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Secret Drawer

Summer discovers the SDS stash in our room

Summer discovers the SDS stash in our room

Letters Letters everywhere!
Letters stashed into ever crack in the rafters

At the Longfellow’s Wayside Inn there is a secret society that members  frequently stay at the inn. Of course to be a member of  this society you have to spend a night at the inn. The Secret Drawer Society is simply in each room at the inn people who have stayed write a letter about their stay or leave a puzzle or gifts for those who stay after. As soon as we hit the room Summer was in full explore mode and she quickly found the stash in our room. We spent about an hour reading the letters in our room then went down for the famous Sunday Dinner at the Wayside Inn. Dinner was delicious and I tried a Coo Woo, the first mixed drink of America (not for the faint of heart or easily drunk it is 2 parts rum to 1 part ginger brandy and no mixers!).

After dinner we stopped by the game room where there were baskets of letters that have been moved to make room for new letters. We read for hours and didn’t get to bed until around 1am (but we had the awesome tunes from a wedding that was being catered as entertainment for part of the night so it was good fun all around).   In the morning Summer was able to talk one of the ladies into letting us sneak a peak at rooms 9 and 10 (the original rooms over the kitchens and the allegedly haunted spots) and as you can see by the picture every space is fulled with notes from people who have stayed in these rooms. Both Summer and I hope to return to the inn and stay in one of these rooms so we can read all the notes and perhaps have a meeting with Jerusha the young lady who is said to haunt her old rooms.

Longfellow’s Wayside Inn

Martha Mary Chapel at Longfellow's Wayside Inn

Martha Mary Chapel at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn

Grist Mill at Longfellow's Wayside Inn

Grist Mill at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn

Another shot of the Grist Mill at Longfellow's Wayside Inn

Another shot of the Grist Mill at Longfellow’s Wayside Inn

Solitary Confinement at Rutland Prison Camp

The Solitary Confinement Area at Rutland Prison.

The Solitary Confinement Area at Rutland Prison.

Inside Solitary

Inside Solitary

Pumpkin Head
The back side of Solitary.

Kill your TV?

Another cell in solitary.

 

Memorial Day May 26

The root cellar at the former Rutland Prison Camp in Rutland, MA

The root cellar at the former Rutland Prison Camp in Rutland, MA

Memorial Day May 26

Old Stone Church  in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Old Stone Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Memorial Day May 26

Flag on the side of the Old Stone Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Flag on the side of the Old Stone Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Memorial Day May 26

A hopefully abandoned trailer on the grounds of an abandoned factory in Leicester.

A hopefully abandoned trailer on the grounds of an abandoned factory in Leicester.

Memorial Day ~ May 25, 2013 epilogue

After stopping at Friends Cemetery we had several stops in the immediate area. Things just caught our eyes.

Gate house for the flooded dam

Gate house for the flooded dam

This is what is usually a dry river bed.

This is what is usually a dry river bed.

Normally the water does not flow over the top and we could see (and hear) the top most plank was creaking and bending. I hope to go back soon to see if the gate house and dam survived the storm.

Normally the water does not flow over the top and we could see (and hear) the top most plank was creaking and bending. I hope to go back soon to see if the gate house and dam survived the storm.

The infamous Turtle Boy Statue of Worcester.

The infamous Turtle Boy Statue of Worcester.

Turtle Boy for the lulz

Turtle Boy for the lulz

We just made it to Worcester as night sets in but we had enough light to get shots of the Burnside Fountain AKA Turtle Boy. Just a statue I’d heard so much about. So we end our day on a quirky spot.

Memorial Day Weekend ~ May 25, 2013 part 3

We left Mr Dooley’s and headed off for Leicester. Finding Friend Cemetery was a personal quest for the both of us. Not only have we heard so many stories about the place but we also had come to Leicester looking for the cemetery in April of 2012. We were running out of light, time and the GPS had all ready run out of power. We were in the right area; just couldn’t find the cemetery. It didn’t help that while we rode back and forth on Mulberry and Mannville Streets; we were being shadowed by a guy in a white sedan (probably lost as we were or keeping track of the fools cruising up and down a road near an airport). It was enough to have us calling it quits and driving off to find a hotel.

Friend Cemetery's Spider Gate.

Friend Cemetery’s Spider Gate.

Not this time though! We had plenty of daylight and the Tom Tom was all charged up. The only problem it was raining heavily. This was no deterrent and we walked up the dirt road to the cemetery.  There are many rumors about hauntings, murders, satanic worship and an eighth gate to hell. I can’t say that I have found anything to indicate that this is anything other than a quaint little cemetery.

Proof that I lack the imagination to see this as a gateway to Satan...

Proof that I lack the imagination to see this as a gateway to Satan…

Cat looking up at the "hanging tree. Not the absolute lack of terror.

Cat looking up at the “hanging tree. Not the absolute lack of terror.

Sacrificial Stones in the center of the cemetery surrounded by trees or rocky New England terrain... ;-)

Sacrificial Stones in the center of the cemetery surrounded by trees or rocky New England terrain… 😉

The path  to  Friends Cemetery. Yes there was flooding!

Along the path to Friends Cemetery. Yes there was flooding!

Memorial Day Weekend ~ May 25, 2013 part 2

IMG_0220We hurried away from Mount Auburn Cemetery to go to a meet up in Brighton. Both Summer and I are huge fans of Hannah Hart and her You Tube Show “My Drunk Kitchen”. Hannah is currently doing a “Volunteer Tour” across America (She will be doing Europe and, I think, Australia later). So we stand in line waiting for Hannah and her crew to show up (driving an RV through Boston can be treacherous!) We then did a drop off of food for Pine Street Inn. Once inside people mingled and chatted.

Waiting

Waiting

Hannah came out and told a few stories; answered questions; sang and danced ~.^

Then we all lined up and she chatted and hugged and photo-oped with everyone (100+ people!) Summer and I were near the back of the line to talk with Hannah but she was still charming and fresh and appeared to be really enjoying getting up close and personal with all these strangers (this still completely baffles me. I was close to snapping at just being in a room with all these people.)

Note a distinct lack of terror in Ms. Hart's eyes ~.^

Note a distinct lack of terror in Ms. Hart’s eyes ~.^

Now we are off to our next stop… Mr Dooley’s Tavern. Which is filled with Bruins fans and the mood is high. Although I am in mourning since I can’t have my Guinness or a black and tan (OK I am Irish and I am allowed to mourn not having beer more that not having bread or pasta ~.^)

We are now going to head off to find Friends Cemetery (AKA SpiderGate Cemetery) in Leicester…