![\"Scarecrow\"](\"http:\/\/www.ourwanderyears.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/2014-07-22-003.jpg\")
<\/a>Scarecrow<\/p><\/div>Such was July 12, 2014. We had plans, of a sort. The idea was to attend Littleton’s Town Picnic, part of the series of events marking Littleton’s tercentennial – its 300th birthday party. Our initial plans called for us getting granddaughter Liliani for the day, but due to my softball schedule (which meant I would not get home until 1pm) and Lili’s softball schedule (and end-of-season pool party), we were without child.<\/p>\n
We went anyway. The event turned out to be – surprise – a town picnic. Nothing more. Lots of people sitting around on blankets eating homemade sandwiches. Nary a food vendor in sight. Unless we wanted to join in the wheelbarrow races (Jett declined), there was really nothing for us there.<\/p>\n
We did enjoy the scarecrows. I don’t know what significance scarecrows have in Littleton’s history, but they were everywhere. Who made them and why? Dunno. But there were some nice ones.<\/p>\n
So after spending just 30 minutes at the picnic we were left in the unexpected position of having an afternoon free and nothing to do. We needed lunch, but it was a beautiful day, so we started heading east on MA 119 with the idea of finding a cafe along the way. Or ending up in Concord which we knew had some good dining spots.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Church in Concord<\/p><\/div>We didn’t see anything interesting on 119 and so ended up on downtown Concord and found a parking spot right in the middle of the historic downtown area. Concord<\/a> is a small town, so “downtown” comprises a city block, with a few shops down a couple of side streets. The “historic” comes from its association with some pretty famous 19th century authors (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott – you couldn’t write in Concord unless you had 3 names) and an attempt by those pesky Redcoats to capture some arms stored there at the start of the Revolutionary War. Now it is a quintessential upscale New England town, complete with a town common surrounding by white churches. And lots of little shops selling upscale items to upscale visitors.<\/p>\n Jett window shopping<\/p><\/div>The only upscale items we bought were miniature porcelain figurines of a monkey and a dolphin (don’t ask). We then found a coffee place – Haute Coffee<\/a> (get it?) that also served some very interesting sandwiches. I had one made with imported ham, imported cheese and homemade bread that was outstanding. It tasted as good as it looked. And we dined in a room that was straight out of the 17th century, with hand-hewn beams and a stone fireplace. The place was WAY more interesting that the Starbucks that we passed to get there.<\/p>\n Yum!<\/p><\/div>We then meandered down to Maynard<\/a>, a town that is just as old as Concord but lacks the cachet. It was a working-class town with nary an author to its credit (detractors would say that no one there could write their names, much less a book or a poem). But Jett, who CAN write a poem, spent some time there in her younger days and wanted to see how the town was faring without her.<\/p>\n Not well, apparently. While Concord was bustling on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the streets of Maynard were nearly deserted. Most shops were closed, which I found shocking. Very sad.<\/p>\n We meandered up MA 27 to Acton, then back to Littleton. I had thought of visiting Ayer, but Jett was tired, so we called it a day.<\/p>\n A very nice day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Being a working stiff, Saturdays are usually filled with chores unless we have a family event to attend or some other scheduled activity that occupies most of the day. It is a rare Saturday that we just lounge around. And an even rarer Saturday when we get out of the house and spend the afternoon … Continue reading <\/a><\/a>