To the pumpkin atop the awning of Rockafellas in Salem.

You were one of the first things I saw when I visited Salem for the first time. I sat inside Fountain Place with my then boyfriend, eating breakfast. We had driven up the night before and slept in the car. That’s how excited we were. We checked in unreasonably early to our room in Rockport, showered, and got onto the train.

I was a witch, of course. He was dressed as a cat burglar, complete with whiskers.

I ate my eggs and toast, he ate his eggs benedict. We rushed through the meal and wandered out into the crowds, taking it all in. Late October, no plan, no idea what we were doing, just pure excitement.

We got lost, wandered the same loop around Pamplemousse more than we realized, bumped into the friendliest people (looking at you, Denis) and had an experience that changed the path I was on. I didn’t realize it at the time but that visit would shift the things I wanted to do in life, alter the skills I focused on, change the way I looked at things.

I saw that pumpkin on my first visit. I purchased this domain name and several others sitting at a window booth inside Rockafellas. That pumpkin, the Washington street sign and our girl Samantha across the street were witness to me making many life decisions.

I know things right now are scary and there is a lot of uncertainty. However, I keep hope. I know we will all get back to that place again. We will find a new normal, whatever that looks like. I keep hope, and I am happy to be a place of hope for you all too.

If there is anything I can do to help, feel free to reach out to me. Stay strong, Salem.

With so much love,

Alyse