Day # 6

We reluctantly left the comfort and hospitality of David and Rebecca's to press eastward. David took off for his daily 7-mile ride to work. He is riding one of his oldest bikes today, because he is training for a ride where newer bikes with the index shifters and those fancy shoes that clip on to the pedals are not permitted. 

We drove eastward to Mystic, Connecticut. After depositing Miss Marshmallow at a campground (where we got a 10% discount because Kaylyn is a nurse!!!), we headed into Mystic. This seaport town supports an outdoor museum on land and sea. Numerous buildings were moved to the location, and the Seaport has acquired several beautiful wood boats. The most famous is the Charles W. Morgan, the last whaling ship in existence. It is presently undergoing a 6-year restoration, so is sitting on land and swathed in scaffold and plastic to protect the workers. The display helps the visitor understand the restoration process. A visit to the ship is a noisy experience as the workmen hammer and drill while the guides explain the ship. 

David encouraged us to spend as much time as possible on the water. Heeding his advice, our first activity of the day was a 30-minute ride in a 1926 wood boat, guide at the helm. We learned about the village from the water. The most striking story involved a boat which was used to sneak Jews to safety in Switzerland as Hitler threatened their lives. 

This picture shows the front hold of one of the fishing boats. The tight area has the beds for all of the fishermen, with a table in the middle which folds up to make the area more maneuverable. Then in the foreground of the picture you see the cookstove, which has a railing all around to keep the pots from flying off when the ship pitches and rolls on the seas. The rest of the ship's hold is used to store fish they catch - which stink! So, for weeks, the men are either on the deck, or squished into this small compartment. Does that appeal to you?

As we approached one of the sailing ships, we were surprised to see several college-aged young people climbing the ropes. We learned they attend a local college which has a cooperative program with Mystic. They spend a semester at Mystic for credit. Their experience incorporates many aspects of the Seaport’s programs. For instance, a man in a ship-building shop told us he would be working with the students shortly to produce a musical play. They will learn to play some of the simple musical instruments, such as a harmonica, fishermen used on the boats. We also talked to the chandler, the man who runs a shop which supplies the boats. I think we picked the right name for our Chandler, who is the sailor in our family!

While I write this Kaylyn is researching how to make something out of pumpkin on the stove top. We do not have an oven. She is really craving pumpkin! I'm glad Miss Marshmallow is not a pumpkin or Kaylyn might be consuming her! She did insist on stopping at Mystic Pizza for a slice of hometown pizza. Apparently there was a film by the same name, and her boyfriend Chris thought she should not bypass the opportunity. It was a good pizza, but then she was close to starvation... Not once on this trip have we stopped for lunch. I keep offering her rice cakes with peanut butter in the middle of the day while we drive to our next location... she doesn't seem to think that is an adequate lunch!