Oct 15 -16, Wedding at Crane Estate, Ipswich, MA & sightseeing along MA coast

 Oct 15 - a long time accounting client of Peter & myself invited us to her wedding at the Crane Estate in Ipswich, MA.  We have known and worked with her family since I started working as an accountant in 1987.  So it was really nice to see some family members that we haven't connected with since we retired in 2018.  The weather was sunny and nice, so they held the ceremony outdoors.  Nice dinner and dancing on into the night.  We stayed overnight at a hotel in nearby Danvers, MA.  Nothing to write home about.

Oct 16 - since we were right there on the MA coast, we decided to drive home along the coast, stopping at some interesting parks along the way.  

• We had planned to drive through the town of Salem, MA (the witch hunt town) and have lunch.  However, the town was LOADED with tourists walking all around the place, some with pointed black hats on.  There was no place to park and too many people.  So we drove on.
• Our first stop was in Marblehead, MA, at Fort Sewall.  This was a headland fort dating back to 1644 and was active during the Civil War and the War of Independence.  It was located right at the tip of a peninsula, at the tip of Marblehead harbor.
• Across the harbor, at another tip of a peninsula is the Chandler Hovey Park and the Marblehead Lighthouse on Lighthouse Point.  You can look across the harbor and see Fort Sewall for here. Nice views of the ocean all around.
• We then drove south, towards Boston, along the coastal highway.  We ended up in Lynn, MA at Red Rock Park.  Beautiful long beaches.  They created Lynn Shore Drive and walkway, from the Red Rock Park over to the Nahant causeway, which ends on what looks like the Nahant Island.  At the eastern most tip of the island is Lodge Park and the East Point Loop Station.  We hiked along the beach, from Red Rock Park over to the Nahant causeway.  Then drove the rest of the way out to the point.
• Our final time was spent trying to get home.  However, since we were so close to Boston, the GPS took us right through downtown and then on to the Pike.  I hate driving through Boston traffic, and through the Big Dig tunnels.  But, we did make it home.

Nice day  overall.

Us at the wedding at the Crane Estate photo:

Fort Sewall, Chandler Hovey Park and Lighthouse Point, Marblehead, MA photos:

Red Rock Park and walkway, Lynn, MA photos:

Nahant causeway, Nahant Island and Lodge Park and East Point Loop station photos: