Plimouth Plantation

THIS was the day we had been talking about for months! Since we started planning this trip, this was the primary destination. Plimouth Plantation!
And before any of you correct me...they DO spell it this way! The reason given is because in most historical documents they still spelled things phonetically, so in many of the writings it was spelled with an i and not a y :)

First, we went into a room that had some items from the voyages aboard British ships. One of the most interesting things was the Captain's table. It had two short legs and two long legs so that it would sit evenly when the boat was rocking over the waves. Unfortunately, the Mayflower is getting some maintenance done, so we couldn't see the replica. Next, we headed out to meet some Wampanoags!

Wampanoag Village: There was a lady cooking. Her name was Erin. She stabbed the fish through the eyeballs!  In her pot, she had strawberry mush (?). Really, it was ground corn and strawberries. Similar to oatmeal. To me...mush, since I don't like things like that :) Sweet grain?? Now fish and ground corn...THAT I can do. Her fire was warm and it was a bit chilly that morning, so we hung out and talked to her for a bit :) 

 They had the largest mortar and pestle I had ever seen. Chloe ground up some corn. She said it was hard to do. A food processor is definitely a bit quicker.

Chloe and Adam inside a wigwam.

This gentleman spoke about the lifestyle in general of the Wampanoag people. The tools they used, the way they would hunt, the way their homes were built, etc. He showed us a toy boat and a bow that he was making for his son. He also showed us a doll. She didn't have a face! 

There was also a boat building exhibit. We knew they built canoes out of one tree, but we did not know how. Did you know that they burned them very slowly in order to hollow them out? They would burn and then scrape with antlers. This made them very smooth and even with no sanding!

Chloe was REALLY hopeful that there would be a papoose on the premises. There wasn't, but they did have a cradle board to show her.  She learned some things like that they used cat tails and moss to "stuff" diapers because it's very absorbent. Also, that a beaver's skin is perfectly shaped to swaddle a baby in. So, she was a little disappointed, but I was so glad he had some new information for her!

This lady was making jewelry. She seemed like a really good storyteller and an excellent grandma!

We stopped in at the arts building where there were people making things for the gift shop. This lady was making pottery, which I always think looks like a cool thing to be able to do. There were also bread and candle makers, as well as a lady using a loom making a scarf.

Here was where we entered the 17th Century! The pilgrims in this village acted as if it was still the 1600s. Adam and I really enjoyed that. Chloe and Autumn had a hard time understanding what was going on :) We met Miles Standish and Governor Bradford and several women. It was fun to ask them about their journey on the ships and to inquire about their family and how it was to live then.

Before we left, we visited the barn and saw a few small goats and a llama (apparently they provide safety for the farm animals).

 There was a little cafe to get some grub and we decided to make that a part of our learning too ;) We had a Ploughman's lunch (boiled egg, hard cheese, cold ham, nuts, and beets), a Wampanoag meal (succotash, strawberries and corn meal, rice with spices) and fish and chips (just in case we didn't like the rest!). After eating the 17th century lunch, it was off to the nearby Grist Mill.

This was our first glimpse of cygnets! Such a strange name for baby swans :) There were 3 of them and the girls were able to get pretty close. They were cute and really nothing like The Ugly Duckling story. Sure they don't look like ducklings, but they were far from ugly!

Swans and geese seem to be enemies. Every time we saw a swan, it was tormenting the geese. The swan at Boston Commons fluffed out its feathers and chased the geese. Here the dad swan was keeping the geese away from his babes. He was pretty aggressively flying at them and keeping them at the other side of the water.

After touring the Grist Mill, we realized we were only 10 miles or so from Cape Cod! I LOVE the beach so Adam happily drove us a few miles further. Chloe and I were very excited to run through the sand and put our toes in the water. The water was like ice! There were also NO sea shells on the beach. Just smooth, egg like rocks of all colors and sizes. We didn't stay long, because obviously from the pictures, we were cold, but that little side trip was maybe my favorite part of our week!

On our way back to Boston from Cape Cod, we stopped at a restaurant called 42*N. It was likely the best meal of our trip! Autumn had fish and chips. We had this dish 2 other times on our trip and this one was definitely best. 

 I had the special fish of the night. Wahoo I think...don't know how to spell it :)...with asparagus and risotto. The fish was a little overcooked, but it was still very good.

Chloe had clam chowder that was quite delicious!

Adam had paella and said it was very good. It was a gorgeous dish, that's for sure!

Tuesday coming your way in a blog post soon!