JFK Library and Plymouth Rock

John F. Kennedy Library & Museum -- inside the black glass atrium hangs a large American flag

The Victura, JFK's sailboat, a 15th birthday present from his father

A Dior gown that Jackie Kennedy wore in 1962 -- pink silk-dupioni shantung 

A dilapidated building at Columbia Point; the wooden roof was collapsed 

A sparrow with a mouthful of nesting material outside the Massachusetts Archives

Plymouth Rock; unimpressive -- I mean, really, it's just a rock

Plymouth Rock portico -- notice the grate beneath the building where the ocean washes in over the rock  

Brewster Park, a lovely little place in Plymouth that leads to the sea

The Rose Room at Mermaid Inn of Mystic with stencil-worked walls

Sink outside the bathroom (not a bad thing!)

I love this mural inside the bathroom.  Walls were embellished by Jennifer Wolcin.

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At 6:20a, we landed in Boston 20 minutes earlier than scheduled, and drove to McKenna's for breakfast.  Lots of locals.  Tien had corned beef hash.  I had the $5 Early Bird Special:  two eggs over easy, country fries, sausage.  I watched a single man, about 30s with a military build, pour milk into his glass, take a long gulp, then cut up his pancakes.  The waitress dropped off a cannister of whipped cream, and he squeezed out a 3" layer on of his breakfast.  I sat there, dumbstruck, while he gobbled it all down.  The three potty-mouthed young girls behind me were also flabbergasted.  I turned around and said to them, "DID YOU SEE THAT?!"  They cracked up.

At 8a, we were an hour too early to enter the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, so we roamed the grounds at Columbia Point.  The building is white with a glass atrium and a huge American flag hung here.  Down by the water, JFK's sailboat, the Victura, was displayed on the grass.  We watched a gull discard its prey, a crab far too big to crack or eat.  There is a castle-like brick building nearby, falling to ruin, surrounded by chainlink fence, a former sewer pump house.  There was a smaller arched shaped brick building also, witha wooden roof that had falled in, and trees growing from the roof's edges, also surrounded by chainlink fence.  No info on what this was.  The Massachusetts Archives is also here, but not open on Sunday.  Tien napped in the car while I watched birds and collected rose petals.

Inside, the library showed a film about JFK's family and his early years.  The exhibits began with his bid for presidency, through his years in the White House, up to his assassination displayed in a dark tunnel with several small monitors all showing the same televised funeral broadcast.  There were personal items, mementos, the Fitzgerald family bible used for JFK's swearing in, gifts from visiting dignitaries, three of Jackie's outfits and her many contributions, much video footage of them, recordings of speeches, facsimiles of his notes, etc.  The Cuban missile crisis was especially covered.  His voice was broadcasted throughout; I'd forgotten what an eloquent speaker he was.  Missing was the coconut JFK kept on his desk -- after his Navy PT109 was hit and crew stranded in Solomon Islands, a rescue message was carved and the fruit given to a native to deliver.  Also, there were special sections for each of JFK's brothers Bobby and Ted.  For me, the sailboat outside seemed the most personal, knowing JFK's love of the sea.  It was a 15th birthday present from his father.

We drove to Plymouth to see Plymouth Rock.  What a funny place.  Although the Pilgrims supposedly landed here, nothing, NOTHING remains!  There are many plaques proclaiming sites of original buildings, plus statues commemorating notables, but no one is really sure where the Pilgrims landed.  Very touristy.  The old cemetery was interesting, as old cemeteries are.  What's left of Plymouth Rock is about 3.5' wide and inscribed "1620."  In the early 1800s, a hammer was left nearby so visitors could break off bits as souvenirs.  Left on the sand at the beach it is protected by an open colonnaded structure where it gets a bath when the tide comes in through a grate.  I heard a U.S. Parks Ranger tell someone he cleans off seaweed and rakes the sand periodically, LOL.

We drove to Mystic.  I kept falling asleep in the car.  We checked in at Mermaid Inn of Mystic, an 1843 Italianate Victorian.  Ours was the Rose Room, with beautiful murals and stenciled walls, and our host is Josephine.

Walked around downtown looking for a place to eat, read various menus, and then had a really enjoyable dinner at Bravo Bravo, with the most interesting menu of all.  Delicious!  We shared carpaccio and Cajun shrimp on crispy polenta.  Tien's entree was thin eggplant wrapped around ricotta and sausage, with fettuccine.  I had salmon on rice with grilled bok choy.  The rice was still crunchy inside and the soy sauce was too strong.  We shared fresh donuts with apple salsa, ice cream, and a small pot of burbon caramel.  Yummy food.  I will go again!