Mystic day 4

Our fourth day in Mystic, was spent exploring the town. We went to a grocery store to buy snacks for the trip home and some canned goods for the Mystic Seafarers Museum canned food drive. They were offering free admission if you brought a canned food for the food bank. We went to the Mystic Seafarers Museum as they were opening and spent several hours exploring each building. The museum is made up of a bunch of different buildings and houses, mostly original to the site. Each building had what would have been a shop, factory, or house except a couple gift shops, a whaling museum building, and a couple restaurants. They even had old whaling vessels to explore. Going below deck on the whaling ship was a great contrast with the submarine yesterday. The space on the vessel seemed bigger, until you realized most of the sailors had to sleep with their supplies and they had to process an entire whale on deck after they killed it. Some of the whales were bigger than the deck. It was a nasty, greasy, cold, wet, dangerous job. Yet they were able to create beauty with their scrimshaw and sailor's valentines. Everything on the ships was made in the port towns, the ropes, chains, barrels, masts, sails, medications, clothes, and tools. The sailors had to know how to do everything necessary on a ship as well as how to navigate using the stars and how to defend themselves and keep themselves alive. After we visited all of the exhibits in the museum, we went downtown again and parked by the harbor. We found out the art museum was free for the day. It was the last day of the exhibit by local artists and crafters who had artwork to sell for presents. Some of it was very good, some was average. I enjoyed looking at the photographs and discovered that I have taken some that were as good or better than those on display and for sale. I need to print and frame mine and find exhibits for them. Who knows, I may be a good photographer one day, able to travel the world (or country) and create photos.  I know we ate at some point, but don't remember where. We went back to the Mystic Seafarers Museum to watch and listen to the Christmas caroling. The first concert was inside. People crowded into the tiny church to hear the carolers. They were really good. After the inside concert, thee carolers took a short break and moved outside. The courtyard was packed. We stayed for about half the concert before we left to meet Josh in downtown Mystic. We met Josh and his friends at a pub, said hello to his friends and congratulations to his friends who had just gotten engaged. Josh has a good group of friends. Josh then was out tour guide and directed us up a winding mountain road to the largest casino by square footage in the United States. Tammy and I were glad Josh had been there before. They didn't seem to have many signs to tell you where to go. We found a parking spot in the parking garage and took the elevator and long hallway to the main building. It is a huge place. He took us through two of the casino areas on the way to the outlet mall. The people were very serious about their gambling, whether they were using the colorfully lit slot machines or the tables with the games like roulette, blackjack and others that I didn't recognize. The people running the casinos are good at triggering the reward points in people's brains to make them want to keep playing and spending their money. I could see people getting the adrenaline rush when they put their money in the slot machine and it lit up like crazy and they almost won. They they could hear another slot machine dispense change to a winner nearby, so they put more money in. Maybe they would be next. The outlet mall was more interesting and fun for us. They sold name brand, well made, designer stuff for less than Walmart prices. You could buy a Coach brand leather bag for less than $20 and a wallet for less than $10. People were excited over the deals, and the companies got to sell off the stuff that wouldn't sell at their expensive stores. We looked at a lot of stuff, but didn't decide we needed anything. I did regret buying a wallet at Marshall's a couple days before. I could have bought a nicer one here for less than I paid at Marshall's. I had already been using it though so couldn't return it. I also really wanted a Coach bag with Chewbacca from Star Wars on it to put my laptop in. Unfortunately, they were not the right size. I was briefly tempted to buy a new computer so I could use the bag. Well, no. I don't want to go smaller on my computer. When it dies, I will get the same size.  I think if we weren't worried about fitting stuff into our luggage on the way home, we may have been tempted to buy stuff. We ate at Fudrucker's. I haven't eaten there since college.  The burgers and fries were still as good as I remembered them. If you ever get a chance, eat at Fudrucker's. They are a bit expensive, but delicious. They are probably less expensive, not at a casino. After Fudrucker's we went back to Josh's house. It was warm and cozy with the heater working. He has mastered the art of making a cozy home.  We left early for our hotel. We planned a New York adventure the following day and would need to start early.