Boston and the South Shore - Where American History Started!

We left the Cape and drove a short way up the coast to the sleepy seaside village of Marshfield located about an hour south of Boston by ferry.  It is located on  the tip of a narrow peninsula where we set up our motorhome and enjoyed  gorgeous views of the bay and the Atlantic from the windows of our little home on wheels.  The views by themselves were worth the trip but we had a backyard to explore and Boston and the south bay area did not disappoint.  This is where the history of America was written by our founding fathers.  We had planned to explore this backyard for the last two years but our plans seemed to change for one reason or another but not this year.  This year we will experience New England and learn about the birth of this great nation up close and personal.  As mentioned in the last blog posting, Tom and Maryann rented a cottage just around the curve from our motorhome spot at the 4th Cliff recreation area so we get to enjoy our friends for another week and make new memories together.  After we all set up for our stay at 4th Cliff (a WWII  Army seacoast artillery battery station) we took a ferry into Boston.  We could not have picked a better day, blue skies and  the temps in the mid 70s allowed us to walk the 2 1/2 mile freedom trail, enjoy Mike's Pastry shop, indulge our cravings for ice cream, tell a few New England Patriot fans how great the Denver Broncos are going to be this year and in general had a great day visiting the historic buildings in Boston.  After our walk on the freedom trail, we were a little tired so we took another ferry back across the Boston bay from Old Ironsides to Long Wharf and the center of old Boston.  After walking to Boston Commons we decided to take the MTA (Boston's famed subway) back to the Wharf but this time George's Bronco hat might have caused us a small problem.  It seems that we did not know exactly which train to catch so we asked an MTA employee for the best way back to the Wharf....he was probably a Patriot's fan and told us to take the train that left us about 3/4 of a mile away from the wharf and our ferry ride back to the South Boston bay area.  We barely made the ferry departure time but learned a valuable lesson...don't wear a Denver Bronco hat in Boston!  It is good for a laugh now but we were some tired old people when we finally made it on to the ferry for our return trip.  The next couple of days we drove around the South Bay area of Boston and absorbed the New England seaports and their quaint little shops and restaurants.  If you want great seafood, clam chowder and lobster this is really the place to plant yourself for a few days.  We ate a breakfast at restaurant called the Wildflower Café in the little town of Duxbury.  All the food was great but George had the biggest pancake we have ever seen (it filled a large dinner plate) and everything was made from scratch...just outstanding!!  Walking the beaches, shopping the mom and pop stores and eating great food was some of the highlights of this trip.  As always we like to take a few pictures to share with you just to give you a flavor of our Boston backyard adventures.

0800 hours and we are off to Boston on the ferry from Hingham, Ma.  The trip was made even more special because the Captain of the ferry was so friendly and since there were only a few passengers, he was able to tell us about the various islands in the bay and their history.

Boston from the ferry -- What a great city skyline!

 

Freedom Hall where the ideas of the American Revolution was debated and men like Daniel Webster, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Paul Revere and others incited others to join them in their quest for freedom from England and the King!

Paul Revere's house -- probably was not surrounded by four story apartment building back in 1776

The Old North Church - The British are coming, the British are coming!!!

The Constitution - Old Ironsides...it never lost a battle the entire time it was under sail for America!

It was getting really tired by the time we got to Boston Commons...we started to think that maybe we are getting a little old and out of shape!

Leave it to Tom to lighten up the mode on the MTA or was he so tired that his tongue was hanging out from exhaustion?

Just in case you have not heard... we took a picture of Georges island!  Wasn't it nice of them to post this sign so people would not be confused of the ownership of the island?

One of the few remaining active Merry go Rounds in the country is in the town of Hull on the South Bay area.  There was a restoration workshop near the carousel, where we saw the artists work on the hand carved horses and sleighs. 

Pat and George relaxing on the beach wall -- look how far those people are out into the water...low tide!!

Never a dull moment with Pat and Maryann

 

New and Old Friends!  l-r  Linda and Pete Walsh, Becky and Ellen, Tom and Maryann, Pat and George, Kenny and George...we all went out to dinner at a great seafood restaurant (would we eat anyplace else?) in Marshfield.  Great Lobster and fish plates with local friends of Pete, Linda, Tom and Maryann...and now us!

Looking over the bay from our motorhome at sunset...Priceless!!!!

 

Tom and Maryann left us today and drove back to the Cape for another week of visiting with Pete and Linda.  We will be heading northwest of Boston to investigate Pat's family history in the town of Groton, Mass where we hope to find written evidence of her ancestry past.  She has traced her family back to the 11th century but needs to have some documentation to ensure she is following the right line of ancestors...our work is never done but it is a lot of fun tracing our family history.  After we have exhausted our family history research in Massachusetts we will be driving down to just south of New York City and stay a week in New Jersey.  We will be taking the train into New York and maybe Philadelphia to explore their backyards.  We are also hoping to meet up with Doug and April Almond, friends from our camp hosting in Colorado, to catch up and make new memories with them.  This is the best part of traveling this great country, exploring and learning about this country, making new friends, and meeting up with old friends to make new memories - We are so blessed to enjoy this unique lifestyle and to be healthy enough to travel the backyards of America.  We hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our travels and hope you continue to stop in read about our travels and tribulations.