You'd think I would sleep in while away—no children to wake me up, no schedules to keep, etc. But I rarely do. Partially the uncomfortableness of the hotel bed, and partially that the touristy kind of stuff I like to do closes early, so you have to get up and at 'em or you miss something!
So on Saturday I got up and went next door to Carmen's Cafe Nicole and had Bananas Foster French toast. The sauce had a teeny bit too much salt, but other than that WOW! Quite a way to start a morning! After that I walked down to the Brewster Gardens (just as lovely in daylight) and followed the river up to the Jenney Grist Mill. That visit will have to be a different post, as I have to say that was the most interesting and informative living history exhibit I've ever been to. Which is saying something! So more on that tomorrow.
After the tour was done, I bought some maple popcorn to take home to the kids (we ate it last night and it was awesome!) and a photo card to write a letter to my Aunt Sarah. From there, I went on into downtown Plymouth, walking and shopping. In a little art gallery type place I picked up a wooden spoon and wooden "toaster tongs" for Lou. I stopped into the restored courthouse for a moment, looking at the exhibits. Most interesting were the framed page from a 1985 sign-in sheet with Mick Jagger's signature, and a letter from some man who had taken a piece of gravestone from Burial Hill (Plymouth's oldest cemetery) and was returning it, with dark hints that it had caused a curse to fall upon his life. I wished he'd written again to say whether returning the stone had helped.
I bought a couple of books from a used bookstore, grabbed a mocha and a French toast bagel at Kiskadee Coffee, and then headed back for my car and drove to Plimoth Plantation. I did some random driving around the area, as well, looking at the interesting houses. Finally parked and went into Plimoth Plantation. I don't have a lot of stories, as I tend to be a little intimidated by role-players and living history interpreters. Don't ask me why, except that possibly because I would like nothing better than to be one I look on them as role models? Ah, well. So I walked down to the Wampanoag homestead and looked around, managing to bonk my shoulder on the low doorframe of one of the lodges. Highly embarrassing. Then around the walk and up the stairs to Plimoth, stopping on the way to sit on a shady bench and read some of Archibald Gracie's TITANIC: A Survivor's Story. Plimoth was toasty warm—everyone was sitting outside, having left half-prepared foods sitting out in all the buildings. I looked carefully at the garden plots. Half the raised beds were surrounded with rocks, half with boards. Boards looked more efficient—they would hold in more good soil and kept the garden higher off the ground. I also noticed that the buildings stayed surprisingly cool on the inside, despite the warmth outside. It was a nice breezy day, though, and the doors were all open, so that may have been why.
I stopped off in the gift shop, picking up some teas, some apple butter, a bread mix for Lou, and stuffed animals for the kids. (Most moms I know don't want stuffed animals because you get so many of them and they clutter up the house ... but I like them because the kids are always genuinely delighted with them and they seem to get played with longer than other toys.) On the way back I stopped in at the local art show. There was some really nice work, and very few things that looked like the work of someone's kindergartener, so it was worth going to.
Then I drove back to the hotel and took a break for a few minutes. Got a start on my letter to my aunt (which I still haven't finished, bad me), and read some more of Jo's Boys, only to discover that the hardcover version I had (and which had replaced my paperback) was abridged! Entire chapters—often the ones most packed with Alcott's best character work—were missing! I was astounded and displeased. Especially since I was halfway through and really wanted to finish it.
So I put the book back in my bag and took the Titanic book (a double volume of Gracie's and young Jack Thayer's reminiscences) with me to dinner. I went to the Hearth'n'Kettle. Had some really great spring rolls as appetizers, then an entirely forgettable chicken potpie (the mashed potatoes and puff pastry both tasted just plain odd), and a lovely Indian pudding for dessert. Yum. I wish I'd skipped the potpie and had the spicy gingerbread cake instead! Then I'd have had room for both desserts.
After dinner I hiked up Burial Hill and sat on a bench and called home. Lovely view and just such a beautiful, peaceful spot. By the time I got back down to the street my hotel was on it was dark, so I figured I'd head back up to Borders and look for the Alcott book. Of course, they didn't carry it. Next nearest Borders? Braintree, 28 miles away. So I went. All the way back up 3 to the Borders. Which, again, didn't carry it. But coincidentally the nearest Barnes & Noble to Plymouth was also in Braintree, so I went there next and they did have the book. Whew! What can I say, it was a compulsion to finish it if I could. Went back to Plymouth, and was going to head for a cafe I'd seen that advertised itself as being open until 1 am. Well, if it was, it hid it thoroughly. Instead I opted for doughnuts and hot tea from Dunkin Donuts. Went back to my room, finished Jo's Boys and the Titanic book, watched the second episode of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team 2 (which I had TiVoed at home), and went to sleep. Ahh!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
a weekend in Plymouth - Day 1
Wow, I had no idea it had been so long since I'd posted! I blame my crazy schedule ... but I think it really comes down to the fact that over the summer I've let a lot of things go that I was doing just for me—running, writing, putting my clothes together with care and trying to look my best, etc. With a move in two months and my house still on the market, it doesn't seem like the right time to be trying to recover my routines in that area, but I ask you—when would be a good time? So no time like the present, and all that.
This past weekend, I went away on my twice-yearly "Mommy's weekend off". I went to Plymouth (Mass.), which I fell in love with on my first visit last year. And since I suspect my better half wonders just what it is I do with myself, here goes what I did the first day.
I left Beverly around 2:30. My FIL was with the kids, who were about to take a nap. I hopped in Lou's car and started off. The GPS system took me down Rte. 1 south, which cost a $3 toll! Shockingly high, IMO. And then onto 93, where I started the stop-and-go Friday afternoon traffic that took me all the way down 3 to Plymouth. Needless to say, when I arrived I was tired of driving!
I checked into my hotel, the lovely old Governor Bradford on the Harbor. Once I'd gotten settled in, I took a walk down the road. The main harborside drag is pretty filled with tourists, especially on a lovely weekend like this one, and offers an awesome opportunity to play the license plate game. All weekend, I saw license plates from a total of 37 states and four provinces. Including Saskatchewan, which is very rare. Virginia drivers were out in force (so many that I wondered if Jamestown and Plymouth have a package deal in this year of Jamestown's quadricentennial), and I saw a surprising number of Washington and Nevada plates, as well.
Since I'd arrived before all the shops closed, I did some shopping in the Village Center Shoppes (or some such name). Didn't buy anything, but was tempted by the "Thou Shalt Not Whine" wooden sign in the old-time script. I did pick up some maple candy and a book on Thanksgiving for the kids, and a hanging fairy for Veronica's birthday, at the Cranberry House. It goes with the one I got her at Ishtar's Avalon, also in Plymouth, last year. She'll get them when she's older and less likely to break them!
Then I had dinner, overlooking the harbor, at the Weathervane. Service was iffy, the crab cakes were expensive and a bit undercooked, and the fish and chips were good, but a little overpowering. The fish was just a big breaded slab on the plate. An odd presentation, I thought.
After dinner, I did some more walking while I still had the light. This time I actually managed to walk past Plymouth Rock. Poor thing, it made me feel sad for it, there in its carefully constructed box where no rain or sun can ever get at it. And I discovered Brewster Gardens, which are just beautiful! Right along the river, and really lovely.
By this point it was dark, so I hopped back in the car and headed back up a couple of exits on the highway, to Independence Mall. Frankly, I thought it had gone downhill since last year. There were lots and lots of teens and preteens, but it seemed like less than last year, and there seemed to be fewer stores. And the ones that were there had a lot less character. Specifically, I noticed the really cool big unique toy store was gone, and a couple of other stores that I had enjoyed last year as well. While there, I stopped in at Brigham's and had a Monkey Business sundae. (Think banana split with peanut butter sauce.) It was okay, but I think the strawberry shortcake poundcake would have been better. I wound up at Borders, where I got two Halloween books for the boys and a cinnamon latte for me (a very good one!).
Went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night reading The Long Winter and starting on my hardcover copy of Jo's Boys (more on that tomorrow), and flipping channels. And so ended my first day of vacation!
This past weekend, I went away on my twice-yearly "Mommy's weekend off". I went to Plymouth (Mass.), which I fell in love with on my first visit last year. And since I suspect my better half wonders just what it is I do with myself, here goes what I did the first day.
I left Beverly around 2:30. My FIL was with the kids, who were about to take a nap. I hopped in Lou's car and started off. The GPS system took me down Rte. 1 south, which cost a $3 toll! Shockingly high, IMO. And then onto 93, where I started the stop-and-go Friday afternoon traffic that took me all the way down 3 to Plymouth. Needless to say, when I arrived I was tired of driving!
I checked into my hotel, the lovely old Governor Bradford on the Harbor. Once I'd gotten settled in, I took a walk down the road. The main harborside drag is pretty filled with tourists, especially on a lovely weekend like this one, and offers an awesome opportunity to play the license plate game. All weekend, I saw license plates from a total of 37 states and four provinces. Including Saskatchewan, which is very rare. Virginia drivers were out in force (so many that I wondered if Jamestown and Plymouth have a package deal in this year of Jamestown's quadricentennial), and I saw a surprising number of Washington and Nevada plates, as well.
Since I'd arrived before all the shops closed, I did some shopping in the Village Center Shoppes (or some such name). Didn't buy anything, but was tempted by the "Thou Shalt Not Whine" wooden sign in the old-time script. I did pick up some maple candy and a book on Thanksgiving for the kids, and a hanging fairy for Veronica's birthday, at the Cranberry House. It goes with the one I got her at Ishtar's Avalon, also in Plymouth, last year. She'll get them when she's older and less likely to break them!
Then I had dinner, overlooking the harbor, at the Weathervane. Service was iffy, the crab cakes were expensive and a bit undercooked, and the fish and chips were good, but a little overpowering. The fish was just a big breaded slab on the plate. An odd presentation, I thought.
After dinner, I did some more walking while I still had the light. This time I actually managed to walk past Plymouth Rock. Poor thing, it made me feel sad for it, there in its carefully constructed box where no rain or sun can ever get at it. And I discovered Brewster Gardens, which are just beautiful! Right along the river, and really lovely.
By this point it was dark, so I hopped back in the car and headed back up a couple of exits on the highway, to Independence Mall. Frankly, I thought it had gone downhill since last year. There were lots and lots of teens and preteens, but it seemed like less than last year, and there seemed to be fewer stores. And the ones that were there had a lot less character. Specifically, I noticed the really cool big unique toy store was gone, and a couple of other stores that I had enjoyed last year as well. While there, I stopped in at Brigham's and had a Monkey Business sundae. (Think banana split with peanut butter sauce.) It was okay, but I think the strawberry shortcake poundcake would have been better. I wound up at Borders, where I got two Halloween books for the boys and a cinnamon latte for me (a very good one!).
Went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night reading The Long Winter and starting on my hardcover copy of Jo's Boys (more on that tomorrow), and flipping channels. And so ended my first day of vacation!
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