a road trip! Part 3

My favorite part of our trip was the time we spent in Lexington and Concord. The area is so rich in history and culture. It seems unlikely that such an amazing conglomerate of forward thinkers and revolutionaries could be gathered in the same space continually over the course of several generations but you can still feel the energy and influence years later.

The Minuteman-so called because they could be mustered for battle so quickly

North Bridge in Lexington

Concord grapes

Paul Revere (and others) left Boston on his fateful ride to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were on the march.  Things came to a head the morning of April 19, 1775 with the "shot heard 'round the world" * fired on the Lexington Green and culminating (the initial battle, not the war, obviously) 7 or so miles away on the North Bridge in Concord.

On the eve of the anniversary of September 11th when so many of our freedoms were tested and shaken it's an interesting contrast to remember the volatile beginnings of this great country. We were born fighting and we've had to fight for everything good ever since.  There's a lot in this world worth fighting for and I'm grateful for those who've risked it all to make things possible for those to come.


*the phrase was coined by Concord native Ralph Waldo Emerson years later in his poem Concord Hymn