July 6, 2024 – Marblehead, MA
Most of our day was spent working on a sales agreement for the house and tweaking the house for appearance and cleanliness.
That evening we took advantage of the last of sixteen live concerts that were part of the 2024 Marblehead Festival of Arts. The concert was at the town’s Crocker Park. It’s a cool park, situated on a rocky granite promontory that overlooks Marblehead’s harbor. The fun band was the Squeezebox Stompers who play mostly Cajun/Zydeco music. And, judging by their use of language and their accents, they sure sounded like they’re from the Gulf coast. Very hot and humid today.
Dinner was premade meals from Crosby’s grocery store, roast beef for Sandy, sautéed sausage, onions and peppers for Bill.
July 7, 2024 – Marblehead, MA
Today was a day off but it was going to be really hot. We took the ferry from Salem to Long Wharf in Boston to meet Bill’s sister, Ellen, & husband, Wayne, who took the Ferry from Hingham. Our plan was to have lunch and to tour some of the city. The day was also Sandy’s birthday and our family gathering also celebrated a well-earned day off for Sandy.
Arriving at the Salem ferry dock Bill noticed a sign quoting General George Patton, “When the war is over, and if I live through it, Bea and I are going to sail her around the world.” Patton made that remark referring to his newly commissioned 65 foot schooner at the beginning of WWII. He’d named the boat the “When and If”. I looked down to the water and there the boat was. She’s currently in the day sailing trade operating out of Salem Harbor in the summer and Key West in the winter.
The “When And If” has special meaning for Bill. Years ago he helped crew her from Solomon’s Island on the Chesapeake Bay to Marblehead for a new owner. She’s a sweet vessel, built in 1939 by FF Pendleton in Wiscasset, ME, to a design by naval architect John Alden. And, so, after 85 years she’s still in great shape and working hard every day!
Lunch was at the Boston Marriot Long Wharf restaurant. Then we took off for a walking tour of a portion of the Freedom Trail. Stops included the Old State House and the Granary Burying Ground where we have an ancestor buried. We just passed by the King’s Chapel and Burying Ground and the Old Corner Bookstore. And we did a tour of the Old South Meeting House where the meeting was held that culminated in the infamous Boston Tea Party.
Finally, we found our way to the sculpture “The Embrace” in the Boston Common. The bronze sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas commemeorates the hug shared by Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King after he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. It is lovely and it is huge! You can not only admire it from the side but from under it.
Ellen & Wayne had to leave before we did so we spent the extra hour on stools at Joe’s, a bar across from the Marriot, avoiding the heat and rehydrating. Returning to Salem we saw the Tiki Hut boat, a square, thatch-roofed, floating bar, returning to its slip after one of its 90 minute harbor tours.
July 8, 2024 – Marblehead, MA
Another hot day. We spent the day detailing the house and meeting with our realtor negotiating the sales agreement.
Dinner was an old standard of ours for a fast, easy meal. A baked potato from Wendy’s over which we poured a serving of their chili. Top that off with sour cream and shredded cheddar and you’re set!!
July 9, 2024 – Marblehead, MA
Hot, hot, hot!
Bill rented a power washer at Home Depot and cleaned the siding, stone walls and parking area, significantly improving the curb appeal of the house. Sandy worked inside and had a final meeting with the realtor. The deal is now signed and the marketing work will begin in the next couple of days.
We had dinner at Soall Viet Kitchen, a Vietnamese restaurant in Marblehead. Good spring rolls for each of us and a shared noodle bowl with chicken and lots of veggies. Good stuff.
July 10, 2024 – Marblehead, MA
A plumber showed up to repair a leaking hose bib on the side of the house. Can’t have something like that when you’re showing a house! Bill hung around with the plumber while Sandy ran some errands.
We made one final visit with Sandy’s cousin and a pre-departure trip to our small storage unit to drop off a couple of items that we didn’t want to lug around with us. That completed our business in Marblehead for a few weeks. Whew!
We had dinner at Mattie’s Sail Loft in one of the older, more historic parts of town. (Read really skinny streets.) The downstairs was mostly bar but around the corner and up the outside stairway was the main restaurant. It was cozy and quite busy. But the service was fine and Sandy’s baked haddock and Bill’s scallop dinner were very good, indeed!