A funny thing happened on the way to the nursing home......

When we checked into our room in Portland we didn't use the "facilities" for awhile...However...when we went into the "necessary" room we were greeted with..............

A Port-a-pot!

No tub...just a shower with a seat!

I know that most folks would have demanded another room but I was too tired to pack up and move.  So...we had a trial run of staying in a nursing home!  We were gonna stay in this same hotel a week later so I told the lady at the front desk that I did not want that room.  She was one of the main managers and she was mortified!  She couldn't believe that the night clerk had put us in this room.  She reserved us a nicer room for the same price!

North Station and back to Portland, ME

For all you faithful followers...sorry bout' my hiatus from the blog...to quote "Hank the Cowdog" ...That's five "Shame on you's" for me!!

We arrived back in Boston on the commuter rail and had to take the subway back to our hotel where our bags were stored.  Then...back on city bus to North Station.  We didn't have the "deer in the headlights" look about us this time!  We were seasoned Boston commuters!  We sat in the station waiting for our train, watching people and...and ....EATING!!

 This is part of the complex where the Boston Celtic and Boston Bruins play so there were lots of concessions but this place...Whooboy!

Tami was so hungry that she had half of her slice snarfed down before I could get a picture.  You can get an idea of how big the pizza was by this slice! (half slice)

So...what do old married people do on the Downeaster ride back to Portland, ME??...SKIP-BO!!
 

NGS Benchmark

At one of our stops on the way back from Plymouth, there happened to be a NGS benchmark right outside our window.  It appears that the bank has eroded and caused it to become unstable but there is flagging tied around it so someone has used it in the recent past.

The Lobster Hut!

Monday, May 16, 2011

Ray & Tami's Anniversary Trip

 OH YEAH!!!!  Fried seafood from the "Lobster Hut" at Plymouth MA!  Yepster!  Yer lookin' at fried clam strips, fried shrimp, fried haddock, fried scallops, fried coleslaw, fried clam chowder, fried iced tea....wait a minute...stop frying at the scallops!  With all that fried food it kinda felt like we were home (South of the Mason-Dixon)!  Good place to eat and good value!

The Other Side of the Story...

We celebrate our forefathers coming to America and rightfully so...but there is another side to the story.  While the Pilgrims found friends among the native tribes, all of them were not happy with their new neighbors.  The memorials are pretty explanatory.

The Mayflower II

We didn't have enough time to go to the "Plimouth Plantation" so we settled for a tour of the Mayflower II.  An exact replica of the original, at least as far as plans and eyewitness accounts go, it was really a sight to behold!  I guess what shocked me was the size...it ain't very big!  How they got 102 passengers and a crew of 20-30 aboard I will never know.  We found out that two ships actually were going to be used for transport but the other vessel, the Speedwell, developed leaks and had to return to England.  So they crowded onto the Mayflower and set sail!

This is the view from near Plymouth Rock.  The Mayflower did not come into the harbor because it was too shallow.

They anchored out to sea and used smaller boats for transport (the boat in the foreground with the Mercury was not used by the Pilgrims)

Topside looking toward the bow...Yes maties.. me knows all the tarms for the paarts of the ship!

 Below deck looking aft...toward the back of the ship

 Looking forward... toward the front of the ship

 In the Captain's quarters...note the cross-staff on the table...

 Also in the Captain's quarters

A sleeping berth for a family...looks purty cozy!!

I know you can't see very well in all these pictures but just imagine 102 people in this small space...

Here's your Signs!!

I'm a surveyor so the following displays caught my eye.  Especially the one about calculating latitude and longitude...if only they had know about Garmin or TomTom!!  Which reminds me of an old Bell Telephone radio commercial from years ago..."Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere......now if Paul would have known about Bell Telephone Company back then...he wouldn't have had to make such a long ride!!"

 Every wonder why speed on the water is measured in knots???

 The Pilgrim's version of GPS!!

 And finally...the Pilgrims did not have NOAA they had...POAB - "Pilgrim's Oceanic and Atmospheric Board"!!

These folks were "Period Actors" which basically means they only relate to a certain time period which in this case was 1620.  When I told them I was from Missouri they had no clue where that was.  So I told them it was in the Midwest...the lady said "I know that Mid means the middle of something and West is a direction but how had you have the middle of West??"  Very interesting to talk to!!

We traded out pictures with some folks on the dock...so here are a couple of cold Pilgrims ready to go eat lunch!!!

Plymouth Rock

Nothing inspires me more to persevere in my Christian walk than to recount the story of the Pilgrims.  I realize there are those among us that want to clarify or "rewrite" history and say it had nothing to do with religious freedom, only greed and opportunism...but here are my thoughts:

I know the type of person I am and at my very best I still deal with fleshly desires, greed, ulterior motives and such like.  I don't have to let them dominate me or give in to them but through the grace of God I can resist them and have an overcoming Christian life...The Pilgrims were no different...they put there "breeches" on one leg at a time just like me!  They weren't perfect, they were just pursuing a dream of living a Christian life without interference from unyielding, domineering, suppressive religious rule.  They had their faults and sometimes acted in an un-Christian manner but as a whole were good, honest, forgiving, upright people (hmmmm...kinda sounds like my church)

When Tami and I arrived at Plymouth Rock (via the Mayflower Taxi Service) it kinda felt like we were on holy ground.  Just to stand there and feel the hope, the dread, the uncertainty, the resolve that the Pilgrims most certainly felt...was an awesome thing.

 Plymouth Rock with the tide in

 The view from the portico over the rock

The view from Cole's Hill