Marblehead Harbor
Thanksgiving Day, 2011
The director of the NEQM, Connie Barlow, and her husband, Bill, graciously invited me to spend Thanksgiving with them. Their home is in Marblehead, Mass, an historic coastal town. The drive there was about an hour. Again I had the treat of driving through some countryside and small towns, including Salem, Mass. Connie and Bill's home is a lovely 1883 three-story home. A retired architect, Bill is restoring it, room by room doing all the work himself. I knew before I came that Bill worked for the National Park Service for over thirty years. What I didn't know was that he was the lead architect and very instrumental in the design and development of the Lowell National Historic Park in the late 1960s and 1970s. This project, as you might imagine, spanned over many years and was quite complicated with all the federal, state, and local agencies and historical societies involved.
After a tour of their home, and a glass of cider, Connie and Bill took me on a driving tour of Marblehead and Marblehead Neck. This area was settled about 1649. Some houses from the 17th Century are still standing. Most of those were very plain, and right next to the street. In fact, in Marblehead, most of the houses have NO YARD. The streets are narrow, windy, one-way, and crowded with homes, churches, historic meeting houses, and shops. Some of the larger homes have been converted to multi-family living spaces. When we got out on the neck (peninsula), the homes got VERY large. Many of them are on the water so you can imagine the prices. Many older homes are purchased, then torn down and a new home is rebuilt. Some of the homes here are large, some are not so big. After we left the neck, Bill parked the car and we got out for a little walk along the harbor. It was a crisp day, but sunny. The cool walk was well worth the beautiful views that it bestowed. What a wonderful tour, both walking and driving.
Afterward, we went to lunch at the Yacht club, where Bill and Connie are members. Of course, it was on the water, and the view was to die for. We were seated upstairs where the view of the harbor is even better. Dinner was scrumptious and beautifully presented. We shared a wonderful bottle of wine. What interesting conversation was with these two art lovers. I loved hearing about Bill's work. His last project, before he retired last August, was designing a visitor center to be located in the basement of Faneuil Hall in Boston. When Polly and I visited there last Sunday, it was indeed in the midst of construction.
Of course, this perfect day eventually drew to an end. I had to go home, but this Thanksgiving Day will be fondly remembered. Thank you Connie and Bill!
The director of the NEQM, Connie Barlow, and her husband, Bill, graciously invited me to spend Thanksgiving with them. Their home is in Marblehead, Mass, an historic coastal town. The drive there was about an hour. Again I had the treat of driving through some countryside and small towns, including Salem, Mass. Connie and Bill's home is a lovely 1883 three-story home. A retired architect, Bill is restoring it, room by room doing all the work himself. I knew before I came that Bill worked for the National Park Service for over thirty years. What I didn't know was that he was the lead architect and very instrumental in the design and development of the Lowell National Historic Park in the late 1960s and 1970s. This project, as you might imagine, spanned over many years and was quite complicated with all the federal, state, and local agencies and historical societies involved.
After a tour of their home, and a glass of cider, Connie and Bill took me on a driving tour of Marblehead and Marblehead Neck. This area was settled about 1649. Some houses from the 17th Century are still standing. Most of those were very plain, and right next to the street. In fact, in Marblehead, most of the houses have NO YARD. The streets are narrow, windy, one-way, and crowded with homes, churches, historic meeting houses, and shops. Some of the larger homes have been converted to multi-family living spaces. When we got out on the neck (peninsula), the homes got VERY large. Many of them are on the water so you can imagine the prices. Many older homes are purchased, then torn down and a new home is rebuilt. Some of the homes here are large, some are not so big. After we left the neck, Bill parked the car and we got out for a little walk along the harbor. It was a crisp day, but sunny. The cool walk was well worth the beautiful views that it bestowed. What a wonderful tour, both walking and driving.
Afterward, we went to lunch at the Yacht club, where Bill and Connie are members. Of course, it was on the water, and the view was to die for. We were seated upstairs where the view of the harbor is even better. Dinner was scrumptious and beautifully presented. We shared a wonderful bottle of wine. What interesting conversation was with these two art lovers. I loved hearing about Bill's work. His last project, before he retired last August, was designing a visitor center to be located in the basement of Faneuil Hall in Boston. When Polly and I visited there last Sunday, it was indeed in the midst of construction.
Of course, this perfect day eventually drew to an end. I had to go home, but this Thanksgiving Day will be fondly remembered. Thank you Connie and Bill!
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