We awaken early to the sound of construction in the streets below. Apparently there aren't any noise restriction laws here. Oh well, we have a busy day ahead and so this is probably a good thing. We check out and walk around the corner to the Avis dealer located in the parking garage (yep, you read that right). We pick up our car and turn on the GPS to get us on the way out of the city and in the direction of Plymouth. 
We have arranged for a walking tour with the Jenny Gristmill at 10am. We are early, so we drive downtown, park and walk around for a little while. Kiskadee Coffee Company catches our attention so we stop in for a coffee and snack. While eating, we watched a group of local men gathering chairs into a circle and having a political discussion. It was interesting to watch and hear and nice to see that polite discussions could still be had and people were willing to listen to each other. We finished up and drove to the mill to start our tour. As we were walking to the meeting spot, a little cranberry bog caught my eye and made me giggle. I am so hoping to see larger ones today.
Our tour guide, Leo Martin, arrives and we are off. He is amazing -- absolutely one of the best guides I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. He led us all through Plymouth on foot, sharing stories and history along the way. I actually think he is a Pilgrim that has never aged. We learned about the grist mill, the Mayflower, and Plymouth rock during our history lesson, but those were not the highlights, he was. This tour simply has to be taken to be appreciated. Honestly.
We were also able to see some of the oldest churches: The First Parish Church in Plymouth, a Unitarian Church founded in 1620. Also, The Church of the Pilgrimage which was built much later in 1840.
As we were walking back from the tour, we ran into a small but wonderful farmers market. The vendors had a variety of products and samples and music. Mister went for the local wines while I found a booth with jewelry that I fell in love with. I bought a necklace and earring set made from light purple shells which she called "wampum". We got a small little lunch of homemade vegetable egg rolls and were on our way again. 
Stopping down at the harbor, we checked out the Mayflower II which is an exact replica of the original, and were absolutely shocked at how small it was. Oh my. It is amazing that no one died during the journey.
It was time to get on the road towards Carver and the Flax Pond Farms to tour their cranberry bog. We are here during harvest, so we get to see how they are harvested and processed. We arrive and are surprised to discover that it is "dry harvesting" - obviously I didn't read the email close enough. We walk around the bog and watch the harvesters at work.
We go into the shop and watch the old sorter at work. They are filling orders and they use this old machine. I give it a go and have a great time.
As we are leaving, we ask about any wet harvesting going on in the area Following her directions, we notice a pond (bog) that is starting to turn red and do a quick turn around in the road. Pulling off in a driveway, we get out and wander down by the water to watch the harvester. The pond is the most wonderful color of red from the berries floating to the top. So very cool.
Back on the road with Newport as our next destination, we settle in and enjoy the scenery on the drive as we enter into Rhode Island. Arriving in Newport, we drive out toward the mansions to ooh and awe a bit. Most of them have fees to get on the grounds, but we are able to take a few distant pictures.
We head down to the cliff walk and wander out towards the ocean to feel the mist and smell the clean air.
It's time to point the car towards Providence and the NYLO Hotel in Warwick. This has to be the coolest hotel room ever. It is an old factory that has been converted into a hotel, leaving a lot of the old brick, concrete and factory machines in place. Chic! Apt description. We drop bags and then drive into Providence for Waterfire.
Waterfire only happens a few times a year. The city places firepits all along the river that flows through downtown. Some are on poles, other are floating in the river. A boat goes along stocking the fires with wood throughout the evening. There is classical music playing, food and drink stand all along the river, and performers working with fire as well. It is amazing and definitely peaceful to sit and watch. We stop several times along the river to see the different fire formations and performers. I love it and wish we could stay forever.
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We sleep in a little today and then say good-bye to Rhode Island, pass through a corner of Connecticut (which we never get out of the car so can't count it as a state I've been in), and back into Massachusetts. I am still learning about the camera, but I managed to take this pic while stopped on a bridge. Mister would not have had a blur at all, but I'm doing better than I used to.
Our first stop is the Old Sturbridge Village and I am really looking forward to it. It is an actual working museum depicting life in the late 1700's and early 1800's. The museum is a village and the costumed historians work and live just as they did back then complete with antique buildings, water-powered mills, heritage breed animals, and hands-on crafts. We stop at as many "businesses" along the trail as we can and spend several hours enjoying the place. All I can think is how much my grandchildren would love it here. The grounds have carriages, meeting houses, churches, etc. It is all very well laid out and makes perfect sense.
First stop -- yarn dyeing. It looks like hard work, but I figure if I lived back then I would have worked with either yarn or fabric in some way. I love them today so why think it would be different back then?We take a water tour in which we learn how they used water as a source of power to operate many of the mills.
We stop in at the sawmill,
the potter, the tinsmith, the blacksmith, and the cider maker. Quick stops at the printer and others round out the experience and I don't want to leave. I would like to stop in each and every shop and learn from the historians -- this place is fantastic.
Alas, we do have to continue on so we get back on the road to Deerfield and Greenfield. We drive through historic Deerfield to see an entire block of homes from the 18th century which are still intact. I love the history here in New England and the way they have saved and embraced it.
It is getting late and tonight's place to lay our heads is at a B&B on the top of a mountain. We head out of town and up a narrow rural road. The West Winds Inn is so incredible that I do not have words for it. The room is romantic and our view is not to be believed. We are greeted by wild turkeys as we pull into the driveway and I cannot keep the smile from my face.
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