The Message Column

Marathon Monday

It had gotten old in years past, and I used to make a point of 'escaping' on 'marathon monday'. It's never tax day. But that's usually the same week. And it doesn't always coorespond with the Patriots Day of the Revolutionary War, which was the day that the British leaders in Boston decided to go and start their gun confiscation program and the Minutemen decided to tell them no. A sad way to start an April morning.

Did you know that after the brits surrendered to the Minutemen, and our beloved first president, George Washington, they were kept under guard, along with their Hessian mercenaries who were also captured with the British. They were allowed to stay at The British were quartered at Prospect Hill and the Hessians at Winter Hill. See History of Sommerville by Charles Darwin Elliot, pp 29 - 31. One account states that the prisoners were allowed to keep their rifles because back then to be without your armaments was a kind of death sentence (I have no reference, so don't quote this without verification). So the Americans and their allies decided to follow the rules of war as they were at the time. After a period of hardship, shared by many during that time, those prisoners were marched off to Rutland, MA (way out in the middle of the forest at that time) and then, later in the war, to Viginia.ibid.

Here is a link to an article about Hessians.

reenactements on Battle Road

Well, usually on the morning of Patriot's day they do a 'reenactment' at the original sites of the battles. Battle Road it is called. I've never gone to see it. But my family wasn't keyed into that tradition because by great grandparents didn't show up in Boston till the 1870s (and some relative after that in other famous places). The tradition of Battle Road is one of redemption. From being a place targetted by the power for being crushed like a grape it became a center of high thought, culture and a very valuble cultural asset, a place where artsie and forward thinking people would seek to understand, maybe try to step into the mind set of that place, do you need a list of names from the 1840s and 1850s? Forward thinking people, a place for writers, a place for people who believe that society can improve and who are willing to take a stand. May I suggest, if you don't know the people who I discuss you go to Concord and get to Poets Ridge. I won't give you directions because it's easy enough to find it all on your own. Another thing that always floors me is that being there, at or near Rt 2A and Battle Road, you can stand in front of houses that were the homes of very famous people. It's all very much as it was back then, 150, 175 years ago.

There is a lot more in that part too, for example who would love to take a Summer day at Waldon Pond. If you go there you can hike all the way around the pond, which I recommend that you do. In addition there are very many other local trails, woodlands, conservation lands, and just land that people own that is fallow, because people who have great fortune, and there are rumors of them, can just let the woods be, they don't need to pave paradise and errect a traffic beacon. And that works for the benefit of everyone because most of the time those kinds of woods are available for those who respectfully just wonder through. Plan your trip. Be nice to the locals. Don't bring your hangups. Enjoy the day.

Massachusetts is a friendly destination

Massachusetts, in general, has a very lot to offer for anyone who takes the time to go down the very extensive list of lands left fallow, and mostly open to the public, lands that are actual federal lands, for wildlife, and other resources that, while they may be behind a fog, of sorts, in the public's mind, because they may have critical infrastructure, most such places if there are lakes and forests associated with them, have easy access, no one is keeping the public out. So enjoy it.

Marathon Week

So after the marathon is over, and the week has just started, if you are on vacation here there are very many wonderful places to go and see, and so many forests to wonder through, lakes to circle around, rail trails for hikers and bicyclists, and firetowers for the hill climber. And a whole slew of archiological sites, but you'll never find them (they get written up, but there is no mueseum there even though some of these sites are said to be 8 to 10 thousand years old.

Massachusets has Mueseums!

And if you like mueseums, Massachusetts has a very lot of those too. So come to Massachusetts, see the marathon, and spend your April vacation here rediscovering the History of America, and why this is a great world and that New England isn't about excluding anyone, but instead the story about how all are welcome.

New England Coastline

I won't even go into the cape and the Islands, because that is obvious. Don't forget about Cape Ann. Recommended destination: Bears Neck in Rockport. Salem has a lot to offer. October might be the month to go there for the celebration of History that they do there every year. But it's really awesome anytime of year. Look for the House of Seven Gables. Look for a tall ship that is right near by. If you want an inexpensive on-the-water experience, take a trip on a local ferry. The MBTA has a water shuttle on Boston Harbor. I don't know all the destinations but th eone that I like to do is to take it from The New England Aquarium to the Charlestown Navy Yard. You can walk to Bunker Hill from there, but going to the top of that might make you very winded. It's a long way up.

Various Beaches? Everyone has a different list of favorite places. The season for being at the beach? All year if you like to hike. But as far as going in the water usually it's not done in Winter except for social events, or for pepole wearing wet suits. Surfers will go out in the water at Horseneck Beach, for example, anytime of year as long as they have the proper gear. Of course the weather has to be correct.

Cape And Island tour?

By ferry and bus, or local transport, one might sojourn down through those parts. Perhaps a better way would be to have a cabin cruiser, and do it like that. In any case one might go between all of the various ports in the region, including ones in New York, Rhode Island and Conneticuit. A list of cities could perhaps be extened even to Maine and further out. It would probably take a lot of time to make such a journey.

Trains and Buses

If using this kind of service to get around one needs to be handy with schedules and connections.

Renting a car

If you are at a hotel they will drop off a rental. You don't even need to go to the agency, though it might be less expensive to do that. In any case car renting is easy.

Buying a car

If you come to stay for a while the easiest way is to buy a car. If you are foriegn national and you have bags of cash to bring with you, come on down. You can negotiate for a vehicle for cash at any number of lots and they will probably set you up with the insurance and the whole deal and maybe even tell you where to go to sign up for Welfare (don't tell them about your bag of cash . . .

Bad Areas

The whole world is a bad area if you have a bad attitude. Should you be afraid in some neighborhoods? Probably not a good choice to carry fear, if you feel uncomfortible maybe you need a room, a night's rest. As far as 'bad areas', it might seem obvious when you see certain types of activity. As a general rule any place is safe if there isn't anyone else around. However, if you go to certain parts there are activities that are not obvious to people who are aware of that kind of behavior. Certain parts of town have a larger percentage of people who are looking for . . . the obvious thing to feed addiction. The hard looks you get from drugged up people, and nodded over people on a bench, or people asking for money (they can get welfare, they don't need your money). Sometimes they need the money. It ought to be obvious, or if you are gulible then give them the money and feed their jones.

The bad area is anywhere. Currently the opium and pill epidemic has created a situation where the 'bad area' is any where that a drug addict is hustling up some quick cash through a scam or through theft. How can you tell who such people are? You really can't. You can't always tell.

So have your wits about you no matter where you go.

I've got some new territory. Here is one: Game Sculpture.

It's not much but these things grow. There is more too. I'll post more when I get to it.

All curses be broken!
May there only be blessings
blessings for you
blessings for everybody.

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  Praise     Praise     Praise
   the        the        the
   Lord       Lord       Lord!
  for    because    
 Easter  He's so awesome! 
  welcome to The Message Column!

      🖐♥♥Love♥♥🖑
      ♥♥🖑Cops🖐♥♥

      

 🖐
 hello!
 

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🖐♥♥Love♥♥🖑
♥♥🖑Cops🖐♥♥

      

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     oh those arbitrary frames!
      spinning, but not this line.
     
spin me a yarn neon
spin me a yarn neon
spin me every where but not here!
here is a fresh link, a new path to some older content:
   photo pile!
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

Have you been to my new links?
Have you been to my new links?
The content may be old.
The content may be old.
I don't like click bait.
Have you avoided the bait?
Do away with the hate.

Have you been to my new links?

 

 Picasso's eyes

simple pallette of
just a few colors 
printed on a heavy-weight rag stock
sparse shape
configured in scant complexity
simple
priceless
war is over
Picasso's eyes
 

No more worry
and no more care
when you don't call
I'll know you're there

 

In Wicked Need of an Edit

🚛 🎓 🎔 🌀

Political and Media Inanity

scary Orwellian times. permission to speak freely? Depends who you ask.

Truck-u-later

You're hired!.

April 16, 2016

We sure do need a billion dollar idea.

The tolerance of alternative views has waned in much of the media. The people put -up with a clamp down on ideas. They go into the face-crook jungle thnking that they 'connect' with 'friends', but much of it is virtual. They've been botted. unfriend the intollerance of jingoistic ideologues.

  Praise     Praise     Praise
   the        the        the
   Lord       Lord       Lord
  for his    for his    for his
 unfailing  unfailing  unfailing
   love!      love!      love!

  well, nothing more here today.