LAST DAY IN BOSTON

Today we discovered what might be our favourite part of Boston: The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.  Boston decided to replace the ugly, elevated freeway with tunnels under the city, known colloquially as "The Big Dig."

So they were able to create connected parks, not very wide, stretching a mile and a half.  There is so much in them.  Down by the Quincy Marketplace, is open space and a wonderful merry-go-round.  Forget your horses, though.  Ride a butterfly, rabbit, skunk, fox, lobsters, turtle or as I did, a squirrel.

Many parks had water features.  But not big, fancy fountains.  Often they were as simple as jets that squirt up and drain into grates ... and on a warm, summer's Sunday, didn't the kids love them!!

 This below was at one end of the Greenway, a long shallow pool where even teenagers and adults were enjoying the water.  Beside it was a large open grassed area, full of people having picnics.

 Robert is giving his approval for this project, which was only opened in 2007.  Apparently Senator Ted Kennedy was instrumental in gaining Federal funding and so it was named in honour of his mother.  We have noticed how Americans are very keen on naming things this way.  Apparently there is a push in San Francisco to name a section of road or bridge for Robin Williams.  Another thing is the claim to "the best".  We crossed several times by bus a white cable bridge, which we were assured was not the longest one, but definitely THE WIDEST!!  Really?

 The Greenway is divided by roadways into separate sections, each if which almost has its own personality.  One was devoted to sculpture and art work suspended overhead.  Another had small curved lawn sections, surrounded by garden beds, either side of the curving path through it.

 One, which I did not photograph, was a wide lawn area, with three hammocks you could move into or out of the shade, plus plastic lounge chairs, with a reclined back.  We sat on them for ages, me in the sun and Robert in the shade.  I admit I did close my eyes.  The sounds of the city were all around. Planes above, traffic, voices.  Didn't stop me dozing, though!!

 This section of the Greenway had a row of bench seats.

 The buildings are right around it.  It is bordered right along the mile and a half by roads each side, then cut into sections by roads.  Up where we started to walk along we found an urban garden.  I picked and ate basil leaves and parsley.  There was a small orchard and other herbs and vegetables.

 I loved this idea.  Square pavers could be engraved in honour with someone you loved!

 From small, intimate lawn spaces, where young couples lay entwined, to these open grassed areas for picnics and games, this is a wonderful public space.  One thing we both noticed was the complete lack if graffiti.  On benches, ledges, utility boxes, signs, there was no tagging.  This helped give the whole place a fresh, clean look.

 There was not a lot of elaborate flower beds.  Maybe the winter snows affect how they plant here, but there was plenty of shrubbery, bushes and trees, with spots of coloured vegetation too.

Late in the afternoon, we walked to the Theatre District and saw a film, the latest in the Mission Impossible franchise.  At one state, Alec Baldwin makes the accusation they are putting American-UK relations back to the War of Independence.  Imagine, we are in Boston, where it all began.

We were talking about how our Financial District part of Boston feels cosy and speculated how the streets curve off, so we are not looking down long streets, but each view is of multiple buildings.

We walked across the street from the movie theatres to Boston Common, to sit a while and watch the world and read.

We had dinner in a dark, moody place, with a bar and separate dining tables.  Again, very good service.  I ordered a cocktail "something creamy and fruity" and our waiter said the barman "had a lot of fun making it".

So tomorrow is New York, by train, from South Station.

QUINCY MARKET

In the food section, one long building has an eating area in the middle.  Stretching either side along a brick central walkway are numerous food outlets, stocking a variety of eating options.  It was bustling with people tonight just after seven o'clock.  Such colour and atmosphere.  So much from which to choose.

NEW ENGLAND

Guess what this is, in the park right nest to our hotel?  This glass building is a coffee shop!  Lovely building, but awful coffee.

We drove along the coast through New Hampshire and Maine today.  First stop was Hampton Beach, where hundreds were enjoying the weather.  Summer houses here rent for around $US 4,000 per week.  In these seaside towns, the populations increase ten fold over summer.

 There are many sections in towns which are completely deserted in winter.  The summer homes have no heating and are boarded up for winter.

Where there is no sandy beach, people set up on the wide sea wall.  The walls are often curved to protect the houses built right close to the adjoining road.  In winter storms, the waves crash against the sea wall and instead of washing over the curve is designed to direct the water back, not over the sea wall.

The beaches ranged from broad stretches of white dry sand, to dark almost muddy sand through to narrow strips of pebbles, to large jagged rocks placed there to break up the stormy waves.  But people used everywhere to sun themselves. 

We saw some amazing houses and spectacular locations today.

In this caravan park there is a ten year wait for a spot.  Many leave their "RV" there all year, or opt to still pay the weekly fee of $US40 to secure their site for the next summer.

We were told this is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country.

It certainly was picturesque.  When it was a manned, a basket hung from a cable stretched across to the mainland was how the family could travel back and forth, for school or shopping.  Be mighty scary in windy weather.

This couple were oblivious to the stream of tourists passing them in the car park to the lighthouse.  They were just laying back enjoying the sun.

This is a local institution.  During the Great Depression a man moved his family from New York where he had lost his job back to live with his inlays.  I think it is in York.  He opened a restaurant selling steamed hotdogs, fries and cold drinks.  Nothing else.  There are no tables inside.  It was named "Flo's" after his eldest daughter ... and she still runs it.  There were dozens of cars there!

Logging is big in this area and virtually all the houses were made of weatherboard and some in shingles.

Kennebunk and Kennebunkport are two different towns, separated only by a tidal river and a short bridge.  In Kennebunk, I had clam chowder and this clam basket for lunch.

The place is decorated in a sea faring way.  That is an outboard motor suspended over the bar.

This is the divider of the two towns.  We learned for a town to develop into a fishing community, it needs a salt water marsh, for the creatures to wash in for breeding purposes.  You could see the buoys floating above lobster pots not far from shore.  Each lobsterman has his own coloured buoys (pronounced boo-ease) assigned to him.

We crossed the bridge and wandered around Kennebunkport.  Lots of beautiful old homes, in a range of styles and colours.

I think a lot of the charm comes from the fact these buildings are mainly built from wood, not brick.  So then they can be painted, with contrasting trims and shutters, so they look wonderful.

Even this shop looked wonderful with the geraniums planted out the front.

We took this one on a bench seat on the bridge 

After, our bus drove to nearby Walker's Point, current home to George Snr. and Barbara Bush.  It has been in his mother's family for years and really sits on the end of the point of land.  The Secret Service guarding him there have a rocket launcher for airborne attacks and a machine gun for water invasions!  Plus an electric fence and a guard house.

Another lovely old home.

This was once home to the great uncle of George Bush.

And this was built, over twenty or more years, by a man who carved ornamentation for ships.  He was inspired by a Gothic cathedral he saw in Italy and hand carved all the parts if this, even the posts for the fence.  After all the simple, elegant houses we had seen, this looked so overdone!  But apparently it is known locally as The Wedding Cake House and is one of the most photographed houses in the area.