Fairhaven: her most-known history

Fort Phoenix

Fort Phoenix

Fairhaven, Massachusetts is most know for the state park of Fort Phoenix.  Located at the entrance of the harbor to Fairhaven and New Bedford, Fort Phoenix was vital in saving the towns of Fairhaven and New Bedford during the American Revolution in 1775, where the first naval battle against the British took place.  Soon after, the fort was built to protect the two cities.

Fort Phoenix

In 1778, the fort was attacked and destroyed by the British but was rebuilt so quickly that the name Fort Phoenix was given to the protecting grounds – to symbolize the phoenix rising out of the ashes.

The fort has served in the war of 1812 when, in 1814, it helped deter British attacks off the coast.  The fort was also used during the Civil War.  Eight cannons were placed at the fort, five of which remain there today.

Fort Phoenix

In the early 1900s (1926), the property was bought by Henry Huttleston Rogers’ (one of the most influential figures of Fairhaven) daughter.

H.H. Rogers

Henry Huttleston Rogers (1840-1909) was from Mettapoisett, MA, neighboring city to Fairhaven.  He was a financier and business leader and is known mostly for his involvement in the oil industry and rising to become one of the leaders of Standard Oil.

In Fairhaven, H.H. Rogers is most known for his generosity.  He donated many buildings to the city, including Town Hall, mentioned in a previous post.

Fairhaven High School

Of the buildings donated, Fairhaven High School is the most recognizable.  I initially thought the high school was a government building because of its grandeur and ornate architecture.  The building is absolutely stunning!  H.H. Rogers was very fond of education and educational advancement and donated not only the high school but a grammar school as well.

Additionally, H.H. Rogers donated Millicent Library, still in use today.  I have yet to make a trip inside the library but will soon.

H.H. Rogers’ influence on the city is so influential, in fact, that the main stretch (Route 6) is named after him, Huttleston St.

John Cooke

John Cooke Grave

The last major landmark in the breath-taking city of Fairhaven is the tomb of John Cooke.  Cooke was buried in 1695 and was the last male survivor who came to American off the Mayflower.  This pilgrim made the journey from Plymouth, England to Provincetown, then to Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Finally to find himself and die in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, the city is honored to honor him with a beautiful tombstone in true pilgrim fashion – reflecting the historic Plymouth Rock – an enormous boulder with name plate.

Fairhaven and some New England Architecture

Fairhaven, MA

I recently turned in my notice at the hospital where I worked and Sunday I came to Fairhaven, Massachusetts where I’ll be consulting for the next four months as a credentialed trainer for a medical record software program – Epic.

Upon arriving Sunday, I decided to take a walk and go grab dinner at a restaurant that I’d seen on TripAdvisor known for having some of the best seafood in the area (I’m a huge seafood fan!).

Ocean Wharf

I was stunned at the beautiful, colonial, New England architecture!  It’s also extremely beautiful because I’m not accustomed to being on the waterfront and having the fishing culture around me.  Seeing the words ‘wharf’, ‘bay’, and ‘cape’ at every corner is pretty neat.

The town is right off of the Cape Cod area and not far from Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, or Rhode Island – in fact, I flew into Providence and drove 30 minutes

Fairhaven Town Hall

to Fairhaven.  See my later posts about more of Fairhaven’s history and their involvement in the American Revolution and settlement of our nation.

Tax Collector

For now, as an introductory post about Fairhaven, I want to show some of Fairhaven’s architecture and town hall.  It’s nearly out of a movie!  I absolutely love the door that says “Tax Collector”.  I’m sure it is still the office of the tax collector to this very day even though the building is hundreds of years old.

Fairhaven Town Hall

The beautiful town of Fairhaven, although it seems large because it touches the

surrounding towns without signs of borders nearly, is only 15,000 people.  It was settled in 1659 but was not an established, independent town until 1812.  Pilgrims settled here, people!  This is part of our nation’s history!

Buzzards Bay

The stunning historic buildings are literally steps away from Buzzards Bay.  Fishing boats galore!  Thank goodness for these large and mighty vessels – I can’t get too much seafood here!  Without having to ship the seafood anywhere, I am constantly in shock at how cheap a good seafood dinner is!  That being said, check out my future posts on seafood dinners but also on what I “cook” in a hotel room because, well, I’ll be living in one for the next four months.

More history, architecture, and food adventures follow!

Motorcycles and Wheelies

I decided to get my motorcycle endorsement on my license because I may be moving to Taiwan at the end of the year to learn Chinese and teach English (scary and exciting!).  I’m completely trusting God with this decision.  Anyway, if I end up in Taiwan I will need my motorcycle endorsement or I won’t be able to drive there.

Which motorcycle is mine?

This is a complete “trusting in God” moment – there were no open registrations for the weekend of the 5th of June; only 2 walk-in spots.  I decided to try to get one of those walk-ins.  Of course, there were 6 people who were walk-in students so there was a lottery as to which 2 people could stay: I was number 2.

Now, I’ve never driven a motorcycle before, but luckily I’ve driven a stick-shift car (Marvin, my 1973 VW Super Beetle) as a high-schooler.  I felt like driving a motorcycle came naturally!

Gear: check! Ready to roll!

The class was well conducted and included a ton of hands-on practice: all morning Saturday and Sunday was spent on the bike.  The afternoons and evenings were spent going through the book to learn about safety.

I did a couple wheelies (on accident, I promise) and was told by the instructor that if I do that during the test I will automatically fail.  I passed the test!  So no wheelies during the test (whew!)!

I’m now ready for Taiwan!  I’ve since sent my paperwork to the consulate for certification in order to apply for classes.  I’ve prayed that if this is not the will of God that He close this opportunity!  So far, doors are wide open and I’m moving forward in faith.  Picking up my bed and walking.

Chopped: Friends Edition

This last weekend, I was in a group text that went something like this:

Kate: Hey!  Come over tonight and let’s cook dinner!  I want to use eggplant and acorn squash – any ideas?

Tani: I have kale and onions and lentils…and a cookbook.  D (this is what they call me), any ideas?

Me: I’m thinking soup, stir-fry, or a curry-type dish…but let’s consult the cookbook for safe measure.

Now, I’m not usually one to use a cookbook for cooking because if you like certain flavors, add them!  If you don’t, don’t add them – not rocket science.  But I felt like these ingredients were just pulled out of a basket from the TV show Chopped on Food Network (minus the crazy ingredients like gummy bears or mountain oysters, thank goodness).

Veggie Curry Stoup. Garnished with cilantro and toasted coconut.

Needless to say, we found a curry dish that called for cauliflower and, as I said before, we just substituted with flavors we wanted.  You have to try this dish!  You can completely add meat, too, if you want (I know I will next time).

I call this a stoup – not soup, not stew, something in between – and easiest dish ever.

In a soup pot, I added 6 cups of veggie stock, curry powder, ginger, and cumin to a chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves that had been cooking in olive oil for about 5 minutes.

Once it came to a bubble, I added a cup of lentils (red, green, whatever you have) and simmered for 5 minutes before adding a diced sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes – skins on make it easy and nutritious!

After 20 minutes of this simmering, I added chopped kale and diced, roasted eggplant and acorn squash.

Chopped kale – perfect green addition.

Roasted acorn squash and eggplant.

After 5 minutes, it was ready!  Super simple, super tasty, super healthy!  All veggies, hardly any work or calories!

Veggie Curry Stoup.

The best part of this whole experience was the opportunity to share with each other our weeks’ events and update each other on our lives – work, life, friends, everything.  Food really does bring people together!

Side note, next time I make this I’m using the magic spices from my previous post (check it out here) and adding a dash of cumin and curry powder.

*Roasting veggies is the greatest secret to veggies I’ve discovered – diced and tossed in olive oil at 400° for 15-25 minutes.  Caramelized and full of flavor.

What would you do differently?  What is your favorite take on a stoup or curry-inspired dish?

Note to self: these spices can replace S&P!

This last weekend, my best friend, Kate, and I ventured to Holland, MI, to checkout the local culture and escape for a three-day weekend.  Being huge fans of wine, coffee, beer, and breakfast, Holland seemed like the perfect place for a getaway as it’s filled with microbreweries, wineries, food, and the greatest hipster coffeehouse in the Midwest (still can’t believe all of this exists in one town in the Midwest).

Goat cheese and chive biscuit.

After perusing through TripAdvisor and other Google searches, we found a breakfast joint that was not to be overlooked called The Biscuit.  Now, I generally follow a pretty strict paleo diet (if you know what this is, I swear I’m not as weird as you’re already assuming.  If you don’t know what this is and care, Google or Pinterest can give you a rundown in about 15 seconds) but when I go on “vacation” I give myself the freedom to cheat and maximize the local fare.  Kate, on the other hand, cheats in moderation – so she generally is a healthy cheater.

Breakfast was no exception for her, so she cheated but ordered the quinoa and oatmeal with fresh fruit (and made me look like a fatty eating chorizo and eggs with a side of a goat cheese and chive biscuit – no regrets).

Quinoa at The Biscuit

 I’m so glad she ordered this amazing side…I mean meal – it was a legitimate meal.  I know what you’re thinking: She ordered oatmeal and quinoa and you’re excited.  You are a weird freak!  The spices the restaurant uses to flavor the oatmeal were amazing!  So amazing that I think it deserves to be combined into its own bottle and part of my daily meal planning – and that’s exactly what I plan on doing.  That’s why I asked what they were!  Here are the magic spices:

• Cinnamon
• Cardamom
• Anise
• Allspice
• Nutmeg

The Biscuit

The combination of these flavors was so earthy, so savory, so robust, and SO versatile!  Do I plan on making crockpot oatmeal with these five wonders of the culinary world and adding a few golden raisons?  You bet.  But it almost became a game of what else would this be good in?  How about these ideas:

1. Smoothie in the morning?  Bananas, almond milk, peanut butter, magic spices.
2. Sweet potatoes fan?  Magic spices.
3. Roasted acorn squash?  Magic spices.
4. Chicken for dinner?  Coconut milk and magic spices (even a little cumin and/or paprika for some smoke and heat).
5. Coffee or tea fan?  Magic spices and a spoonful of coconut oil.

The list could be endless really, but I’m glad I discovered this.  I definitely plan on making my own version of masala (aka curry) by adding some paprika and curry powder to the magic spices base.

Moral of this story: Sticking to what you know and like (oatmeal for Kate) can lead to new (and versatile) ways of enjoying your favorites.

Check out this blend and let me know your favorite ways of using the magic spices.