This is what happens when you do a "red eye" from West to East.
Too many rules. And too much possession.
Great scrolls on the walls of the Town Clerk's office in Kittery, Maine. Picking up the marriage license!!
Time to meet up with Trish and the kids at DeLeo's. I'm not sure who's concentrating more.
Dance Revolution?
We couldn't decide, so we got them all! NO RULES!
The first of several lobster rolls.
Seriously? I'm STARVING!
Sometime during this meal, I showed a photo of the marriage license to Trish and we realized that they had spelled Fenlason wrong! So, Rafa and I got into the 17 passenger van and drove BACK to Kittery to have it corrected.
And finished the evening with a quick trip to Logan Airport where we waited 2 1/2 HOURS for Rafa's mother, three sisters and cousin to clear customs.
The next day. NO WORSE FOR WEAR at Lewis Wharf, Boston!
What's not to love?
The Custom House Tower as seen on our walk to the New England Aquarium. Construction began in the mid-19th century and the tower was added in the 1910s. Standing at 496 feet tall, it's actually Boston's 17th-tallest building (current!) The tower is part of the Custom House District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The New England Aquarium. One of my favorite places in the world.
The Trust Family Foundation Shark and Ray Touch Tank features sharks and rays in a mangrove-themed tank surrounded by shallow edges and viewing windows, allowing visitors to experience a close encounter with these animals.
Visitors can gently stroke cownose rays, Atlantic rays and epaulette sharks as they swim gracefully through the crystal-clear water.
Did you know that a group of penguins is called a "raft?" Well . . . A group of penguins in the water is called a 'raft' – a group of penguins on land is called a waddle. Other collective nouns for penguins include: rookery, colony, and huddle.
And one is called ADORABLE!
African penguins are also known as jackass penguins, because they make a sound that is very similar to a donkey's bray.
Just chillin' Mr. Turtle.
Actually, it's Ms. Turtle . . . Myrtle the turtle - a 550-pound green sea turtle - back in her renovated home. To the tune of $17 million.
Completed about three years ago.
Strange and alluring assortment of underwater sea flora . .
. . . and fauna.
And sisters!
I'm sure that this staging was innocent to someone. Just not to me.
Octopus wine rack.
Custom House Tower through a pergola at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park.
Familia Obregon . . . with their t-shirts! "Nobody is perfect, but if your name is Obregon, you're pretty damn close."
Allium blossoms in the park.
Our Lady of Victories Church
A plaque for the martyr Goodwife Ann Glover.
Not far from here on 16 November 1688, Goodwife Ann Glover an elderly Irish widow, was hanged as a witch because she had refused to renounce her Catholic faith. Having been deported from her native Ireland to the Barbados with her husband, who died there because of his own loyalty to the Catholic faith, she came to Boston where she was living for at least six years before she was unjustly condemned to death. This memorial is erected to commemorate “Goody” Glover as the first Catholic martyr in Massachusetts.”
Ann Glover and her family, along with some 50,000 other native Irish people, were enslaved by Englishman Oliver Cromwell during the occupation of Ireland and shipped to the island of Barbados, where they were sold as indentured servants.
It is generally thought that her hanging "set the tone for the infamous Salem Witch Trials in 1692, during which 19 men and women were hanged for witchcraft, and in which Reverend Cotton Mather and his anti-Catholic prejudices played a major role."
See more at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/was-the-last-witch-of-boston-actually-a-catholic-martyr-27747/
The kids would NOT move.
We didn't eat here . . . but I did 28 years ago!
We DID have cannolis from Mike's!!
And then zipped over to Faneuil Hall Marketplace for MORE food!!
And espresso.
Time Flies??
Park Street Church
In a time of increasing apostasy from the gospel and rising Unitarianism in New England, a small group of devoted Christians, primarily from Old South Church, formed a “Religious Improvement Society” in 1804 to hold weekly prayer meetings and lectures. Though they faced opposition from all sides, the group continued to meet for six years, founding Park Street Church in February of 1809. This small group acted in faith that God would use their efforts to accomplish no small task. And he did. By April of 1809, our location in the center of town was chosen to serve as a beacon of the hope we have in Christ. By 1810, the small congregation had grown and raised over $100,000 to complete the construction of the current meetinghouse.
Park Street Church was the tallest building in the city from the time it was built until 1867. Before the water surrounding Boston was filled in to create Back Bay and other neighborhoods, someone arriving by water could see the steeple from all directions.
Boston Common is a central public park in downtown Boston and is the oldest city park in the United States.
It was originally used by many families as a cow pasture (the "common" ground). However, this only lasted for a few years, as affluent families bought additional cows, which led to overgrazing, a real-life example of the "tragedy of the commons". Grazing was limited to 70 cows at a time in 1646, but the Common continued to host cows until they were formally banned from it in 1830.
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Flag Staff Hill in Boston Common was erected in memory of Massachusetts soldiers and sailors who died in the American Civil War. It was designed by Martin Milmore and construction began in 1874. The monument was dedicated on September 17, 1877. Union Generals George B. McClellan and Joseph Hooker were among the estimated 25,000 people attending the dedication on Boston Common.
A display of flags by the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund.
A LOT of flags.
Each of the 37,000 flags at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument represents a Massachusetts service member who gave his or her life defending our country since the Revolutionary War.
Located at the Arlington Street gate and facing Commonwealth Avenue is the Equestrian Statue of George Washington, designed and cast by Thomas Ball. Unveiled on July 3, 1869, the statue itself is 16 feet tall and made of bronze, and stands upon a granite pedestal of 16 feet, for a total height of 38 feet. The statue was funded mostly by donations from local citizens, and was constructed entirely by Massachusetts artists and artisans.
The "Make Way for Ducklings" statue, near Charles and Beacon Streets, appeals to grownups and children alike, and is the most popular statue in the Public Garden.
Inspired by Robert McCluskey's book about Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their adventures while finding a safe place to hatch and raise their offspring in and around the Public Garden, the sculpture depicts Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings, Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.
Boston-area sculptor Nancy Schön designed the bronze duck sculpture.
Seen above are Conny and her ducklings!
It is said the Ducks never need professional polishing because children sit on them so often.
One of my favorite buildings in the world, the Massachusetts State House is one of the oldest buildings on Beacon Hill, and its grounds cover 6.7 acres of land.
It houses the Massachusetts General Court and the offices of the Governor of Massachusetts. The building, designed by noted architect Charles Bulfinch, was completed in 1798, and has repeatedly been enlarged since. It is considered a masterpiece of Federal architecture and among Bulfinch's finest works, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960 for its architectural significance.
The original wood dome, which leaked, was covered with copper in 1802 by Paul Revere's Revere Copper Company. Revere was the first American to roll copper successfully into sheets in a commercially viable manner.
The dome was first painted gray and then light yellow before being gilded with gold leaf in 1874. During World War II, the dome was painted once again, this time black or gray (depending on the source), to prevent reflection during blackouts and to protect the city and building from bombing attacks. In 1997, at a cost of more than $300,000, the dome was re-gilded, in 23k gold.
The dome is topped with a gilded, wooden pine cone, symbolizing both the importance of Boston's lumber industry during early colonial times and of the state of Maine, which was a district of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts when the Bulfinch section of the building was completed.
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