Ship Me Up To Boston

Hey hey hey!
3 weeks ago we went up to my hometown, a little north of Boston, to visit the Mister's parents and friends.  Stupidly when we got home I downloaded all 150+ pictures onto my home computer, which operates by a hamster running around a little wheel, and deleted all the pics off my camera.  I was all excited to do one big long post about our trip with all our pictures - I had forgotten that Blogger and my computer hate each other.  So I have just not got around to emailing myself these and FINALLY posting them.  
Dark Mother will slap me for this, but my in-laws live in Salem MA, and I love it there.  I should point out that I grew up in the next town over, so I know what to see when we go.  And it's fun to do the tourist-y things that you don't do when you live around there.

My mother in law went with us to Salem Commons.  It is a gorgeous park with a playground at the back of it.  After leaving home in 90+ degree temps and horrific humidity, the weather in MA was 70's to low 80's and gorgeous.  After that we walked through the downtown area and peeked in a few shops, including Laurie Cabot's.  
*slight rant* She's not exactly my cup of tea.  If you are trying to educate people and reach out and improve understanding of your beliefs, maybe don't bend people over quiiiiiiiite so far with your prices.  Mooch saw a pretty little amethyst that she wanted - $35.  It was slightly bigger than a quarter.  GIT over yourself.


We walked past the Peabody Essex Museum, which was calling my name, but the minions would have rebelled so we couldn't go in.  There were a lot of people milling around in puritan-esque dress, and we though they were just shilling for the museum.  Then this happened:

The town crier started loudly accusing a woman of witchcraft

The lady in the red and yellow dress had walked up to us earlier and asked Mooch if she was enjoying the town.  She said yes and the lady said, "There are a bunch of fools here!"  We were like, uh - ok. 

She's wearing red - what a giveaway!  Tramp!!

She was arrested for witchcraft and dragged away.  All the dressed-up people and a whole lot of others followed, and we were all, sure why not.

Mooch and Daddy

It was for a play/mock trial called "Cry Innocent" and is about a woman named Bridget Bishop accused of witchcraft in 1692.  You could go in and sit on the jury and here the testimonies.  Would have loved to have stayed, and Mooch was dying to go in, but Butterbean was wiped out.
If you're visiting and are interested, link is here 
Quick stop for some energy

Mmmm.  Green Monster ice cream - mint with brownie and chocolate sauce in it.
We stopped by the Salem Fire Station

Walked up a side street to look in a few more shops

Everything along here was closed!  Booo!!!

This is the one place I insisted we go.  It is a memorial square for the victims of the witch trials, inscribed with their dying words.  It's heartbreaking but beautiful.

Ignore the random visor and soda fucking up my picture.  Ugh.

 

"I am innocent, I am wronged"

 "God knows I am wholly innocent of such wickedness"

Right next to it is a graveyard with stones from the 1700's and 1800's.  For some reason newer cemetaries freak me out, but I love looking around old ones like this.  The descriptions on the stones, the names, the carvings.

 

 Mooch was fascinated, she wanted me to read every one to her.  I also did a horrible, evil, wicked Mommy trick and when she was peering through a crack in the side of a crypt, I grabbed her real quick from behind and she screamed.  Heheheheheeee...

The next day she was finally talking to me again, and we went tidepooling.  This is my absolute favorite beach in MA, called Fort Beach - right next to a Revolutionary War fort, Fort Sewell.  This beach has perfect tidepools at low tide and is nice and deep at high tide.

This is the first trip back to MA since we've been down here where I haven't gone swimming at a New England beach.  The water is like ice water, your ankles ache after a few minutes of standing in it, but I have to do it.  It is the water of my childhood.

 Butterbean was perplexed.  "Mommy, dere is shells ebrywhere!"  Yes, periwinkle shells as far as the eye could see. I wanted to fill a bucket with them but the girls collected their own stuff, so I just filled the Mister's pockets :-)  They are so pretty when they're wet.

 "I got one!"

The girls were excited to find hermit crabs - then Mooch, the child who catches snakes by herself and puts them in her pool, decided the crabs were going to pinch and she didn't want to hold them.  She finally came around.

 

 At the far left of the picture is the restaurant we had lunch at, The Barnacle.  Hands down the best seafood chowder I've ever tasted, and it's got a deck with a beautiful view.  

More pics tomorrow (curse you slow computer!)