Skirting the Issue

Hello, all. You may have realized I didn't post a blog yesterday, but it was not for lack of trying; my new home just had hinky internet issues last night. I am in my new digs at the Best Western in Waltham, about 15 miles west of Boston. Over the hills yesterday when I settled in, I could see a couple of the buildings of downtown. Today, it's much too hot and hazy. And that weather has settled in for the duration of my stay: 90's through Monday. I'm afraid it may curtail my just-for-fun run through the city; I don't know if it's age or diabetes, but heat seems to affect me more all the time. But let's talk about everything from the last two days. SOOO much!

As expected, yesterday I went back to Salem. So did everyone else on the eastern seaboard, apparently. I found out later that the traffic was so bad because Thursday is Farmer's Market day in Salem, and it is a big deal. And of course, as soon as I got there (even possibly before), I was lost. I was driving along in despair and frustration when I happily sighted a dark-brown frame home that I recognized as one of the most important places I wanted to visit, the Jonathan Corwin home, known as the Witch House. That's a misnomer; Corwin was a successful merchant and, as such, was given power as a local magistrate, and he did question a few people early on, but no trials were held in the home. The reason I wanted to see it was that it was the only building that remained standing from that time period. (Salem is overflowing with buildings going back to the 1700's, but this house was built in the early 1600's.) And glory! They allowed photography as long as it wasn't flash photography, so I set my camera for candlelight and off we went. (That and the Frost places are the only ones I've seen that allowed it.) I was particularly attracted to the little displays they had around the rooms, such as a variety of spoons, with relevant explanations. Most people of the time ate with their hands only, and scooped things up with bread if they needed a utensil. A few people did have spoons and possibly even knives, but forks were rare; they were used exclusively for holding a large piece of meat to be sliced and served. I was also surprised to see a double bed with a trundle bed that slid out at the foot of the bed. These were mostly used for young children. (Rope beds don't seem to lend themselves well to this, but they made it work.)

During the tour, we learned some interesting sociological details. One habit of the time was to put old shoes inside the walls of a new building area. It was thought that well-traveled shoes would protect the house from....whatever! Also, an unmarried couple could share a bed while they were courting (in circumstances such as bad weather or such) by what was called "bundling": They remained fully clothed, and sometimes a "bundling board" would be fitted down the center of the bed. (Off to the side in a bedroom, there was a little verse that claimed if a maiden lay down bundled with a man and he didn't "offend" her, he would be a faithful husband; if he did offend, he would not be faithful. No mention of what it meant of HER actions!) We saw a bread oven, which I haven't noticed in any of the other sites. It was a little nook about the size of a 9 x 13 inch pan, building deeper in the wall in a large cooking fireplace. Coals would be placed in there until it was hot, then removed before the bread was cooked. I didn't get as much witch trials info here as I might have wanted, but it was great culturally.

I moved on to hit some high points of Salem by riding the trolley, when I finally found the station, that is! It gave me an overview of so much of the city; one could spend a week there just touring historic sites, besides the months of study one could do in nearby Boston. I saw the House of the Seven Gables, though I didn't tour it since I don't teach it, and the home George Washington stayed in. There were countless maritime sites, most notably the Custom House, which was by the shore when it was first built, as it should be, but the shoreline changed as the city filled it in, three blocks worth. This tour helped me find the Old Burying Point cemetery and the memorial to the victims of the witch trials. The memorial was uniquely appropriate. It was a U-shaped granite wall, with the occasional slab built half-way out of the wall and the name and date of death of one victim on it, and how he/she died. Perhaps it was the late-afternoon light, or maybe just the mood of the place, but it seemed to draw notice: "Watch carefully! Be slow to judge!" I wanted to step to the middle of the grassy area in the enclosure of the wall and just BE there, be still there, to listen, but I thought it might look a little odd to the other visitors. :-)

That was the best possible note I could end the day on, so I headed out for Waltham with only a few dozen wrong turns and settled in to prepare for today. Ah, today! I'll post this, take a break, and be back later to serve up a first taste of Concord to you! Yum...