New England

Back from a week in the Northeast. There is no better place than New England in the autumn. The chilly nights give the morning air a wonderful crispness, the sky is the most intense blue, and the leaves are the most glorious colors. Although this year the foliage was very inconsistent--some areas were mostly green, and a mile later the foliage had all turned.

I did a lot of the driving on this trip and a lot of the prettiest scenery I saw was along the roads (particularly Rte 225 in Massachusetts), so not too many photos, but here are a few. I grew up living and breathing colonial history and the American Revolution, so I've been determinedly teaching my son about it. He doesn't get much exposure to it in Washington state.

The USS Constitution. I hadn't been aboard her since I was a little kid. Now that I've read and loved the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, stepping on board the Constitution is really an incredible experience. I'm so glad that she's been preserved all these years.




A cool carving of oak leaves on the Constitution.




A rainy day at Merriam's Corner in Concord, MA, where the running battle of Concord began.



The English village at Plimoth Plantation. This was a rather expensive attraction to enter, but worth it for the excellent staff, who roleplay Pilgrims circa 1627. To my surprise, spinning and weaving were not practiced in the early years--too few sheep, and no local flax or hemp was available. Didn't stop the gift shop from carrying custom-spun yarn from Harrisville, in colors representative of the period, though the names seemed a little anachronistic (doesn't Goose Turd Green seems a little crass for the period?).




And a few random photos for colorway inspiration. This was taken at the Flume in Franconia Notch State Park in NH:




And this fellow is a Rhode Island Red at Plimoth Plantation. Love how the green shades into black in his tail, and let's not talk about my ongoing love affair with that particular shade of burnt orange.




Husband and kiddo went home on Friday, and I went on to Rhinebeck with friends. More in the next post.