Mystic Seaport- September 4

Last evening John and I went to the cinema and saw "Julia and Julia". That must have been what inspired me this morning to bake! I made bread pudding and oatmeal cookies. That movie was cute and fun- all about cooking,and it is imperative that one watch it with a full belly! Yesterday we were in Mystic Ct. Our rig is parked about 30 miles north of that town. In Mystic we toured the Museum of America and the Sea. The museum is located on Mystic's wharf and harbor. During the 19th century this was a very active seaport with about 5 shipbuilding companies operating there. The museum has indoor and outdoor exhibits. We were able to climb aboard the "Charles W.Morgan,a ship which survives as the last wooden whaleship in the world. It is in the process of being restored. In 1841 it cost approximately 50 thousand to build and outfit. Today it will take three years and about 5 million to restore her. We also were able to step inside the skeleton of another whaleship and saw illustrations of how,once the whale was caught and killed,the blubber was pulled off,minced up and boiled down to be stored in barrels for the market. The museum covered a lot of history of America. That same whaling ship was used as a blockade runner in 1862. Its crew did get caught,however,when they tried to sail into southern ports. Ships from this harbor were also used during the two world wars. Docked here is the ship the "Brilliant",used as an anti-submarine boat during the second world war. The museum also has re-created a 19th century seafaring village. I entered the small church of this village and listened to a sermon on temperance. Talk about a fire and brimstone speech! You are a pawn of the devil if any liquor is located in your cellar. And you had best point out the drunks of the town to your son or he may also go down that path of perdition! Two other exhibits located in this museum which I enjoyed was the display of scrimshaw(carvings done by sailors on whale teeth and ivory),and the hall of ship figureheads. I have posted here a picture of the harbor and some figureheads,as well as a parlor garden of the 1830s. If you had a productive garden it was a sign of God's providence as well as your own virtue. We enjoyed the Mystic museum very much and should have taken more time for it. It is a very comprehensive museum on America's shipping industry.