A roundup of our trip
Monday, July 30, 2012
Shout outs
This is the post where those special people who preformed random acts of kindness and those that help make our journey memorable get a mention most will never see but their acts of kindness have not gone unnoticed or recorded.
Heather, Joyce, Ann the staff at the Pentagoet for taking good care of us especially dad.
Ben who no longer works at the Pentagoet but will be attending medical school
Dick, Mike, another Dick, Helena, Robert the drug therapist and the South Carolina couple who provided interesting conversation and enjoyable nights talking.
Paul the owner of the Inn at Babson Court
Ted the colorful owner of the Derby Square Bookstore in Salem
Julie the grand dame of the Pentagoet who is everywhere Jack never seems to be----working.
And of course Jack, raconteur extraordinaire who presides over one of the great bars in the world The Passport Pub.
Inn at Babson Court: Review
Pros:
Location overlooks water
Price
Beautiful rooms and design
Large Rooms
Nice owner Paul
Close to everything walking distance.
Near all main roads so driving everywhere is easy.
Rose garden
Nice downstairs outside sitting
Quiet
A real treat of muffins and sweet cakes in morning brought to your door.
Con:
Overlooks main esplanade so if light sleeper the car sounds you hear might be an issue
No much closet space for extended stay with a woman but doable
Netural:
Bed hard but not a problem for me.
Location overlooks water
Price
Beautiful rooms and design
Large Rooms
Nice owner Paul
Close to everything walking distance.
Near all main roads so driving everywhere is easy.
Rose garden
Nice downstairs outside sitting
Quiet
A real treat of muffins and sweet cakes in morning brought to your door.
Con:
Overlooks main esplanade so if light sleeper the car sounds you hear might be an issue
No much closet space for extended stay with a woman but doable
Netural:
Bed hard but not a problem for me.
Traveling with Bill and Sarah: An Observation
Well traveling as a threesome was certainly more stressful. Sarah had the task of balancing herself between two men in her life. She has the responsibility of having to make sure she divided her attention to each of us. Her wanting to balance the needs of two men while carving out some time for herself was not an enviable position. She was further stressed by dad's drinking and at times petulant behavior. I believed she found a rhythm towards the end where everything coexisted while not totally stress free, but kept in a easier place to handle.
I felt a kind of pulling myself of wanting to spend romantic time with my wife, yet having to navigate the minefield of stress she was feeling with dad. I have a certain relationship and way I take care of Dad. It works for me. My approach uses humor and self depreciating comments, along with directness at times, to get dad to look at his behavior. Needless to say, that approach did not always sit well with Sarah. I felt the need to handle more and with more care. The contrast of styles of caregiving led to stress. I am at ease when traveling alone with dad that if lousy events happen from hotels to food choices and everything in between he is fine and views it as part of the experience. I felt the stress of not wanting things to go wrong which I do not feel when traveling alone or just with dad. In fairness to Sarah, I have found I feel that more when traveling with any woman than a man. The process of traveling as oppose to the content. I work best when I am in charge of someone's care. The sharing of care was stressful as I did not at times know when to talk or shut up (always an issue with me, the shutting up that is). Through all the stress of this trip, Sarah and I had a breakthrough and reached new level of closeness and understanding. I do not know how to explain or how it came about but it just seem to happen. We got closer in spite of the stress.
This has been as we say in therapy, a learning experience. We can take what worked, what did not
and what we need to do differently. We all love Dad so it is not a matter of right and wrong but
allowing each of us to care give in our own way and respect the other person's ability to do it their
way.
I felt a kind of pulling myself of wanting to spend romantic time with my wife, yet having to navigate the minefield of stress she was feeling with dad. I have a certain relationship and way I take care of Dad. It works for me. My approach uses humor and self depreciating comments, along with directness at times, to get dad to look at his behavior. Needless to say, that approach did not always sit well with Sarah. I felt the need to handle more and with more care. The contrast of styles of caregiving led to stress. I am at ease when traveling alone with dad that if lousy events happen from hotels to food choices and everything in between he is fine and views it as part of the experience. I felt the stress of not wanting things to go wrong which I do not feel when traveling alone or just with dad. In fairness to Sarah, I have found I feel that more when traveling with any woman than a man. The process of traveling as oppose to the content. I work best when I am in charge of someone's care. The sharing of care was stressful as I did not at times know when to talk or shut up (always an issue with me, the shutting up that is). Through all the stress of this trip, Sarah and I had a breakthrough and reached new level of closeness and understanding. I do not know how to explain or how it came about but it just seem to happen. We got closer in spite of the stress.
This has been as we say in therapy, a learning experience. We can take what worked, what did not
and what we need to do differently. We all love Dad so it is not a matter of right and wrong but
allowing each of us to care give in our own way and respect the other person's ability to do it their
way.
The Derby Book Store: Salem
This has to get its own blog post. The Derby Square Book Store is one of the great book stores in the world. An institution that should go on forever and while I love my kindle there is no place that can match a joint like this for atmosphere and the heart to keep going in a digital age. There are books everywhere, I mean everywhere.
We were walking down the main tourist street in Salem when my eye catches a book shelve leaning over like the Tower of Pisa from the weight of so many books. I said the Bill, I have to stop and take a photo. Our curiosity peaked and we strolled inside to see.....books, books, stacked to the ceiling, sideways, vertical so many book on the counter you could not see the cashier save for a slight cutout where he was visible. So as we walk toward going in, I hear this voice bidding us welcome but could not figure out from where it was coming. Finally, I see Ted the owner. A heavy set guy in a beard saying hello and whom lets us know if we need anything to just holler.
Now, I have to admit, I have become a kindle man but not today. We looked around, down aisles that were so narrow only one person could fit. On either side of us in the aisle books framed us in a tight squeeze as you were always hearing people saying excuse me trying to get by while others were intensely searching for books. It was organize chaos as there seemed to be at first glance no system but once in the store for a bit you noticed a method to the madness. Books are all 50% off, mostly paperbacks. Ted explained he buys Books from stores that have gone out of business.
May this store stay in business to the end of time. Here are some wonderful photos. It was so tight in their, I felt awkward attempting to take photos.
We were walking down the main tourist street in Salem when my eye catches a book shelve leaning over like the Tower of Pisa from the weight of so many books. I said the Bill, I have to stop and take a photo. Our curiosity peaked and we strolled inside to see.....books, books, stacked to the ceiling, sideways, vertical so many book on the counter you could not see the cashier save for a slight cutout where he was visible. So as we walk toward going in, I hear this voice bidding us welcome but could not figure out from where it was coming. Finally, I see Ted the owner. A heavy set guy in a beard saying hello and whom lets us know if we need anything to just holler.
Now, I have to admit, I have become a kindle man but not today. We looked around, down aisles that were so narrow only one person could fit. On either side of us in the aisle books framed us in a tight squeeze as you were always hearing people saying excuse me trying to get by while others were intensely searching for books. It was organize chaos as there seemed to be at first glance no system but once in the store for a bit you noticed a method to the madness. Books are all 50% off, mostly paperbacks. Ted explained he buys Books from stores that have gone out of business.
May this store stay in business to the end of time. Here are some wonderful photos. It was so tight in their, I felt awkward attempting to take photos.
Ted, book store owner
The shelf that drew me into the store
Salem Drive....
After our fulfilling visit to Hammond's Castle, it was time to drive down the south coast to Salem. The drive alternated between woods and coastline with magnificent houses either nestled in the woods or jutting out onto the water. We were in no rush so we took our time going down the coast. When we arrived at Salem, we decided to stop and visit the town and take a moment to wet our whistles. We were parched.
Salem is famous for the witch trials and since the advent of tourism they have been capitalizing on those witches everywhere you look. Every bock seems to have a museum, shop, bookstore, and tee shirts dedicated to the macabre. A nice setting for a Stephen King novel. It was a great day to walk as the weather was perfect with no humidity. We took a nice long walk with the only thing we went inside to see was an iconic bookstore. We made it to the Hawthorne Hotel and stopped for a drink...
Afterwards as we are walking, we pass a tattoo parlor where Bill proclaims his wish to always want to get a tattoo. I said Bill do me a favor, if you get a tattoo get it when you are hanging out with Rick or Tom not on my watch. This way Martha or Bronwyn have to deal with their guys. He laugh and said "those daughters."
Salem is famous for the witch trials and since the advent of tourism they have been capitalizing on those witches everywhere you look. Every bock seems to have a museum, shop, bookstore, and tee shirts dedicated to the macabre. A nice setting for a Stephen King novel. It was a great day to walk as the weather was perfect with no humidity. We took a nice long walk with the only thing we went inside to see was an iconic bookstore. We made it to the Hawthorne Hotel and stopped for a drink...
Afterwards as we are walking, we pass a tattoo parlor where Bill proclaims his wish to always want to get a tattoo. I said Bill do me a favor, if you get a tattoo get it when you are hanging out with Rick or Tom not on my watch. This way Martha or Bronwyn have to deal with their guys. He laugh and said "those daughters."
Town Hall where it all might have begun.
Bill and I are respected here and for good reason.....
Me taking a photo with the last known person who got in the way of the "daughters"
Hammond Castle: History of
John Hays Hammond, Jr. built his medieval-style castle between the years 1926 and 1929 to serve both as his home and as a backdrop for his collection of Roman, medieval, and Renaissance artifacts. The castle was constructed as a wedding present for his wife Irene Fenton Hammond to prove how much he cared for her. In addition, the building housed the Hammond Research Corporation, from which Dr. Hammond produced over 400 patents and the ideas for over 800 inventions. Second only to Thomas Alva Edison in number of patents, John Hammond was one of America's premier inventors. His most important work was the development of remote control via radio waves, which earned him the title, "The Father of Remote Control."
Visitors to Hammond Castle Museum are welcome to explore the castle on a self-guided tour of many rooms (map supplied) including the great hall, indoor courtyard, Renaissance dining room, two guest bedrooms, the inventions exhibit room, the library, the War room, the kitchens, the Natalie Hays Hammond exhibit room, servants quarters, as well as several smaller rooms and passage ways including a secret passageway. We suggest that you start your tour in our AV theater where you can view a short film on the life and times of the Hammonds.
Visitors may also enjoy the beauty of the castle grounds and a view of the Atlantic shore line while strolling through our gardens or sitting on a bench taking in that view..
"For the last three years I motored many miles through Europe. After traveling all day, I would arrive at my destination to see a church, a cathedral, a town hall, a scrap of Roman wall or viaduct, a colosseum or an ancient theatre. It was always a piece of architecture that suddenly dissipated the obscurity of time and brought the living presence back of all ages. It is in the stones and wood that the personal record of man comes down to us. We call it atmosphere, this indescribable something that still haunts old monuments. You can read history, you can visit a hundred museums containing their handiwork, but nothing can reincarnate their spirit except to walk through rooms in which they have lived and through the scenes that were the background of their lives. It is a marvelous thing, this expression of human ideals in walls and windows."
(John Hays Hammond, Jr., Unpublished letter, 1929)
Visitors to Hammond Castle Museum are welcome to explore the castle on a self-guided tour of many rooms (map supplied) including the great hall, indoor courtyard, Renaissance dining room, two guest bedrooms, the inventions exhibit room, the library, the War room, the kitchens, the Natalie Hays Hammond exhibit room, servants quarters, as well as several smaller rooms and passage ways including a secret passageway. We suggest that you start your tour in our AV theater where you can view a short film on the life and times of the Hammonds.
Visitors may also enjoy the beauty of the castle grounds and a view of the Atlantic shore line while strolling through our gardens or sitting on a bench taking in that view..
"For the last three years I motored many miles through Europe. After traveling all day, I would arrive at my destination to see a church, a cathedral, a town hall, a scrap of Roman wall or viaduct, a colosseum or an ancient theatre. It was always a piece of architecture that suddenly dissipated the obscurity of time and brought the living presence back of all ages. It is in the stones and wood that the personal record of man comes down to us. We call it atmosphere, this indescribable something that still haunts old monuments. You can read history, you can visit a hundred museums containing their handiwork, but nothing can reincarnate their spirit except to walk through rooms in which they have lived and through the scenes that were the background of their lives. It is a marvelous thing, this expression of human ideals in walls and windows."
(John Hays Hammond, Jr., Unpublished letter, 1929)
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