Started the day by pickinng up some “walking onions” plant that a woman was giving away in the town next door. I had never heard of these things before. A quick Google search lead me to the following description: “Instead of flowers, this plant produces topsets, a cluster of bulbils, at the top of the stalk where the flowers and seeds would normally be. The stalks eventually flop over from the weight of the bulbils (if not harvested) and replant themselves, thus beginning their “walk” across the ground.” Pretty cool! But the real treat of the day would come in the afternoon, as a trip down to the southern part of the state had finally arrived! Yes, it’s happened again for me, Capy Time!
Anytime you get to hang out with capybaras is a really good day. As a bonus we also got to hang with some baby goats and snuggle them. It was a great day, weather wise and animal encounter wise for sure. Amazing access to these amazing anaimals. So grateful for the oppurtunity. One capy even decided to climb on top of me, which I was not expecting at all, but I’ll take it! Afterwards we got an early seafood dinner at a place called Turks down the street. What a picture perfect day! Smiles all around!
Cambridge’s S&S Deli is set to close in June, wrapping up a 107-year run in Inman Square, the owner confirmed. The family-run counter at 1334 Cambridge St. has been a neighborhood staple since 1919, feeding students, neighbors and commuters across generations. Growing up I went here a bunch of times with my family and then later a bunch of times with LD, who also visited a bunch of times back in her grad school days. We came to say our last goodbyes and have a good meal.
We actally started out the day getting some plants from the town’s garden club – a yearly tradition that we do. I’m a little excitied about the Lamb’s Ear plant – such a cool little specimen! We also spent time getting LD car some regular maintenance. Everything today kind of took way longer than it should have, but in a round about way worked out perfectly. Strange indeed.
Had a dentist appoint at Earth-1 today and when it was done I had about a half hour or so to check out these aer machines over at Bow Markwt that I was curious about because I’d been seeing things about them, mostly the art print one. The photo booth there looks pretty cool but kind of expensive if you ask me. Maybe thst’s what those things go for nowadays, I’m not sure? Anyways it’s basically an old vending machine that the artist put her prints in, little shots around Boston basically. This thing has been making the rounds appearing for a time at Porter Square Bookstore and Cantab Lounge and Brookline Booksmith. I just was curious to see what it was all about. And yes, I did buy a couple of prints.
This building draws much attention on the street, with its facade which has been made to be reminiscent of an Incan ruin, with a large stone face above the doorway and colorful bull on the door. The museum is not open to the public, but the artists offer tours by appointment and open their doors for various concerts and the annual Somerville Open Studios. Those lucky few granted access to the space are treated to a one-of-a-kind experience.
Using a style the artists call “Mystical Realism,” the walls and ceilings are covered with fresco-like paintings and mythological themes, creating a stained glass effect. The focal point, the building’s great hall, is filled with fresco-like paintings of Russian mythological and religious icons. Saturated oil colors were used for the tiger and bull totems, birds, druids, and mermaids.
It’s a pretty wild place to visit. Every wall of every room is covered in images like this. Some areas naturally were off limits to the general public but I can imagine them all being so ornately decorated. Once again, you can only visit it during the Open Studios weekend or sometimes they have yoga classes and performances and such in the main room. Pretty cool.
One od the things about today was it was Free Comic Book Day and although I haven’t partaken if it in a few years, today I did take a trip to the local comic shop. I used to really be into comics although I stopped collecting just before the pandemic and didn’t take it back up. I believe in my collection I have some good pieces, some worth some substantial money, but how can one part with it? I really do need to inventory them someday and get a feel for the value. I know I definitely have some major Spiderman keys like the first appearances of Mary Jane, Hobgoblin, and Punisher to name a few and those are worth something. Peep the shirt I’m wearing, ROM Spaceknoght, one of my facvorite characters from the 80s. If you know, you know. I do have every issue of that.
How did a debutante from Lake Forest, Illinois, end up in Boston’s notorious “Combat Zone” and become its most famous stripper? What led her to convert to Islam and get engaged to Cat Stevens? And how did she end up traveling and performing with Andy Kaufman and hosting a radio show for the sexually bewildered opposite Dr. Ruth? In 1977, an eighteen-year-old Lucy Johnson stripped out of her bellbottoms and Birkenstocks and was crowned the feature attraction at the Naked i Cabaret. Local and national media took note of her toney background and, for the next eleven years, she strutted her way into Beantown history as the “Socialite Stripper.” In Princess Cheyenne, Lucy recounts her wild life both in and out of the Naked i. Smart and uproarious, this is the untold story of a legendary performer whose stage name is synonymous with “The Zone,” Boston’s most mythical district, and a fount of nostalgia and wonder to this day.
Currently Reading: The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling
Day trip to Kennebunkport! Drover around and visited some sights in Dock Square and Cape Porpoise. Ended up grabbing some sandwiches at Cape Porpoise actually, I bought a little bunny keychain for LD that she had her eyes on. I had to get my drink fix on at Mornings in Paris – a nice café we always visit when we’re in the area. Also spent some time along the beach at Goose Rocks and met two cute little French bulldogs named Leo and Gus. It was just a nice afternoon to stroll around and check out some things. Also visited Stonewall Kitchen and Yummies for our candy fixes. Some places we thought about going to but will have to wait for another time are St. Ann’s Church and On the Maine in Ogunquit.
Doing a quick look at the gardens here I can see that the Clematis, Phlox, Tulips, Hyacinth and Vinca are all starting to bloom. Well, not the clematis but it is starting to climb it’s vine tendrils on things. I do need to cut down some things and we need to purchase some more plants, maybe sometime over the next few days. getting to be that time of year again! Also the grass is starting to grow like nuts! The witch hazel is also starting to finally bud which is good because it was a bit iffy there for a while. I guess I might have somewhat of a green thumb after all!
We found out we can visit and interact with Capybaras again so naturally we immediately signed up. I was very excited! Heading down there the middle of next month for that!
In the early afternoon I went to Home Depot because I want to do some spring cleanup and maintenance around the house. New plastic gutter diverters, lawn bags for some leaves, zip ties to help tie the winter deer legs together (the parents appendages didn’t fare too well this winter – only the baby, as the parentified child, withstood the chaos!). I also want to do some pruning and removing of some unwanted plants.
In the late afternoon I decided to go with LD for her acupuncture appointment, Usually when I go I hang around the park and grab a slice of pizza or something and I wanted to spend some time outside because it was nice out. When we got there we learned that Lenny was visiting! Lenny is an 8 year old bulldog who has a bunch of age related problems but is such a sweetheart. He can’t see or hear well and his shoulder is probably arthritic but he is a joy to be around. Anyways they asked if I’d walk him and I gladly accepted. Lenny is basically just food motivated so to walk him he goes 5 steps then stops, needs a treat, then another five steps, another treat, ad infinitum. I was able to lead him with treats to get him to move. What would take a dog 2 minutes to walk a block takes ten with Len. But that’s ok, he’s my buddy. He is the first dog I really ever got to interact with and made me be more acceptable of dogs having been sort of scared of them most of my young life.
Started off the morning with a trip to Nirvana Tea House for some Belgium Waffles and delicious drinks. It’s owned by the folks who run the Unity Sanctuary now. Also as an aside, the carrot cake cupcakes are amazing. Not sure if that was only for Easter but hopefully not because they were so good,
Then it was a quick break before we were off to our next destination, baby goat snuggles!
And then finally off to an early dinner at the Noon Hill Grill, a restaurant that was on our way back. Haven’t been there in a while but it always was good and this time was no exception. Then we came home and vegged and watched our television shows. The day was a wonderful way to celebrate our anniversary.
Upgrading the site to a newer version PHP tonight. Wish me luck!
This photo above is from a spot down in Orleans on the Cape that when I get the chance I like to escape from for a while. There’s a bunch of staircases like this one along Little Pleasant Bay.
Last night while watching the premiere of Real Housewives of Rhode Island (the jury is still out on to whether we’ll keep watching it) we noticed Carson going nutty in the sun room. At first we thought he fell but when I went out there I could see what he was watching on the deck. At first I thought it was another cat because when he sees on of these he gets a little ornery but when my eyes adjusted better to the darkness and I saw it’s face it was unmistakable. It was a big ass racoon!
Mr. History Post 16: Social Work Pioneer! Before gaining fame as a pilot for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Amelia Earhart worked as a social worker at a settlement house in Boston. She educated adults and young girls, organized women’s clubs, and coached girls’ sports. Amelia Earhart advocated for gender equality before becoming a trailblazer as a woman in a male-dominated field, insisting on fair treatment for female pilots.
We tried out our hands at working with glass last night. Originally we thought it was the blown glass class (which the place also does) but it ended up being the fused glass class. Still cool, but I did think we’d be turning our glass creations in the oven on a pole and all that. At first I was a little disappointed but I got over it pretty quick. Fused glass is basically you come up with a design and then cut and create your piece and stick it to the glass which then gets baked in the oven basically to set. I had a hard time coming up with a good concept for mine. I didn’t have much time to prepare and also this isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do, you seem to need a lot of patience. I need to work on myself more in that department! We’ll pick up out finished products next Saturday. It was cool that another of our couple friends was able to join us, they’re always fun! Afterwards we went out to dinner in town. The place is pretty cool though, I’d do it again – maybe next time the blown glass class! LOL!
That’s where I learn the Connecticut Sun were sold to a family in Houston Texas so after this upcoming season, they’ll be moving down there. Really stupid of the league to move them to a place where it failed before and there’s such a rabid fan base here already. We’ve seen it firsthand! Heartbreaking for Connecticut and all New England women’s sports fans. We could’ve had them at the Garden.(they always sell out there!)
Shamrock Shales!Shamrock ShakesDinner at Mary’sDrinking the Green Potion at the showTrying out the MetaQuest VR HeadsetHuh!?
Some stuff from the last week or so with more or less a “green” theme. Of course I had to get some vegan Shamrock Shakes down in Providence for LD and myself and to use the opportunity to show off my hat. Hanging out with dogs was cool and that MetaQuest was a fun distraction for a few minutes. While in Providence I noticed an ad for the play Next to Normal playing at a theater down there in the summer. I saw the play years ago in NYC with LD but I’d go see it again. I remember not really liking it because it felt too “real” but I do recall the music being very good. I’d probably appreciate the story more now then the person I was back then. I’ll try to update this post later with our “Mess Buckets!” Huh? You’ll see.
The mess!
As promised, the mess “bucket” from last night! What’s a MESS? It’s a mystery recipe, unique to Comella’s, made fresh every day. It’s a combination of pasta, cheese and sauce and it may contain bits of eggplant, lasagna, and shells!
We went down to Jersey this weekend, mostly to see a HS play, Shrek: The Musical because LD’s niece does a lot of the makeup for the actors. I got to say from what I’ve seen she does a pretty amazing job. Actually I was impressed with just how professional this production was in total, from the orchestra, to the actors, and the props – the dragon was freakin amazing! Are all high school plays of this quality nowadays? Like I said, I was really impressed. I’ve never even seen the movie Shrek so it was all new to me. Finished it all out with a visit to Mt Tabor for the great pizza.
Participating in the Cambridge Bike Winter Ride and then visiting some old haunts of mine on the way back. Schedule permitting I’ll do the spring ride in May or so. I always like going through the underpass just outside Harvard Square.
Oh forgot to mention! Went to Il Massimo last night to try out their Dine Out Boston Menu and it was really good, so props to them!
Hung out with some baby goats that we got to dress up in pjs yesterday and hung out with some of the other animals as well. This was a rescheduled meet since the original date got postponed because the weather was just too cold that day, so this actually worked out much better.
Hi folks! Haven’t been too many updates of late as there hasn’t been that much worthwhile to update with, but that should be changing as the weather is getting better and some hurdles are behind us. I have taken on caring for a neighbors dog now and again, so that’s new.
What a nerd.
This popped up in my head this morning and I can’t believe it’s been 30 years since this was taken! That’s me sitting at the computer during my days at Arthur D. Little doing AutoCAD work. I believe the image on the screen was the plume of contamination we were investigating at the time over at the Natick Army Labs. This was a promotional shot that the company wanted to do for some marketing or newsletter or some such.
Now that I think about it, ADL had their own photography lab people and would do all this stuff inhouse for their own newsletters that would go out to the employees. Who would ever do that! Of course that was before we got email and all that stuff. Memos would have to be written and printed and then someone from the mailroom would deliver the memo to our mailbox and then we would physically get it and work it out from there. They would reuse the same manila envelope but just cross off the previous office address and we’d write in the next space where we’d want it delivered to next. I had forgotten all this stuff but now it’s flooding back to me.
The white table like thing next to my right was the digitizing tablet. This big piece of tech that basically I could trace over hardcopies to get the images into a digital format that I could manipulate or use later. Generally a geologist would draw out what they needed on the hard copy, I would tape it to the tablet, calibrate the tablet, and then digitize the image they had drawn and get it into the computer. I must have drawn and created thousands of images in my time doing that kind of work. I would then save them as “Layers” which could be turned on and off on the figures to display different things, or to show change over time for instance. A lot of these finished drawings I would then print on a plotter, basically a giant printer. I must have printed thousands of plates that were 44″ x 34″. Then you had to physically cut the drawings to size with a razor and fold the maps to fit into pockets that would go into the reports. Everything was hard copy in those days!
Thank you Needham Police Department, Babson College, and Gabby Petito Foundation for raising awareness around the red flags of domestic abuse and how we can help survivors safely escape. What a powerful event. They had the parents of Gabby do a talk. We weren’t able to make it unfortunately but we were able to get some coins to help support the event and cause.
Here we go (in no real particular order actually – they were all amazing in their own right):
#12: Umbrellas in the Skies of Newport RI
I wanted to take a jaunt over to Newport Rhode Island 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!
#11: Doing Bunny Yoga For a Change of Pace
First off, I have to send out a Congratulations to my one and only, Ladydoc, for completing 5 miles of swimming to benefit the American Cancer Society! Awesome job! This particular morning I went down to the pool with her and watched her take the final laps and document the occasion for posterity!
The town of Dedham had some all afternoon bunny events. We chose Bunny Yoga! To be honest, as with all the other animals we do this with, it’s more about interacting with the animals than doing any yoga stuff.
#10: Historic Papermill Playhouse and Drumming
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 in Connecticut a couple of times. Might do another outing to check it with some friends sometime in the future.
#9: Seeing John Cusack Live and In Person!
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. Anyways, he seemed like a really cool guy.
#8: A Happy Little Cape Getaway Weekend
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. I do love the Cape, I think my best pictures come from there. So scenic.
#7: Love Us Some River Troll Action
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 locals 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. I would go there again! 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.
#6: The Goatfather Part 2
On this particular October morning 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.
#5: Finding the Daffodil Fields
I finally got a chance to check out the Daffodil Field over down in Dartmouth. It’s at the end of a short hike over a scenic trail to get there. I believe there’s also something similar somewhere in Rhode Island which may be worth checking out some time. Anyways, according to local lore, the daffodils were planted by Raymond Pettey in the 1940s to sell during WWII when the U.S. was unable to get bulbs from Holland. The war ended and the flowers remained! This place required a little bit of a hike through somewhat rough terrain to get to, but i found it worth it! Maybe I’ll do this again this year.
#4: Pretty in Pink with Beautiful Skies to Match on a Rooftop Garden Summer Night
In late August 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 didn’t get to go back to see the Goonies with one of our couples friends since on that particular day it rained again, this time all day. However, we will try to go again this summer depending on what movie they decide to show. Anyone is free to join us! They do have other stuff there as well like Pickleball.
As usual, you can click any picture for the captions.
#3: The Happy Goat Farm Visit
It’s springtime, baby goat season -at the time these little guys were born shortly ago, in fact while we were there a mother goat was giving birth to 4 babies (!) which I hear is unusual to have that many at once, it’s usually 2, or 3 at the most. Glad the rain stopped for us yesterday afternoon! My shirt says :The Goatfather” in the logo manner of the Godfather. It was a birthday gift from some pals of ours, I finally got a chance to wear it out. It’s also a nice feeling to have a baby goat just fall asleep in your arms, so trusting, and they are so warm. The one I had even started dreaming at one point I believe!
#2: Sunsets, Fish Shacks, Cape Porpoise Love
Cape Porpoise Fish Shacks
We headed off to Cape Porpoise for a little mini weekend getaway. I really enjoyed this trip. The Airbnb we stayed in was really great – I would surely return to it. It was so spacious and the hosts were super great. I think they were both in the military, spent some time in Alaska and I think maybe Iraq. The first night we headed to the town over called Biddeford Pool because there was a food/store place called Goldthwaites that we wanted to try. It was good and the views from their back outside area were wonderful. I noticed you could even see the Stage Island Monument in the distance. I do so love this area of Maine. We also saw deer and what appeared to be a company of black swans, but could that be true? This place and the B&B is surely worth another visit.
Next day we did a bunch of things. We hiked a part of the Carson trail, which is part of the Rachel Carson Reserve Wildlife area. It was kind of too hot to really do too much of that though plus it was a little buggy so we didn’t stay there too long. There were a ton of chipmunks around I noticed. For lunch we drove into Kennebunk and I ended up getting a burger at a place called Duffy’s. We then headed back for a little rest before hitting Goose Rock Beach for the afternoon. While there we saw piping plovers, a cool sandcastle that someone built, and a very cute Bassett Hound named Baxter that we had to greet. For dinner we got some good eats at Mabel’s Lobster Claw. All great places to try is you haven’t done that.
Next day we went to Sunday services at St. Ann’s Church, What’s cool is that they do the service right by the water weather permitting. It was a bit rainy when we went so the service was actually indoors but even that was pretty cool. I actually really liked everything about this location and plan to return for some other services soon, like in the Spring! We got breakfast at a place next to Mabel’s from last night called the Pantry. I decided to try the eggs benedict with lobster and it was damn good. Another afternoon at the beach afterwards I wanted to catch a sunset at the famous fish shacks. Thanks to LD for finding the perfect location for me to shoot from! When we visit the area next time I want to shoot more shots from that location.
The fish shacks – I was always curious about these buildings. After taking these shots we eventually found a place where we could get some eats (a pizza actually) which was a bit of a struggle to find food since it seems all the places around here close at 8 or 9 o’clock. I caught the tail end of the Valkyries WNBA game as they beat the Suns. It’s nice that this Airbnb had all the stations you could want, they aren’t usually like that in my experience.
Finally on Monday it started to get really hot. We checked out, hit Stonewall Kitchen for a quick bite and Yummies to get some candy fix. Our friends up in Georgetown were kind enough to let us stop by and use their pool for a bit so we could cool off before going all the way home. THAT WAS AMAZING, you cannot appreciate how much we needed that. We took a dip for an hour or two and were then on our way back home.
All in all, that was a fantastic trip! I probably left out a ton of stuff but these were some of the high points! So 2025 wasn’t the greatest year for a bunch of reasons, but seeing these events shows me that it wasn’t so bad either. It’s good to be reminded of that.
And before I get to the Number 1 here are some honorable mentions which could have been on the numbered list as well, also in no particular order:
And now with much fanfare… onto the Grand Finale! It was tough to choose, but it had to be….
#1: Having a Blast at Our First WNBA Game
The high point was getting to meet a star player on the Valkyries, Veronica Burton Number 22. These women players are Bad Ass! As a bonus we even got to hang with her sister Kayla, who is a sports reporter and anchorwoman on the NBC Boston network and does the Celtics games too! Oh and their mom and dad too, who is also a big name sports reporter here in Boston. Mad props to Ginni for making it happen! Oh, and Suns actually WON this game and by a considerable amount so the place was going crazy! These fans are serious! (You can click on the pics for descriptions).
WOULD DEFINETLY GET TIX TO DO THIS AGAIN THIS SUMMER. I hear that they might be moving the team to Houston though, so that would basically suck. No more semi local play here.
What will this year bring us? Not sure but there are some things starting to show on my radar!
More baby goats snuggles
Another encounter with Capybaras in the spring (Dave B, if you’re reading this you *are* going with us so get ready!)
Beginning of the year tradition: Sticking appendages in the water!
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Also the other day I was notified I could get a free Dunkins coffee on the app so I went and got one and it was also free doughnut day so I got that too, and they gave me the cutest little donut tote bag. Not sure what the hell I’d do with it, but it’s here.
