Nantucket - August 21, 2005
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This morning I decided to walk to the ocean via the farm trails. I don't think I'll do that again - eight miles round trip. Carol started to worry about how long I was gone then figured that that's what I must have done. Two to four miles is OK, eight is too much!

Did some catching up on photos - Here is the "Take It or Leave It" building at the dump & a couple at the Lifesaving Museum.

Take It or Leave IT at The Dump	Life-Saving Museum	Fresnel Lens at the Life-Saving Museum

After that we went to the Hadwen House on Main Street across from the Three Bricks. The Three Bricks were built between 1836 & 1838 for the three sons of Joseph Starbuck as a way to keep them from becoming whalers. William Hadwen was a silversmith, whale oil merchant & candle maker, and one of the richest men on the island. He built the house below in the early 1840's. We did the official tour - took about 45 minutes to do both floors. I think I ruined our guide's spiel by knowing why there was a button instead of a finial on the stairway's newel post. The finial is sawn off & replaced by a button when the mortgage is paid off. I'm not sure where I learned that but it came up in a set design for a theatrical production we did at Oswego. On Nantucket they use a carved ivory button. I did learn about a "Coffin Niche" built into many stairways. It is level with the upstairs floor & used to rest a coffin so that the crew could change positions when moving it down from the upstairs bedrooms. A good place for a small statue when not in use...

The William Hawden House	The "Three Bricks"	Entryway & Button at the Hawden House
The "Formal Parlor"	Carol, Luann & Our Tour Guide	The "Coffin Niche"

After the tour we stopped in the garden behind the Hadwen House for a short break & headed for the "Old Gaol" Actually this is a much nicer jail than some we have seen in the West - two fairly large rooms with bunk beds, a small window & latrine, but lots of concrete & iron as well.

Carol & Luann in the Garden	The "Old Gaol"

I didn't take a picture at the pump, but we on the way back to the house we stopped to fill the gas tank of the Town & Country at the "Cheap ($3.069 per gallon)" gas station for $49.25, a record for us. The station across the street was charging $3.169 for the same stuff. Although they were not there this time, in past years the expensive place had women in bikinis pumping your gas. All we got was a frowning old guy, but that saved us $.10 a gallon!

After that it's home to cook up a prime rib dinner. We eat much better cuts of meat with David than at home!

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