Another Bucket List Item Crossed Off Our List

We have done a lot of re-arranging of our travel plans on this trip.  We weren't supposed to come to Boston and the folks decided to squeeze that into our trip.  We were supposed to visit Grand Rapids, MI and that has been canceled.  We were able to see the JFK Library, but now we are not seeing the President Ford Library.

So, yesterday, the folks visited the JFK Library/Museum.  Mom really never thought she would make it there because it is so far up the coast.

The only downside to visiting the museum was the weather was gloomy.  The view of the bay was terrible due to the rainy day.

The tour starts out with a 20 minute movie about John F. Kennedy's life up until he was elected to senate.  The doors open up to what looks like a little town with store windows showing how life was in the 50's.

This is the Kennedy family Bible.  Kennedy was sworn into office with this Bible.

As you can see, the museum is very elegant.  It is comprised of many rooms.

A dress that Jackie wore to a dinner.

Replica of Kennedy's desk.  The rocker was his.

Kennedy's rocker

Outfit that Jackie wore when she taped a tour of the White House for TV.

Mom felt the museum ended suddenly.  There was a hall with small TV screens and it played the shooting in Dallas, the news bulletin of the shooting and death and parts of the funeral.  It was all in black and white, of course.  There was nothing more.  Mom expected pictures that she has seen elsewhere of Johnson being sworn in and pictures from the funeral.  There was nothing.  Mrs. Kennedy must have wanted it to end suddenly just like his life ended.

The museum has a replica of Robert Kennedy's office.  He was the attorney general while JFK was President.  It is unusual for something like that to be included in a Presidential museum, but again, we think it was Jackie's decision to include it.

The next room is an atrium that probably has a beautiful view on most days.  It was hard to see the harbor due to the rain.

JFK's boat.

The folks were getting ready to leave when they walked into a talk being given about JFK and PT 109.  The folks had never heard about PT 109.  JFK was in charge of a boat during WWII.  It was basically split in half by a Japanese destroyer.  The crew was presumed dead.  A memorial service was even held.  They were all injured and two were killed. Kennedy was a true hero.  He swam for miles trying to get help.  Finally, he came across two native boys who did not speak English.  He wrote a message for them to deliver to an Australian that they worked for on a coconut. They were finally rescued after six days.  You can read about it here.  PT 109

The coconut.

This is what he wrote on the coconut.

The folks thought the museum was nice, but small.  Most museums show what the President has done since he left office, but since Kennedy died in office and only served three years, there really wasn't a lot to show.  That is sad.

The admission is $14 a person.

Today, the folks visited Plymouth, MA.  We will write about that next time.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Preparing To Hit The Road Again

Lizzie Borden's House

The folks visited the Lizzie Borden's House.  If you are not sure who Lizzie is, this article will help you.  Lizzie Borden   She was put on trial for the murders of her stepmother and father.  Did she do it?  Probably.  There were a few other people who could have done it, but her story was conflicting. Her father did have a lot of enemies though.

Before the tour, guests wait in the museum store and for entertainment watch The Legend of Lizzie Borden in which Elizabeth Montgomery starred.  There are many odd items that can be purchased in the store such as a Lizzie Borden bobblehead.

Mom said a few of the people on her tour were scared because the house is said to be haunted.  One man refused to go inside. 

The tour guide was very animated and gave a really good tour.  She really enjoys talking about Lizzie and it shows.  The tour is $18 a person.  That is bit high but the reviews were excellent, so the folks went and they really enjoyed it.

The house where the murders took place.

Basically, all the furniture in the house is not original.  The house was lived in by another family for many years. The door knobs are original and when people on the tour were told if they touched the door knob, they were touching a spot where Lizzie touched.  They freaked!  The house is now a bed and breakfast.  The owner did her best to furnish it like it was back when the Bordens' lived there.  The guests that stay in the bed and breakfast are given a tour at night.  Spooky!  Mom said she would not stay there.

Replicas of the skulls of her step mom and father.

Lizzie

Photos of Lizzie

Father

A replica of the couch where her father was killed.  It really is a good match.

Actual crime scene photo of her father. Mom used a magnifying glass to get a close up look.

This was only the second case where they took crime scene photos. The first one was Jack The Ripper.

This room is where the step Mom's body was taken for the autopsy.  They wanted to make sure she was not poisoned.  It was obvious how she died, but she had reported feeling ill earlier in the day.

Lizzie

The step mother was the first one killed.  After the father was found, the housekeepers went upstairs to find the step mother.  They could see on her on the floor from the staircase.  One of the tour guests played the dead body.  You can see her laying on the floor.

Here she is again.  BOL!  That freaked some of the people out.

Crime scene photo.  It looks like she is on her knees, but it is just her skirt lifting her up.

Mom doesn't know what the glowing thing is on the dresser.  She looked at some other photos online and hasn't found it.  Spooky!

Elizabeth Montgomery playing Lizzie in movie.

Dress that Elizabeth Montgomery wore.

Room that can be rented.  This was Lizzie's room at one time.

The parents' room also available to rent.

Housekeepers room

Not the original stove, but Lizzie did burn her dress in this kitchen.  She said it was covered in paint.

Lizzie was acquitted of the murders.  It was an all male juror and women back then were thought to be weak.  If they knew about testing DNA we probably would know if Lizzie was guilty or innocent.
Her father was rich but cheap. They did not have indoor plumbing or electric even though he could have easily afforded it.  Lizzie resented that.  She and her sister inherited all his money after he died.  She and her sister bought a much nicer house nearby and lived together for a while.  They died within nine days of each other.  Before Lizzie died, she asked the Animal Rescue League of Fall River to take care of her three Boston Terriers when she died. She told them she would leave money in her will to them.  They received $50,000 from Lizzie and her sister.  Reports say that the organization is still receiving money each year from her trust.

In Other News

One of our blogging friends, Dip of Sketching With Dogs, has gone to the Bridge.  Dip's Mom sent us an email and told us the sad news.  She was a sweet girl and is sadly missed by her family.  I bet Scout was there to say hello to her.

Mom is working on our computer.  She refreshed the files which is not totally reinstalling Windows, but we lost just about everything by doing it.  We are not sure if it has fixed our problem because we have free wi-fi here and are not using our own.  The wi-fi here is really slow. Our Verizon is not much better.  Our AT&T phones are barely getting a signal.  It is frustrating for the folks.

We found a place to stay until November.  We will be back in the Lancaster, PA area.  Mom is excited because she loves that area.  Amish farms are all around the campground.

Today, the folks visited the JFK Library.  It was on Mom's Bucket List.  We will post about that next time.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Tired Of His Folks Being Gone So Much

We Are In A Pickle

I am not sure what that means, but that is what Mom said.  We are having major computer issues, so this will be our last post until we get it fixed.  We need to reinstall windows because something is causing our data usage to go sky high again.  The problem is that we can't find our Windows CD and we can't download it because it uses too much data.  We are using the free Wi-Fi here at the campground to do this blog, but we got kicked off last night because we were using too much, so our time is definitely limited this a.m.

We are having troubles finding someplace to stay near Philly and Mom is starting to freak out.  We need a place by this Wednesday and it needs to be until the end of October, then we have to take the RV to Indiana for repairs and we will be living in a motel for three weeks. 

The phone service here is bad and with limited Wi-Fi, it is hard to look for campgrounds.  Hopefully we find something today so that Mom can chill.

The Escapade ended on Thursday.  I was in the pet parade and the CEO said that I made his whole Escapade.  He said I was the Best In Show.  I didn't get anything for it, but the paparazzi was all over the place.  Everyone wanted my photo.  One lady said that I wasn't a full greyhound. She argued with Mom about that.  Another lady said that I wasn't a boy.  EXCUSE ME? 

This is Lee.  She is a girl.  I checked.

Kind of looks like me and Scout, doesn't it?

 Lee and her Dad won the grand prize at the Escapade. They will be going on a huge trip!

I'll be back when Mom gets the computer fixed.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Now Near Boston