June 14th - Seafaring

Our drive took us from southern New Jersey, over the George Washington Bridge into NY, through Connecticut, and into Rhode Island.  There was steady, heavy traffic the entire way. I had forgotten how crowded this area of the country is. There is very little empty space; and the drive seemed to be one continuous town with a continuous traffic jam. I do not miss this.

We stopped in Mystic, Connecticut to visit the Mystic Seaport Museum.  Mystic Seaport is a village that shows the life of seafaring communities from the 1800’s.  Mystic is also a museum that does actual ship restoration.  We toured a whaling ship which is the last known surviving wooden whaler. We were able to tour the ship while it is being restored by hand using the old methods.  We also saw a tall ship, a schooner, and a sloop. We visited the cooper, the instruments shop, and a small ship builder. The docents were very knowledgeable, hippie types who really liked what they were doing.  It was like being at the Historical Society’s Ohio Village, only much better.

We learned about whale hunting in the small whale boats and how the blubber was harvested. The hunting was dangerous and the harvesting was disgusting.  (You know, this trip has made me very grateful for the 21^st century).

We stayed in Warwick just outside of Providence. We drove around the area and found our way to the happening area in downtown Providence.  For dinner I had a “stuffie”, a local RI dish that is basically a large stuffed clam. We were at a bar called the Hot Club.  It was an after work place. As we were leaving some younger people were coming in to hang out on a Friday night.

The weather has gotten colder. When we left Atlantic City it was 59 degrees. The temperature hovered in 68-71 degree range all day. The high for Martha’s Vineyard this weekend will be around 73. I switched to my cold weather suitcase and got out my jeans.  I am ready for the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard.