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dolphins_logOkay... What should happen when we enter Salem at the height of their biggest Month long celebration? A cat... a BLACK cat, strolls in front of our car. ...crosses our path, as aloof as only a cat can be. ...IN SALEM! IN OCTOBER! [dramatic music].
So I managed to Scuff up the rental car's hubcaps, and step in dog poop.
But wait though. We rescued a little friendly white yap dog that broke his leash. The owner was a Quebecer who, according to other passer by's, was traveling in a small trailer. We didn't meet him until after we tied the friendly little pooch to the trailer.
And we found a whole pile of pennies in the parking lot just after we returned the puppy. Cosmic payback.
We did find a few more lights, some off in the distance again. Our cameras did not fail us and brought them in close. Then we spent the rest of the day wandering through the crowds in Salem. You know, I think this is the only town were people can dress up and jeans and a T-shirt or purple robes and pointy hats, just mix up into the population almost without an eye blink. Most of the proprietors in the shops are dressed in Goth. There are quite a few street carts crowding closed off brick roads and selling trinkets, t-shirts, hot dogs and sausages. It's a city wide party! I guess t'is the season.
We visited the Salem Witch Museum and the Witch History Museum. Both were walk throughs with recordings and manikins, and it was somewhat interesting. One talked about the history of witches, about how they were pagans and folks with knowledge of nature. How belief shifted and demonized them, making them scape goats. And it touched briefly on modern day Wiccan philosophy.
The other museum explained a bit about why the Salem witch hysteria occurred. The flash point occurred because of the struggles of a few young girls living under very strict Puritanical rules. Though the historians aren't sure, one of the theories are that they started a lie. The girls kept perpetrating the lie because now they were getting lots of attention, even being sent to far away towns like Boston. They were taken to other places to help by pointing out the witches there. It all ended when they accused the governor's wife of being a witch. The Governor stepped in at that point and said "enough". But by then around 150 people had their lives destroyed, 20 of them were executed.
--side note-- there were no drownings of burnings in Salem.
It's all interesting history, but the party remained outside. We wandered through the town and photographed some historic buildings and places. Then we stopped and had ice cream at a sidewalk ice cream shop. Think of it.... two days after shivering and freezing in gale and rain, we were sitting in the sun in t-shirts, eating ice cream.
Oh, There's a Tall Ship that calls Salem it's Home Port.
The Friendship of Salem.
So this is the end of our New England adventure. We saw a good many lighthouses. We saw color. We were thrashed by storms. We saw history and drama. Best of all, we had fun.
Oh, and the black cat? Another black cat crossed our path two more times before we left Salem. I think, because we are affiliated with a black cat, Kaylee, then we must get a by on the curse. We've had nothing but a good time.
Loved It!
Date: 2010-10-09 03:08 am (UTC)Love,
Mom and Dad
no subject
Date: 2010-10-09 08:12 pm (UTC)