There are some spots in and around Boston which Jude and Marguerite had not yet ventured to. One such place was the historic and beautiful town of Concord in Massachusetts.
The area of Concord, neighbouring town Lexington, and the road connecting these two towns and extending right into Boston were the scenes of the beginning of the armed resistance to British rule in America way back in the 1770's.
At this bridge on the 19th April 1775 the British suffered their first casualty of the American War of Independence. The British redcoats had marched to Concord to seize arms in what they thought would be a routine operation, but they were not expecting the local farmers and militia (known as 'Minutemen') to be so well prepared for battle. They could thank Paul Revere and William Dawes for that as it was they who rode from Boston to set off the alarm. Here Marguerite poses on the bridge.
Jude nabs some wee Japanese tourist to capture this pic on the Old North Bridge at Concord.....
........while Marguerite takes this DIY one.
Jude is the ultimate sucker for this kind of bag, he loves a good auld history story. He believes that to understand today you need to understand yesterday. Here he is standing at the statue of the 'Minuteman'. The 'Minutemen' were called so because of their ability to be ready for battle within one minute of being called.
Marguerite posing on the bridge.
Here is the monument to one of the most important events in American history.
Marguerite decides it's time to move on but before doing so she spots this wee house on the edge of the river and announces she would like to live there.....nice. 'Think of the peace and quiet', she said.
'Hey Jude, surely it's too early for a Christmas tree yet, wha?'
Today Marguerite and Jude decided to cycle the route taken by the British as they made their desperate rush back to Boston that fateful day in 1775.
The scenery was stunning. In fact Concord was one of the most picturesque places that Marguerite and Jude have visited in their whole American trip.......and it's only 20 miles down the road!!! Here Marguerite hogs the footpath on her bike.
Marguerite got talking to this wee dog you can see here in the car. They were chatting for ages about all sorts of things such as wee Belfast Max, the Boston Celtics, the weather, the design of this house in the background and even their plans for the Thanksgiving holidays!!!
Today Jude made the mistake of asking the doll at the bike hire shop just how far it was to Lexington. '7 miles', was the response. At that point the smile fell off Marguerite's face. 'Sure it's no distance at all, don't we have all day', replied Jude.
This map showed the route of the battle march of 19th April 1775. It's now a perfectly preserved national park. Marguerite had serious doubts if she would make it to Lexington today. Here she is pointing it out on the map.
'Are you sure we'll be able to make it all the way there and back Jude?' asked Marguerite. 'No bother at all mucker, we'll be back in no time', replied Jude.
'Aye Jude yer sock!!!!!' To Marguerite's absolute shock and horror Jude has unbelievably only gone and tucked his sock out over his breeks. This proved to be a source of of major embarrassment to Marguerite today as she felt her hard earned street cred disappear every time she was spotted anywhere near Jude as he was dressed like this.
'This is how LD, Baz C, me and the lads used to do it when we were cycling from Ballygalget to the town everyday during the summer holidays, back in the good auld days like', said Jude.
'Hey Jude, go you that way, and I'll go this way, folk are laughing at us with your sock like that, it's making me cringe', says Marguerite.
Nice!!!!!!!
Self portrait. 'The sun has started to go down and we have not yet reached Lexington, I don't think we'll make it there and back', says Marguerite.
What a geek! Jude pulls on the breaks at this spot shouting, 'Wooooooo Marguerite, stop here, this is a class spot for a pic.' Wha?
He did do the honourable thing though by releasing his breeks from his sock before the pic was taken!!!!!
Marguerite has had enough at this stage. 'Sod this for a game of marbles', she said before turning her bike around, putting the boot down and whizzing back down the path toward Concord again.
She nearly copped an unfortunate one here though by not paying heed to a sign.
The sign said, 'Please walk your bicycle on boardwalk'. But Marguerite being the rebel she is ignored the sign and cycled on the boardwalk and then nearly flew off at one point as she took a corner with a little too much zest.
'I knew I shouldn't have listened to you, we're hungry, we're lost and it's getting dark', mumbles a clearly thrilled and delighted Marguerite.
Eventually 'The Long and Winding Road' neared it's conclusion as Marguerite approached Concord again.
'Hey Marguerite, talking of Christmas, I reckon this would be a great spot to stay at Christmas, wha?'
'Thank God to get my behind off that bike', said a very relieved Marguerite as she ordered some food this cool wee bakery in Concord.
Jude gives the auld thumbs up as his sarnie wins his approval.
Poor Marguerite is nearly exhausted after a day of high jinx excitement on the Concord - Lexington battle path. 'Never again am I going cycling with you, you're like a robot that just wants to keep going', said Marguerite. 'Sure it was only a wee jaunt', replied Jude.
Now everybody's fed and watered and full of cheer and contentment. Funny what a wee sarnie, a cup of tea and a slice of carrot cake will do for ye!!!!
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