First, a couple of random thoughts. Then a real post. :)
::Random Thoughts::
You know what I hate? When you want something on so many levels, but know that on other (really important levels) you really don't want it, can't have it, the way it is--and know that you can't or shouldn't try to change it. You know what I love? Sleeping in my own bed!!!! (Looking forward to it so much that I will probably be in bed by 10 tonight!)
And now, a real post. Sometimes you just have to dump the random thoughts out so you can start thinking straight again.
::Random Thoughts::
You know what I hate? When you want something on so many levels, but know that on other (really important levels) you really don't want it, can't have it, the way it is--and know that you can't or shouldn't try to change it. You know what I love? Sleeping in my own bed!!!! (Looking forward to it so much that I will probably be in bed by 10 tonight!)
And now, a real post. Sometimes you just have to dump the random thoughts out so you can start thinking straight again.
::Real Post:: aka "Salem, MA"
Salem was... not at all what I expected. First of all, I was picturing a tiny town in my head, but it was a true East-coast small city, complete with traffic and windy one-way streets. (Amber was appalled that we couldn't just make a square when we took a wrong turn in the one-way streets. I often feel the same way, though I have come to expect it.)
We went to a couple of museums, but I wasn't impressed. The first one was the house of one of the judges during the witch trials, and it's the only building in Salem still original to that time. It was a little sparse on actual info-- mostly it just showed period pieces. ("This is a chair like the ones they used to sit in.") Then we went to a Witch Museum, where the most interesting part of it was the lobby. There's actually been a biochemical mechanism proposed for the girls' behavior, linked with some bacteria in rotting rye, if I remember correctly. But the rest of it was heavily sensationalized and then ended with a cheesy piece on Wiccans. I have nothing against Wiccans and respect their right to practice their religion as they see fit, but it was an odd representation (think mannequins depicting Wiccan ceremonial robes with a voice-over describing how nice Wiccans are). I still managed to find a favorite part of the exhibit, which was a fun list of common herbs and their actual medicinal properties compared to their "superstitious" properties. I need more hocus pocus in my life. :)
We went to a couple of museums, but I wasn't impressed. The first one was the house of one of the judges during the witch trials, and it's the only building in Salem still original to that time. It was a little sparse on actual info-- mostly it just showed period pieces. ("This is a chair like the ones they used to sit in.") Then we went to a Witch Museum, where the most interesting part of it was the lobby. There's actually been a biochemical mechanism proposed for the girls' behavior, linked with some bacteria in rotting rye, if I remember correctly. But the rest of it was heavily sensationalized and then ended with a cheesy piece on Wiccans. I have nothing against Wiccans and respect their right to practice their religion as they see fit, but it was an odd representation (think mannequins depicting Wiccan ceremonial robes with a voice-over describing how nice Wiccans are). I still managed to find a favorite part of the exhibit, which was a fun list of common herbs and their actual medicinal properties compared to their "superstitious" properties. I need more hocus pocus in my life. :)
And last but not least...
"The Freedom Trail"
To end our Boston explorations, Amber was a trooper and traipsed all the way up the Freedom Trail with me to Bunker Hill. (When I've done it before, I'd only made it to the Old North Church where Paul Revere started his ride.) It was hot, but I loved seeing how excited Amber was to see things like the gravestones of several of the Sons of Liberty/Signers of Declaration of Independence. All of the buildings and monuments really help me bring our country's early past to life. :)
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