Ghosts of the Tilt-A-Whirl

July 16, 2018











Ghosts of the Tilt-A-Whirl

There is something about carnivals and fairs that I just love, perhaps it is my nostalgic bent, but the colors, sights, sounds, smells and about everything about fairs large and small, I pretty much love. I try to go to as many as I can, everything from tiny carnivals held in parking lots to huge State Fairs covering massive fairgrounds, I love them all. This visit to Kathy’s childhood home of Marshfield, Massachusetts offered an opportunity to check out yet another carnival.











The carnival was on the smaller parking lot sized range on the spectrum, but that did not mean that it wasn’t fun. We went there as part of a night out with Kathy’s childhood friend Pam. It was held in nearby Scituate in a large parking lot along the harbor and featured all manner of food, games, rides and fun. I had the opportunity to have a delicious Elephant Ear, or Fried Dough as it is known in these parts, a fair favorite for me.











It was colorful and exciting and fun to see the local teens hanging out in their cliques enjoying the fair, it brought back a lot of memories of my sometimes misspent youth, but was also enjoyable as a new memory. The fair closed out with a cool fireworks display which we were able to catch as we were leaving. We had eaten dinner at a waterfront restaurant called Riva.





Pam and Michael



We had begun the evening at the Grand Opening of a brand new brewery that was opening in Marshfield, The Stellwagen Beer Company. The craft beer boom has been a bit slower to hit the South Shore, but the brewery scene is continuing to grow and Marshfield now has its own craft brewery. There were five brews available at the opening including a dry hopped session ale named Whale Watcher, a pale ale named Cymbals, because the space the brewery occupies was previously a Sabian Cymball plant, and an IPA named Invisible Airwaves.



Pam and Kathy





The beer was really good and the beautiful space in the former Cymball factory warehouse was even better. There is a large seating area with furniture made from trees that were felled during some bad winter storms earlier in the year and a large family friendly outdoor area, no food but food trucks were on hand and it was a great evening.









To coincide with their grand opening the radio station WATD which is located next door sponsored a Clash cover band, Charlie Don’t Surf playing outside in the parking lot and a decent crowd was out to watch them. We watched a couple of songs then opted to head inside, finding the brewery scene preferable.









As cool as it is that Marshfield now has a brewery, it is the beautiful natural settings of the Marsh and South River that is the real draw. Kathy and I would walk down the short beautiful path through the woods and marsh to the banks of the river, where we would swim in the cool river waters and float along with the tidal flow, whichever way it was flowing.







It is just a beautiful and amazing place, one that makes Kathy as happy as she can get. I think swimming in that river brings back so many happy memories for her, it is so cool to be able to be a part of new memories as well. As much as we seem to do all the time, many of the best times are just simple moments hanging out together or with family and friends.



https://www.stellwagenbeer.com/

Marshfield

July 15, 2018













Marshfield

It is always great to get back to the place you grew up, after having lived in Key West for twenty-seven years, both Kathy and I relish any opportunity to get back to the places we respectively come from. This time it was a trip back to Massachusetts where Kathy grew up, in the South Shore town of Marshfield. Her father still lives in the beautiful family home where she grew up.

Jim and Kathy









Much of Kathy’s extended family and even more friends still live in the vicinity and the purpose for this trip up from Key West was to attend a family reunion that was to be held over the weekend at Camp Denison in Georgetown. In the meantime, we had time to hang out in Marshfield and enjoy the beautiful New England summer.













Kathy’s father lives right on the expansive Marsh in the nearshore area known as the Sea Rivers Club because of its location along the Marsh that is cut through by the North and South Rivers just south of where the Rivers converge and pour into the Atlantic. In addition to the incredible marshlands, the South River cuts through the property and just across the river is a private stretch of beach for residents that is beautiful as well.



Kathy









Kathy’s father Jim, is a man of the water and for as long as I have known him and beyond he has had any number of boats. His property is littered with all manner of watercraft, he is an avid sailor and is constantly at work tinkering with one boat or another.  We knew that visiting him usually involves some boating or water related activity and this visit was no exception.











For our first trip, Jim took us out in his Boston Whaler for a trip up the North and South Rivers. We put in at the marina in Humarock and headed North up the South River, past the Spit and the mouths of the North and South River, where they merge and empty into the sea and up the beautiful North River on our excursion. The tide was at a near record low, so at times it felt like we were cutting through a carved out river through the muddy banks of the marshes that surround the river.









Jim



It was a beautiful day for the trip and we headed North eventually ending up docking at the popular Roht’s Marine for an early evening meal and to meet up with Kathy’s cousin Mark and his wife Robin. Roht’s is a popular hot spot in the area as the bar and restaurant attracts both landlubbers and those arriving by boat as well. Kathy and I had been there the previous evening with her friend Pam to watch a popular local band, the Aldous Collins Band.



Robin and Mark







This time we were just hanging out enjoying a beer and some snacks before heading back just as the sun was setting, which provided some beautiful views on the return trip. It was a wonderful, calm and relaxing ride along the beautiful rivers that are so much a part of the landscape of the community.