Winging it in...Boston!

Nice whale.
Thanks.

After last weekend, in which everybody who lived in Boston left, and the city was crowded and heaving with tourists this weekend seemed marginally more back to normal. The streets had cars parked on them, the subway was busy but still accessible, and people were back out reading and picnicking in the parks. Having had a busy week I was actually looking forward to spending a bit more time in the Boston area. I hesitate to say Boston as I found myself out in Charlestown and somewhere off the Massachusetts coast.

Having mentioned Charlestown in detail last week, it being most famous for its Navy Yard with the USS Constitution and the monument to Bunker Hill, I will keep it short this week. This week I passed along the harbor front, which had great views if not particularly pretty in or of itself. You can follow this road through to the oldest part of the city, Harvard Square- named after John Harvard of the university fame, but not to be confused with the one in Cambridge- which does have some well preserved houses, unfortunately not ones you can look around. Having seen lots of these types of houses in Boston, it would be nice to have some slight variation here.

For a town that had a major battle fought there in 1775 historical resonance seems remarkable slim. The three highlights being the House of Deacon John Larkin who lent his horse to Paul Revere for the ride to Lexington, alas it was never returned. Warren Tavern, which was built after the burning of Charlestown and still functions as a pub today. It was named after Joseph Warren (who was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill), doctor to John Adams, who would later become the second president of the USA. Still a two hundred year old pub isn’t really a big deal in this part of the US, in a city that was founded, albeit by Puritans, in 1630 a drinking establishment from the 1800s is still relatively new. The third attraction is Phipps Street Bury Ground, which does date from 1630 and does claim to have many Revolutionary soldiers buried there. However, there seems to be little known about any of them, and the feeling of linking to a historical past that I think can be felt in the Granary Burying Ground or the Kings Chapel Bury Ground just wasn’t there.

So, onto my more adventurous and unusual trip- whale watching. This excursion was run by the New England Aquarium and I was a little apprehensive to say the least. They claim that by heading out of the bay to Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, a rich feeding ground for whales, and other marine life, you are likely to see several kinds of large whales, including humpback whales, finback whales, minke whales, as well as pilot whales and the critically endangered right whales. I know very little about whales and sea animals, actually I know very little about most animals, I stocked up on Dramamine and enthusiastically joined in with a talk given by a marine biologist on the way out to the bank. I did discover that Stellwagen Bank was once dry land where mastodon and mammoth roamed- this did appeal as I like the idea of mammoth, although I do wish people would stop using them to advertise modern day attractions- particularly aquariums as I don’t think I am actually going to see one, and I do continue to feel a little disappointed about this fact.

Anyway, the Stellwagen Bank is located in the western Gulf of Maine, the large bay north of Georges Bank and between New England and Nova Scotia, the bank is about 26 miles long, about 13 miles wide at its south end, and narrows to about 3 miles wide at its northern end. Water depths to the top of the bank range from 65 to 100 feet. See I was listening while things were being explained to me! The whales themselves were amazing when they appeared. Mainly it was a mother and a calf, although there were a couple of others along the way. Needless to say, I was so busy actually watching them that I totally neglected the photo taking opportunities that presented themselves, so when I remembered I got some great shots of…. Nothing! I was always too slow, or not pointing the camera in quite the right direction or too busy looking at water spouts to actually notice the whale.

I do however, have some great memories, including the one I really wanted to capture on camera, the when were the whale dives and its tail comes up in the air, and then splashes down. The typical whale watching moment, the one always associated with the trip. Many times the whales can be identified by markings on their tails. Often they are females, who can be counted on to bring their new calves up to Stellwagen Bank. It is in the Sanctuary that the mother whales feast on nutritious sand lance and teach their offspring to hunt. The one we saw most of was Dusky, and her new calf, who will be named in a few years when its tail pattern has developed- or at least when it shows its tail, until it is a few years old it is able to dive without the extra force required from its tail to push it down. Maybe in a few years time I will be feeling as though I can head out again, and leave the Dramamine at home.

Winging it in...Boston!

It's a fine line between standing behind a principle and hiding behind one. You can tolerate a little compromise, if you're actually managing to get something accomplished.

This weekend has been a little on the busy side and a little hectic, possible something to do with it being Independence Weekend, or possible the fact that I am trying to cram as much as possible into the time I have when the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the weather is gloriously inviting for days out. Nonetheless, I think I will have to split this weekend into Saturday, history lesson and Sunday for entries. I will try and be precise and concise, although as you may have noticed, I do have a tendency to waffle…

Saturday
The weather was, as I mentioned, beautiful. It was blue skies and just right for being outside, so I headed out for the afternoon to the USS Constitution and to the Bunker Hill memorial. I maybe should have given this excursion more thought- being as it is July 4th weekend, and the USS Constitution is housed at the navy yard I should have perhaps realized that there would be A LOT of sailors, and families and general crowds around the place.

The USS Constitution was one of six ships launched in 1794- not used in the War of Independence, the Patriots did not have a navy of their own, although the French did lend them one for a while. Initially intended for fighting Barbary Pirates she was soon pressed in service in the war of 1812- where the nickname “Old Ironsides” comes from. During this war the Constitution became engaged in battle with the British ship HMS Guerriere, when fired upon the cannon balls simple bounced off the side, leaving the sailors to speculate on whether the ship was clad in iron, hence Ironsides. In actual fact the hull was made of live oak from what is now part of the South Eastern USA, and is apparently particularly sturdy. As the battle progressed ships drew parallel and the Constitution continued to fire successive broadsides shots razed Guerriere's masts and damaging most of her rigging. Guerriere continued to fire back but the storms and seas prevented any closer action. As the ships separated Guerriere fired point blank into the cabin of Constitution and set it on fire, but the flames were quickly extinguished. By this point Guerriere's foremast and mainmast went by the board and she was left a helpless hulk. As the sailors of the Constitution boarded, according to later accounts, they were horrified by the amount of death and destruction they found. “More than anyone man should ever see”- Jesse Williams.

The constitution was involved in plenty more battles over time, the one that seemed to occur most frequently in accounts (and I will admit here that I have done little to no research on this and therefore I am totally reliant on the information handed to me by the US Navy and the crew still serving on the Constitution and therefore take no responsibility for its bias) was that with Java. The Constitution, again set out from Boston in December 1812 and ended up in a battle with the British 38-gun frigate, Java. The ships engaged off the coast of Brazil. Despite loss of her wheel early in the fighting, Constitution fought well. Her superior gunnery shattered the enemy's rigging, eventually dismasting Java, and mortally wounding her captain. Java was so badly damaged that the ship, had to be burned. This near defeat is a story often retold.

Following this the Constitution returned to Boston for extensive repairs and remained in dock for six years. Various smaller missions were undertaken but perhaps the next most famous/ noteworthy was the voyage of exploration led by Captain Percival, in which over a period of 30 months he circumnavigated the globe, collecting and documenting new finds and developing new and exciting trade opportunities for the USA.

The Constitution has undergone a huge amount of restoration work over the last 200 years and today only about 5% of the original ship is left. Two of the guns are still original and functional. The Constitution still has a crew on active duty, they have tow uniforms- a modern one and an “original one” and they still demonstrate drills and gun salutes as would have been seen in the 1800s. Although since 1988 women have also been allowed to serve aboard and thus the authenticity is a little tainted when the crew giving the demonstration is made up of 50% women. The most recent large project was completed in about 1998, but it had taken school children from all over the US to raise money for the previous project. In the 1930s it was deemed uneconomical to continue to keep repairing this ship and to use it for transportation purposes. Children collected pennies in order to convince the navy it was worth restoring. In 1931, to a 21 gun salute, the Constitution was re-launched and set sail on a trip around the US, docking in over 90 ports along the Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf coasts, giving all the children who had raised so much money a chance to visit her in person.

As a short aside- in the interests of accuracy but to prevent looking bitter- of the six original ships, four were either scuppered or sunk by their own crew while in battle with the British.

As for Bunker Hill, it was getting late, I was getting tired and there is only so much biased, one sided history a girl can take in a day, so the visit was short. The first thing I should say is that this is a monument to Bunker Hill only, and the gray obelisk is fairly visible from most of Charlestown. The reason this is only a monument is that it is not actually on Bunker Hill. But then again, that is fitting and only right as the Battle of Bunker Hill was not actually fought on Bunker Hill at all, but rather on the next hill, Breed’s Hill. Following Lexington and Concord in April 1775 the British forces had taken control of Boston while the Patriots stayed in the surrounding areas. The Patriots had originally (or so it would seem) intended to occupy Bunker Hill, the most prominent hill in the area at the time, however, due to confusion over maps, the proximity of the two hills, it being dark, or possibly as has been claimed since a tactical decision based on the position of the hill in relation to the harbor (the Patriots had no ships, or navy) a stand was taken on Breed’s Hill instead. As the battle commenced the American’s desperately trying not to waste precious gun powder (“Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes) made a brave stand. The British continued to use cannon fire from Copp’s Hill and turn Charlestown in to a burning inferno, and with British reinforcements arriving it was an eventual British win, nearly half of the Redcoats lost their lives and the Patriots cite it as a point in which they thought that independence could be gained.

Brief History Lesson
I really will try and keep it brief…George III is widely synonymous for losing the American colonies and going mad. I have no idea about the going mad part and it is totally irrelevant for the purposes of this week anyway. George II opposed their bid for independence right from the start, referring to the US Patriots in the 1774 opening of Parliament as rebels who must be halted. He did continue to say that they would not stop until they had independence. Given that at this point in time, no sure demand had been publically voiced, possibly privately held, he may not have helped his cause entirely, and maybe even added fuel to the fire.
George III did not develop the policies (such as the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend duties of 1767 on tea, paper and other products) which led to war in 1775-76 and which had the support of Parliament. These policies were largely due to the financial burdens of garrisoning and administering the vast expansion of territory brought under the British Crown in America, the costs of a series of wars with France and Spain in North America, and the loans given to the East India Company. The American citizens were paying no tax, yet were reaping the benefits of trade and protection, and for this reason the war to keep them as part of Britain was unpopular with both the public and a lot of politicians alike- throwing good money after bad…
The war did indeed swing both ways, I don’t rate George Washington as a General, and he himself said the command was beyond his capabilities. He was lucky in having a few good breaks, supporters who seemed able to better judge a situation than him, ultimately a French fleet to provide much needed help, and a British Government who no longer thought the price was one worth paying.
Ultimately it was a French siege at Yorktown that led to a British defeat in 1783. The timing of this defeat played an important part. In Britain the war had always been unpopular, a lot of money was being spent on what people saw as giving little return and not being supportive of their home nation, taxes were being raised to pay for the continued fighting, and the Americans, who had never paid taxes like those seen in Britain were seen as rich and wealthy in comparison. A general election that led to a change in power also led to a change in policy. Whilst George III wanted to continue fighting parliament refused to increase spending on the war, they refused reinforcements, and they recalled the troops, America was no longer worth the time, money and investment… a new opportunity in the shape of Australia had recently presented itself and many new opportunities were glinting in their eyes.

Again, possibly a little biased, but only as it is my interpretation of events in a condensed form.

Sunday
Another early start today and a trip on a very busy subway down to the Old State House for the start of the 4th July celebrations; the Declaration of Independence was being read from the balcony as it has been every year for the past 234 years. Although it was signed on July 4, it didn’t actually make it to Boston until July 18. This followed by God Bless America sung by Dana Whiteside- who apparently is a fairly well know name, as a baritone. It was an impressive event, especially with the gunfire which reverberated off the walls and echoed around the town.

As mentioned- the weather has been glorious this weekend and brunch overlooking the peer was a great way to while away a few hours, as was the fantastic company.

I wasn’t really sure where the day was going from here, a bimble and a wander around downtown, out to a BBQ near my apartment, or just to sit and watch the world go by. As it turned out I walked past a stop for a trolley tour and thought that it would be an informative way to spend a few hours. I have to say, it was quite exciting (I know, I am a little sad) to be going around the city with people who were so happy to be seeing all these historical and important landmarks and monuments. It kind of made my spine tingle with a new level of appreciation to think that while I wasn’t seeing anything new, nor did I discover any other information, I walk and drive past these things everyday while going about regular tasks. Boston in the summer is a fantastical place to be- I’m not too keen on the snow and the cold in the winter, but the buzz today is like one I haven’t felt in any other US city- even on 4th July. It was a special feel.
From mid afternoon parties and fireworks was the way forward. The fireworks in Boston were part of the biggest water based display in the US. The barges were out on the Charles River and the banks were absolutely packed with people. The fireworks themselves, as expected, were a amazing array of red, white and blue, exploding to various patriotic anthems. As I have said every year, the fireworks here are something else, and have to be seen to be believed. Despite the huge number of people out on the river getting home was easy, the crowds were all moving at a reasonable pace and initially the roads were closed. This only became a minor issue when the police decided to reopen the roads to traffic without first moving or warning the pedestrians. The sound of horns blaring and bright light surrounding you as cars suddenly screamed up the on ramp to the free way was a little unnerving…

Next year I’m thinking I need to buy a yacht and watch them on the river- now where did I leave that lottery ticket?