Boston - Freedom Trail

Greg's travels this week took him back to Boston, which reminded me I wanted to share more from our trip there last month. 

While Greg was attending his conference. I set out to follow the Freedom Trail, a two and a half mile long trek which takes you by no less than 15 historically significant places, many having to do with the Revolution. As I like to read every last bit of interpretation and snap pics like it's going out of style, it took me two days to walk it and I didn't even make it to the last leg on the other side of the Charles River. But ah well. I don't know if my brain could have soaked up anymore Independence factoids anywho.

The trail starts off in Boston Common, overlooked by the Capitol Building.

Down the way a bit, next to the Park Street Church, is the first of three cemeteries on the trail. The Granary Burial Ground is the newest of the three and it holds a bunch of the important revolutionaries.

Old cemeteries. ♥ (Remember, I am an archaeologist. Not just a morbid weirdo, though perhaps a bit of that too.)

There's actually been quite a lot of effort put into the study of early American gravestones by historical archaeologists. You can learn a lot about a person from their tombstone, you know (besides what's written in the epitaph).

On to the King's Chapel, home of the Church of England in Boston to this day.

King's Chapel was actually built on top of half an already existing Puritan burying ground, the oldest one in the city. The Crown seized the land when no one would sell them a bit to put their own church on. (Well we know where all that bullying got them.) So though it's called King's Chapel Burying Ground now, it isn't really associated with the church at all, despite the fact it's right next door to it (and underneath it).  

Some later crypts are located underneath the street. Can't be very peaceful, I wouldn't think.

Next stop, marked by this great mosaic.

The Old South Meeting House. Sight of plotting and planning having to do with some old lot of tea.

Old State House. The Declaration of Independence was read to the people of Boston from this balcony a little after it was written in 1776.

This is what marks the Freedom Trail throughout the city (or a painted red stripe) so you can't get too lost wandering about. (Saves time squinting at maps and looking like a complete tourist too.)

Faneuil Hall, another meeting house with a market on the first floor that is closed for renovations presently. They've been doing a bit of digging in conjunction actually.

My kind of trash.

I had lunch here the second day of my trek. Vendor after vendor of any kind of food you could think of. Had to have a lobster roll.

On to the North End, Boston's Little Italy.

You can smell the garlic in the air, truly wonderful.

I thought this place looked so inviting. Our last night in town we came back to the North End for dinner, and stopped in here for a drink beforehand. We had to just wander around and refind it because of course I couldn't remember the name or the street, and I can't now either to tell you, but just look for gorgeous window boxes.

First stop along the trail in the North End, Paul Revere's humble abode.

No shortage of tulips in this neck of the wood either. (See here for more Boston tulips.)

And here's the man himself

beckoning one on to the Old North Church, forever linked to his patriotic deeds.

The last stop on the Freedom Trail for me was Copp's Hill Burying Ground, second oldest (to King's Chapel) cemetery in the city.

A virtuous Puritan name if ever there was one.

One of the interpretive plaques stated that when the British occupied this part of Boston, they used this fellow's stone for target practice in retaliation for his loyalties (or lack thereof) in life, thus the extra-hollow eye socket on the skull.

So, whew! There it is. If you're ever in Boston, take the hike. Even if you don't stop off at every site to read through every exhibit, it's really a great way to explore the city and get some exercise to boot.

♡,

Erin

Goodnight Moon

Gorgeous moon tonight over O-hi-yo. Greg set off tonight on a business trip, and I feel like this an appropriate sort of sky to feel a bit lonely under. And then "Somewhere Out There" popped into my head and I flashed back to first grade music class.

In other randomness, perhaps this is the post where it comes out that I do my picture taking with a 5+ year old Canon point-'n-shoot that doesn't do so well in low light. But let's pretend that that doesn't have anything to do with the above pic, and that it's actually the product of a neat-o vintage analog. But I do have a birthday coming up, a big one actually, and a new camera of the fancy variety is top of my wish list.

Ok then. Night, night.

♡,

Erin

Before and After (a looooong time in the making): Bar Cabinet

Way, way back in the summer of 2008, I purchased this lovely at The Heritage Co. in Kalamazoo. At that point I had already been dreaming for quite some time of finding a glass-front cabinet to hang over the old dry sink that we use for our bar.

I loved the color too. I thought it had a great patina, just needed a little scrubbing up. Then I started scrubbing, and realized that the patina was actually likely layers and layers of nicotine mixed with other assorted filth. (I surmised that it had last lived in the garage of a smoker. Originally I think it was the top of a hutch.) And it wasn't coming off without a fight. 

So knowing that getting it cleaned up was going to take quite a bit more time and effort than anticipated made me put off tackling the chore. That and trying to do a master's thesis. So there it sat on the living room floor next to the bar, and sat, and sat, and sat until it got packed up and moved to Columbus with all of our other worldly possessions last summer. And then it did some more sitting, again on the living room floor near the bar because I had every intention of getting to it next thing. Then finally in early April my dad came to visit and a small miracle happened. We did get to it! (This was the project I mentioned toiling away on here.)

     

And after the two of us applied much elbow grease, it finally became apparent that my beloved cabinet was never going to come clean enough to place barware in without the application of sand paper and paint.

So plan b was put into action. Off to the Benjamin Moore Store where I picked out St. John's Bay (not too far from what the original color was, me thinks) in their High Gloss Metal and Wood Enamel. Great stuff for painting furniture, you can get away with minimal to no sanding depending on the surface, self-priming, available in every color of their rainbow, and soap and water clean-up. 

Unfortunately, hanging it was to be a three person job and it wasn't all painted and ready to go up on the wall before my dad had to head home. So it sat a little longer till Greg's parents came to visit.

Where upon we learned that the studs in our wall oddly enough don't follow straight lines floor to ceiling.

But finally, success! Three years in the making!

Cheers to another weekend!

♡,

Erin

Market Spoils and Riches

I got a bea-utiful bouquet of garden flowers at the Worthington Farmer's Market Saturday. Peonies, sweet william, nigella, delphiniums, etc. ♥ Unfortunately I'm not sure of the vendor's name. Get back to you on that one.

And we picked up our first csa share from HW Organic Farms. A lot of what you see here is going to be going into this not-just-potatoes potato salad I came across over at Smitten Kitchen. And speaking of farmer's markets and Smitten Kitchen. I made this strawberry rhubarb crumble last night with rhubarb from HW, but unfortunately not Ohio strawberries. I already had some in the fridge from the grocery, but as it turned not enough to make this, and silly me passed up the gorgeous pints for sale by another vendor on Saturday, thus necessitating more grocery strawberries from afar. I won't be making that mistake again! But in the end it was still absolutely delicious. So go to the market on Saturday (or whatever day of the week yours happens to be) with this in mind, then come home and make it. Do it!

Before baking.

After baking and eating glutinous portions complete with Graeter's vanilla on top. Go ahead, say it. "Oink, oink!"

Summer ♥!

♡,

Erin

Vintage Cocktails @ Mouton

Last Friday night Greg and I set out as we usually do in search of some libations, especially keen to celebrate the kick off of the three-day weekend. I've been wanting to visit Mouton in the Short North for a loooong time now, ever since I read about it here on Columbus à la Mode and then just recently in the first edition of Columbus Crave. So we stopped in for some fresh, fresh cocktails with one foot in the past (traditional recipes), but definitely one in the present too (micro-distilled spirits). Greg had the Old Fashioned, which packed a delicious punch, and I had the Whiskey Smash, which was totally refreshing (like on a hot day, these would go down waaaaay too easy!).

I really liked the interior, a nice mix of clean minimalism and sturdy statement pieces from days of yore. Cocktail menu is posted on the wall above the bar, the recipe for each drink handwritten on individual sheets of paper (above, and look at those giant bottles of fresh squeezed juices in the fridge ♥), and the wine list is written on a large chalkboard on the adjacent wall (below). Craft beers are available by the bottle too. We didn't try anything off their food menu (mostly cheeses and meats and such), perhaps next time.

Mouton has a Facebook page as well with all the latest and it appears they are having an extended happy hour this very evening to celebrate their one year anniversary. Hmmmmm... maybe next time is only a few hours away!

Happy weekend!

♡,

Erin