Kennebunkport: Listed in my book of 1001 places to see before you die.  Actually there is a B&B listed but the beach was more appealing.  After a long drive, it was great to mingle with other locals out for a stroll their house animals.  Gordy had a good time running up and down the beach and even played well with others.  He also pooped twice.

Woodman’s.  Also in the book.  Birthplace of the fried oyster.  Turns out I don’t like fried oysters.

We stopped at Winter Island in Salem for the night.  Not bad for a van down by the river.

There was a nice little walking tour which pointed out that we were staying at old fort.  These were the Barracks that were modeled after George Washington’s residence.

A great start to the day with the Fort Pickering Lighthouse.

Gordy found the Moat… or what was left of it.

Gloucester.

Hello Lunch…

Not bad for a Minnesota kid.  The waitress thought so anyways.

There was a pie eating contest for Halloween Week.  This Gnome won.

This fountain (obviously shut down for the season) is actually a map of Salem.  The top layer is the original coastline and the bottom layer is present day. It’s pretty hard to see the layers but they are there.

Salem Graveyard.

This 81 year old man refused to enter a plea of guilty or not guilty (of being a Witch) when accused.  This prevented the courts from taking possession of his property and allowed for the inheritance to be passed along to his children.  He was placed under a wooden door in a pit in the ground.  Stones were piled on top of the door for six days before he was eventually crushed to death.  According to local legend, with his last breath,  he cursed the town of Salem. Today many continuing misfortunes are blamed on the curse of Giles Corey.

This is an old Jail that Houdini once escaped from.

Notice the gravestone that faces this tree.  The gentleman buried here died after being struck by lightning.

According to locals, this same tree that he is facing has been struck three additional times since his burial.

These benches alongside the graveyard are a part of the Salem Witch trial Memorial.  As they had been branded Witches, the victims of the trials were buried in graves barely deep enough to cover their bodies leaving them open to the advance of wild animals.  Needless to say, the bodies have long since vanished and the individuals were never given a proper burial.  This memorial stands as a place for remembrance.

This tree has been growing in the graveyard since the time of the Witch Trials.

The Toy museum in Salem is amazing.  I’m pretty sure I had all of these He-Men.  The collection is pretty incredible and has been featured on a couple of TV shows but I didn’t pay close enough attention to tell you which ones.

Who Knew?!?  Go Salem!

Bewitched did some filming in Salem.  A few areas are featured in the TV show and created some buzz in the area for a while.

This is the House of the Seven Gables as featured in the book of the same name by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Many would speculate that he added the “w” to his name to hide himself from his local familial past. His relative, judge John Hathorne, was the only judge involved in the witch trials who never repented for his actions and involvement.

Allison was a tour guide at the House of the Seven Gables.  She was able to take some time out of her day to cruise around with me and Gordy sharing some local history.  Behind them is the Pickering House.  It still houses members of the Pickering family, making it the longest lasting property with the same continued lineage in the U.S.  She is currently pursuing a career in the music industry and is planning a rip to Ireland next summer.

Someone at WalMart is very bad at math.