Today marks my second week staying with KJ in Boston, and I’ve done a lot so far.  I’ve had a great time and am very happy, though I’m very much starting to miss my family now too.  Two weekends ago, we visited Old North Bridge, where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired on April 19, 1775.  That was very cool, and the tour guide was very good.  He was very academic about the thing and led us down the road the colonial militia had taken 236 years previously and had has take turns reading testimony from soldiers on both sides.  Our immediate question was to find, through the testimonies, who had fired the first shots.  We eventually concluded that the British had fired the first shots, warning shots into the river, which the militia mistook as actual shots, and then they returned fire.  We also visited several historical houses, including Old Manse, which is right next door to the Bridge, where several important literary figures once lived.  The following day, last Sunday, we visited Old Sturbridge Village, which was amazing.  It is a living museum, with buildings and life from the 1830s.  We learned from a blacksmith, shoemaker, potter,  and even a printer, all of whom had set up shop and were making actual products while we watched.  The most interesting to me was the printer, who worked at an Acorn Press making military notices while we talked.  Fascinating place.

This past weekend, we did some more sightseeing too.  The highlight of Saturday’s adventure was a visit to the Boston Naval Yard, where we saw three ships.  The most famous of these is the USS Constitution, which was one of six original frigates in the US Navy.  It is the oldest commissioned battleship in the world.  We also saw the Friendship of Salem, a reproduction of an early American merchant vessel, and also we saw the USS Cassin Young, a WW2 battleship.  All three ships were great to see and I feel I learned a lot about history.  Setting foot on the Constitution and the Cassin Young were like stepping backwards into time.  Its made me want to visit more naval ships.  Then yesterday, I ventured off alone with the intention of visiting the Boston Public Library, which unfortunately was closed.  So instead I attended service at the Old South Church which was right next door.  The church is the third oldest in Boston.  I was impressed with the architecture and the beautiful stained glass windows.   I was also impressed with the sermon and the progressive church mission.  The service was delivered by a gay, married man who wore a rainbow scarf and preached about tolerance.  He started with a parable from Matthew in which Jesus teaches that it is not our responsibility as humankind to separate the wheat from the weeds, but instead that is to be left to the angels.  His message was that our lives should be about seeing the good, the “wheat”, in others, and letting God handle out the sorting out of the weeds.  It was a great message.  I could see myself attending regularly a church like that.

Today begins another week of research in the Harvard Historical Textbook Collection and in the Harvard Archives.  I’m also planning to visit the Boston Public Library later this afternoon since I was unable to do so yesterday.  Peace.

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