49. Kurios

Week 49  6/26/16

I've long wanted to see a Cirque du Soliel show. This summer, they brought Kurios - Cabinet of Curiosities to Massachusetts. I saw a 30% discount and bought some tickets. The show was great, but the location (Suffolk Downs) was very out-of-the way for us and a dreary area. And concession prices were higher than I could have imagined. As for parking, there were acres of unused parking lots nearby, but they roped off two areas and charged $20 to park. That seemed like a real rip-off. I could see charging to park in a congested city, but I think that even in the city most performances are more likely to give parking vouchers or discounts for ticket-holders.

We especially liked the acrobatic acts, including the one in this picture. The large ensemble parts were lots of fun too.

Here is a picture I took from the Cirque website ...

... and two I took before the show started and they made an announcement about no photography.

48. The Old Manse

Week 48.  6/22/16

When we visited Concord in April, the Old Manse was not yet open for the season. Also, we had looked at the Robbins-Hutchinson House which was not yet open. On this visit we were able to tour both.

Before the Old Manse opened, we watched this Junior ROTC group honor the British soldiers who died at were buried at this spot. Somehow, the British taps music emerged from a bugle, but Paul says it was not the young woman playing it. Something was placed in her bugle to produce the music. Interesting.

Paul at The Old Manse,  home to Ralph Waldo Emerson and for a time, to Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Emerson and his wife, Sophia wrote notes to each other on the window glass with her diamond ring. I hope this isn't the only way they communicated. You might be able to see it in the right pane in this picture.

Paul missed his trip to see Mountain Laurel at Wachusett. We hope we can get there before it is all faded, but we did see this plant at Minuteman National Historic Park.

This is Henry David Thoreau's grave at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

And this is Louisa May Alcott's grave in the same area. Also nearby are the graves of Emerson and Hawthorne.

47. ... and it continues

Week 47.  6/13/16

Once again I was sent home too early. At my hospital follow-up visit with one of my doctors, she did some tests and ordered me immediately back to the emergency room. I stayed two nights this time. The rooms at Milford Regional Medical Center must have been renovated when the addition was built. They were like new. I have only been to the ER before this event, so I can't compare, but rooms are are very nice - comfortable, quiet and nicely furnished. I saw at least 14 doctors in the 6 days I was there, including at the ER and the specialist consultations. It was hard to keep them straight. I was there long enough to see some nurses and aides for more than one shift.

The food was excellent, although I couldn't eat anything. They call it "room service" and patients can order anything any time from 7:00 am to 7:00 PM. The chicken soup was made in their kitchen and looked fresh and full of good stuff. Everything was exactly what I asked for and arrived at the right temperature. It sure looked good and once I was feeling a little better, it smelled good too. I only was able to consume tea and Italian ice, though. After I got home, I slowly started to eat soup and then rice. But all is well now.

46. Not at all what we had in mind...

Week 46  6/10/16

We had planned a day at Wachusett Mountain to see the Mountain Laurel in bloom. Paul has particularly been looking forward to this trip and had an itinerary for us.

No need for details, but soon after breakfast I got sick and very dehydrated. We got to see the new Milford Hospital emergency room and lab wing renovations. Optimistic doctors sent me home with anti-nausea medicine and two types of strong pain medicine. But it wasn't helpful and I was back in the ER on Saturday, staying overnight.

45. Rocky Woods and Powisset Farm

Week 45  5/31/16

We hadn't walked around Rocky Woods Reservation since our kids were little. It is a Trustees of Reservations property. As members, we used our free parking pass.

Starting on the Loop Trail we stopped at Chickering Pond where Ben and Julia used to like to feed the ducks. We ate our picnic at this table while we watched birds, a large water snake and insects.

There were many pink lady slippers in blossom. They all appeared individually, not in clusters.

Here we are at the top of Cedar Hill with a group of very nice young people. It's a rather steep climb, rewarded with a beautiful view. Foxboro Stadium can be seen from here.

This adventurous turtle was laying eggs in the middle of the Ridge Trail, high above Notch Pond. Paul says she was about 1000 ft distance and 80 ft elevation above the Pond. I hope her babies make it back down there when they hatch.

At Echo Pond we watched some large polywogs, some with their pre-froggy legs.

The way these trees fell exactly one on the tip of the other seems improbable, but it must have happened.

After Rocky Woods, we dropped in at nearby Powisset Farm. This is also a Trustees property with a very active farm program and CSA. They sell meat as well. We spent quite a bit of time talking to a man who was bringing in some currant vines for the farm. In his retirement he does a lot of farming at his home and makes jams, jellies and other products sold at the farm stand. He and Paul and a lot to talk about, comparing mulch suppliers and so forth.

This is the large of the two sows we saw. Paul estimates she is at least 600 lbs but maybe up to 800. 

44. First Canoe Trip of Spring

Week 44  5/23/16

Paul and I have a goal to canoe the length of the Charles River in sections. This day we put in at Route 115 and paddled to Route 109. It is extremely twisty, as you can see here. We also encountered many downed trees that may have fallen in the winter.

Paul is quite good at balancing, even when manipulating a large object from his  head to the water. I, on the other hand, can barely balance on that rock with my hands free.

We passed Trustees of Reservations on the right bank (Medfield) and the Millis Fin, Fur and Feather Club (Rod and Gun Club) on the left bank. We saw no turtles, which I thought was odd, but many birds and fish.

Here's where we took out on Rt 109. It seemed like a good time for an ice cream.

43. Museum of Work and Culture

Week 43  5/17/16

The Museum of Work and Culture in Woonsocket, RI preserves artifacts from the immigrant population that worked in Rhode Island mills in the late 19th and the 20th centuries. Apparently there were 900,000 French Canadian immigrants who were urged to do this work when their own farms in Canada were doing poorly. Woonsocket became the "most French" city in the United States. All was not rosy in Rhode Island, though, as there were poor conditions in the mills, child labor and other problems seen in many mill areas.

There were also displays about immigrants to this area from other parts of the world. Many of them still have neighborhoods and social clubs in RI and Mass.

The museum is actively collecting items from French immigrant families and memories about all of the individual Catholic schools in the area.

This beautiful WW I memorial mosaic had been in the Our Lady of Victories church and is now in the recreation of a chapel at the museum.

Pump organ in the chapel.

The mill section of the museum included several tasks for visitors, such as sorting bobbins, ordering time cards, etc. Paul long ago worked as a "bobbin boy" in a carpet mill. Maybe that's why he did very well beating the clock.

I've never seen a map like this one!

A mannequin and recorded conversations made it easy to imagine this loom display in a real factory.

Items from some of the local baseball teams with French players were displayed here. This man, Nap LaJoie and a few others went on to the major leagues. I wonder if this guy is related to friends of ours with this name.