Trip to New England

Golly, I'm so fortunate to have been able to see so many of my family when I went to see my mother in Massachusetts.  More generous still was the fact that they came to us at Ma's, which made it easy.
Here are some shots of the good times, with details appended.  Some shots came out too blurry to show, so these aren't necessarily Family Portrait-level photos.

My Mom greets my arrival in her cheery Protest outfit, which is so fun!

The Seaman's Bethel in New Bedford

The Whaling Museum, which is so wonderful, I would recommend it like I'd suggest the Smithsonian.

This Blue Whale skeleton makes the Humpback skeleton next to it look like a baby.

The underside of the Blue Whale head.  Lots of scrimshaw in that, eh?

Clifford Ashley happens to be my third cousin on my mother's side.  He was a painter and a writer, too.

I particularly liked this Chinese Priest Cord that he created.

Everything one might need can be created from rope, including coshes, lashes, and other punitive devices.

Here's the man himself.  Clifford W. Ashley.  He looks like my grandfather.

My mother stands above a rope-knotter's trunk that Grant Irving would die for, and Ma gazes at a painting by Clifford.

These are called "beckets", and I wondered what they were for until I saw the painting beside them. (shown below)

They are trunk handles!  Another of Clifford's wonderful paintings.

Is that fabulous or what?

Things you can wrap with rope or cord

Various woven or knotted things.  In the foreground is an oarlock wrapped in cord to muffle the sound of the oars when approaching the whales in the boat.

Think of what went into the making of this fabulous hawser

For your edification

Woven hair can also make some wonderful items.

I liked the giant hawser, Mom liked the saying over the display case....so, here are both!

I want windows like these in my house.

Sperm Whale skeleton.  See the human skeleton next to it?

The third floor reminds us that whale hunting happened all over the world, and introduced us to many exotic new things, like walruses.

Furry sea lion

Seal

Another family name I carry in my ancestry is Nye (my daughter's middle name, too)

Carved bone canes

My brother arrived later that day, and having driven a long ways, took a wee nap on Mom's sunporch.

The Holloways came by on Friday on their way to their annual vacation.

There's Claire, way out on the pond in the kayak

John helps the girls get onto the water

Lucy and Livvie take a paddle boat out.

Blurry shot of the gang; Tom, Fransje, Olivia, Mom, Lucy, Claire, and John

On Saturday, Lucy, Dan, and Hannah came for a visit and lunch, and to pick a lock on a trunk.

tiny frog on a log. 

Tom and Layla see something that interests them

My mother

Got to the Marshfield Fair during the Sunday mid-day heat, and spotted this napping vendor taking a break.

U.S. map done in fruits and veggies

There was lots of black smoke and dust over the course of the truck and tractor pull event.  Noise, too.

Another truck competes

This truck, called "Problem Child", was the farthest pull of the day in all catagories; taking first in his own catagory.

Smokin' tractor.  This wasn't the winner; a girl took that honor, with 2nd farthest pull of the day in all catagories, too.

Mom and Tom at the tractor pull segment

Steve B. came for a great visit with noshes, and lots of laughs.

Trying to glimpse the eclipse the old-fashioned way, which wasn't that successful.

proof that the old-fashioned way works, even if not well.

After this fun, and a peak through a neighbor-kid's better box pinhole, Mom took me to the Logan Express bus which took me to the airport which brought me safely home.