Went to a local eatery named Bradford Junction for a yummy breakfast including blueberry pancakes jam-packed with fresh-picked fruit. The check for seven of us who all ate FULL breakfasts $28.91. I was in shock. If you are ever this way, it is must-go.
Yesterday the girls and I explored Plymouth, Massachusetts. First we went to Plimoth Plantation (www.plimoth.org) which is a wonderful experience. It is a recreation of the first settlement here in Plymouth. All the people "living" in the village are completely in character and work and operate as if they are back in the 1600s. You ask them questions and they even answer in the dialect of the time. It takes awhile to get used to it, but is really neat. 
They even have a recreation of a Wampanoag homesite complete with Native Americans who are descendants of the original Indians of the region. They are in native dress and explain their heritage and culture. Girls loved it and asked many interesting queries of the inhabitants including asking a pilgrim, "What did you eat for breakfast, lunch & dinner?" to which the gentleman answered, "When we broke fast, it was generally for light fare. Our main meal was during the day and what we ate depends on the season, right now we are in the fish season."
Hannah even met Priscilla's husband. Priscilla was a real pilgrim she learned about in school and she was thrilled to meet her "husband" who apparently met Priscilla on the Mayflower and then married her once they had settled in Plymouth.
Next, despite steady rain which started at around 1pm, we headed down to the waterfront to see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II, a replica of the original which was built in England and sailed to Massachusetts.
Hannah even met Priscilla's husband. Priscilla was a real pilgrim she learned about in school and she was thrilled to meet her "husband" who apparently met Priscilla on the Mayflower and then married her once they had settled in Plymouth.Next, despite steady rain which started at around 1pm, we headed down to the waterfront to see Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II, a replica of the original which was built in England and sailed to Massachusetts.
HM was duly impressed with the rock even though it is just that -- a rock. EM was really enthused with the Mayflower. It really boggles the mind to know 127 people came over on this ship. It is REALLY small. There were 100 "planters" as the "master" (or captain) of the ship explained to us, 25 crew and 2 babies were born along the way.
The master was particularly colorful in his descriptions. He taught us that he was considered the vicar of the ship and preached to his crew in the a.m and in the p.m. and of course, on Sunday. He also told us he made it VERY CLEAR to the planters that he had no issue with their Puritan ways, but they were NOT to try to convert his men.
We ended the day on a harbor cruise with a lobster fisherman who runs a business named Lobster Tales (http://www.plymouthcruises.com/). In the height of the wet weather, the girls and I tried to cancel our 4:30pm advanced reservation. Luckily for us, the boat went out rain or shine & no refunds were allowed. We're so glad they didn't let us out of it.
At around 3:30pm, we had a break in the weather and it turned into the most beautiful afternoon. We boarded the boat around 4:20pm & because of the nasty rain, there were only about 10 other passengers, so we had a real intimate experience.
The boat is operated by a real commercial Massachusetts fisherman. Quick wit and full of fascinating facts about how they harvest lobsters. The kids get to help the young mate pull in two actual lobster traps.
Then, the captain discusses how the traps work, what we had "caught" and how they determine if the lobster they catch are keepers or not. During our stint, we caught two lobsters which were keepers. Girls helped measure the lobsters and also put bands on the claws.
Even though EM was a bit squeamish about handling all the critters that we found, I must say that we all LOVED this experience. Captain Paul was really interesting and sprinkled humor with education to make the whole thing really fun. The entire trip was even better than we all expected and we were sooooo happy they hadn't let us cancel it. On the way back in from the traps, the captain even put on some Jimmy Buffett. Our only regret was that John/Daddy wasn't with us to enjoy it all as we know this would've been right up his alley.
Of course, at the end of the cruise, I talked to the captain about franchising his business and doing something similar in the Keys. What I loved about his tour was that he provided you the point-of-view of a real fisherman, not a "marketing" one. He was the real McCoy. And he explained how fishermen work hard to be smart environmental stewards as it only benefits their future business. Like chicken growers, I think they need better PR. Something which John and I discuss all the time. Real, hard-working folks who help all the rest of us eat good, safe
food but have no means to fight big government who is always trying to regulate them with unreasonable notions cooked up in a bureaucrat's office. Alright, enough of my soapbox. Perhaps this will be my next career -- helping fishermen and chicken growers!
GPS Lee helped us navigate from Plymouth to New Hampshire with no missteps so we pulled in at around 8:45pm. Just in time for some lovely red wine and a beautiful night's sleep with open windows.
HM & EM: We are too busy exploring New Hampshire woods and Sunapee Lake to write something now! We'll get back to you later.
Is it possible to have too much fun?!?!!!! From your stories, it sounds like you all are having a blast. Thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteHave fun. Amy