Mr. History post #2! I promise these posts aren’t all going to be about houses. It was just that I happened to be in the area. Anyways… This is the Robinson Round House located in Somerville Massachusetts. It was built in 1856 by hardware manufacturer Enoch Robinson and is considered an offshoot of the octagon house-style popularized by phrenologist Orson Fowler because who needs corners anyway!
Mr. History post #1 here , the oldest still standing house in America, if you missed it… stay tuned for more!
Bonus!
A pic of me exploring the colossal colon circa 2003. I was just passing through! Bringing awareness to colon cancer.
Went to the local gym yesterday to partake in a charity event. Our pal Em came with which is always a fun hangout. (Like my shirt? I got it from a bagel place in East Cambridge), They even had raffles there where participants could win prizes. I didn’t win anything, but Em did, which was cool. There’s even s video from the event. It’s all for a good cause and it was a lot of fun. Plus anytime you can hang out with Ginni Burton is great!
Starting a little something new here on the blog, although maybe not really because I’ve posted stuff similar to this before. Ladydoc is always calling me Mr. History because I get intrigued about certain things and how they came about. I’m always reading plaques around the states and stuff to learn about the local history. So I figured I’d start with something really close to us to get this new venture off. The oldest house in America. that’s still standing! Anyways that’s kind of cool. So much history right in our back yard!
I came across an image of a big wheel that I had as a kid and it brought back so many good memories for me. It was called The Green Machine. Naturally it was green but what set this thing apart was it’s steering mechanism. Pull shifting the two level back and forth you could rotate the rear wheels to make turns. I remember riding this thing into the ground! The tires were all plastic and eventually the big wheel in the front would wear away do to all the skidding and turning on the pavement. It got such that eventually there would be a “hole” in one part of the tire, the plastic completely worn down, and so every time that part of the tire hit the ground it would produced a thud. I think I drove my grandparents crazy by having that sound just go off over and over and over. I think you can actually see what I am talking about in the picture with me and the kick ass pants. Look to the bottom of the front wheel and you can sort of make out it’s flatness. Fun times! Also around this time for some odd reason my grandmother wanted the back yard to have a checkerboard type pattern which you can also see in the photo.
We had a nice little weekend getaway down the Cape to help celebrate LD’s birthday month. Here’s some of my highlights. I will say it was an awfully windy weekend down there but it was beautiful. Some fun stuff we got to do were some Chocolate Sparrow trips, dinner at a great place we like called Island Blue Crab (where our favorite Bulgarian waitress works), hanging out in such a cute little Airbnb right next to the water, grabbing another Dedham Pottery item to the collection, checking out the sunsets and just overall chilling out. Even set up a future trip in the area for August already! More pics from the trip over on the Instagram account.
Last night we went out to celebrate LD’s birthday at a place called Black and Blue Steak and Crab. Since the establishment was participating in restaurant week we decided to go there, plus I like to try new places. Although the food was very good, it’s not really our vibe, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. When we got home I presented LD with some gifts that I got my little swimmer. A book by Katie Ledecky and some really cool looking smart AR goggles which have a heads up display in the eyepiece so you can see all kinds of stats as you are swimming – pretty futuristic looking, hopefully they’ll work well for her.
Went into Brookline today to go check out some of the turkey sculptures! After finding some of them we went to Legal Seafoods and I bought LD lunch as part of this thing I’m doing for her birthday month which is everyday I do a little something, could be big, could be small, like yesterday’s corn muffin. Sort of like an Advent Calendar of the Ladydoc! Haha! We made use of the restaurant participating in Boston Restaurant Week so that was cool. After that we got some vegan ice cream and a place next door called Van Leeuwen. I ended up getting a hot chocolate while LD got some delicious vegan ice cream flavored treats.
As one of my xmas gifts, LD got us tickets to see John Cusack down at the Emerson Colonial in Boston. Never actually been inside that theater before although I must of passed it tons of times. There was a showing of his movie High Fidelity and he was going to talk about it after the screening. Of course my all time favorite Cusack movies are Serendipity, Say Anything, and my All-time favorite, Better Off Dead.
Was thinking it might be cool to try this beginner’s pottery wheel (one time) workshop, either with just us or maybe another one of our couples friends. Anyone out there game? Speaking of games….
I got to hang out with my old friend Mollie yesterday afternoon for lunch with our buds up north, Hard to believe she’s a bit over one year old already! She needs to have an operation on both her hind legs – they have a tendency to come out at the joint somewhere at times and has to be “put” back in. She’s getting the first one done in a couple of weeks and then the second one sometime after that. She’ll need to take it easy and do rehab and all that stuff. Poor thing, she’s very sweet. Good luck Molllie!
Currently Reading:Gray Matters: A Biography of Brain Surgery by Theodore H. Schwartz
Finally got to check out the historic Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ and saw a great show there called “Mystic Pizza” which as you probably guessed is based on the movie/book. I could easily see this show eventually ending up on Broadway. And we can say that we saw it first, haha! I also got to play some electronic drums which I was surprised at how good the kit actually is. Kind of amazing. I also want to explore Millburn more when the weather gets better, it looks like such a cute little town.
We’ve actually been to that pizza establishment a couple of times. Might do another outing to check it with some friends sometime in the future.
One from the archives! Found this down in storage, a map of Lake Cochituate, specifically the wildlife habitat and geographic characteristics of the lake. Although I did this kind of work for close to 30 years (these are the sort of maps that I made for various projects although this is one I created for myself to learn the software, we were transitioning from AutoCAD which I loved, to a program called ArcGIS). I love the fish profiles I added to the bottom right. This piece was created circa 2003 but I consider the best years of that part of my life to be the mid to late 1990s. It was a very special time with amazing colleagues and projects.
Let me know if anyone is interested in seeing more stuff like this from my past. I have some great stuff and stories in that storage.
Woke up to some powdery snowfall to deal with, our first real snowfall of the season, although all told it wasn’t all the bad plus it’s nice that it fell over the holiday so everyone could get a handle on it all early. The worst part of it all, shoveling, uncovering the car, salting the walk, etc. etc. Had to do it fast before this all flash freezes and becomes hard as a rock over the next couple of days!
At least it was pretty quiet as it all fell overnight while I was fast asleep.
I spent some quality time with my mom and sister today before the snow comes in tonight. It was hard to believe it was going to snow, since it was warm and sunny for most of the day. We ended up having lunch at Upper Crust Pizza. We really like their thin crust pizza. Unfortunately, the two locations we used to go to in Harvard Square and Porter Square are long gone.
I finally got a chance to reunite with my good dog pal Lenny. I don’t think I’ve seen him in a couple of years now. It’s funny – I used to think he was so big but now that I’ve been around bigger dogs he seems so small now. He really is the sweetest bulldog I know. He does love to eat treats though, Like, crazy likes them. Here’s a fun fact for you. I was never a dog person having grown up with cats my whole life (at one time we had close to over 20 cats at one time living at the house, but that’s a whole story for another time – let me know if you’re interested in hearing about how that came about and the aftermath of it all later) but Lenny introduced me to what a dog can be. So now I kind of like dogs and it was hugely inspired by meeting this guy. You can click on the pics for some captions (can’t stand this new gallery plugin).
Been a busy couple of days with a friend coming over to visit for one of the days and doing a ton of baking and cooking things. Here’s some other shots from the last few days. January is usually slower time of year for me because I like to do outdoor things but it may be too snowy or cold to do so. That said, there does appear to be some cool things coming up that I am looking forward to.
Today actually ended up being kind of a crappy day, between LD needing to get to an emergency dental appointment this afternoon and has to go back tomorrow, to me waiting in two CVS’s for the prescription, to her car not starting anymore and probably needs something. Well, tomorrow is another day!
Nubble in blue. sometimes getting up before sunrise is worth it.
In no particular order this year because how could I rank them, each one was awesome in it’s own way. Actually the last one I mention was probably the best. Can you guess what it was before scrolling all the way down?
First Up, Baby Bunnies born in the flowerpot on the deck, again!
I awoke, to my utter surprise one morning, to notice that three baby bunnies had been born in the same old flowerpot that previous generations of buns had been born in, running around the deck, in between the various pots. I suppose we were first alerted to their presence when we realized that Carson never came up to the bed last night. He was watching the bunny action apparently. We put out some carrot strings in the afternoon and by early evening, they were eaten, most likely by the one bunny that is still hanging around, although after today, I would imagine it will be on it’s way to it’s life’s adventure.
Visiting my first Salt cave Experience!
We had a “free” couple of days to stay at the Cape which we obtained last summer so we finally decided to use it up this weekend. So back down to Earth-3 we went. (Earth-3 being the place down the Cape that we regularly stay at – a time share that we have). So we arrived Friday night and we ended up using a gift certificate to a local restaurant that we’ve gone to a bunch of times and got rid of that. (The gift certificate was also a “freebie” since they messed up our later last time and this was the way amends were made). So that all worked out quite well.
Some other fun things we got to do on this mini-vacation was, as usual, our multiple visits to the Chocolate Sparrow, a place we love to get our treats from. We grabbed a brunch from a place called Grumpies and they weren’t grumpy at all. In fact, I’d say the food was actually really good. I would go back there. We got much needed massages from a lady we know down there who is amazing, and those felt really good. Late Saturday night LD got me a surprise experience, my first, being in a meditative salt cave. So that was pretty cool. The weather wasn’t all that great, a bit rainy at times and quite windy which made the air very cold, but nature is nature! We used the down time to catch up on some of our reading.
The Saco Maine Getaway Pre Prelude!
Saco, Maine sunrise
This was being back from a relaxing weekend getaway in Saco and Kennebunkport Maine. The sunrises in Saco were amazing and we stayed in the cutest little Airbnb right on the water. Would stay there again for sure! On Small business Saturday KPT had all these sales if you wore your pajamas so that’s what we did! Oh, we met up with our pal Em to hang out this weekend as well, and we got to meet Boomer and Pippa (not shown) again! A lot of shopping and laughs were had. It’s not as busy there as it would be during prelude but it’s pretty much the same vibe more or less so in some ways it’s better. Again, it was fun hanging out with Em, and the dogs with her pops, and again, the amazing sunrises right on the water. Thankfully it wasn’t even that cold, considering. It was nice to be able to have a little getaway to take a break from all the stressors of life.
You can click the pics below for a bigger version. There’s a new version of the gallery tool now even though I preferred the old one but that currently isn’t working with the latest update so I have to use this. The snow globe I climbed in could have been inflated more (thanks town!) and a quick side trip to OOB didn’t really add too much but KPT is always top notch. Ultimately it’s all about the views, the scenery, the friends and the laughs. Oh, the pajama Saturday shot of the three of us was actually taken by someone on the Chamber of Commerce pages for the towns of Kennebunk, KPT, and Arundel so we’re also on those websites. That wasn’t a planned thing, the lady just saw us and wanted to post us!
Oh, and yes, I am wearing Pac man pajamas and believe it or not, I actually got quite a lot of comments on compliments on then from many different people!
Visiting the Island of Nantucket with Great Friends!
Finally got to revisit Nantucket, it had been about 10 years since the last time we went and never over top this particular side of the island.
I loved the Sconset Bluff Walk. This trail is truly loaded with beautiful views. It makes me so happy I got to walk along it! The experience is constantly changing. One minute you’re walking through a quiet neighborhood, the next you’re passing through a yard and the next you’re walking under a canopy of trees. Flowers, birds, pathways to the water, and places to stop and take in the scenery are in abundance. This walk can be quick or long, depending on how much time you have. It’s a great place for a leisurely stroll or a more invigorating hike. Either way, you’re sure to enjoy the stunning views. I sure did!
I have to also express my gratitude to our wonderful hosts who were so kind to invite us to spend a few days with them on this beautiful island. They were so kind and generous with their time and hospitality, and I really appreciate it. We thoroughly enjoyed the beach, seeing the sights, and all the great meals and places we got to see like the Brotherhood and Millie’s and Claudette’s. I hope we can repay the favor one day.
I’m also so grateful for the opportunity to visit the rose-covered cottages in Nantucket. The winding lanes and idyllic scenery transport you to a simpler time. Each cottage has its own unique blend of architecture and blooming roses, which make it a one-of-a-kind experience. The smell of roses and salty sea breeze (and it was pretty breezy at times!) is a relaxing combination that invites visitors to immerse themselves in the serene beauty of Siasconset. It was a perfect place to slow down and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Pig Yoga? You Read That Right!
So much fun! I was surprised at how fun it actually was! Then it was an afternoon by the pool, a night of grilling and doing a fire pit. Beautiful day! One of LD’s childhood friends came up and did it with us while she was visiting, along with some other activities over those few days in the summer.
Group Shot! (I’m holding the bunny!)
Rhode Island Trolls and Elephants!
For my Birthday LD and I got to check out some amazing sights in the beautiful coastal areas of Rhode Island. First up, was a drive down to the charming community of Charleston, RI, a place we had never been. We were there to see the trolls Greta and Erik. There’s a bunch of these trolls up in Maine at the Botanical gardens, which I may get to check out and some point, but these two are newer and closer. I had a little bit of a hard time finding Greta, but LD, with her amazing tracking skills, was able to locate her pretty quickly. A nice woman who works at the senior center there nearby gave us some great tips on where to go and find them! (Each picture below is clickable to see a larger version).
Greta!ErikIf you’re a troll park here
We were going to eat at a local place in Charleston but after a while that didn’t seem like the greatest idea so we headed over to Narraganset and ate at a place called The Coast Guard House, which amazing is literally right next to the Towers in a building that used to be a Coast Guard Life Saving Station back in the 1880s until the 1940s. The views there are amazing and the food was excellent, also the prices weren’t that bad! (I did get a little tipsy again on some drinks).
tipsy!
Then it was off the beautiful town of Newport to check out the installation of the elephant migration. We ended up going to the ones at Salve Regina University, although there’s some at the Breakers and a couple of other locations. The amount of detail on the elephants is truly amazing! We spent quite a bit of time there, plus it’s right along the cliff walk which is beautiful.
We finished off the day with a giant pizza! What a great day! Today I’m off to my very first ever reflexology appointment – we’ll see how that goes!
Oh, I almost forgot! I got some great gifts too! A Dunkins gift card from our friend Em, a foot massager, some capybara socks and a capybara shirt (I love capys!) , and some more fireflies to help light up the night in the back patio!
Giant Hungry Hungry Hippos!
This game was amazing, have to see if one exists in our area and if so need to get some pals on board to challenge us!
A Summertime Family Visit
Family came to visit this particular weekend. Sort of an impromptu visit but it was a good one. Friday night I grilled and we did a firepit as everyone got settled. Saturday we went to the DeCordova Museum in the afternoon to check out some sights, get some photo ops, etc. The hearts are the best thing there in my opinion but that slanted house which is a newer installation was also pretty cool. Naturally we had to pose with it, along with some other installations. Had pizza in the afternoon at the hotel, and then headed to the beach in the late afternoon for some swim time. I think the dog had the best time of all!
Sunday was another low key day, breakfasts and then I watched the dog while everyone went to the pool to cool off and/or exercise. I will say the dog was extremely well behaved and such a pleasure to be around. Such a sweet dog. Not sure how Carson felt about everything but he got through it. Late afternoon was another grilling session, LD and one guest helped with some amazing sides, and even had the landlady down the street over to join.
All in all it was a pretty amazing time! Go figure!
.I will admit, I am a little fried at the moment. Geez, it’s tough to get older!
Hanging out with these baby goats this afternoon at a place in Northborough, Massachusetts was simply, “Baaaaaaa-mazing!” The goat from the video below we were told was only 4 days old! He has quite a set of lungs on him! Another goat also got to biting my ear, which while kind of funny, also hurt a teeny bit! And then a third goat fell asleep in my arms- she was a sweetheart. We did get an amazing picture and video out of it all!
A 4 day old baby goat that had a lot to say!
Honorable Mentions before we get to the Final!
I’ll just link the entries here because this post is getting WAY too long!
We got to partake in an amazing experience, getting to cuddle and play with a pair of capybaras! I love them! Their fur feels like straw. I never thought in a million years I’d ever be able to play with a capybara, let alone two. I remember seeing this animal in a zoo a few years ago and only learned about their existence a few scant years ago. To me, they seem to be the next up and coming “big thing.” We also go to see a wallaby which had a baby popping it’s head out of her pouch every now and again, which was cool to see, and a special cat, some yaks, alpacas and, of course, some goats, but the capybaras were the stars of the show for me! We were lucky to even get into this experience as it is currently very limited but I hit it just right and was able to get us access. The location of all this wonder was down in Mattapoisett, a town down on the southern coast. It was a bit chilly.
I’m definitely going to visit them again this year and get even more interactive with them.
Back from the holidays down along the Jersey Shore. Although not everything on this trip went according to plan, I did make a new bond with my nephew doggo (running with him along the beach pretty much cemented the deal) and there were some fun moments. One cool thing we saw was an InSinkErator hot water tap in a friend’s kitchen that we got to see while we were down there. That thing is pretty sweet. Instant hot water from a mini tap right next to the regular faucet. Visited a bagel place that had weirdo bagels like a Doritos bagel, an Oreo cookie bagel, etc. They weren’t that good actuallty.
Every year, you make a resolution to change yourself. This year, make a resolution to be yourself.
If you did me wrong, I forgive you. If we stop talking, I love you. If you feel I did you wrong, I sincerely apologize for it.
My heart will be pure & my head will be clear.
Only love ,gratitude, and positive mindset.
Currently Watching: American Nightmare (Netflix) and old One Tree Hill episodes. LD’s sister has gotten me into watching the series now having missed it totally the first time around. So Much Drama!
Confession: I only did this to be entered to possibly win some free stuff. We’ll see if it happens. The idea was to snap shots of yourself while visiting the various businesses around the square. So that’s what this is all about.
Back from a relaxing weekend getaway in Saco and Kennebunkport Maine. The sunrises in Saco were amazing and we stayed in the cutest little Airbnb right on the water. Would stay there again for sure! On Small business Saturday KPT had all these sales if you wore your pajamas so that’s what we did! Oh, we met up with our pal Em to hang out this weekend as well, and we got to meet Boomer and Pippa (not shown) again! A lot of shopping and laughs were had. It’s not as busy there as it would be during prelude but it’s pretty much the same vibe more or less so in some ways it’s better. Again, it was fun hanging out with Em, and the dogs with her pops, and again, the amazing sunrises right on the water. Thankfully it wasn’t even that cold, considering. It was nice to be able to have a little getaway to take a break from all the stressors of life.
You can click the pics below for a bigger version. There’s a new version of the gallery tool now even though I preferred the old one but that currently isn’t working with the latest update so I have to use this. The snow globe I climbed in could have been inflated more (thanks town!) and a quick side trip to OOB didn’t really add too much but KPT is always top notch. Ultimately it’s all about the views, the scenery, the friends and the laughs. Oh, the pajama Saturday shot of the three of us was actually taken by someone on the Chamber of Commerce pages for the towns of Kennebunk, KPT, and Arundel so we’re also on those websites. That wasn’t a planned thing, the lady just saw us and wanted to post us!
Oh, and yes, I am wearing Pac man pajamas and believe it or not, I actually got quite a lot of comments on compliments on then from many different people!
