MARBLEHEAD, Massachusetts, July 13, 2005 — First things first. Shower, dress, breakfast. The Seagull breakfast has everything. Your choice. Bagels, cold cuts, salmon, boiled eggs, oatmeal, yogurt, fruit. It's hard not to overeat.

We decide to go to the town. Last night we spied a newstand and a bookstore. We check them out. I get some postcards and a 'thank you' card for Bob at the newstand, FFP buys a couple of periodicals.

Then we do some more traditional stuff. Abbot Hall and the Jeremiah Lee Museum. That "Spirit of '76" painting you've seen reproduced all your life is in Abbot Hall. Jeremiah Lee was a Revolutionary patriot most people have forgotten because he died soon after the hostilities were in full swing.

He was a wealthy shipowner who amassed arms and men from Massachusetts for the revolution. We have a nice tour of the house. Along the way we also wander into someone's open house of one of the old historic houses. Such low ceilings and small rooms. And very old wide pine floors.

We decide to go back to Abbot for a bathroom. A gift shop is open and I get a tea towel for my collection. I like to take tea towels back as souvenirs and use them in the kitchen to remind me of places I've been. We walk back to where we left the car. And go back to the B&B.

Our friend Bob picked us up and we went to Essex to a place called the Village Inn for raw bar and lobster rolls. We also went by Bob's house for what we call his 'presentations.' I'd never visited Bob in person but FFP has and, over the years, Bob mails us things. Examples of his logo design, excerpts from (or entire) examples of writing. I can't write too much about this without violating Bob's privacy or copyrights but let us just say that it's endlessly fascinating to me. Not only has he produced some interesting things but his obsessive cataloging and organization and preservation of this stuff elevates it another level. It's hard to explain.

He took us back to the B&B. We changed and met him and his friends Pete, Mimi, Mary and Denis at the Corinthian. Drinks on the veranda, dinner in the dining room. His friends were fun and interesting. I spent a lot of time talking to Denis about his sailboat and FFP spent time talking to Mary and Mimi about their businesses.

We went back to the B&B and crashed.