Mystic Seaport
We didn’t do a lot of traveling while we were in Newport. There was so much to do and see in our immediate vicinity that we saw no need to go any further, especially since there were six of us and any outing involved using both cars. While it would have been nice to visit other parts of New England it would have been at the cost of missing something much closer to home. We’ll return some day and see Maine and Vermont.
We did make two trips though. The first one was to Mystic Seaport, a museum village begun in 1929, and which now has over one million visitors a year. (Another time to be glad that we weren’t there in the peak season.)
It is about an hour from Newport and is where Kathy works as a librarian, bringing some order to the thousands of documents that are available there. She commutes there four days a week, so when the drive seemed long I just reminded myself of her and tried not to be such a wimp. (Every time we go to the States I am surprised anew at the long distances. I have become very much used to kilometers and the proximity of most places we are interested in.) Kathy was kind enough to supply us with passes to visit the Seaport, which was an added incentive, but we would have gone there in any case.
Frank and I had been to Mystic Seaport many years ago when we were visiting Jenny’s exchange family in Connecticut and we knew the others would enjoy it. It’s a former seaport and shipbuilding town that has been turned into a museum for the public and a place of research for historians. 
Like most American museums it’s very efficiently run and there are wheelchairs available (free, of course) for those who have difficulty walking a lot.
There are a number of old ships that can be boarded and explored, which is always fun.
Captain Ulf and his hardy crew
There is even a lot of ship building that goes on here and of course maintenance of the fleet of old whaling ships.
Those little dots on the first mast are sailors who are furling the sails and singing.
There is a lot more to see in addition to the ships, which was a good thing because it was COLD the day we were there. It was especially welcoming in the printing office because it was so nice and warm. In each of the workshops there was someone actually doing the work as it would have been done in the 19th century and talking about life back then.
Main Street - you can see it wasn't very crowded!
There was a very interesting exhibition about the role of women in the shipping industry, which we spent quite a while looking at. We had decided it was about time to head for home when Frank and Ulf disappeared into one of the houses to see what was going on. After quite a while Daddy went in, not to be seen either for a long time. 
Then Jenny and I decided to see if they had all been abducted and we entered a dark room with a little old woman sitting in the corner, telling the tale of her life as the wife of the captain of a whaling ship, with our menfolk sitting there mesmerized by her.
She often accompanied her husband on whaling expeditions and had many interesting tales to tell about their adventures. We finally tore ourselves away and then had to disillusion Frank and Ulf who thought the woman was authentic. (They never took the time to consider how old that would have made her.) I have to admit she was very convincing.
KING OF THE WORLD (but what happened to Kate Winslet?)
Boston
We also made a trip to Boston, or rather we stayed in Boston the day before we had to fly home, after taking Daddy and Lanie to the airport in Providence for their flight back to Savannah. Again, Frank and I had visited Boston many years ago and I really hadn’t enjoyed it at all. It was bitterly cold and Frank had a fever and couldn’t talk, but he insisted on walking through Boston nevertheless. I remember it as being a forlorn place, uninviting and basically uninteresting except for the aquarium which I thought was fascinating. I never imagined there were so many different kinds of jellyfish.
This time it was a beautiful day, probably the warmest we experienced there, and everything seemed to be bathed in a golden light. And the four of us were in a good mood (and healthy!). We all followed the Freedom Trail through Boston that takes you past all the historic sights and explains their significance.
Oh dear, which building was this?
The American presidential election was only a few days away and Ulf wanted to spur the Democrats on and maybe it helped a little, but alas not enough.
Donkeys are just stubborn, I guess.
We also had plenty to eat from Quincy Market where the variety is very impressive and there was plenty to drink of course. Jenny and I became addicted to Smoothies.
Frank isn't being a glutton; he's being nice and holding my drink.
Wish I had one of those right now.
One of the best sights in Boston was the building where Ally McBeal and her cohorts practiced law for about five years. There is even a pub on the ground floor which Jenny and I peaked into, but it didn’t look like Vonda Shephard was anywhere around. Too bad the practice folded, although things had gotten so silly towards the end it wasn’t as sad as it might have been.
MEP, aren't you jealous?
Jenny wanted to go shopping and the men weren’t too interested in joining us. Ulf was more interested in other things.
Notice the matching cap!
So Jenny and I headed towards Newbury Street (the Rodeo Drive of Boston) through Boston Common and Public Garden.
There were hundreds of squirrels in the parks and of course they were nice and fat from all the food tossed their way.
"If I pose really nice for her, maybe she'll throw me a peanut."
The highlight of the day for Ulf and Frank was a shop that specialized in massage equipment, especially reclining armchairs that are designed to give you a full massage at the touch of a button. Everything was in working order and you could try them all out for as long as you wanted. Ulf spent so much time there we decided we had to get him out before they started charging him rent. I think the price for the one that Ulf and Frank finally decided was right for them was about $3,000 plus shipping from the States because they have no outlets in Europe. I expect both of them are hoping that on Christmas Eve Santa will bring them one. (Too bad but I’m afraid Santa needs the room in his sleigh for other things.)
"Has she finally finished going on and on about New England?!? It's about time!"
The End
