One More Trip Down Memory Lane... Or is that Shadowbrook Lane?

WOW! Its been like, 27 years since we lived here... It seems much smaller... hehe.... It was weird going back... everything seemed a little familiar, but as I was about 8 or so years old, my memory is a little fuzzy from back then... But, still, there were things I remembered, like the church where my cub scout meetings were held, the schools we attended (Brookside Elementary, Stacy and Milford Middle School East), the bank my parents used to go to where, when going through the drive through, the nice lady in the little booth would give my sister and I square lolipops... YUM! My favorite pizza place from when I was a kid is still there (Papa Gino's - they would let you behind the counter to make your own pizza's for your birthday... Very Cool to an 8 year old. Actually its a HUGE franchise all over the place here now), and there was this other restaurant called Pago Pago which is still there, too (See picture below)... Oh yeah, and the little corner market (Purchase Street Market - picture also below) down the street from Shadowbrook is still there... WOW... That was really my whole existance back then (remember, I was ages 7 - 9 when we lived there) I'm actually surprised I remembered as much as I did since I never got the opportunity to drive when living there.

This was the pool where we (Mom, Brenda and I) spent a lot of time with Lynn and her daughter Jen, and the Suddath kids (Kama, Mike, sometimes Louis) I hope I'm spelling these names right. Anyway, I had my first job here (a paper route - go figure)... I don't really remember liking it much, although, for a paper route, looking back, it wasn't all bad. Most of the time, you were inside since these were all apartment buildings. I would have taken pictures of the actual buildings, but I didn't want people calling the cops on me... Across from the office / pool that you see in this picture, was a little pond (now occupied by ducks) that used to freeze over in the winter that we used to "ice skate" on. I put that in quotes, because I don't really remember ME ever ice skating there with actual skates. I think Brenda and Jen did, I probably just pretended to skate (slip) around the pond. I have a pic of it below... Well, its getting late (2:31 am), and not only do I have to work in the morning, but I have to fly home (6 HOUR FLIGHT! YUCK!) tomorrow evening... Talk to ya all later! Hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane.. um.. Shadowbrook Lane... hehe!

Well, I'm trying to add the pictures noted above, but it isn't letting me... I'll have to try later... Until then...

Adventures in Salem, MA

Salem... January, 1692... Witch trials are underway in this sleepy waterfront town. Brought on by the hysterical and inexplicable acts of two young girls, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams who were, ironically enough, the daughter and orphaned niece of a local reverend, Samuel Parris. Apparently these girls began to act strangely and other girls soon followed. Ultimately, due to the pressure brought on by the towns citizens to identify the source of their ailments, the girls named three women: Tituba, the Caribbean slave of the reverend, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. In May, the new Governor from England, Sir William Phips set up the Court of Oyer and Terminer to try the witchcraft cases. By this time, nearly 30 people (not just women) had been arrested and examined (Sarah Osborne had since died in prison) by Magistrates John Hathorne and Jonathan Corwin. Governor Phips added 5 other men to make up the Court of Oyer and Terminer. A month later, Bridget Bishop was hanged marking the 1st official execution of the witch trials. By the end of October (how appropriate), Phips ended the Court of Oyer and Terminer. In all, about 20 people had been executed by then. The Superior Court was created in November to try the rest of the cases the following May... This time, there were no convictions! You learn a lot when you go to museums...

Salem isn't only known for its "witchy" past. There are other notable citizens of Salem as well. Probably the most well know was Nathaniel Hawthorne. Born in 1804 in Salem, Hawthorne penned numerous literary works such as Twice Told Tales, The Scarlet Letter, and The House of The Seven Gables. "Gables" was inspired by the stories his cousin would tell him of the house's appearance in earlier days. Now a museum (they have lots of 'em there), tours are offered not only of this historic dwelling (also known as the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion), but also of the "Hooper-Hathaway House", the "Counting House", the "Retire Beckett House", and of course, the "Nathaniel Hawthorne House." THOTSG (too much to type), is the oldest surviving 17th century wooden mansion in New England.

The Tall Ships! This particular one, docked at historic Derby Wharf's "Salem Maritime National Historic Site", is a reconstruction of the original built in Salem back in the late 1700's. She is a 171-foot, three-masted Salem East Indiaman (no idea what any of that means, but it sounds impressive), and is the largest wooden, Coast Guard certified, sailing ship built in New England in more than a century. I almost got a chance to go out on another ship docked here called the Fame, but they had cancelled all of their sailings for the day because the weatherman said it was going to rain... If you can't tell in the picture to the left, NOT A CLOUD IN THE SKY!!! Anyway, I guess I'll just have to try to make it next time. This has been a very educational trip (for a business trip). Well, I'll be working the rest of the week, and probably won't get a chance to write anymore, but on the bright side, I DO get to go home on Thursday... Can't Wait!

Fall River, MA

The image of this diner (it closed as a diner back in 2002) conjures memories of when I was a little boy visiting my Memere and Pepere (Acadian French for Grandmother and Grandfather)... My Pepere would always go here (with us in tow) to smoke his cigarettes and basically get out of the house. They just lived up the street from here (actually most of their lives from I remember and from what my father tells me - thanks for the cell phone tour of the city Dad!) and there was a barber shop that my Pepere used to take me to around here as well (although I didn't see any signs of it on this trip - perhaps it's closed as well). There is a restaurant (pizza joint) just around the corner called Atlas Pizza... I think this is where we used to go to get something that everyone should try (at least once)... A Chourico and Chips sandwich... Anyway, I had to stop in... WOW... this is like the best think on a roll... it is this greasy mixture of ground (although I don't remember it being ground when I was younger) chourico with french fries on a medium hard roll... Yeah.. I can hear it now, the arteries hardening, but it is the best... As for the rest of my day in Fall River, there happened to be a festival going on called "Fall River Celebrates America! http://www.fallrivercelebrates.com/about.shtml" It was pretty cool... It was taking place down by the river (near Battleship Cove, site of the old Battleship Massachusetts http://www.battleshipcove.org/bb59-history.htm) There was a carnival, food stands (which I'll get into in a minute), and FIREWORKS!

I noticed the festival as I was driving into town, and figured that on my way out of town, I'd stop by to check it out.. I am soooo glad I did. The fireworks were wonderful; I even got to see them from the deck of the Massachusetts (for ONLY $3.00 - what a bargain), but the highlight of the festival, for me, was the food... I seem to be talking about food a lot here so far, but this one is worth mentioning... There was a place called Lincoln Park that we used to like to go to whenever we could when we would visit the grandparents (when I refer to "we", I mean my family; Mom, Dad, and Sister - and of course Memere and Pepere) This place was an OLD (my mom used to go there growing up) theme park complete with roller coasters (big and small) and the other typical rides you'd find at an amusement park... but for me (and my sister), the best part were these little balls of heaven called "clam cakes!" Basically, fried dough balls with some (very little) clam meat in them (I think mainly for the flavor). Think of a hushpuppy, just a little lighter and fluffier, with clam pieces in them, and there you go... Anyway, this festival had a food stand that was selling them... I couldn't resist, and I wasn't disappointed, they tasted just like I remembered from the old days at Lincoln Park. Well, that was about it, after the fireworks, I decided to drive back to my hotel for the night, but I will never forget this excursion into my past... Hey, by the way... here is a little video I made of the Fireworks... Enjoy!

Welcome! Enjoy the trip...

What better place to start a new journey (I refer to my new Blog) than where our forefathers began their new life in the New World... I give you... Plymouth Rock! I was just there this weekend (of course I've been there many times before, but always try to get out there if I'm in the area). I am currently in Boston for work (I've been here for about 2 weeks) and I'll be here most of next week. I also made a trip to Fall River, MA (this is where my mother was born and raised) to reflect on the past. One of my favorite things (food wise) I remember from Fall River is that whenever we went to visit the grandparents, we would always go to this place (Atlas Pizza) for a chourico and chips sandwich. YUMMY! Basically its like a heart attack on a plate, but its the best sandwich I've ever had... We also used to get something called a meat pie. Not sure where we got them, but again... YUM! Anyway, once again, welcome to my new blog... Hope you enjoy the pictures and comments of the places I visit on my journey across America and BEYOND!

Ciao!