Tag Archives: pilgrims

Cape Cod Day 5…. P’town, sand and a museum.

January 10, 2020 Rivergirl 25 Comments

Day 5 of our Cape Cod vacation found us driving to the Outer Cape. About as out as you can get and still be on the Cape actually…

p.town

Provincetown.

Or P’town as it’s known to the locals.

I’ve heard it’s the place to be in the summer, but it was November and the wall to wall tourists were long gone. Sadly, so was most of the fun as many places were closed for the season. But we managed to have a good time all the same.

As you draw near, you realize it’s unlike other sections of the Cape.

John F. Kennedy designated a National Seashore here…

And there are miles upon miles of unspoiled beach.

As well as some pretty impressive sand dunes along the road.

But it was cool, foggy and threatening rain so we kept driving… keeping an eye out for this:

Thankfully it’s hard to miss on the skyline. Wanting to climb to the top for the fabulous views, I was unaware of the museum at it’s base.

Never one to pass up a museum, we began strolling.

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The first thing you notice? Pilgrims.

And Pilgrim history. Figuring it was because they landed up the coast at Plymouth… I had to admit I was shocked.

Whaaaat? You mean my grade school teachers got it wrong…

And I went all the way to Plymouth to photograph a rock for nothing! Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Pilgrims landed in P’town first. And believe me when I say they take that fact very seriously at the museum.

But it wasn’t all Pilgrims.

The building was filled with maritime history…

And a musk ox, like any good museum should be.

There were recreations of a Captain’s ship board quarters…

Which aside from the chamber pot, looked pretty comfy.

As well as his home on land.

There was an antique fire engine…

And a wreath made of human hair.

Because who doesn’t want one of those hanging on their living room wall?

There were maps of the Cape..

With questionable artwork.

Is it me, or is that Griffon in dire need of a Jane Russell 18 hour bra?

There was some Arctic expedition fashion…

Shoes!

Even a rooster hat…

And a couple of local celebs who clearly knew how to have a good time.

Yes, there was a Mayflower replica…

But it was the antique doll collection that made me want to run screaming from the room.

Holy Hell, those things are creepy.

I mean, come on…

You know this one will be feasting on your flesh long before you’re dead.

Quick…

Find the monument before she gets hungry.

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Cape Cod Day 3…. Plymouth harbor, The Rock and finally, some food.

January 1, 2020 Rivergirl 25 Comments

So the lovely path through the park brought us to downtown Plymouth and the harbor.

It’s a pretty spot.

And at low tide you get a really good view of the rock retaining wall.

There were more scallop shells…

And piers..

And a statue of the Governor who spelled Plymouth with the ‘i’ that drove me crazy the entire time we were touring the Plantation.

Seriously… it was painful.

But then…

In the distance…

In the middle of what appeared to be a mausoleum…

Surrounded by pillars and wrought iron gates….

And guarded by a Ranger was…

Are you ready for what everyone who visits Plymouth Massachusetts has to see?

Brace yourself.

Here it comes….

The one, the only….

Plymouth Rock!

Yup.

That’s it.

I can’t say I really even knew what I was expecting…. but I’m pretty sure it was more than this.

To be honest, it was a rather bizarre experience. You know you have to find it, you know you have to see it, you know you have to photograph it (though I resisted the selfies some people took) …. but when you finally sidle up to the railing and look down?

Okay, it’s a rock.

And we all know I have a soft spot for rocks, but…

But alas, that’s all there was.

The Ranger told us they had to protect what was left because for years people would come and chip and chisel pieces from it for keepsakes. My first thought was, you should have started sooner.

So there you have it.

We came.

We saw.

We photographed the most famous rock in America.

YOURE-WELCOME

Plymouth, Massachusetts.

They have a park…. for a rock.

Ya gotta love this country!

And now… for my oh, ~~not~~ so patient food photo people.

Liquid refreshment at the East Bay Grille in Plymouth.

A wonderful restaurant with a view, potent cocktails and seriously good food.

I started with Risotto Balls.

And as balls go? They were top notch.

After a pomegranate martini, I went for the Autumn Punch. It sounds sweet, but the tart cranberry and acidic orange juice cut it perfectly.

The husband went with some kind of saucy fish…. blame the martini, but I don’t remember which…. brown rice and grilled butternut squash.

While I…

Can you guess?

Cognac cream sauce?

Ooh la la!

And yes, of course we had dessert.

New York style cheesecake for the hubs.

And a mouthwatering mountain of Tiramisu for yours truly.

It’s a shame we were only in Plymouth for one day because I could easily have eaten there every night.

Vacation Day 3 officially over.

Only 5 more to go!

No worries, at this rate it will only take a few more weeks worth of posts.

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Cape Cod Day 3… Plimoth Plantation grist mill and some (literally) corny jokes.

December 30, 2019 Rivergirl 23 Comments

The tickets we purchased at the Plantation were actually in 3 parts. The site itself, a grist mill off site and a replica of the Mayflower down at the harbor. Three different locations for one price, how could we lose?

Apparently very easily as it turns out….because after we bought them, we found out the replica Mayflower wasn’t even in the state, but in Mystic, Connecticut undergoing an overhaul for the 400th year anniversary they’ll be celebrating next year. Thanks for that. It would have been nice knowing before I paid to tour it.

And the grist mill?

While attractive…

Turned out not to be so historic after all.

Yes, the Pilgrims eventually built a mill in 1636 after 10 years of grinding corn by hand. And yes, it was somewhere on Town Brook in Plymouth, though no one knows exactly where.

The mill pictured here was actually built in 1970 with many of it’s parts coming from a salvaged mill near Philly. How’s that for historical accuracy?

But we paid our money so here it is… upstairs, big stones.

And downstairs, big wheel. I won’t bore you with the more technical details on the inner workings.

But I will share the picture and video of this poor girl sifting cornmeal. The mere thought of having to do that all day makes me appreciate the little blue Jiffy box I use to make muffins soooo much more.

And it was even louder in person, trust me.

Naturally I had to visit the gift store and buy some freshly ground meal which is when we passed this:

Feel free to groan.

I did.

Sadly I only caught sight of this book when we were leaving and didn’t have a chance to flip through it. Who knew Yetis brewed beer?

Leaving the grist mill, I spotted a scallop shell.

In Tennessee we saw painted bears, in Vermont painted cows, somewhere I can’t remember painted lighthouses.

In Plymouth?

Painted scallop shells.

To each their own…

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Cape Cod Day 3… Plimoth Plantation. Goats, beer, a cranky llama and the Mooflower

December 29, 2019 Rivergirl 26 Comments

Continuing through the English settlement we saw garden plots…

And goats.

Who liked a good chin scratch.

I mean really liked a good chin scratch. This guy followed me the entire length of the fence.

We met a young man chopping firewood…

Who when asked what was in his flask, replied “Beer, of course. The water will make you sick.”

We discovered beer was quite popular in those days.

And if I had to cook all my meals in that contraption behind the women?

I’d drink beer everyday as well.

Colonists popped out at you everywhere…

Some friendly…

Some not.

This woman was the Governor’s wife and therefor had a slightly better home. With wood floors and a proper chimney.

Although the quality of workmanship seemed about the same.

Finished with the colony, we moved on to the museum with it’s eel pot…

It’s sea suit.

And because I knew you’d ask…

And it’s Mayflower provision list.

250 lbs of bacon and 280 lbs of butter… That will hold me for 8 weeks, but what will the rest of you eat?

roses-are-red-bacon-memes

Though I do have to say, that list seems a little suspect. Considering margarine was invented in 1868 and Rice Krispies in 1927…I highly doubt they were aboard the original ship in 1620.

WTH?

But the museum did have the Mooflower….

And an anatomically correct, trouser wearing, sea going cow vessel?

Makes up for a lot of historical inaccuracies.

Last up was the petting barn where we found…

Yes.

One rabbit…

Apparently the pilgrims ate everyone else before we got there.

But then we saw…

So we met Hyacinth.

And may I just say?

She was a bitch.

I tried to pet her and almost lost a finger. She tried to head butt a few children and looked ready to go 12 rounds with a service dog that walked by.

If you’re approaching that age when you yell at the kids to get off your lawn? Don’t get a shotgun…

Get a Hyacinth.

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Cape Cod Day 3, Plimoth Plantation English colony.

December 28, 2019 Rivergirl 20 Comments

Done with the Indian village, we walked through an exhibition hall full of 17th century replica pottery.

It was a bit odd. But there was a still…

And an 8 handed mug…

So that probably explains it. That, and the fact water was often polluted so they drank mostly beer and/or alcohol.

Onward to the colonist’s settlement….

First, the fort which commanded the high ground.

With it’s wonderful old cannons.

Then down into the settlement.

It was explained to us that all the employees would be playing the parts of characters based on the original inhabitants, wearing authentic clothing and speaking in the language of the period. We were encouraged to interact with them as such.

Before visiting here I was under the impression that the Pilgrims came to the new world to escape religious persecution. And while that’s true to an extent, it’s not the whole story. They actually fled to the Netherlands first, which explains all the windmills you see in this part of the country.

Read about it here.

The settlers in Plymouth were actually sponsored by England to colonize America. They were given ship’s passage and supplies and were expected to send back goods (mostly furs and pelts) to repay the investment. After 7 years of this, they were granted land… something working class people had no hope of obtaining back home.

Of course nothing went as planned. They were supposed to land in New York, but they landed in Massachusetts. They were supposed to land in September, but they landed in December.