't seen any around here so assumed there weren't any...
Thought we would see lots of the coast on our trip into Maine -- not so. Interstate 95 is more inland -- probably wouldn't have made much difference with all the rain. When we drive back, we will try to head along the coast. Supposed to be very beautiful.
Staying tonight in Brunswick, Maine. Cassie, it is just down the road from Lisbon Falls -- where we stopped in to see the Moxie guy. He is quite a talker. He remembered the Lutheran Vanguard visit in detail. He says anytime they want to come, they are welcome. His exact words were that if they pulled up their bus an hour before the parade, they would get them in! Funny guy. Here is a photo of Mom with him.
The Moxie man is one interesting & dynamic guy. Also, guess what? Stephen King -- the writer -- used to sit in his shop and wait for the bus to pick him up -- he attended the local high school. He has been featured on the Food Network, Travel Network, and many others. Recently a young director used his store to shoot a video that is getting some important exposure at film festivals. Mom will remember the name - I don't right now.
Brunswick is just down the road from Boothbay Harbor where we are hoping to see a puppet show tomorrow. We'll see - weather isn't promising and it is supposed to be an outdoor show. We plan to go early to get a seat.
Brunswick is an interesting little place. It is the home of Bowdoin College - a little college with lots of famous alumni -- Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, President Franklin Pierce, the famous explorer Perry, Joshua Chamberlain - one of the heroic generals of Gettysburg, the founder of Netflix, one of the founders of the Mayo clinic, and more. Also - a weird fact -- the place where we checked into our motel is the house where Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin and where Hawthorne and Longfellow roomed when they were in college. (We didn't know that when we booked the place -- we just stumbled across it in a book about the city!)
Blessings to all!
Dad
That's really cool that you met the Moxie guy. Did he give you a sample of the soda? :)
ReplyDeleteNo soda samples but he did send a copy of last year's program. His event has grown to a festival attended by 25,000 people annually. This year they will be shooting off thousands of dollars of fireworks. He would love to have the LVW come back - he said they were one of the best bands ever. Also, guess what? Stephen King -- the writer -- used to sit in his shop and wait for the bus to pick him up -- he attended the local high school.
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