Boston With The Boys

It's a rare event these days to get a sleep-over with the boys..They are so busy with their sports and school and the fact that their Mom doesn't want to give them up so easily anymore...can you imagine that, so when they had a Saturday free lately, after asking a million times for a sleep-over, we planned it.  One of our favorite things to do with the boys every spring has been to take them to Boston to the Public Gardens and the Common.  We factored that into our plan.  Also, a month of so back we had taken Liam out to dinner in town but Jaxson had not been there so after our adventures in the parks we would go to dinner at our special spot. Part of our strategy was that with all that walking and playing, they would be pretty tired when they got home...so off we went. 

If was a lovely day weather wise and we were grateful for that.  The boys were in shorts so we knew it was really a rare New Enland spring day...we parked the car.  Actually we got lucky on that because the walk to the Gardens was very close by.

Along the way I had to stop and take a few photo's...It's in my DNA and the boys are very good about waiting for me and if not, they just keep going and I catch up.  There is just to many things to see in the spring with flowers popping up and great reflections.  This was on Newbury St., a really lovely street for flower gardens and potted plants.

A Saturday in the Gardens or Commons creates the best people watching.  This was a wonderful day for taking a bike ride or just strolling along..no hurry.

Lots of trees were blooming and the kids were enjoying the view through the limbs...Such a happy feel here after a long muddy spring...

 Not to be outdone by the other boys, it wasn't long before mine decided to give a tree a try.  Liam was like a monkey going from branch to branch but Jaxson needed a lift every once in awhile...They sure had fun though.

I'm hoping his Mom doesn't read this blog post because she might have a heart attack...LOL.  Yes, Monkey Joe extended his trip up the tree.  I was right under him and when it was time to come down...I was there to help him guide his feet but he did perfectly well on his own...This one is full of adventure and not an ounce of fear...

Papa was rigth there keeping an eye on things...as the boys went from tree to tree, checking them all out. So many people spreading blankets and having Saturday afternoon picnic's, babies in carriages, happy to just be outside.  The grass was really thick and a nice shade of green..I guess the rain is good for some things.

Help Papa, I'm stuck.  He didn't give up though...he made it and he was so proud of himself.

Late afternoon, the sun is going down, and the clouds are starting to fill in.  It was time for us to start out. We had a long walk up Newbury St. to get to our dinner spot.  I just love looking at the Boston skyline though from wherever I am and then capture it with my camera..

As I came out of the Gardens, the duck boat was going by.  I thought it was great that this one was honoring Dublin.  All the boats are different in color and message.  

Back up Newbury St.  What little boy can resist walking on the wall and jumping off of each one.  Not this little guy...he is constant motion and so much fun to take anywhere...boys just being boys.  Liam was up ahead with Papa and I'm sure they were enjoying great converstation...

We ended our day in Boston at Trident Book Sellers and Cafe, but not before we stopped at Campers Shoes, where both of the boys picked out a new pair of snazzy shoes...If you look closely you can see Jaxson got new red ones...he is a bit flashy..So if you have never been to Trident and you love great comfort food and books, the next time your in Boston do give this a try.  The boys love sitting in the second floor window, reading books, yes, they let you read while you eat...and both declared the chicken fingers and fries were the best ever...along with a delicious mango smoothie...

Two things, the day with them was wonderful.  No running to games or swim lessons.  No agenda, no clock. It was a day we all needed.  To be out in the sunshine, all of us doing what we love...some climbing trees, me with my camera and Jim just loving being with the boys.. Number two, the day wasn't over, we got to take the boys home with us for the night.  Our first sleep over in a very long time.  Liam was in his own bed here for the first time and Jaxson and I were still snuggling in the big bed.  A busy day but one that i am so happy I have for my memory book...

Guess what:   they did not fall alseep on the way home...does that mean they are really growing up???

WHERE DID IT HAPPEN

When did it happen?  "It was a long time ago."

Where did it happen? "It was far away."

No, tell. Where did it happen?  "In my heart."

What is your heart doing now?  "Remembering. Remembering."

Mary Oliver

Street Walkers

Yes, my husband and I are street walkers...and fortunately we live in an area that provides some very lovely streets to do our walking...this weekend we, once again decided to do Boston...but with a bit of a twist..

As most of you know, last week I celebrated a HUGE birthday.  Don't ask me how it happened because I have no idea...one day I was a young girl just hanging in my neighborhood and now all of a sudden...like a flash in a pan, I'm 70.  Like Jaxson always says, "your kidding me, right".  Actually no, I'm not kidding you.  So to lift myself up, I took good ole James to Boston for a little get-away.  His birthday is also in January so we always celebrate them together.  He is substantially older than me by a year...but here's the thing, we might be older but we can still find our way around and move.  Boston has been a special place for us since we were young kids dating.  Jim went to Suffolk University and he lived on Commercial Street in the North End.  We had some great times in those days, walking and eating in all the cheap pizza shops.  Our favorite being The European.  Our hearts were broken when they closed for good but it didnt' stop us from still hitting the streets of the North End. There have been lots of changes over the years but one thing is always consistent, Boston is full of excitement, adventures and great food.  It is also a photographers paradise...

It was a cloudy, cold day day but we were ready for a break from all the news about Trumpy and just wanted to take our book bags and go.. I got us the sweetest little room on Charles St. at the bottom of Beacon Hill. It was quiet and so close to everything.  We didn't use the car the entire time we were there.  Because we went on Sunday, parking was free over-night.  Bonus. The other bonus was that the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro was at the lower end of Charles Street, just two blocks from the Boston Common and the Public Gardens...we checked in and headed out...

Are you kidding me...this is what's happening at the bottom of the hill.  This is what we were running away from.  This is the protest march after Trumpy but the ban on immigrants coming into our country...the energy was electric...and so we joined in for a bit...

A little further up the street we came to the Frog Pond on the Boston Common...now that was exciting also..so many people out just having a good time.  So festive with the blue lights in the trees.  It was just so much fun to watch them gliding along and yes, there were also a few tumbles by the little ones...I remembered the days when we would skate after school and on weekends.  One year for Christmas I got the best gift ever, my blue ice skates with grey fur balls on the shoe string.  I loved them so much.  I'm pretty sure I wore them out.  

Crossing over Beacon Street we headed up to Louisburg Square... I always like to go up there and see how things are decorated and who might be about...This is the classiest part of the Hill.  I was not disappointed..Look at this doorway.  I had to take it for Jenna...she loves Burbury and she gave me the most beautiful Burbury scarf for Christmas.  So elegant...lots of the doorways were still decorated from the holiday season..

Moving on...but I did want to show you how narrow the streets are and that the cobblestones are still in place from the beginning of the hill...some of the sidewalks don't even really qualify as sidewalks but still, so very lovely..

Pinckney Street...we just happened upon it.  It is not very easy to find...but I have read about it.  In the back on the left is a motorcycle.  Honestly, I think that's the only thing that could fit in this driveway.

Another beautiful entrance way.  What I especially loved about this one is the little window to the right with the lamp lit.  I wondered if someone might be sitting in there, on this cold winters day, with a lovely cup of tea and a good book or perhaps some hand work on their lap or maybe they were snuggled in with a nice cashmere throw. 

I wish I had written down the name of this street.  I love the way the trees bend and all the wonderful window boxes.  The deep shadows when the sun did finally come out and the mail man just doing his job. How exhausted he must be at the end of the day climbing up and down that hill, perhaps at the end of the day he might stop at one of the many old pubs that exist in Boston. Fortunately, even though I don't know the name of the street, I do know how to find it again.

I came across this man climbing the hill with his bag and cane. We greet each other, him climbing and me resting.  He was on his way to the market stand at the top of the hill...He is stronger than me.  I don't think I could walk the hill and carry anything heavier than my camera...these are neighborhood residents.  They shop like the Europeans, daily in all the little shops.

By this time we were ready for a little rest...so back to the Hotel for a bit and some much needed reading and cup of tea...

Later we went out to dinner a few doors down.  It was o.k. but not great, which was disappointing but do check back in at another time and I'll tell you about the little breakfast place very close to where we stayed. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing parts of Boston that you might not have been to and maybe plan a little trip for yourself in the near future.  Both Jim and I love to travel but this past year has not worked out well for so many reasons.  Here's the thing though, you don't have to go far and you don't have to go for weeks at a time.  Sometimes just one night is all you need to lift your spirits, get a new perspective and know that it not how old you are, it's the the doing that counts.  For me that doing always includes my camera and a few good glasses of wine and a willing partner.  Jim has been that for sure, for a very long time.  

“Each of us is a book waiting to be written, and that book, if written, results in a person explained.” 
― Thomas M. Cirignano

“Just to be in Boston, in Cambridge, on a Monday night was very horrifying to me. It frightens me . . . All the stores closing up by 5 or 6, coffeehouses being open maybe until 11, just the sense that the world shuts down and you're left with yourself.” 
― Ann Douglas