History and Homes

Thursday. September 21, 2023

Someone left the alarm in the room set to 6am and it blared us to consciousness. Ew. Bad people. I had set a 9am alarm when we went to sleep at 2am, sure we would be up, but it rewoke us up. Good us for getting back to sleep. We walked downtown (a block) to Helen’s for a wonderful breakfast. I particularly enjoyed when an older man came in to say hi to the staff and to show them his new haircut. He didn’t need anything to eat or drink; he was just making a social call. There was a great bulletin board in the entry – one poster advertised the musical Lizzie – “Lizzie Borden finally gets her say in a Volcanic Rock Musical that slays”. It doesn’t open until tomorrow, but I wish we could have gone.

Why is he making that face? I don’t remember.

We walked all around downtown, because it was so beautiful out and the shops were fun. I don’t know how it would work exactly, but I would like my house to feel as nice and cozy as a gift shop. But also be clean and uncluttered. I’ll keep you posted on my successes as they come. We found a women’s clothing store that had all things that I liked. I got a new top, and I will wear it to all the different schools this fall. Maybe I will go to extra different schools, so I can wear it even more times. Keith just surprised me with a necklace he bought me from there that I didn’t even know about. He is a sweetie (remember I said that when I start making fun of him in two paragraphs or so). We looked at monuments and graveyards and historic markers on our way back to our car.

We visited Minuteman National Historic Park and watched a multimedia presentation on the start of the American Revolution (Lexington and Concord, ya know). It was very informative and interesting – as history tends to be – however, there were two other things that I enjoyed even more.

The restrooms in the visitor center each had big signs on them saying that the only entrances that were open were outside on the side of the building. I noticed the signs immediately as we walked in. Apparently, Keith did not, because he actually bonked his head (just barely, but still) on the door that didn’t open as he pushed on the sign that said the door wouldn’t open. I made fun of him and I think this constitute making fun of him again. The picture is a re-creation…I was just going to take a picture of the sign, but he wanted to get in on the action.

The second thing I really enjoyed was the vibrating pond. There were a LOT of tadpoles (isn’t it late in the season for tadpoles? I don’t know how tadpoles go. BTW, there was a near complete dearth of toads in the pool this year. I was ready to not be afraid of them. I practiced being brave and positive, and then nuthin’) that Keith kept scaring just by moving around the bank. I couldn’t figure out what was making the water shimmy – but it was – and I loved the pictures I took of the trees’ reflections.

We stopped to see Wayside, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s house. (Louisa May Alcott lived there before he did)

We went to visit Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House – it’s the POTD.

We stopped by Raph Waldo Emerson’s house. I was mostly obsessed with the little turnstile in his fence.

Henry David Thoreau’s Walden Pond is here and his very modest little cabin is available for viewing, but since it is a state park with swimming and hiking and fun-having places it costs $30 to park and I thought that was too much for a quick walk and look. Next time, Walden Pond! Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is from here, too, but I didn’t find his house. Huh. That’s just occurring to me now. Sorry, HWL!

Then we drove out of town, past a LOT of gorgeous homes. I kept whispering, “Wow,” as we drove along. Happy to report the people who live at 1776 Monument Street have a very nice address sign.

We drove through a bunch of New Hampshire. It had lovely hills and lots of trees and tons of traffic. We stopped at a random exit, so Keith could touch New Hampshire. We ate at McDonald’s. Then we drove to Stowe, Vermont, where we are cozily writing this post and practicing the trumpet (each to his own). Keith can check off two states he has not previously visited with today’s drive (NH & VT).