Anyway...I digress. In Philadelphia we toured the Declaration house, a historical recreation of the house Thomas Jefferson rented when he stayed in Philly during the summer of '76 to draft the Declaration of Independence. We walked across the street and got in line to view the Liberty Bell. This bell is truly a magnificent symbol of our liberties and freedoms. Never has there been a more iconic representation of the democratic ideals our founders set forth to create for us that summer of 1776. They pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors so that we might live freely.
After a short rest, we got in line for the free tour at the Pennsylvania State House, or Independence Hall, where the Founding Fathers worked to write, draft, revise, edit, and sign many documents upon which our country still stands. Seeing the chair where the President of the Constitutional Convention, George Washington, sat during those long, hot summers, truly takes you back to a time much different from our own.
That evening, we took a short stroll on Penn's Landing and saw the beautiful river views before returning to our hotel for a bounteous feast of Chipotle.
Which, while we are on the topic of hotels, I must tell a funny story. So we arrive at our hotel in Philly and pull in under the overhang by the front door to unload. We take an empty luggage cart and wheel it over behind the minivan. Suddenly, and quite mysteriously, a bell-hop appears and says that we cannot carry our own luggage on the cart into the hotel (though I have just seen another man do it with fewer bags than I) due to "insurance liability". In other words, he saw a van with 5 people and just as many suit cases pull up and saw $$$ in his eyes. I'm not stupid...you saw a money making opportunity and you jumped...don't lie... Needless to say, this bell hop wasn't happy when I didn't tip him for a job I could have done myself.
The next morning, we hit the road for our next stop in Boston. Traffic being heavy, we arrived in Boston around dinner time and decided to take a short trip to Salem to see some of the historic sights there and to have dinner. We had an excellent dinner at a cafe (known, as they told us, for their bacon). We also saw the Salem Witch Trials memorial which was a beautiful garden with stone benches in honor of those killed in the trials.
The last leg of our trip took us up the coast of Maine on Route 1 North with stops in Kennebunkport, Freeport, Camden, and finally Bar Harbor. We checked into our cabin, just outside of Bar Harbor, a beautiful, rustic cabin with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, living space, and loft upstairs. We hit the hay pretty early last night.
To all my fellow Episcopalians, greetings from the Diocese of Maine. Dad and I went into town this morning for Eucharist at Saint Savior's Episcopal, Bar Harbor. It was a gorgeous church that at one time entertained a summer parish of nearly 1,000 people. Today's crowd was slightly more modest, but Dad and I enjoyed ourselves and got a lovely tour of the church from one of their parishioners. We really enjoyed seeing all their lovely stained glass, stone carvings, and intricate designs. Their Tiffany windows were gorgeous (though maybe not quite on par with the All Saints Tiffany collection).
Tomorrow's plans are up in the air, but they may include a trip to Bar Harbor for some shopping, lunch, and a tour at one of Bar Harbor's Breweries. Until the next post, a quote from today's rainy day book, James Frey's A Million Little Pieces.
I know my faith makes my life better, and whether what I believe in exists or not, because I have faith in it, I get the benefits of that faith.
