What a beautiful day it was yesterday in Bennington, VT
Posted by
CovingtonCat
Aug 19 '12, 17:28
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It couldn't have been more perfect, weather-wise. Bennington was celebrating "Battle Day". There was a Revolutionary War encampment (did you know officers had real beds inside their tents, with carpeting?). I learned the original meaning of "don't let the cat out of the bag." It refers to the cat-o-9-tails. On a ship the "cat" was kept in a bag when not in use. If a sailor spoke out of turn or acted badly, someone (usually an officer) would utter the phrase as a warning. Also, to give the "cat" more "authority", musket balls were sewn into the ends. The only reason more sailors weren't killed by a "cat" was because punishment was usually doled out by one of the young boys on board.
We also visited the Bennington Museum which has an exhibit of Grandma Moses' paintings (she lived in Bennington). She was pretty remarkable in that she didn't begin painting until she was 78 and had no training. Her style - primitive - may not be everyone's cup of tea but I liked several of her pieces. There was a video playing of an interview with Edward R. Murrow after she was "discovered" that was pretty interesting.
This morning we were in N. Conway, NH, and I drove up to Mt Washington (but not up the Auto Road). It was another great New England summer day.
Tonight I'm in Saugus, MA. Tomorrow is whale-watching day.
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