Mike's Pastry

And other fun Staycation destinations in Boston!  We might not have traveled anywhere exotic over April break but we had a fun-filled, jam-packed 27 hours in Beantown.  We did a few of the touristy things like strolling around Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall and riding the Swan Boats. The most memorable though will be our Duck Boat tour! It was entertaining and a little informative and we had fun quacking at pedestrians, police officers, and other duck boats. But the highlight was at the tail end--literally!! The ladder on the back end of poor Penelope Pru (the name of our duck boat) got jammed and we couldn't get off! After some time spent pushing, pulling, and clanging the staff rolled out a wheelchair lift and hand cranked the Notte's to safety. We were greeted by the photographer who presented our photos to us compliments of the duck due to our troubles. No sooner did he hand them to us when Pru's ladder came down. Wonder if the other riders were compensated as nicely?

We also got off the beaten path--something we always enjoy. We stopped by the Mapparium in the Mary Eddy Library (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapparium).  It is a 30 foot amazing stained glass globe. It was designed to be an emblem for the international focus of the Christian Science Publishing Society. It was completed in 1935 and has not been updated so the countries reflect that time. Being that large, the viewer could notice details and distances that might be noticed on a desktop globe, but not necessarily processed. For instance, Chile's coast is really raggedy the further south you go. The northern part of Russia is REALLY north and Cape Horn is pretty far south and not that far from Antarctica! The Mapparium also has some surprising acoustics. If you have a secret to tell, don't whisper it here.  The spherical walls reflect back sound forming a whispering gallery. You could stand at one end and whisper sweet nothings to your loved one at the other end and they (as well as the many strangers standing nearby) would hear it loud and clear!  While in the area, we also visited 6 Clearway St. From the outside window and front door entry it looks like any other convenience store. But walk to that Snapple vending machine in the back and the doors part allowing you to enter the hidden shoe store, Bodega. There is no other entrance! We didn't buy a single thing or stay very long for that matter. But it felt satisfying to be "in the know."

We also were adventurous with our meals. We took a T trip to Cambridge to find the highly regarded Ethiopian restaurant, Asmara. We sat at a mesob, a woven table in which a platter of food is placed. All the items were stew-like and are eaten with injera which is a flat sour dough bread. The opinions were mixed about the serving style and the spiciness of the food, but all in all it was great exposure to something new. We also had Dim Sum in Chinatown. That was another great experience. There was some unease at the beginning since none of our servers spoke English and we had to point and nod. However, the good food and willingness of our servers to please soon put everyone at ease.

Boston is such a great city! How fortunate we are to be able to zip right in. Some of us are already planning our next excursions!

Papa Travels Solo!

Wishing we could have jumped in the luggage!  John is in Australia for a couple of weeks.  Here is the first view of Brisbane.  Melbourne and Sydney are on his itinerary.  Hopefully he will dispatch some of our sneaky cards so we can track them to far-flung places!  http://sneakycards.com/

Gloucester at its best

Labor Day weekend brings the much anticipated annual schooner festival to Gloucester. There is something magical about seeing the harbor filled with sails. This year John and I were kayaking sans kids so we were on the water the whole morning. We saw the schooners lining up as they came out of the inner harbor for the Parade of Sails. Above you see two schooners which sail out of Gloucester:  the Adventure,  which is a former Grand Banks fishing schooner and the Ardelle, a pinky schooner built in Essex. We paddled very close to the other large schooner with the three masts-- the Mystic out of...Newport, RI! Yes, the RI connection is neat but we were more interested in those on board! Isaac and his friend Miles are off to the races on the Mystic. The Maritime Center offers teens to go out for free during the Mayor's Race. What an opportunity! They were all smiles and I am sure they will have tales to tell when they return to land.

Last hurrah

At White Lake State Park in NH! What a gem of a place. The camp sites are large and the lake is beautiful.  We had a full weekend. A contingent of our 2-family group bagged three more 4000 footers in the White Mountains:  Willey, Field, and Tom. The kayakers in the crowd were treated to a group of six loons this year! At times we got up close and personal with loons popping up in front of us or even doing an interesting flying-paddle maneuver right by us. And the lake antics! Yes it takes skill to actually sit on an inflatable intertube but even more skill to stand on one!  Yet the youngest member nailed it. 9.7!! Then there was the hammock. A well appreciated Christmas gift put to good use. It was never idle and even was slept in overnight. The weekend was capped off by mini golf at Smitty's, a new location. No frills but good enough. Of course the best part of the weekend was the good eats by the campfire and the wonderful friends. Thanks Wendy, Miles, and Mike for another treasured memory.

Home again!

Thanks for the warm welcome home M,W,and M!

Signs That You Might Be England

Greetings from Greenwich Mean Time and the Prime Meridian!

We tubed over to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich for a brief visit.  We were off to find the 0 degree longitude line! We paid our admission and during our whirlwind tour of the museum picked up a few interesting facts.

In the courtyard was a queue for photo ops on the Prime Meridian. We started to wait in line but then realized we could get just as good a photo opposite the traditional photo spot.  But we really had a good chuckle upon exiting!  There in the back of the museum was a cobblestone line not at all centered with the door from whence it came but in alignment with that popular photo spot inside the museum premises!