There's No Place Like Home

“If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with!”

--Dorothy Gale

 (She's got legs...she knows how to use them)

I recently had the pleasure of a houseguest. My home is open to my friends and family, all day, every day, but not many of them ever take me up on it. I’m sure it’s because having a snorty pug sharing the guest bed, a sink full of dishes at all times, and no room service isn’t exactly an enticing offer, but still, my door is always open. Mostly because the doorknob sticks and I have to use a deadbolt, but it’s open, metaphorically at least.

LeeAnne, or LAC as she is known, lives in California but had two days in Boston and luckily it was over the 4th of July. Is there any better place to be for Independence Day than here? The Festival of Arts, fireworks, harbor illumination, lobsters and all the rest make this ground zero for celebrating the best weekend of the summer. Even if it did fall on a Wednesday. The second I picked her up at the airport, I was in tour guide mode. She’s visited before, but it was years ago. My kids were younger, there’s a different dog in the house, but those were not the only changes. She didn’t get to see much of Marblehead the last time, so of course, this trip was going to hit all the high points.

We started at Abbot Hall, because the art exhibits were there, along with the Artisan’s Market and, most notably, the Spirit of ’76. LAC knew of it, but seeing the original? It really is quite something, even for me. You tend to forget how big it is and how it really makes the room seem like a place where important matters are handled. Later on, we met one of Marblehead’s Fearless Five who said much the same thing, that sitting beneath the painting while making decisions about what the town needs was a much more thoughtful process when you had such an amazing piece of history staring back at you.

We hit up La Sirena for a quick lunch, and the owner, Theresa, was there. Being able to walk into a local business where they know my name is something I never paid much attention to. I shop local whenever I can; this is my home and I’ve been lucky to get to know a few people in just about every corner of it. Having LeeAnne say, “Wow, do you know everyone by their first name?” was a nice ego boost. It’s not that I know everyone, it’s that the people I do know are awesome and friendly. From the café we moved on to more artwork at the Old Town House, shopping at Hip Baby Gear, Mud Puddle, and Bobbles and Lace and finally making a Neck Run. To the restaurant and the actual neighborhood, because who doesn’t love to point out gorgeous homes, an actual castle, a lighthouse and a view of the entire harbor? I showed LAC where the USS Constitution had moored in 1997 when it came to the harbor, where the Hannah Glover sailed on it’s way to Children’s Island, and yes, even the big inflatable unicorn at SUP East Coast Style, since my daughter was spending a good part of her 4th of July working there.

Seeing one’s own hometown through the eyes of a tourist is, pun intended, a real trip. While I know that the corner of the house down by the BYC was not cut off to make room for Lafayette’s carriage, it’s still fun to tell people that (sorry LAC!) It’s also interesting to hear someone else point out something they think is exciting, but that I’ve stopped noticing. For the record, to a tourist, the turkeys are cute and their babies are adorable and watching them peck at cars in traffic is the theater of life. Also, those golden cods on everyone's house? To someone not from here, they’re goldfish. As in “Why does everyone have a goldfish over the door?  Is that code for something?”

Finally, after snagging a rare parking space near the Barnacle and heading in for some “hydration” we wound up at Little Harbor Lobster Company, to pick up our dinner guests. Larry, Darryl, Darryl, Pedro, Dave D. and Dave L.  Yes, there were two Daves and two Darryls, you had to be there. They came back with us, hit up the hot tub and made for a lovely, butter-soaked, New England summer dinner. The next day it was more arts festival, a walk on my beach and fireworks. LAC had to get on with the rest of her trip, but two days playing tour guide was super fun for me. Like that other red shoe girl, Dorothy, there really is no place like home. Want to come see an amazing little seaside town? Call me; I know where all the good stuff is.