saturday past

Every week at the farmer's market the Marblehead Conservancy has a booth.  There I grabbed a free map of Marblehead's "secret passageways".  Last Saturday we followed our map to the Neck, the bit of land that we see across the harbor from us.  Originally inhabited by the very poor, Marblehead Neck is now dotted with mansions.

We made our way to Castle Rock.  From the road there was a small trail leading to this:

Before I knew it Zach and Greta were at the top of Castle Rock.

Henry was content to watch the crashing waves from below with his mom.

Next we visited the not so "secret" lighthouse.  

They say this is the perfect spot to watch the yacht races.

The tall clock tower near the center of the photo is Abbot Hall.  Our house is a minute walk from there.

 As we returned home we noticed a sign on Abbot Hall's lawn announcing a "Symphony by the Sea" that night.  It started around the time Henry gets ready for bed but I decided we'd go out anyway.  Zach fell asleep early so the kids and I spiffed up a little and walked to the concert.  We arrived early to watch the musicians warm up their instruments.  It was very exciting. The kids were fascinated with some of the instruments and when the conductor came on stage they were completely captivated, as was I.

Henry and Greta sat quietly and listened to Hayden's Symphony #22.  Henry was getting very sleepy so
we left at a break before two soloists took the stage.  We watched for a few minutes from behind the door.

It was a beautiful end to a beautiful day.