May 23 Baaaaaaston

The accent kills me. Boston is pronounced Baaaaston, wharf is waaaaaaf; no R's in their twang. One of our neighbors in our park has been very helpful; he's given some good info on where to go, what to see etc.
We started by taking a ferry from Salem haaaarbe (harbor for you Canadians) to the waaaaf in Boston. The downtown is very nice, clean, reminded us of downtown Manhattan; made our way to the information centre and promptly joined a walking tour of what's called the Freedom walk put on by Parks USA; we had a guided tour of stops by a Ranger (see pic). Very interesting to hear and see the beginning of the American Revolution started right here in Boston, right from the Boston massacre (only 5 people were actually killed) and the Boston Tea party; not really a party, it was 150 men dressed up as Indians who went on three ships in the harbor and threw all the tea overboard into the water; they were basically protesting the taxes which were being imposed by the British rule of the time. That's one thing we've appreciated on the East Coast; the history of the American people. Sometimes we as Canadians can take more pride in our heritage but we are so mixed and diverse we put our Dutch heritage first. Seems only World Championships or Olympics brings out the best in us; the Americans do this every day. This Memorial Day weekend? never seen so many American flags in my life!
We took the nice high speed ferry back to Salem which was narrated by one of the staff; he pointed out many landmarks and the history attached; little different from other ferry trips we've made; very informative.
After landing in Salem we came back to our home on the asphalt and freshened up; then made our way to a highly recommended restaurant on the waterfront here in Salem and enjoyed a nice dinner with a view. Caroline had a scallop dish and I had a swordfish entree (after a nice bowl of New England clam chowder) The bottle of wine didn't hurt :) Another good day.
We thank the Lord each day for giving us this opportunity to enjoy this trip; the fantastic scenery, history, and so far good health. I thank God for surrounding Caroline each day with good health; we are fully aware of our circumstance and know that this could change at any time. Praise the Lord!

 our RV park view from the ferry

 30 MPH!!

 Boston from the water

 The Old State House'; built in 1713, here is where the Boston massacre actually occurred; about 15 British soldiers were cornered by a mob of about 300 people. The storey goes that they were being pelted by snowballs with rocks in them as well as big sticks. One soldier was hit in the head and knocked out, and while he was falling to the ground his gun went off inadvertently killing one of the protesters. More gunfire before the crowd dispersed and 5 men died of their injuries. The start of the American Revolution

 our Ranger for the tour; one thing I've noticed of all park rangers on many stops throughout the USA: they all are over weight. not sure if this is because they have good pensions? or they have unhealthy communal meals

 this is the Old South meeting House; built in 1729; this is where citizens gathered to discuss and protest the British rule, protesting the Boston massacre and the tea tax. When no definitive conclusion on how to handle the tea tax was made; 150 men disguised as Indians went to the 3 ships in harbor that had brought tea from overseas threw all the tea into the harbor

 Paul Revere and Samuel Adams laid the corner stone for this building referred to as the Boston Common and State House; across the front and behind us is a large park where many of the homeless hang out, no different than Vancouver 

 the boardwalk just as we got off the ferry

 this yacht was moored beside our ferry; the name is "Tats". do your own google research! :) (the tender is a 32' Boston Whaler, longer than most peoples boats)