August 24, 2014

 Our week was pretty normal for after transfers.  We were busy with getting everything caught up.  Last Wednesday Elder Pettingill and I took two new Jeeps north to replace 2 cars that needed to be sold.  The Church buys new cars and puts 50,000 miles on them then sells them.  Elder Pettingill talked them into getting two Jeep Compass's because of their 4 wheel drive.  The terrain up there and the amount of snow they get really requires it.  It was a long day but it was fun.
  This past week end we got permission from President Stoker to go to Plymouth and Cape Cod Massachusetts.  We left Friday afternoon and went to the Hammond Castle, pictures to the left.  It is in Worchester Massachusetts.  It was built around 1920 by and inventor named

Hammond.  He loved the old castles of Europe and he built his house like them.  It sets right on the coast with a beautiful view. He was a very successful inventor but very eccentric.  It was pretty neat.
   We than stopped and had dinner in Beverly Mass. at PF Changs.  It was sooo good!  It was the Pettingill's 45th anniversary so that made it extra fun. 
   The pictures to the left are at Plymouth.  The first is of a Waganot Indian hut.  They built them out of tree bark.  It was interesting.  The other three are of the village of Plymouth.  The pilgrims came in 1620 and they really had a rough go of it.  At first the Indians were friendly with them but that changed.  The pilgrims brought a lot of diseases with them that killed 1/2 of the Indians.  Pretty sad! 

   These next 4 pictures are of the Mayflower II.  It is a replica of the original Mayflower.  It was small and hard to believe 102 souls came across on it.  2 died on the way and 2 babies were born on the way so they did get here with 102.  But 1/2 of them died of disease, hunger, etc. shortly after they got here.
  The bottom right is of Miriam and I at a local restaurant where we had fish and chips for lunch.
   We then drove out to Cape Cod and then back home.  We had lots of fun.  We are trying to see as much of New England while the weather is good and before we go home this winter.