Since Sunday evening when we met up with Adam and Co., we’ve been eating a
late breakfast every day and then a substantial supper. Maybe some snacks thrown in there in the
afternoon, maybe not. It hasn’t been
intentional, just the way it’s worked out. Today we had a light breakfast at the house so
we were able to do lunch at lunchtime and then supper at 8. Three meals today. How novel!!
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We drove into Boston to walk the Freedom Trail. Parked at the garage underneath the Boston
Commons, which is a big green space in a city that has a lot of concrete and
cobblestone. I wasn’t really sure what
the Freedom Trail was all about...quickly found out that it’s a 2.5 mile red
brick trail leading to 16 nationally significant historic sites. The trail is
bookended by the Boston Common and the Bunker Hill Memorial. We walked past many of the historic sites and
even stopped in a couple of them:
**Granary Burying Ground...Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams
and other important figures in the bid for independence are buried here. Elizabeth Goose, purported to be Mother Goose
of nursery rhyme fame, is buried here also; however her headstone is missing. Bummed me out.
**Boston Common...the big park we walked through to start our Freedom
Trail walk. Back in the day it was
considered the ‘common land’ of the community and was used to graze local
livestock. However, it served other
purposes also. It was also a site for
Puritanical punishments, home to a whipping post, pillory and stocks. Pirates, murderers and witches were hanged
from the tree known as “The Great Elm,” now gone. Mary Dyer and three other Quakers were also
hanged on the Common for their beliefs.
The Common is now a big park with sidewalks, a huge wading area called
the Frog Pond and a monument or two. I
much prefer a green space with a frog pond than Puritanical punishments.
**Paul Revere House...Built around 1680, the Paul Revere House, owned
by the legendary patriot from 1770-1800, is the oldest remaining structure
in downtown Boston and also the only official Freedom Trail historic site that
is a home. Ed and Bonnie went inside,
the rest of us opted for sitting in the shade in a nearby park.
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We saw the Old North Church where Paul Revere used lanterns to warn the
countryside of the coming of the British...”One if by land, two if by sea”. We passed by the Old South Meeting House
where Samuel Adams gave the signal that started the Boston Tea Party after
attempts at a compromise of the tea tax failed.
So much history in this modern city.
So much walking on a hot sunny afternoon. Never did get all the way to
the Bunker Hill memorial...we decided as a group that getting back to the car
and driving there was preferable to walking.
So we took a shorter route back to the car which took us through the
uphill cobblestone streets of the Beacon Hill area.
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The Green Dragon Tavern, the restaurant where we ate lunch, apparently
played an important part in the American Revolution also. It was a favorite meeting place of those in
resistance to the acts of the British Crown.
The British plan to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock was overheard
by 13 year old Sam Ballard who alerted the tavern’s landlord. He, in turn,
informed the committee of safety, whatever that was.
The committee acted upon this information and devised the plan for Paul
Revere’s ride...young Sam Ballard was chosen to deliver the historic message to
him at his house.
It seems that every nook and cranny of Boston can lay claim to playing some
part of the bid for independence from British rule. 👍
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There was a street market with lots of vendors selling fruits and
vegetables. I was curious about a
particular reddish fruit that has soft spines and is a bit smaller than a kiwi.
Before I knew it Kim had told the man I’d like a pound. Just that quick I was the possessor of one
pound of rambu tan. Oh-kay! When we got
home it was time to try peeling one to see exactly what we’d bought. I was surprised to find a pit when I bit into
it...but overall it was a tasty morsel with the consistency of a grape. I don’t know if I removed the pit correctly
because a small amount of the outer layer remained with the fruit...I tried to
peel it off but that was near to impossible so I ate it like it was. That outer layer of pit didn’t seem to affect
the taste; it just made it weirdly crunchy.
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We’ve spent time both driving and walking in Boston and I have to say that
from the ground the layout of the roads appear to make no sense. Especially today as we were following the red
brick trail...every spare piece of concrete where a pedestrian could wait to
cross the road seemed surrounded by cars going every which way. It seemed like It made my head spin. I’m thinking an aerial view would be more
informative as to the rhyme and reason of the traffic routes and patterns.
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Saw a ‘Spite House’ along the way.
Adam knew what it meant and was enthused about seeing one...he had to
explain the concept to the rest of us.
Wikipedia defines it as a building constructed or substantially modified to irritate
neighbors or any party with land stakes. Spite houses may
create obstructions, such as blocking out light or blocking access to
neighboring buildings, or can be flagrant symbols of defiance. The one we saw was actually
called ‘The Skinny House’ built in 1862. It was also labeled as a 'Spite House' so there was that.😉
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The Common
was hosting a photo exhibit called The Uncornered Project. Here is an excerpt
from the panel explaining it:
We all have the experience of feeling cornered.
This is the story of how we became uncornered.
...........
Through bold portraits, photographer John Huet
has captured the humanity of a broad range of people, sharing in their own
words a moment when they felt cornered and how they became Uncornered.
Experience all the Uncornered stories at stories.uncornered.org
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I only had time to read a few but
I found them to be very powerful when combined with the larger than life
photos.
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We stopped for ice cream then went to a nearby park with a shaded
walking path which allowed time for traffic to thin out somewhat. While there Kim and I tried to find a
geocache. We found the location easy
enough...it was located on a viewing platform. But we just couldn’t find the cache...it
was hard to give up but the others were waiting for us back at the car. So we struck out on that one. Bah!
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Simply hung out at the house tonight trying out the comfy
recliners.
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No miles on the bikes today but
got over 15,000 steps on my Fitbit. 😎
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