Massachusetts - Day 13 - Salem and Marblehead

The Pines Camping Area
Thursday, 13 September 2018

today's route

I've been becoming worried about Roscoe's health - he's been sleeping almost constantly, no longer playing, eating less and less - and last night when he jumped down from the bench his back legs splayed a bit, reminding me of Jasper in his last days.  I found a Banfield in the Salem area that could fit us in this afternoon so decided to do some sightseeing beforehand.  As usual, it didn't work out quite that way.

First, I went down I-95, crossing the John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge over the Merrimack River.  I'd never heard anything that would tell me why old John G. would get a whole Merrimack bridge named after him so I looked him up.  www.britannica.com/biography   I'd completely forgotten he was the one who wrote "Barbara Frietchie" ("'Shoot if you must this old grey head but spare your country's flag,' she said.").  Anyway, he gets the bridge because he was seriously famous in his own time, and he was born just up the Merrimack from there.

In Salem I'd wanted to at least drive by the House of the 7 Gables but never could figure out their streets, let alone find the tiny street I probably wouldn't have been able to drive down anyway.  Apparently, the original house still stands and does indeed have 7 gables.

I was also vaguely interested in the various sites about the witch trials - but only in the sense that they show how our country has a very long history of going temporarily insane - forerunner of Japanese-American internment camps, e.g.  But again I couldn't figure out where anything was.  I finally accepted defeat and found a legal parking place in an old commercial section, where we had lunch and I walked the dogs.

These photos may give you some idea of the ambiance.  I was parked almost in front of the Blue Canoe Cafe so decided to pay for my spot by buying a scone.  Inside they have a sign that says, "Dinosaurs didn't have coffee - look how that turned out."

I took the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway over to Marblehead, hoping to find a genuine fishing village.  But that's what it used to be, not what it is now.

Salem-Marblehead Harbor

aerial view of Marblehead

It's now so built up I didn't once get a view of the ocean, even though I drove all around the peninsula.

Obviously, I got that aerial view off the internet, but the harbor photo is mine.  The sky was overcast all day, when it wasn't actually seriously deep in fog.  I think if you blow up the photo, you'll get at least some idea of how many boats there are in the area.  And to be fair, some of them were absolutely commercial fishing boats.  But most appeared to be pleasure boats, and certainly it took rich people (unlikely to be New England fishermen) to buy those houses I drove by.

On the other hand, it's a very polite area.  I kept seeing stop signs that also said "please."  And then I finally found a sign in an area where I could take a photo of it.  I knew I'd need proof.

Marblehead claims to be the birthplace of the American Navy, but apparently that claim is disputed.

Coming back into Salem I saw this beautiful house but am afraid I couldn't get a good angle on it.

Salem claims to be the birthplace of the National Guard.

I stopped to walk the dogs and discovered an interesting cemetery.  Oh those frugal Yankees!  They reuse grave markers to an amazing extent.

I went on to the vet, where I learned that Roscoe is indeed in trouble.  His lungs are clogged because his heart isn't working well, which means nothing else in his poor little body is working well.  The vet said we could do a bunch of tests if I wanted to pinpoint exactly what all was wrong with him, but there was almost nothing I could do to slow down his death, which is likely to happen in the next month, if he makes it through the night tonight.

Nothing positive about that.

Having just lost Jasper less than 2 months ago I wasn't even slightly ready to lose Roscoe too, and neither I nor the vet thought he was in pain.  So I decided to keep an eye on him and see how he does.