“I’m Practiced in the Ancient Art of Origami”

“Peabody Essex, here we come!” was how this day started out. Our library rents out passes that allow you free admission to the area museums, and for this weekend, I snagged a card to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. I must say, I was far more outwardly excited than Seth about going to the museum.

We first stopped in to the Yin Yu Tang house, which was built 200 years ago and then transported here and rebuilt at the museum. I could have spent all day poking around in the old rooms, staring at the beautiful beds and making faces at the goldfish in the pools in the courtyard. Unfortunately, they don’t allow you to take pictures, so I took one anyway. The rooms were too tiny and dark for it to come out right, so instead of giving you access to my horrible on-the-sly photography skills, you’ll have to use your imagination. Or click on the link.

I don’t think I can adequately describe the immense peace I felt standing in this old house. The courtyard in the center of the house opens to the sky, and even though it was a gray, cold day, being in a place with all that history and beauty struck me. Yin Yu Tang was just an ordinary house, occupied mostly by women and children for eight generations. How odd that I feel so connected to it. I probably drove Seth insane chattering about it for the rest of the museum visit.

There were other attractions at the Peabody Essex Museum, like a room full of amazing origami that I managed to capture. Here are two of my favorites:

A dragon with a ball of gold

And a three-tailed phoenix:

We also spent a good part of the afternoon walking around Salem, the witch capital of the United States. If you ever want to see dozens of shops dedicated to witchy tourism, traverse the streets of Salem. A more commercialized time period of history you will not find (thanks, Yoda).

Man, I was so proud of snapping an illegal photo in the Yin Yu Tang house that it’s a big let-down to not post it. But the bright side is that I had a great time getting out of the house for free! I think I’ll try to capture some of the peacefulness I felt at the Yin Yu Tang house and incorporate it into my daily life. I’m thinking… orchids? Goldfish? Beautiful fabric?