June 2015 in Boston and New England

Tom, Joel and Elaine: Boston June 2015

Tue June 16, 2015:

On Tuesday, June 16, Elaine and Joel flew from Portland to Boston arriving just after Tom landed from San Francisco.

We picked up a rental and headed out into rush hour traffic trusting GPS to guide us to the “home away from home” we rented for several nights on Home Away. We were in lots of tunnels and the signal was often lost probably accounting for a rather long and scenic hour-long route to go about 8 miles!. We had all been up early so we were ready to fall into bed after finding something to eat at a pub just up the street.

Our house is located in a Jamaica Plains, a very diverse neighborhood full of hustle and bustle.

The back of our rented house (from the side street).

Wed June 17, 2015:

We were up early to go to the airport to pick up Joel and Elaine's daughter-in-law Barb and her oldest children Helen and Andrew. They were on the red-eye flight from Portland. We had expected a morning rush hour traffic, but it never materialized and we were there in plenty of time to meet them. This would be a trial run in the car to see if all the luggage could possibly fit.

To explain, the main reason for this trip is to accompany Andrew to Nantucket where he begins 10 weeks of caddying at a caddy camp at the Sankaty Golf Club. He has a huge hard-shell case with his golf clubs and clothes for the summer including bedding and incidentals. Barb said “Never fear! I’m here to get everything packed in. We were a little concerned about the possibility of having to tie Helen and Andrew to the roof rack with bungee cords. We got everything to fit even if the tail gate of the SUV would not close completely.

After a late breakfast, we walked to the transit line and took the train to downtown Boston where we bought tickets for the “Hop on Hop Off” bus tour. It was a beautiful day with mostly blue sky and a few clouds. It felt good to stand in the sun since it wasn’t too hot. We all enjoyed the many outdoor sculptures of people famous to Boston and the various historical markers. The tour guides on the bus had plenty to talk about as they crisscrossed the city.

Andrew, Joel, Helen, Barb, Tom and Elaine ... fresh off of the plane from Portland.

Tom, Barb and Andrew in front of our house.

Joel getting on the train for our trip to the Boston Commons in downtown Boston.

Pretty clouds over the Boston skyline.

Andrew in front of of the Boston Massacre Monument(March 5, 1770) in the Boston Commons

Andrew, Helen, Barb, Tom and Elaine in front of the Massachusetts State House.

George Washington statue

Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world

Leonard P. Zakim was a Jewish-American religious and civil rights leader in Boston.

The colors on this old house, just down the street, reminded us of Mulino House.

At the end of the day and we were some very sleepy people. We will probably be up early tomorrow.

Thu June 18, 2015: Lunch with the Pastrones

The day began with much more sleep by all, and after breakfast we were ready to take off for a road trip west of Boston. Our first stop was Millis where there were a couple Daniels’ houses to see. A brief history: Our forebear, Robert Daniell (earlier spelling of Daniels), came with his family to Boston in 1636 as a freeholder and settled in Cambridge (across the Charles River from Boston) about where Harvard is today. Sometime later he moved up the river to Watertown. His son, was Joseph Daniell, Sr. Robert was our great-grandfather 6 times back).

In King Phillip’s War (with the Indians), his house was burned and he built another in 1676. We stopped by after passing Daniels Street. This house is divided into apartments and the old barn stands nearby.

The Daniels Street is very close to the historic Daniels homes

Sign at the older home.

This house was built in 1676 after the first one was burned down in the Indian wars.

Elaine, Joel, Barb, Andrew, Helen and Tom

This is the barn adjacent to the older Daniels house. We were told it is the oldest wooden barn in the US.

Next, we drove to Joseph Daniell, Jr.’s house that was built in 1693. The lady (Beverly) sitting on the deck came out and asked if she could help. Joel had understood that a Daniels’ descendant still lived there, but it turned out not to be true. She and her husband, now deceased, had assembled about a 125 acre farm where he raised sheep and blueberries. It is beautiful with stone walls for fences. There is not another house to be seen in the lush foliage surrounding the area.

This home was built by the son of the Daniels that built the first ones.

Elaine, Helen, Andrew, Tom, Beverly, Barb and Joel.

Sheep and blueberries are raised on this farm. Old stone fence in the back ground.

Soon we were off to lunch with John and Jill Pastrone at their beautiful semi-rural home in the town of Lancaster. We were delayed a bit when we programmed Grant Street instead of Grant Way into the GPS. They are several miles apart. The Pastrone’s are gracious hosts and it was wonderful to see them again. Joel & Elaine hadn’t seen them since they lived in Phoenix.

In Jill's kitchen in Lancaster MA: Jill, Barb Helen (behind) Andrew

After we ate, we went several miles through Shirley to Lunenburg to the home of Craig and Krista (John & Jill’s youngest son) and some of their family. The younger Pastrone family raises Alpaca’s on their farm, and it was fun to see them newly shorn. They belong to a cooperative that takes the wool and returns finished products to be sold at farmer’s markets.

At Craig and Krista's home nearby: Tom, Joel, Michael, Krista, Philip, Helen, Andrew, John

Checking out the alpaccas: Elaine, Helen and Krista.

Hilaire and Philip

Hilaire and Edmond

We ended our visit with dessert before we were on our way back to Boston. Driving through Concord and Lexington, we had a chance to see where the first shot was fired and the first men killed in the Revolutionary War. It fit in well with the “One if by land, two if by sea” that we heard all about the day before. We only had a short time but walked around the beautiful towns still filled with tourists late in the day. After some supper, we drove on back to Jamaica Plain in Boston where we have been staying. Tomorrow we will be leaving Boston for Hyannis.

Krista's kitchen: Hilaire, John, Jill, Michael, Krista, Philip and Edmond.

John, Hilaire, Philip, Jill, Edmond, Michael

Driving through Concord and Lexington, we had a chance to see where the first shot was fired and the first men killed in the Revolutionary War. It fit in well with the “One if by land, two if by sea” that we heard all about the day before. We only had a short time but walked around the beautiful towns still filled with tourists late in the day. After some supper, we drove on back to Jamaica Plain in Boston where we have been staying. Tomorrow we will be leaving Boston for Hyannis.

Barb, Andrew and Helen at Helen's Cafe in Concord

Minute Man in Lexington (Tom, Helen, Elaine, Andrew, Barb)

After some supper in Lexington, we drove on back to our house in Jamaica Plain in Boston where we have been staying. Tomorrow we will be leaving Boston for Hyannis.

Friday June 19, 2015:

This is the day where we find out if it’s possible to pack all our luggage into our car and us, too. Joel had a plan 2 if we couldn’t make it work. Whew! We made it although we would have to twist ourselves into place. We wondered how the wheels would hold up if we had to tie some suitcases on the back bumper.

First stop: The Fairbanks House in Dedham, a suburb of Boston. This is the oldest wood frame house in America. Remember Joseph Daniell, Sr? He married Mary Fairbanks who grew up in this house. She was the granddaughter of Jonathan Fairbanks, the original owner of the house. We would have had to wait to tour the inside since school is still in session here (MA pays for its schools) and there were a bunch of students on a field trip. We had a very nice visit with some of the docents and viewed a scale model of the timber-frame structure. Eight generations down to the early 1900’s lived in the house.

Fairbanks House in Dedham, Mass

Tom, Elaine, Helen, Barb, Andrew and Joel at Fairbanks House in Dedham, Mass

Andrew, Helen, Joel, Barb and Tom at Fairbanks House

Back of the Fairbanks House

We headed for Quincy/Braintree to see where our other cousins, the Adams, had lived, not knowing just what we would find. In downtown Quincy there is a National Park headquarters where we got tickets for a "tore" (Boston for "tour". Joel’s senior pass got 4 of us in free. We boarded a trolley which drove us a couple of miles to the homes purchased by the Adams. The unpainted one is where Pres. John Adams was born, and where he lived when he was first married. Next door in another house lived Pres. John Quincy Adams for a time. The farm grew in size to several hundred acres which were deeded to John and his brother. Mary Fairbanks’s mother was an Adams, and a cousin of the President, Experience Adams, married our ancestor Samuel Daniels. Though not directly descended from the Presidents Adams, we are cousins.

Adam's National Historic Park

On the trolley at the Adams National Historic Park

John Quincy Adams home in Quincy, Mass.

Back aboard the trolley, we went a short distance to a grander house purchased by John and Abagail while he was minister to Great Britain. She was used to a 44 room apartment in London and was not too pleased to be “downsizing.” This house has been added onto numerous times and was lived in by five generations until the 20th century when it was given to the Park Service. In the 19th century, a beautiful stone library was built next to the main house. It is filled with books owned by the family including a Bible given by the former slaves of the Amistad to John Quincy Adams in gratitude for him representing them as they sought their freedom.

Andrew preparing for his camp.

We had hoped to stop at Plymouth, but it was getting too late in the day and Cape Cod beckoned. Traffic was heavy going into the weekend; soon we were there in South Yarmouth where we had a house waiting for us. We opened the car doors and all spilled out. It is a very nice area on Long Pond where we could go canoeing if we had more time. We ended up eating at Spanky’s recommended to us for its seafood—best chowder ever.

We ate at Spanky's!

Helen's lobster garden salad

Saturday June 20, 2015: Cape Cod

Our plan today was to drive to the dock in Hyannis and board a high speed boat for Nantucket, an island about 25 miles from here. We had been assured by the ticket agent the evening before that we didn’t need reservations and wouldn’t have any trouble. She was closing up so we didn’t buy tickets. Mistake! We arrived early to find the ferry sold out. They sent us over to the ticket office and they might have a few extra tickets. Long story short, we got the tickets on standby. The two of us rushed off to take the car to the designated parking lot. We caught the shuttle back to the ferry only to hear the horn sound as it was pulling away. We got there in time to wave to the others on the back deck. Fortunately we were able to hustle around to the other side of the harbor to a competitor ferry company and purchase tickets for a boat which got us there just an hour later.

Around the breakfast table at our Hyannis (South Yarmouth) bed and breakfast

Helen and Andrew in the living room

Packing up Andrew's things for the ride to Nantucket

Harbor at Hyannis

Andrew and Helen at the Hyannis dock for the Nantucket ferry

The club house at Sankaty Head Golf Course, Nantucket

Headquarters at the caddy camp

On the Nantucket side, people from the camp were waiting to pick up Andrew, Barb, Helen & Elaine and take them to Sankaty Head about 5 miles away. Joel & Tom joined them later. We all were given a tour of the facility including the bunk houses, dining room, rec room, laundry and library, all housed In separate buildings. There is a house for the Camp Director, a teacher during the school year, who will be joined by his wife and kids next week for the rest of the summer. They all love it there and it’s a great perk with the job.

Caddy Camp director, Dave

Joel, Chef at the Caddy Camp and Tom

Andrew and his signature caddy cap

Helen, Barb and Andrew unpacking

Andrew betting picked up at the Nantucket dock

The barrack buildings at Caddy Camp

We bid Andrew goodbye with a strong feeling that he was in good hands as long as he remembers to slather on the suntan lotion. We are expecting regular reports and perhaps an occasional Skype.

Barb, Helen, Tom and Joel at the sandwich cafe

We were taken about a mile to the town of Siasconset (pronounced Sconset). We were hungry and stopped at a sandwich shop. This village is quite small with bicycle paths and narrow streets. A “woody” pulled up and picked up a bride and her father—at least we thought that was why she was carrying a large bouquet of flowers.

Ar Barb, Joel, Helen and Tom

An old Ford Woody drove by.

We caught a bus and drove to the ferry. This time it wasn’t close to full and we had no trouble getting back to the mainland. Now it’s time for a little laundry since there are facilities in the house where we stay.

Sun June 21, 2015: The Breakers, Newport, RI

Our day began packing and readying the house for departure. The remnants of tropical storm Bill were passing over leaving a downpour, thunder and lightning. Joel took Barb and Helen to Mass and then we were off for Rhode Island.

Traffic from the Cape delayed us, but we had the rest of the day to get to Newport. We were headed for the “Breakers,” the summer cottage of one of the Vanderbilt’s. By the time we arrived, the clouds had mostly cleared and it was beautiful. As we drove up to the gates which might have been modeled on Buckingham Palace, we were reminded of our cottage on the Oregon Coast.

The Breakers is the summer home built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II. It was competed in only 2 years in 1895 joining the other modest homes along the Rhode Island coast. These were the places to be and be seen in the Gilded Age. Cornelius II had one season there before suffering a stroke and dying three years later.

These pictures give one an idea of the splendor and indeed gilt of the beaux arts mansion. With a mind to the family roots, the cherubs over the great hall doorway have a railroad engine and pick axe beside them.

In the spirit of summer fun, the children slid down the railings of the grand staircase on trays. Silver, we presume. The family was very devout and games were not allowed on Sunday until one child invented a board game called “Going to Church.” Their family was enlightened since they could read any book and not just sappy religious-themed ones.

Dark panels of the library

Dining Room

The huge terrace overlooking the ocean

View from the Terrace

Some panoramas from Helen's iPad.

At night we ate dinner at Kent’s near our hotel in Swansea, MA. The menu feature mostly seafood with fried green beans and dill pickles.

Mon June 22, 2015: JFK Library

Our Hotel Breakfast in Swansea had a first for us, a pancake machine. It looked like an all-in-one printer. Just push the button and out came pancakes, not a good as Mom made.

Getting ready to leave for Boston once again.

The JFK Library and Archive is located just south of downtown Boston almost surrounding by the waters Boston Harbor. Just across the water, planes are taking off from Logan Airport. The Library was designed by I M Pei and takes advantage of the vista. We moved through the exhibits immersed in the history of the early 1960’s. Those days lived again for us, but were ancient history for Barb and Helen. There is a special exhibit about the Cuban Missile Crises with recordings of the meetings in the White House during that time. They weren’t discovered or made public for some years. Chilling!

A bit of lunch at the museum. We intended to go into the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U. S. Senate which is a new adjacent wing. It seemed pretty quiet and is closed Mondays. It opened earlier this year. Maybe next time.

Barbara and Helen getting ready to depart for Portland.

Tom, Elaine and Joel are continuing on in a different rental car heading for New Hampshire and north (A Ford Fusion). First night in Merrimack, NH. Compared to the west, distances between places aren’t so great here

Tue June 23, 2015: Visit Dori and Don in Enfield, NH

Another day in New Hampshire with a 1 ½ hour drive to Enfield on Lake Mascoma near Lebanon on the Vermont boarder. Our destination was the home of Dori and Don MacMeekim, Allen Holt’s sister. We became acquainted with her many years ago when as a teenager she spent the summer with Allen at the parsonage in Yoder. We passed through a thunderstorm with torrential rain, but by the time we arrived, it had cleared up. It was warm if a bit muggy. We were greeted by new plants along the driveway: Strawberries and Cream hydrangeas.

Dori and Don have been in their new retirement home for a year. It is located just up the hill from the cottages the Holt’s have owned for many years. Don is retired and Dori still works in her business in Charleston, SC which she commutes to from time to time and works from home. Don is a master woodworker and made the table on the screened porch where we had lunch. We tucked right in.

Since the storm had subsided, we were able to cruise around the lake which is about 4 miles long. It was very relaxing with Don at the helm.

Elaine, Joel, Don, Dori and Tom in front of a shed in front of the cottages.

Pictures of the cottages that are all set up for the families to visit this summer. Lots of swimming, canoeing and exploring ahead.

Walking up the steep driveway to the new house, Dori says to imagine you have a small child and have to take small steps to avoid getting winded. This winter was particularly fierce with over 100 inches of snow lasting from Nov to April. The ice was 21 inches thick and people could drive on the lake as they usually do in winter. One of the cottages was originally in town over 100 years ago and was towed to its present location on the ice.

Instead of a “widow’s walk” like we saw in Nantucket, there is a lookout that rises above the second story. What a wonderful place to go to read or “whine with wine” as Dori remarked.

Too soon it was time to cross the Connecticut River into Vermont and get on with our tour. We stopped in the state capital of Montpelier, VT. It may be the smallest in population with 7,755 fewer than Molalla, 8,300. Beautiful setting.

At our motel in Stowe, VT. We’re only a short way from the Von Trapp Family Lodge. Dinner was the Bench. Enormous portions! Poutine was on the menu, but we decided to pass. We saw the 3 foot platter going by as an appetizer at the next table. We also passed up the skillet with a hot cookie and mound of ice cream.

WedJune 24, 2015: Stowe VT

It’s Stowe, Vermont, and “The hills are alive with the sound of money” We passed near the Van Trapp Lodge on oour way to Ben and Jerry’s in Waterbury for a tour. We were treated to the Mission Statement of the company and some “Wayne’s Swirled” created in honor of the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. Supposedly the enlightened practices of B & J’s has been preserved although they are now owned by Unilever ... a move that allowed B & J to go world-wide.

We learned that B & J toured ("tord" as they say in these parts) the country in a bus early on giving out free ice cream to everyone they met. The bus caught fire and burned resulting in nation-wide news coverage.

The Cider Mill was also in Stowe.. Not much cider pressing was going. They would have to import apples from New Zealand or Chile. The did have lots of products to sell and cider to taste.

Thu June 25, 2015: Gorham NH, Rumford NH

We left our motel in Gorham, NH and headed toward Mt Washington, the highest point in New Hampshire at over 6 km. It had a nice cloud cover, but we found the Wildcat Express. There we rode a gondola on a 15 minute ride up Wildcat Mountain. In the winter they switch the gondola for chairs to take skiers up the mountain. The Appalachian Trail goes through this area on its way to the terminus in Maine. The view was spectacular. It rained on Father’s Day, so they extended their special and Elaine and Joel went for the price of one. The area has zip lines also. We learned that although NH usually has lots of snow, water and air are piped up the hill to make snow for the runs, at least as long as the money holds out and the pipes don’t freeze.

Up at the top

The ski lodge

Maybe this is used to keep the moose away

A common sign in VT, NH and Maine. We also saw a "Bear crossing" sign.

One never knows what will be around the next corner. This is Rumford, Maine where there is the highest falls east of Niagara Falls. It has been damned and channeled for over a hundred years to generate power. There is lots of water in the rivers since they have been having much rain. This town is the birthplace of Edmund Muskie, senator from Maine. At a wayside there was a memorial to him.

One of the many cemeteries we have passed on our travels. They all are nicely mowed. This is only a small part of this one.

Friday June 26, 2015: Campobello Island, NB

We left Bangor, Maine this morning and headed east to the Canadian island of Campobello to visit the summer home of the Franklin Roosevelt family called Roosevelt Cottage. Crossing the bridge to the island took us to Canadian customs, an exceptionally easy crossing. Tom used his new "Passport Card". Just beyond is Roosevelt Park a joint US/Canadian effort with preserved homes, hiking, camping, picnicking and fantastic views of lighthouses, the Bay of Fundy and adjacent islands.

From the visitors center, it was a short walk to the house that Sarah Roosevelt bought for Franklin and Eleanor soon after their marriage. Franklin had first come to the island with his parents in 1883 when he was a year old. They liked the area so much that they bought 4 acres and completed a partially built house. It was a fairly arduous trip from Hyde Park in New York by train, steamship and finally fishing boat to get here. At least they would have had their own personal railway car. They usually came in July and August to escape the heat.

It was at this place in 1921 when Franklin was stricken with polio. He was out with the children in a boat, stopped to help fight a wildfire, fell in the bay and became thoroughly chilled. Later that night Eleanor found him crawling to the bathroom; he couldn’t stand. He never walked again. He only visited the island three times after that, but others in the family continued to spend time here. Eleanor came in 1962, the last year of her life. The property was later sold and then the Americans and Canadians decided to preserve it during the Johnson administration in the 60’s. The Queen Mother Elizabeth declared it open in 1967. There is no admission charge.

The play room for the children

There was no electricity. Running water was pumped into tanks in the attic and kerosene was used for lighting and cooking. In the early 1930’s Sarah put a wood range in the kitchen that heated a tank of water. They came with about 8 servants, Louis Howe, the president’s advisor and a college age tutor for the children. They had a school room and lessons each morning before they could go out. We saw a large megaphone that was mounted on the front porch and Eleanor could go out and holler for the children to come in from play.

We went down the road to the complex that had belonged to the Adam’s family. They had a large building for the kitchen and living room with separate cottages for sleeping. It was completely renovated last year and is a very nice restaurant. If the times had worked out right, we could have had “Tea with Eleanor” in another cottage.

Our first lobster roll

Lighthouse at the end of the island. When it’s open, one would go down these stairs, across a rocky beach and up the stairs to the lighthouse. We were a little too late since the tide was coming in. It rises 5 ft. per hour. The Bay of Fundy has tremendous tides, but otherwise was very calm today. There was some wind and it would have been a great day for sailing.

Back on the mainland in the US, we saw where Sunday’s international marathon race will end. We have found some of the place names interesting here. Berlin, NH is pronounced "Burrlyn" (like Merlin) with the accent on the B, and Calais, Maine is Calice. There are some different road signs. “Squeeze Left” or “Thickly Settled” and “Breakdown Lane.” On the way to Cape Cod, cars were able drive in the breakdown lane during certain hours. It was a beautiful day today with lots of sun but temperatures in the 60’s. 2 inches of rain predicted for Sunday.

Lighthouse on the other end of Campobello, near the border crossing.

Sat June 27, 2015: New Brunswick

We decided to spend the day in New/Nuveau Brunswick and these three deer jumped across the road ahead of us; nice big ones, not like ours. The closest way to get into Canada was to go back and enter from the bridge to Campobello Island. There was more traffic this morning, and it took a while. We wanted to make the hourly ferry and had little time to spare. We were concerned that all those cars going onto the island would have the same idea. It turned out there were only three cars on this ferry. Later on we found out this ferry only began summer service the day before.

The ferry was unusual in that the boat driving it was separate from the rest of the craft and could pivot on its hitch so that it is "pushing" us in the right direction. It was about a 20 min. ride to Deer Island, NB.

The Deer Island Ferry going back to Campobello Island.

As you can see from the sign, there is a huge tidal whirlpool in this part of the Bay of Fundy. When we looked out to the waters, we could see this water moving in a circular pattern..

We were very interested in this fact since the 45th lattitue/parallel goes through Salem, OR. We would have guessed that Maine and New Brunswick were much further north..

The lupin are beautiful and are in bloom everywhere, blue, white and pink.

We drove about 10 miles to catch a second ferry to St. George NB. We arrived just as it began to load and it departed in about 30 seconds after we drove aboard. The fastest embarkation that we’ve ever experienced. We had a short cruise on the Deer Island Princess II to the mainland town of St. George. It’s about a 15 min. ride and free. The terrain reminds us very much of the San Juan Islands.

Do we get credit from Princess Cruises by sailing on the Deer Island Princess II?

The return ferry sailed past our ferry.

The Algonquin Hotel in St Andrew. The street went right through the middle of it under the arch to the right. St. Andrew was a very tourish friendly destination between St. George and St. Stephens. Very picturesque.

New Brunswick is the only province in Canada that is officially or constitutionally bi-lingual, English and French. The government is seeking a judicial opinion as to whether English speaking pupils can ride the same school buses as French speaking ones. It would save money, but it would dilute the respective language immersion programs and be contrary to the constitution.

We finally scored on our quest for authentic poutine at the Clam Digger, in St. Andrew, New Brunswick.

It consists of French fries, cheese curds and brown gravy.

YUM!

Sun June 28, 2015: Bar Harbor, Acadia Nat'l Park

As we were getting ready to leave Machias , Maine the clouds opened up and it pretty much rained all day. Most of the time, the thermometer in the car showed the outside temperature to stay in the lower 50's. Jacket with hoods or umbrellas were called for. We drove onto Mt Desert Island, Maine, the home of Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. (or Bah Hahbah to the locals.) This national park is the only one in Maine, is one of the most visited in America and one of the smaller consisting of 35,000 acres. It started out as a National Monument but grew with donations of land by the wealthy families who summered here. Notably it was John D. Rockefeller Jr. who developed the carriageways and trails that we see today. David Rockefeller, John D. Rockefeller's son is making a gift of 1000 acres to the conservancy group that assists in parkland upkeep to celebrate his 100th birthday this June. He spent time here all his life. Martha Stewart bought the 65 acre in Seal Harbor that had been the home of Edsel Ford at one time.

The park ranger gave us a very nice overview of the park, pointing out all the things we could see and do if it weren’t pouring down rain.

The only food service in the park is Jordan Pond House, famous for its popovers. That was just what we wanted for a noontime snack.

The fire was lit and it felt good. Later we drove through Bar Harbor, a bustling tourist destination surrounded by the park. Bar Harbor reminded us some of Cannon Beach, Oregon.

Dinner was at Hattie’s Chowder House in Augusta, Maine where we sampled stuffed Quahog (a type of clam) which had been recommended as a New England treat. The seafood and corn chowders were great, too.

Mon June 29, 2015: Agusta ME to Boston

Our trip is coming to a close and after a night in Augusta, Maine, we began our final leg to Boston. Of course we had to drive over to see the Maine Capital Building. Augusta is a pretty city of 18,000 located on the Kennebec River. It sits on a hill with a park falling down away from it. As we drove on we were listening to an analysis of a monumental fight between the Democratically controlled legislature and the Republican governor.

We left the turnpike and turned toward the beach to visit Kennebunkport, adjacent to Kennebunk. We were able to park for 15 minutes and take a quick look around.

Someone told us how to go out and look across to Walker Point and the vacation home of George HW Bush. We were able to pull off where there is a marker. We were surprised that it was so easy to see. To get a glimpse of the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, one would have to take a boat.

A stop for lunch just off the turnpike (meaning toll road). Tom had grilled Caesar salad and Elaine & Joel, lobster bisque. Last chance for lobster in Maine!

Looking over to the museum to the Boston Tea Party in front of some of the Boston skyline.

This colored woven rope mesh is a one ton art installation hanging high over the seaport of Boston at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Mother's Walk. It evokes the spirit of fishing nets as it moves in the wind.