We arrived just in time to take the trolley to the birthplaces with about ten other people. We rode through the sleepy town of Quincy on the trolley and enjoyed the scenery for a few minutes.
When we got off, the two birthplaces were 75 feet away from each other on zero land among modern houses, roads, and parked cars.
We toured the houses (no pictures inside), which were bare but included some period relics like hearth tools. We learned about the history of the houses. They are the oldest presidential birthplaces in the United States. It was here that John Adams, Samuel Adams, and James Bowdoin wrote the Massachusetts Constitution. This document, still in use today, influenced writing of the United States Constitution.
We then took the trolley back to the Old House. This stately mansion, built in 1731, was packed to the brim with historical objects spanning the time of the Adams family for four generations from 1788 to 1927: Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams, First Ladies Abigail and Louisa Catherine Adams, Civil War Minister to Great Britain Charles Francis Adams, and literary historians Henry and Brooks Adams. The family certainly had a long, strong legacy of service to their nation. We were all impressed by their collective accomplishments. What an amazing family!
My favorite part was touring the Stone Library, built in 1873. It contains more than 14,000 books that belonged to the Adamses. I walked in and felt the words whispering to me. It was a stone (fireproof) structure crammed with books two- and three-deep from floor to ceiling. We also enjoyed the 18th-century style formal garden, containing thousands of flowers.
When we left, we started our farm tour. This was something I developed using the Massachusetts state agriculture website. Our first stop was in the city of Sharon. We went to Ward’s Berry Farm where we looked at pumpkins, gourds, mums, and other fall produce before standing in a long line to order veggie wraps, smoothies, and hot pumpkin bisque for lunch.
Once we ate, we piled in the car again and went to Millis to visit Tangerini’s Spring Street Farm, where we skipped the hay ride but had to go through the corn maze. It was situated on a couple acres and really well done. The three of us split up and I only won because I ran the last ten feet.
Next up was OutPost Farm in Holliston, where I was disappointed not to see the turkeys but enjoyed the yummy turkey pot pie.
Then we went to Dowse Orchards in Sherborn, where we were greeted with beautiful piles of every kind of apple you can imagine. We bought a couple apples and a gallon of cider to be enjoyed at the hotel.
Our last stop was Sunshine Farm, also in Sherborn, where we looked at more fall produce.
We weren’t hungry for dinner yet, so we looked at the GPS until we saw the ocean. None of us can stand to be near the ocean but not experience it. We went back to Quincy and parked right on the ocean and walked up and down the beach, feeding oyster crackers to seagulls and collecting shells. We watched the sun set and spill red over the distant skyline of Boston across the water. We just enjoyed each other’s company.
When we got hungry, we drove to Taunton and ate at Benjamin’s Restaurant, where I had my first-ever whole lobster. It was stuffed and baked and very tasty, though way too much food for me. Mom had the filet and Michael had a seafood explosion (I don’t recall what menu item it was) plus an appetizer of escargot, which I wasn't too fond of watching him eat. Everything was absolutely terrific. I have my Boston native friends to thank for the restaurant suggestion.
In all, it was a wonderful day. The day was warm and sunny, with a blue, blue sky that slowly seeped to red at the end of the day. We talked and laughed and loved life.
