It’s been kind of a long week hence no updates. Yesterday was fully packed as LD finally bought a new car and in the evening we got invited to a holiday dinner at a friend’s house who has a very nice family.
It’s been a tough year in a bunch of ways, but there were some high points. I’ll try to put together my top ten list together at some point.
Here’s to hoping the next year will be good with a lot of new beginnings.
Checking out Wander Cat Cola in Somerville yesterday afternoon at a vegan market that was held in the Armory. A building that use to use National Guard troops and where I had to take my driving test with a state trooper back in the day. Now it’s some kind of art space but they hold markets and other events in there during the year. Fun fact: LD knew this girl from when she was just a teenager!
Wish I could get the shadows out of our faces but this was the best I could do!
Stand By Me, 40 years later! Screening and actor talk! This was actually really fun! Great film and still as as impactful now as it was 40 years ago, (Would you believe I had never actually seen the whole thing before!?) For a few moments it was like Teddy and Vern stepped out of the screen and into the stage, and Gordy was a calm, grounded presence. It was actually a wonderful evening. I didn’t realize that this was only the third show that these guys did for this. Wil was Wil, Jerry was funny, and Cory was definitely Cory!
Throwback Thursday in and around Rachel, Nevada (population 48!) just outside Area 51! I was working on the Yucca Mountain project at the time and during a break my boss and I took a drive out to Rachel. Very different vibe from Las Vegas for sure. Probably won’t ever go back there and I imagine it hasn’t changed at all, but it was cool to see it. This place is literally the middle of nowhere. Just miles and miles of desert nothingness. The pic in the top right you can see a road that literally goes to Area 51.
I had been meaning to check out these Plymouth Seals artwork installations all along the Plymouth waterfront, and Sunday was a perfect afternoon to do it. I was psyched that Plymouth wasn’t busy at all, didn’t know how it would be with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up and all, but it was pretty dead. Anyways, these seals are so cool! I love them! They really do make you smile, and placed in such a scenic location by the waterfront! My favorite is the one in the first pic below. It’s name is Jacques CouSeal. The pilgrim looking one was really cool too. LD’s fav was Taylor Surf over up on Court Street. That’s the glittery looking one. I also got my new hoodie so I wore that out for the afternoon as well. Topped it off with lunch from a place there called Woods Seafood. Not as fancy and the East Bay Grille which is also there, but was perfect for us at this time, and the food was great!
Why seals? According to the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, “As playful and iconic coastal creatures, seals represent the spirit of Plymouth’s harbor and the vibrant marine life that calls it home. Each sculpture tells its own story—paying tribute to the town’s seafaring roots, its artistic community, and the scenic beauty that defines our corner of the South Shore.” I couldn’t agree more!
Morning – did yard work, collected and bagged leaves, put glass panes in doors replacing summer screens, donated food down the street to a woman who was collected food donations. Was really quite productive.
Evening: Seeing a play at the Beatrice Herford’s Vokes Theatre in Wayland, MA. A very small venue. You can read more about it here if you’re interested. It was cool seeing the actresses in the photos along the wall who all acted there in the early 1900s. We ended up seeing a play called Vanya Sonia Masha and Spike. Serious abs on the Spike dude, but all in all, kind of a weird play. At least it was something different!
Discovered this year’s Fleurs de Villes installation at the Pru and it’s a must-see! Made entirely out of real flowers. Fleurs de Villes combines the love of flowers, local design talent, and bespoke, utterly unique displays, for experiential events like none other. Which one catches your eye?
In other minor things that have been keeping me occupied as of late:
Gametime: Proton Path. You know I love these sorts of puzzle games.
Currently reading: The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told by Bill Janovitz. The back story behind the classic Boston band.
Finally got a chance to visit Mrs Skipper troll in East Providence, Rhode Island. Thomas Dambo constructs his trolls from recycled wood with the goal of encouraging people to explore nature and value the environment. Many of the trolls’ narratives and expressions, often with a humorous twist, incorporate an environmental message. After that we grabbed lunch at a random place on our journey that we happened to be near called Rosa’s Tavern and it was actually very good! I got a chicken parm sammie and LD got this very good tasting seafood pot dish. Finished up with a quick jaunt over to Like No Udder for some ice cream and hot chocolate. I also scored a free rubber duck in pirate attire there, which was kind of cool.
Go slow, my life, go slow. Let me enjoy the beauty of silence, serenity, and solitude
I crossed over into a dimensional portal and got to take a selfie with some of the heroes of that world.
Yesterday we got to hang out with some goats with our friends who live up in Georgetown. We got to dress them up in costumes, which was not that easy! Naturally I had to be the Goatfather. It really is a pretty cool feeling to hang out with these animals, and the babies are so warm and snuggly. Studies have shown that goats can distinguish human facial expressions and prefer to interact with humans who appear to be happy so they are pretty emotionally intelligent animals. A cat names Penny also appeared to be pretty attached to me, which was cool. After the mingle we went over to our friends’ house and hung out for a while and had lunch. Sat outside for a bit on the patio, it was pretty nice outside in the sun.
Currently Reading: Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty by Kaila Yu.
Well, we braved the weather and made it to the shore. There were areas of the shore that did flood, but thankfully not at all where we were. The weather wasn’t the greatest but we did get to see the power of nature. The waves were huge but the wind was the real nasty. Didn’t stay on the beach long because the sand would whip into your face like little stabbing needles. Glad we went though! I got to hang out with my four pawed friend Charlie, he is like the sweetest doggo.
What would I tell my younger self? I feel for me it would be to figure out what’s important in life. and just let myself be, everything happens in good time.
Yesterday was an action packed day, from doing to usual day to day, to getting a rental car, to decorating a hotel room for a friend who is visiting Massachusetts, (Salem actually, uhmm that’s so nuts this time of year) it was pretty busy. I think the hotel decorating was probably the most stressful as we ran into a bunch of issues with the front desk (and it’s a place we would never ever stay at in our lives, just saying) but we got it done and hopefully the recipient was pretty surprised to see the room all decked out. Stupid of us not to get a picture of the stuff but we were pretty cramped for time.
The rental is pretty sweet though, one of those decked out Pallisades! Going on a road trip this weekend, really hope the coming storm doesn’t affect us too badly! 🤞
Here’s a shot from the church I like to shoot now and again before I go on those bike rides.
Here’s a page from our upcoming graphic novel!
Started out doing the Cambridge city bike ride but toward the end peeled off and went to the Charlestown Navy Yard to check out the massive Bridge of Happiness animal sculptures. Also got a chance to bike over the newly opened Bill Russell bridge to get there – very nicely done. I had never actually been inside the navy yard before. The USS Constitution was there but like I said, I was there to see the sculptures. I might check them out again sometime when I have more time and it’s not so crowded with families taking pictures with it. LOL. Pretty cool to see it in person, it’s pretty big.
Haven’t been much updating lately – busy busy, car shopping and a bunch of other things getting in the way.
Gametime: Wild Willy 2. If you liked Super Mario Brothers, you’ll like this with a Mickey Mouse theme.
Who wants a copy of this little doll of myself?
It’s been quite the busy week thus far, IYKYK. Tonight we were supposed to go to another outdoor movie on the rooftops in Cambridge with one of our couples friends but it looks like it’s going to be raining all day, so we’ll be nixing that. It’s ok though, I’m glad we went when we did last month. (Was that only a month ago?? It seems like so long!)
Possibly more later today as it goes along…
We checked out this little farm in Canton today, just to get out for a little bit. It’s good to because after this little outing LD car died on the road back and had to be towed to shop. Thankfully not too far from the house. More on that stuff tomorrow I guess. (Last pic is from yesterday, I just really liked it and forgot to add it to yesterday’s entry.) Anyways, these cider donuts are just too cute!
Both my knees were starting to feel a little sore today. Here we go again!
We checked out this year’s fluff fest over at Earth-1. It was it’s 20th anniversary and boy was it packed! We also brought along our friend Emily and her dog Pippa which was nice seeing as we haven’t seen her since March. We would have checked out more things but there were just too many people and some of the lines looked just way too long for us. That said, we able to score some fluff treats which were delicious including some Fluff croissant from Union Sq. Donuts and some cookies and fluff cannoli from some other vendors. Speaking of vendors, one of the ones there was the niece of one of LD’s best friends in life. I would have loved to try the product, but once again, the line was just too long. Man, they must have worked like crazy! After trudging through the festival we drove over to Revere Beach for a much more quiet hang and some sandwiches. The beach was a completely different vibe, very quiet and hardly anybody there which provided a nice balance to the day. It was also more Pippa and LD’s speed, LOL! We finally got back around dark and needed to decompress. In in all, we’re all glad we went though. It was a fun afternoon!
Currently Reading: Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story. Another one that popped up on my Libby app. I remember seeing a Dateline about this story, but this book goes much more in-depth into the victim and her life, really tragic and sad.
Last Friday was a pretty day. Between doctor appointments, getting cookies at Tatte in Wellesley, getting a sticker to use the town dump, going into best Buy and getting a new tv and setting it up. (We went larger this time and one that utilizes a better display technology), and then prepping some food for the next day which was…
Saturday we had a couple of friends over for a BBQ. It was such a nice fun time! We need to hang out more often. Anyways, I grilled up some salmon and roasted veggies, nothing too crazy. Then I went and bought a subscription for the Ring doorbell.
Sunday. Had to go to Marshfield to get the lobster roll we love so much and they close after Labor Day for the season. When we got there, though, it was a little iffy to see if we’d even be able to get one because they were running out. It was getting really close! The cut-off line was fast approaching! It would suck to go all that way and miss out.
We just made the cut! Two people after us was the cutoff line! LITERALLY just made it!
. Then back to Wellesley to put together a bookshelf which took me about an hour or so.
Currently watching: Vatican Girl. A selection by our BBQ friends this weekend! Thanks L&D!
I wanted to take a jaunt over to Newport Rhode Island yesterday to check out this marketplace that has umbrellas all set up hanging above one of the walkways throughout the complex. Got some amazing deals of some hoodies and shirts while we were there, so bonus. I also learned that two of the elephants from last years migration along the Breakers are now permanently installed over at the library a few blocks down so I had to check them out as well.
On the way back we hit our favorite vegan ice cream place in Providence. They have a vegan deli next door and I tried the “fake” ham and cheese. LD found she couldn’t eat it – it was just too “wrong” but surprising I was able to chow it down just fine, which is rather unlike me. I guess there really is no replacing the real thing!
Amazing sunset last night too.
We decided to go see Pretty in Pink playing as an outdoor movie at this neat little rooftop park in Cambridge down by Kendall Square. It was hot all day and there was a chance of rain but all our apps said it should be okay. We got in the parking garage and not a drop around. Coming out of the elevator of the garage to access the roof we were bombarded with a pretty heavy rainfall. Oh no! I said we should wait it out a bit. It started thundering. Still waited a bit. Finally we decided to cross the rainy park to this area on the other side that looked to be covered and had one of those pop up food thingies. After getting a burger and some mac and cheese with pulled pork (both were really good by the way!) the rain stopped and we were able to watch the rest of the movie!
Just as we were going to head back home, LD noticed that the skies looked pretty wild and there might be an opportunity for some interesting sunsety shots, and once again she was right! The sky had this amazing pinkish color to it and just the way that it reflected off the water of the river made it look like you were in some magical place, which I suppose we were.
This park is really cute plus it’s neat that it’s up on a roof. We might go back to see the Goonies playing there in September. Anyone is free to join us!
As usual, you can click any picture for the captions.
Gametime: Cloud Walk. I like to keep my brain sharp! I need to, I forget stuff all the time and can’t remember half the shit I need to!
Went biking along the path again this afternoon. It was hot, but it felt good to get the endorphins pumping. The pics in the middle are about 1/20th of all the cat candidates running for mayor of the bike path in Somerville. (Don’t ask me!)
It’s been a while since I did one of these. I had some extra time this afternoon to hop the subway on into Beantown to visit a very special lady. This grave in an old Boston cemetery is promoted to tourists as Mother Goose’s burial site — the 1690 tombstone of Mary Goose, first wife of Isaac Goose. His second wife, the Mother Goose who is said to have actually inspired the fictional character might be buried here too, but no one is sure.
While there I checked out a few other nearby sights, such as the Greenway Carousal. There’s a new display in Faneuil Hall towards the end of a minstrel like being. Click the pics for captions.
Last weekend down the Cape is in the books! The high point of Saturday though would have to be getting invited up to the deck above the restaurant there at Rock Harbor to enjoy the sunset. Mind you, the deck is someone’s apartment and a restricted area, so it was cool to be invited up there, just us and our two friends. Felt like a real excusive VIP experience! I also finally also get to check out “Staples Rock”, a silly little Orleans ‘attraction’ that’s gained a lot of traction lately. On the way down we usually stop at a place by the canal for lunch, I was jonesing for a clam plate. It did not disappoint. The Airbnb we were staying at had a piano which I played a bit.
The next day was even more fun. Also the weather has been gorgeous, but I digress. We started by hiking the Eddy Trail in Brewster, a favorite of ours. We love to get to the end where the cliff overlooks the miles of Brewster Flats below. It’s a great trail and pretty easy going. Then it was off to the pool and sun and some outdoor fun and games. Wrapped it up with a dinner with out friends and another beautiful sunset evening. (You can click through each pic for the captions).
I brought my professional camera down and took some shots but I haven’t processed them yet. I’ll post some of those up and soon as I find enough time to do so but the top photo of this post is a quick example!
