Day Ten - Salem, Massachusetts

Hello Everyone - I woke to overcast skies and drizzly gloomy weather. No problem - I'd been blessed with quite a run of spectacular weather and I was leaving Maine today anyway to drive down to Boston to pick up Willie at Logan Airport.

I am sure my blog fans have read of my problems with my new laptop - not only has the I-Photo now completely quit, but my hard-drive has blown up (per the diagnosis from the tech-guy at the MAC store outside Boston ) Thus I am sending you this update from the business center at the Marriott Courtyard, Hyannis!

Willie's Virgin airlines flight was arriving at 7pm so I had a full day ahead of me. Having had my full of antique stores and art galleries I decided to drive down to Salem, Massachusetts and explore that village... especially being as it is autumn and Halloween is close at hand, I thought this was a good choice. I took the 1 hour tour of the Salem Witch Museum which had an interactive display detailing the history of the Witch trials. The Witchcraft Hysteria of 1692 began during the winter when some girls fell ill and blamed members of their community for their afflictions. Hundreds of innocent people were accused and in the end 19 men and women were hung, and one man was "pressed" to death (where they lay him down on his back and continue to add heavy weights to his chest until he dies!!!).

The Museum had a great gift shop, and I had to make a few purchases there to enhance my Halloween decorations (since Colleen abscounded with my huge witch doll a few years back, I bought a new decoration for my front door). There were many other witch tours you could take, but I decided I'd better not be late for Willie's flight so I headed to the airport with enough time for a delicious dinner of grilled scallops at Legal Seafood.

Oh - also right in Salem's historic downtown is the Peabody Essex Art Museum. It was founded in 1799 by Salem merchants who sailed the world in search of international trade, and during their travels brought extraordinary works and culture back home. The museum features a spectacular collection of American art and maritime art & history, plus art from China, India, Japan and beyond. Located on the museum's grounds is "Yin Yu Tang", a 200 year-old Chinese merchant's home brought over from China (16 bedrooms!). The current special exhibit was all kinds of arts & crafts made out of "used materials" such as tin cans, plastic bottles, etc. This museum is definately on my agenda for a future visit to Boston (Salem is only a 1/2 hour north of Boston).

Willie and I drove straight out to the Cape in the pouring rain. It was kinda scarey as it was very foggy and the Boston folks are much more used to driving on their freeways in bad conditions than I was. I was very relieved when we pulled up to the Marriott.

Willie hit the pillow and was fast asleep by 9pm, and after doing some laundry I was too. Tomorrow promises to be a busy day with Riverview registration, setting up yet another dorm room, and visiting the Hyannis Mall for a new robe for Willie. Two more days and I'll be on American Airlines flying back to LA! Until then...

Day Eleven...Riverview School, Cape Cod

Friends & Family:
RAIN RAIN RAIN all day today...and of course we had no umbrella. Willie and I got to Riverview to register him by around 11am, and despite the bad weather, everyone (especially the parents?) were in a great mood! Willie loved seeing all his friends again, and I was introduced to many parents I had not met before. One new family is from New Jersey and are friend's with Bill's sister Aimee. Willie is very proud of that! After a clam chowder lunch on campus, the parents had their orientation meeting where the head of school counseled us about not worrying about our children as they will be well taken care of when we depart tomorrow (I saw NO parent worrying, but many checking their watches with a countdown...!)

The campus looked drastically different this visit, as the administration has embarked on a big building campaign. The charming Cape Cod white washed clapboard building that served as the front office has been torn down, and right now all that is in it's place is a huge hole (full of a lot of water today). By this time next year a brand new library, auditorium, and student center will be in it's place. Despite the horrible economy, Riverview parents stepped up and committed over $3 million dollars to make this happen. It will certainly transform the school. Very exciting to watch the transformation.

Willie is in a new building off campus this year. It is located about 1 mile
down the road from the school, and used to be a motel. It is REALLY nice and once again Willie has his own room with lots of closet & drawer space. He even has his OWN TV! The dorm counselors are in the midst of organizing a room on the first floor that will have a ping pong table, pool table, and a big TV for video games. I don't think any of the young men will want to go to school.

During the day I skipped out and visited The Sandwich Glass Museum which has a beautiful collection of antique glass and lots of paperweights. The museum was hosting a large glass fair where over 40 dealers from all over the country exhibited their wares. NO GLASS PUMPKINS however.

Duly noted ladies - Before dinner I dropped off Willie at the Cape Cod Mall and told him I was running an errand at Bed & Bath, where in reality I rushed over to pay a visit to my favorite store "The Christmas Tree Store". Alas, as is common with these type of discount stores it is hit or miss. This visit was not an award winner... but then remember I will be back for parent's weekend October 15 !!

Tomorrow I head home on the 7:30pm flight. I wonder if Bill will meet me at the airport with a brass band & balloons? After 13 days of being on the road, I will confess I am ready to come home...but it has been a WONDERFUL journey.

Once I get home I will add some great photos...so don't think this is the last day for you to check the blog... you'll want to stay tuned for a few more days!

Here's to clear skies and strong headwinds heading West! xoxo

Day Twelve...Goodbye to Cape Cod and Hello LA !

Hello everyone - Is it really possible I will be heading home today??

I woke up early and had breakfast while reading the always informative Cape Cod Newspaper. The obits noted that Gertrude Baines, the world's oldest person at age 115, died in Los Angeles. She had remarked that she enjoyed life so much she wouldn't mind living another 100 years, saying "I enjoy eating and sleeping!" Gertrude attributed her longevity to a steady diet of bacon, fried chicken, and ice cream. Upon reading that I made a second trip to the breakfast buffet.

It was cloudy and gloomy as we made our way from the Marriott to downtown Hyannis to buy Willie a second pair of shoes. The JFK Museum was open and people were lined up outside. I suppose with Ted's recent passing, that Kennedy curiousity was at a peak. The flags all over Boston were flying half mast the entire time I was back east. Then we headed over to Riverview School, and after a few final room decorating touch-ups, Willie was practically pushing me out the door. He was very busy working with "the guys" on setting up the internet and didn't really need Mom around any more. So after a lot of ---

Mom to Willie: "Don't forget to brush your teeth every day...by the way when was the last time you shaved???"
Willie to Mom: "When I saw Katherine"
Mom to Willie: "That was over a week ago!"
Willie to Mom: "Unfortunately"

As I walked out the front door, the sun had broken through and the puffy bright white cloud formations were spectacular, I suppose as a result of last night's rain. I drove over to the Sandwich Boardwalk
and took some photos of the steam coming off the marsh, then headed down the wooden plank walkway to the beach. It had really turned out to be a beautiful day, but I was ready to be heading home.

As hoped, Bill met me at LAX happy as a clam! I hope you enjoyed my travel blog... and I can't wait to write the next one. Thanks for reading, and for responding - I am certainly blessed with great friends and family.