Busy day around Boston area

July 16 – We got up at 7:30 so we could be on the road to Boston area by 8:30.  It was dreary out from the start and by the time we hit the interstate it was raining cats and dogs!  There wasn’t anything we could do about so we headed on.  We had lunch plans with an old friend of Bill’s who used to teach in Orange County.  She moved back to MA 30 or more years ago.  We hoped to make quite a few stops before then.

Longfellow House

First stop was Longfellow National Historic Site in Cambridge, MA.  I used the mapping on my phone and we aren’t sure it really knew where we were going but in addition many street signs were not in view today so it made navigating difficult and we were getting a bit testy with each other.  Bill parked on the street right in front of the Longfellow house.  We had been here before but that was before I was collecting my stamps so this was to be quick stop.  It was drizzling so I donned my raincoat and off I went.  Well, the signs here were not much better than on the road and I ended up next door instead of around the back at the Visitor Center.  I did get my stamps, so mission accomplished.

Olmsted House

Getting from there to Brookline to the Frederick Law Olmstead NHS in Brookline, MA was a bit tricky.  Now there was road closure that the map didn’t know was there.  Geez!  We were in city traffic and no real clue where we were going but we finally got there.  This was a new site for us.  Olmstead and his 2 sons were pioneers in the field of architectural landscape.  He and his firm designed and implemented the building/development of many famous parks.  He was the designer of NY’s Central Park, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, as well as famous parks in Chicago, Seattle, in Canada and the US Capitol grounds.  His sons worked with him and continued his work into 1979 when the firm was sold and moved.  His home was developed into his business location as well.  He bought the house and then added rooms and buildings for designing and plant designs rooms.  He put in a sunken rock garden and a circle drive so carriages could easily drop off passengers and not have to turn around.  His home is beautiful and practical. 

From Brookline we headed to Quincy where we were to meet up with Bill’s friend Pat and see what we could of the Adams National Historical Park.  Once again we were routed in a very odd fashion and when we arrived at the visitor center there was no parking.  It’s in the middle of town on a main street and there was a parking garage.  Looking at the time we decided we better head to Pat’s and come back after lunch. 

Pat and Bill

We arrived about a half an hour early but Pat was ready for us.  We got a tour of their house which is very deceiving from the front.  They’ve added on so much, probably doubled the size.  Everything has been updated and it’s really nice.  They have heated floors and even their driveway is heated.  Bill was very impressed with that feature.  The key is to turn it on before the snow piles up.  She took us to the country club for lunch so we could enjoy the view, but it was misting and drizzly so there wasn’t much of a view today.  We had a long leisurely lunch and they caught up on people she knew back in Orlando and we talked about aging parents and what we all might have to face at some point.  By the time we got back to their house Pat’s husband Steve had gotten home and we met him.  He explained about the heated driveway and showed us all the plumbing required.  He owns a plumbing company so that’s why they have all the extra perks.  We didn’t stay long but invited them to come for a visit to the campground.  They are discussing an RV for travel with their 2 dogs and she would like to see ours.

At least I got the sign

The Adams National HP was only about 10 minutes away and Bill just parked along a loading area while I went in to get the scoop.  The last tour was gone for the day and the tours are 2 hours long on a first come first served basis.  He wasn’t clear on the times but said it was in the brochure and indicated there is one each hour, two if they have staff for them.  They take you on a trolley to the actual historical location and you have a ranger lead tour of the buildings.  I got my stamps but we will have to go back and hope to get on a tour.

On the way home I wanted to stop at a JoAnn’s and found one that looked like it would be convenient.  It was until we realized the road had a barrier the entire way and only at certain intervals can you cross over and back.  What a pain.  Plus the traffic was horrible and the rain was back.  Luckily for me there was a McDonald’s near door to the JoAnn’s so Bill went for an iced coffee for his headache while I did my shopping.  He was in a much better mood and we asked how to get going in the direction we wanted and it was very simple and in a couple of miles we were back on the Interstate.  Whew! 

We got home about 6 and had planned to have leftovers for dinner.  We got in our mile walk since we mostly sat all day.  When I got on the computer we had an email from a ranger at Frederick Law Olmsted NHS.  She asked if we may have left a camcorder.  Luckily Bill completed the guest register with my email address.  Until that moment we didn’t know we left it.  I emailed back that yes, it was ours and we’d come back for it next week.  Lucky for Bill that we are getting it back! 

I printed some postcards to mail and we watched some TV and read.