Some Important Terms to Know

I know that some of my family in the West was a little confused when I was talking about the things I did while visiting New Hampshire. Here is a small dictionary that may clear up some of the confusion, as well as let you know about some of the things that we did.

candlepin bowling \kan-dəl-pin bo-liŋ\ n (1880) : a fun, popular alternative to bowling found in New Hampshire. The main differences between this game and ten-pin bowling are found in the pins, the size of the ball, and the taking turn sequence. The pins are similar to . . . well . . . long, hard candles--candles that are slightly tapered at both ends.

 

A player has three tries in each turn to knock down all ten candlepins; however, the fallen pins aren't cleared off until the very end of a player's turn, coming in very handy when a player needs to knock out a stubborn split. 

The ball for candlestick bowling is a little bit heavier and a little bit larger than a softball--without any holes. 

Other than these few differences, the game is very similar to ten-pin bowling.

• Some example sentences:
• If you try to pitch a candlepin ball like a softball, a couple turns could end with embarrassing gutter balls or one-point turns.
• Candlepin bowling has gutter protectors just like regular bowling, but they won't stop a player from throwing a gutter ball.

*Special Lewis term:
Meh strategy n (2009) : a strategy used in candlepin bowling. The main idea: if you don't care too much about the number of pins that you knock over and don't try too hard, you will score more points.

• Example sentences:
• Trevor and Kierra, while employing the Meh strategy, became the champions of the evening, winning one game each.
• After Amanda stopped trying to throw the ball the fastest down the lane (the lanes had radar guns) and tried the Meh strategy, she scored a lot more points.

sliding \sli-diŋ\ vb : a recreational activity in which children or adults use sleds, tubes, or plastic disks to slide down a hill. This activity usually involves snow, but it may also involve ice or prickly branches. This word is also commonly known as sledding or tubing.

• Example sentences:
• The Lewis family went sliding on New Year's Eve Day on a hill of freshly fallen snow, which was near the sap house where Zac and Amanda became engaged last year.
• If you don't watch where you are going when you are sliding, you may end up in the prickly branches at the end of the hill.

The Freedom Trail \thə fre-dəm tral\ n (1630) : a trail of red bricks found in Boston that leads tourists around to the historic sites of Boston.

A sample tour:

"Follow the red brick road"

As we begin our tour of Boston, we will pass by the Granary Burying Ground. Let's take a peek inside. . .

 

"Listen my children and you shall hear

of the midnight ride of Paul Revere"

Actually, you won't really hear it, mainly because you're reading, not listening, and because I'm not going to tell it right now. This, however, is the grave of Paul Revere, who is hopefully resting peacefully despite the tourists. Paul Revere is in the company of more famous people than he would be if he were buried in any other small graveyard in America--including John Hancock (no relation that I know of), Elizabeth Goose (popularly known as "Mother Goose"), Samuel Adams, the victims of the Boston Massacre, Ben Franklin's parents, and other signers of the Declaration of Independence and governors of Massachusetts. It's fun to read the old(er) English carved into the stone: "ye body of . . ." (read: "the," y used to be used for the sound th and the small e is usually carved over the y to save space). 

After you've had your fill of all the famous people, we can continue down the trail . . .

"One if by land, two if by sea"

The Old North Church, the oldest church building in Boston, once briefly housed two lanterns in its steeple to warn that the British were coming by sea. The church is still used for worship, but you can still do a self-guided tour when it is not.

Let's take a quick stop at another burial ground . . .

 

As you take a look around the King's Chapel Burying Ground, you will find the grave of John Winthrop, passenger of the Mayflower and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. His famous "City Upon a Hill" sermon was a closely-studied sermon in one of my history classes at BYU (incidentally, Zac and I had the class from the same teacher so we were able to talk about it while we were there). 

Continuing along the path will lead us to the Old State House. . .

Although this building is now a museum, it used to be the capital of the Massachusetts Colony, the site of the Boston Massacre, and one of the first places where the Declaration of Independence was read to the people. In short, it used to be a political building that housed both the British rulers stationed in America and the elected ruling body of Boston, a ideal situation for any group of enemies (it wasn't--it caused a lot of conflict). A stop at the museum will thaw out visitors during the winter and provide a shelter from the hot sun during the summer. 

Further along the trail is the New England Holocaust Memorial.

The six towers represent the six concentration camps; etched into the glass are six million numbers that represent the six million Jews who were killed in those camps.

Our last stop for the day will be across the Charlestown Bridge at the resting spot of the U.S.S Constitution.

 

This spot offers a nice view of the ship as well as the skyline of Boston. 

The U.S.S Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship (that is still floating) in the world; her fame comes from being invincible in war--not many can claim that for their career.

Well, that ends our tour of Boston for today, but join us again soon--there are still many more historical and interesting sites to see.