Over the weekend the Fairhaven and Wareham Militia encamped at Fort Phoenix for a demonstration of life of Americans defending New England during the time of the Revolution.
Fort History
On May 13-14, 1775, the first naval battle of the American Revolution took place off our shore when the local militia, under the command of Nathaniel Pope and Daniel Egery, captured two British sloops in Buzzard’s Bay.
Shortly afterward, the town petitioned for the construction of a fort at Nolscot Point for the protection of the harbor. The original fort was built by Capt. Benjamin Dillingham and Eleazer Hathaway between 1775 and 1777. It was outfitted with eleven cannon, several of which had been captured in the Bahamas by John Paul Jones.
Portraying colonial men, women, and children, the members of the Fairhaven Village Militia talk to visitors about the history of the fort and about life during the Revolutionary War period. Flintlock musket firing demonstrations are given at times when the militia is on duty.
As always, click and photo for big. Click again for bigger
The ride in Tiverton, RI last night was a bust. No big deal for this retired guy. I’ll do a long ride tomorrow morning. Well, tomorrow morning arrived and I remembered I am playing tennis tonight. No big deal for this retired guy. I’ll do a long ride tomorrow. Tomorrow will come and I’ll be lucky to walk after a couple hours of tennis tonight. I did find a solution to those next day lactic acid filled burning legs. An ice bath after tennis.
Filling a tub with the coldest water possible out of the faucet, then sitting in it, is very difficult. Last year the best I could do was kneel in the tub. Last week however, I tried the frog in the boiling water system. The one that says if you drop a frog in very hot water it will jump out. But, if you put a frog in cool water and slowly bring it to a boil, the frog will allow itself to be cooked. I sit in an empty tub and turn the cold water on so it flows very slowly, gradually opening the faucet as I adjust to the shock. It’s not easy, but it’s doable. It’s amazing how fast the lactic acid recovery is by a simple ice bath. Or in my case, a cold bath. It’s common for pro athletes to do the ice bath after a game.
There was time to do a ride around town today. Fairhaven, MA is a waterfront town within sight of the western side of Cape Cod and on a clear day, Martha’s Vineyard. A camera is an essential bike component for any bike blogger worth their salt. Sometimes a photographer begins the day with a theme and there are other times, like today, that we simply pay attention to the world and stay ready for what ever happens. There was a lot going on today.
Lots of BoatsCouple on the beach at Fort PhoenixReturning from deep sea fishing tripDog Walker at Fort PhoenixEntering New Bedford, MA harborBasketball in the parkGull standing guardLobster BoatTug behind Palmer’s Island Light
There was a rally for the volunteers for Saturday’s Buzzard Bay Swim. It was too good an evening not to ride my bike the four miles to the gathering and the waterfront was abuzz with activity.
It was a quiet ride home but I did stop at the salt marsh to watch all the activity in the water. Duck families, egrets, lots of small birds like robins, starlings and others scrambling for a last minute meal, making a racket with their screams. Needless to say, the nine feet of snow we had on the ground a few short weeks ago is nothing but a fond memory.
As always, click any photo for big. Click again for bigger.
If you ride a bike a lot, you know that you see so much more going on around you that passes by unnoticed if your in a car. Today was one of those days that a ride was in order, but a club ride, even one of the most popular local rides, just didn’t fit the bill.
There was no plan to go anywhere in particular. It was simply a beautiful day to ride a bike. The Phoenix Bike Path in Fairhaven, MA, takes us close to the New Bedford bridge that crosses the Acushnet river into the city. When I got to the span, the bridge was opened to boat traffic. I usually try to photograph the boat going through the opening. On this day I looked back to see a wonderful perspective of Fairhaven. Taking multiple shots playing with the zoom, aperture or shutter speed, gives a photographer a much better chance of getting that really good shot.
Fairhaven Center from the New Bedford bridge.
As I progressed into the city, I came across a food festival at Pier 3 and a dog festival at Buttonwood Park. From the park my ride took me on an easy spin to the south end where I stopped and chatted with some friends for a few minutes. At the end of the peninsula the long line at Clark’s Point Creamery was a big help in my resisting stopping for a dairy treat. Fort Rodman, Fort Taber, and East Beach were spectacular this day.
On the return crossing into Fairhaven on the bridge, the crew of Captain Leroy’s deep sea fishing trip, were filleting the days catch for the patrons who were loading up their bus for the long return ride to New Jersey. Once back in Fairhaven at Cushman Park, the local track club was in the middle of the Jr. events.
On the club ride, I may have gotten into a pace line, put my head down, and hammered for a couple of hours. Today was a mellow, fun ride that really hit the spot. The club rides are OK. The rides with no destination can be the best ride. Either way a bike is so much better than climbing into a car, blasting the radio and trying to beat yellow lights, and the other cars to the next light.
The few photos of today’s ride are set to music using Cyberlink Power Director 13.
For better quality, click the Vimeo link at the bottom right of the video
A small group rode a historical tour of the area. New Bedford and Fairhaven have a Revolutionary, Civil and WWII history that is unique to coastal areas . Today’s 17 mile ride brought the group to Fort Rodman, East and West Beaches, Palmers Island, the Harbor Walk and Fort Phoenix, that included a historical narrative of each location. Everyone’s favorite was the ride around the southern peninsular of New Bedford. The stories of quahogs, hamburgers, military, amusement parks, houses of ill repute and lighthouses are all part of the history of the point.
A Midnight Rider 