new england trip pics & commentary

I've been missing New England so much. Thankfully, the History Channel has been running this Revolutionary War program, which has been helping with my New England withdrawals. Here are some of my pictures - I am being overly ambitious with all of the photographs I want to share; sometimes adding multiple photos* to a post can be really frustrating.
*Quilt pictures will be in another post!
For now:
First Stop: The JFK Library & Museum, Boston. My mom cried. A lot. I was interested in the PeaceCorps room, the Jackie room, and the RFK exhibit. This flag was in the atrium - it was quiet in this place, rainy beyond the windows; it made me feel such a rush. Ordinarily, the American flag feels like propaganda of a certain political party, but this one was for everyone. I promise:













Things that make you go MMMMM:


















Our view from our hotel in Boston; we shacked up in the financial district:


















My mom and I hopped a subway to the Boston Public Library, the first publicly supported free municipal library in the world! I had to pay homage and would have spent all day if I could. We went to the YA room, the children's library, and drooled at their open courtyard, and at their adult literacy resources, too. This is the only picture I got; shortly after I clicked the shutter, my battery went dead. Doh! Books are yummy:



















After we had our dose of libraries, we could no longer deny why we were in New England:


















The above photograph was taken at a quilt shop in Maine (near Portland). While my camera battery was still dead, we stopped in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. LOVED it.
I ate him. Whaaaa:













I was here. And, I saw the Bush compound. Sacreligious I know, but I thought it would be good to see it before someone burns it down.














I loved learning about the Shakers at Canterbury Village, even in the pouring rain.




























And then there was Vermont, or, my new favoritest state in the entire fifty:














Mom and I enjoyed two nights in Stowe, at the Trapp Family Lodge, of Maria von Trapp fame and heritage. Everyday, we had tea and cookies on pretty blue and white plates. My mom ended up stealing one of the blue and white plates because she liked them so much.














The lodge itself was kitsch-tastic and an architectural mess with short staircases, elevators that went up and down only half a flight of stairs, meeting rooms on top of meeting rooms with fireplaces, vintage board games, and von Trapp paraphernalia everywhere. LOVED it!














We hiked during the evenings when it was cool; here my mom is traipsing through the hills, looking more like Predator than Liesl, 16 and without need of a governess; Friedrich, 14 and impossible; Louisa, 13 and an experienced prankster; Kurt, 11 and incorrigible; Brigitta, 10 and an observant fashion critic; Marta, 7 and a fan of pink parasols; Gretl, 5 and always last (because she is the most important):














Whilst in Vermont, we visited the Shelburne Museum; I took this photo from the inside of a covered bridge, right after we left the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit (which left us happy and speechless):














I spent a fair amount of time in the Print Shop, drooling over the various presses and their creations:


















And photographing the 1950's house was fun, mostly because my mom and I had it entirely to ourselves. Here are some candid shots from the kitchen:

































Hmmm...I've seen this bedroom somewhere before...Oh! It's the estate sale staple:














Now, after our time in Vermont, we headed back to Boston where we stopped in Lowell, MA - the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution (a.k.a Madge's favorite period in American history). Then we headed back to Boston - and took a cab to the airport.

Whaaaaa.