The lure of the Orient

In our Core class, we went to the Essex Peabody museum in Salem, and saw some of the treasures brought back from the Orient to that seaport town.

This weekend I went to Newport with my mom and my sister, who is here for a few days from Afghanistan. In addition to long walks by the ocean, beer for lunch and dinner, we did some retail therapy to clear her mind and help her relax and regenerate.
We wandered into a little antique consignment shop, and the reality of a seaport town was brought home to me...
Of course all the treasures meant so much more to me because of our studies!