Massachusetts in June -- 2007

The original plan was to go to VA only, but Trout wanted to go to the Factory Five store in MA, and if we were going to be that close, I wanted to see my friend, Karin.

Instead of taking the easy frequent flyer way by flying from Richmond to Boston, we decided to take the train. We had to be there early and it took all day, but the trip was fascinating. I was too engrossed to take any pictures, but we did see the backyards and dirty laundry of several northeastern cities. Their bombed-out and depressed nature looks like any third world country you could imagine. All we could think was that those buildings and factories had tons of materials that could be salvaged for use elsewhere if only someone could find a way to profit from doing that. We're both sure that few would do it as charity work.

Amazingly, and thank you, Amtrak, we arrived in Providence RI in plenty of time to get our rental car before the downtown location closed. We had an easy drive to where we were staying in Fairhaven MA. Our location gave us quick access to Factory Five, Cape Cod and Plymouth. As westerners we had to get used to how close we were to everything and how convenient it was to get around. However, I did have to translate some MA accents for Trout.

Our first evening in MA we settled into the motel after a nice dinner at a small restaurant where we ate our first quahog, a type of shellfish. They were available everywhere, sort of like the geoducks of Puget Sound -- even to the pronunciation anomalies. Quahog is pronounced "co-hog" and for those who don't know, geoduck is pronounced "gooey-duck."

Cape Cod

A couple of days Cape Cod called to us. We made sure to go by Hyannis Port, but it was so crowded we really didn't even stop. Here are a few pictures of what we did see on this Cape.

Sometimes, even after 20 years, you can learn something new about your spouse. Trout was very insistent that I take this picture of him at Woods Hole. It turned out that he considered studying here back in the days of his youth.

Here's another shot of this historic building. We saw lots of buildings like this with things sticking out of them relevant to what they housed.

Trout had never been to the Atlantic Ocean this far north. These pictures are from the Cape Cod National Seashore, way out on the Cape.

He did try to get close enough to get wet.

It was a pretty gray and cold day, but it still was beautiful.

Factory Five

As fate would have it, the timing of our trip was perfect to go to the annual Factory Five party. Of course it was almost over by the time we got there, but Trout did get to see some coupes like he plans to build.

And we got to pose next to the car of a local Tucson guy who had driven all the way from here to there. Still he wasn't the person who came the farthest. Some folks from OR took that prize.

Plymouth

The Factory Five party was over really early, so we went on to Plymouth. My genealogical research has turned up only one Yankee connection so far, so I don't have much of a kinship with this early English settlement, but the town itself was very interesting to see since it is still there. We didn't make it to Plimoth Plantation -- maybe next time. I hear it's wonderful.

Okay, let's get the usual stuff over with. Here's the rock.

And here's the replica of the Mayflower.

This is the stream that provided fresh water to the colonists. It's still running after all these years and probably cleaner and clearer than it was back then.

And this is an early mile marker.

When we arrived, we found parking on a street near Bradford Street where Trout is standing. William Bradford was the first governor of Plymouth and lots of things are named for him. The kids are also descended from him through their mother.

This is his grave site.

Cape Ann

Most people know about Cape Cod. It's huge, it's expensive and famous people have houses there. It's to the south of Boston. To the north is Cape Ann. It's smaller, less expensive, has fewer famous people and includes Rockport (where my friend Karin lives) and Gloucester of Perfect Storm fame.

I met Karin in Germany where she working at the same time I was. We had lots of fun times, but my favorite was the Christmas dinner we had at the bowling alley on post in Stuttgart because nothing else was open. She was a drug and alcohol couselor then but she always talked about becoming an Episcopalian priest. After three hard years of seminary, she was working in southeastern Wyoming shortly after Trout and I were married. We went to her ordination there in December 1989. Spike was a pup and went along with us.

We've kept up with each other over all these years and I warned her that we'd eventually come to see her one day. June 2007 was the time. So we got up early on Sunday morning, checked out of the motel and headed north through Boston. It was so early, we had no trouble going through town at all and arrived at her church at about 7:30 a.m. My intention was to just be in the congregation and surprise her a little, but the front door was open, I went in to use the bathroom (of course) and then found her in her office. It's amazing that we recognized each other after all these years, but we did.

She told us about the 8:00 service, but she never mentioned the 10:00 one. We went to both.

Her church is a renovated boat barn. I think it's beautiful.

We stayed with her in the parsonage. It's not right next door to the church like many. It was built fairly recently, but used plans based on a house in Salem.

She took time off from work and acted as a tour guide for us. One of the places we went was CB Fisk. They make handmade, mechanical pipe organs, one at a time, start to finish from design to installation. We got to tour their operation. Here are Trout, Karin and others in front of the building.

And here's a shot of Trout's favorite part of any trip -- the shop and tools!

We met many people that knew Karin in both Rockport and Gloucester. One couple in particular were very interesting to us. The husband works at CB Fisk. His wife is an artist. Her name is Morgan Pike and she did the sculpture below. It represents and is a memorial to the wives and children who wait for their fishermen husbands and fathers to return from the sea. It is located in Gloucester.

I had to include two views of this memorial partly because I think the work is so beautiful and poignant from the back and partly because Karin helped to select the rock it's on and helped a little with the skirt.

I didn't take any pictures, but the Pikes were building a timber-framed house. I'm sure they're living in it now. It was lovely and very well crafted.

New England is always scenic. These are some photos from the Rockport Harbor. We loved these kayaks. Yes, they kayak on the right coast, too.

This red building is called "motif 1" because it is so often painted and photographed. You may have seen it before, maybe even as a puzzle.

This is the back of some shops complete with lobster pots and floats. Rockport is an active lobstering area, so these are picturesque but not just for show.

Donut Note

When we first hit MA, we noticed lots of donut shops. There were the usual chains but we saw lots of mom and pop ones, too. It seemed like there was one on every corner. To check ourselves on this, we counted one time -- 9 within a mile of each other on the same road. So what's up with that? We asked Karin and she said she noticed it when she moved to MA, too. She asked people about it and their response was, "Do we have a lot of donut shops...?" Her guess is that it's due to the fishing industry. The fishermen go out very early in the morning fueled with coffee and donuts. The donut shops open very early. Lots of fishermen, lots of donuts, lots of donut shops.

Tiramisu Note

So we're in Gloucester taking a coffee break at a tiny Italian bakery. The baker gives us a sample tiramisu to try before buying. Trout and I aren't big tiramisu fans, but if we lived in Gloucester we would be. It was divine. So divine, that I figured I shouldn't have more than one bite and got the fresh-out-of-the-oven-warm fig bar instead. More divinity.