From Revere Beach to the Hot Tub: A Water-Filled Weekend

I had to do it!

Yesterday took a trip out to Revere Beach in the late afternoon, While there I felt I had to go in. The water was actually quite war, but the air was a bit chilly and it was overcast the whole time, but at least that meant the beach was pretty empty! I stayed in for a little bit but then my teeth started to get to chattering so it was time to get out. I did feel I had to go in though. If the water was as cold as it was in Duxbury I wouldn’t have done it but this water was warm like I said.

This morning I went with LD over to the gym pool and did the water aerobics class, mostly because one of our favorite instructors happened to be teaching this morning, and then of course I used the nice hot tub which felt really good.

Tonight a friend invited us over to dinner at their house which was very nice so we’ll be doing that!

Gametime: Smunchy!

Horsing Around at Ponyhenge

Ponyhenge. Been on my bucket list for a while. Another oddity this time in Lincoln, Ma. Last couple of days we’ve been busy swimming down at Duxbury beach a couple of times and grabbed our yearly Green Harbor lobster roll, the best around for sure. Anyways, I had some time this afternoon so I took a drive out there this afternoon to see the ponies in person.

Finding Zen Where You Least Expect It

Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.

Not everyday you come across a Buddhist Temple of Meditation travelling through Raynham! While looking around at some furniture stores I happened to see if any other attractions were around and this Temple of Meditation was listed, so naturally I was curious to check it out.

Catching the Great Elephant Migration in Boston

Started out the morning by doing two(!) water aerobics classes and then went into town to catch the elephants migration. We had seen them before in Newport RI but now they are doing a stint in Boston so we had to go see because they are so cool.

We were able to meet up with our pal Em who lives in the area so that was cool. Afterwards we all had lunch at a place on Newbury called Piattini which was amazing. Would definitely go back there. I ended up having a drink that had Luksusova Vodka, pamplemousse, lemon, blackberry in it and it was amazing. No dount helped bring about my tiredness after all the day’s activity.

All in all this was a very wonderful day.

Big Ears, Good Eats, and Birthday Treats

Birthday week shenanigans continues. Besides getting some really cool swag like a new cap and a nice dinner out at Sweet Basil, (place we always wanted to try and finally got a chance, btw it is excellent) we had a bunny come to visit us. A giant bunny at that!

What else? Oh yeah, a bought a new Android tablet to replace the aging iPad which just wasn’t cutting it anymore. Nice little Android tablet that should work pretty nicely. Decided to wait until tax free weekend to pop on it.

From Jersey Farm Stand to the Grill

I forgot to mention that we were able to buy some farm fresh corn while we were down in Jerz, so I’m planning on grilling those up tonight. It’s white corn too for a change. I bought a piece of salmon to go with down at the market this afternoon so I’ll do that up as well and hopefully have a nice dinner tonight.

From Jersey Waves to Patriot Place

Had a quick jaunt to Spring Lake on Sunday. You could say that was the highlight of the weekend trip. Beautiful weather to be down the shore, as they say.

Today back in Boston, had some medical appointments down by Patriot Place so I did the tourist thing there for a bit.

For Fox’s Sake! Fox Trotting Around Town!

Early this afternoon we went to check out some fox artwork that I discovered about earlier in the week. So now we’ve seen foxes, seals, lobsters, clams, turkeys, bunnies that started it all, and I can’t remember what else! These are pretty cool though! Then it was off to Trader Joes for some groceries and we’d figure I’d grill up some dinner tonight.

Currently reading: Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast by Pamela Colloff

Pool Power: Coming Together to Fight Cancer One Splash at a Time

So proud of Ladydoc for getting this event together to fight cancer! Grateful doesn’t begin to cover it.

Thank you to everybody involved for your support! Splashing Success! When Alison & Patty called on fellow water fitness pals to help fundraise for the American Cancer Society, Vandy members rose to the occasion as they always do, “BIG TIME”! Yesterday’s donation class was a huge success thanks to the participation and generosity of members, family and friends!

Capturing Cape Cod: Moments in the Sun

Somehow managed to get everything we wanted to do fit into this little Cape getaway, from hanging at the beach, to taking a hike, to eating at our favorite places, to getting a tire replaced (long story), to catching sunsets, to doing crafts like the shells we designed at drew on ourselves as shown above, to checking out some sand sculptures, etc etc etc.

Got back at then it was off to LD’s charity event (pics to follow!). So proud of her, it was a great turnout and she raised lots of money for cancer research! Then after we had a little get together back at the house and one of LD’s trainer peeps (a fellow Jersey girl I might add!) hung out for a bit so we did s’mores and chatted for a few hours. This woman is hardcore! Total knee replacement and she was telling us of that experience. She’s very athletic, plays hockey and things like that. Holy cow though! That’s a serious operation and recoup time.

Poolside Chilling & Garden Tilling

Spent like 4 hours in the pool yesterday. Really enjoyed being on the floats too. Check out this cool Capybara cake as well!

Today went to OSJL to grab some things, grilled out back for lunch, and went to Like No Udder for some ice cream (sweet corn flavor – incredible!) and some watermelon lemonade. Then I went ahead and did some gardening chores that I had been meaning to get to for a while, like transplanting some totato plants and whatnot. For dinner took a trip down to the Cousins Maine Lobster food truck and just sat out back in my gravity chair.

Burgers, Beaches, and the Cutest Dog in Fairhaven

Got invited to stay over atr a freinds for an overnight in the lovely town of Fairheven for some good food, laughs, a little beach time, and fire works. Such wonderful hospitality! I actually did not go into the water but LD did. I did however partake in all the wonderfully BBQ’d cooked meals. Stuck around for the fireworks over the bay and then crashed for the night. Had a lovely breakfast in the morning from our hosts with some good conversation. And of course, their dog is the cutest!

Happy Fourth!

Gametime: Treasure. This game is tricky hard!

Accidental Art and Massive Monuments in Plymouth

It’s day two of the visit! This time off to Plymouth. Wanted to be somewhere near the coast but not anything too far or crazy. Seemed like a good choice, and it was! My personal highlight of the outing was seeing these cool metal sculptures of animals that we randomly happened upon, didn’t even know they were there! And of course I had to check out the Monument of the Forefathers, which I had sort of heard of before but never checked out until this day. The thing is massive! 81 foot tall and said to be the largest solid granite statue in the world! It’s very interesting.

Yes, that is an opsrey nest on the head of the statue.

We had a nice lunch over at East Bay Grill. I tried another cocktail, a Huckleberry Lemonade concoction made up of vodka, lemonade blueberry puree infused syrup, and blueberries which was very good. I’m not even a drinker and I’ve had two cocktails in two days already.

We finished up the day with a little bit of the firepit on the patio back home, and then some pizza and a movie, Sheep Detectives, very cute starring Huigh Jackman.

A Tourist Day in Boston with Old Friends

One of LD’s old friends from out of state has come over to visit for a few days so we’re doing a little bit of the tourist thing. A trip to Boston was on tap this day. We took a ride on the swan boats, and walked a little bit around the publlic garden. Had a quick bite at a place called Bistro du Midi right on Boyleston, I passed by that place a million times but had never been before. Good flatbreads and the Lavender cocktail I had was very refreshing. Later in the afternoon we took a duck boat ride. I hadn’t been on one in years, that was fun. Good thing we went when we did, I saw one tipped over the next day and that never happens. We originally wanted to go to the Bristol Lounge at the Four Season but the French Soccer Team rented out the entire hotel, so no admittance for anybody. That must be a pretty big bill!

Charlie’s Stick, a $20 Win, and Mariska Hargitay: The Ultimate Weekend Mashup

A trip into the city over the weekend. Pardon me as I write this off the cuff so it may not flow just right but I wanted to put down the memories. Drove down Saturday early to NJ to celebrate a high school graduation and some other things with family, LD swam at the Y to get some more yardage in toward her goal for charity to the American Cancer Socity. (you can donate here if you like). We ate at a place nearby that we really like called the Thirsty Turtle. I might have mentioned that place before. Later in the afternoon we went to the dog park where I found Charlie a huge stick which he very much enjoyed. I bought a 5 dollar scratch ticket and won 20 so that was a bonus. I only bought it because I saw all the dogs on it. I don’y know, maybe I am becoming more a dog person.

Next day it was off the Big Apple, Times Square to see Mariska Hargitay on Broadway doing this amazing play. We weren’t sure how we would get into the city, should we train, bus, etc, mostly because of the World Cup but the schedule matched up that we decided driving was the way to go. Plus I noticed on Google Maps that there was a parking garage directly across the street from the theatre, Sadly when we got to the garage it was the wrong one! LD had booked a different garage but luckily it was only about a half a block away so it was ok.

The play was pretty great and she was totally amazing in it. What a powerhouse! It’s immersive theatre so the audience partipates which is pretty cool. I have no idea how she can remember all the lines and the numbers and … anyways it was amazing. The theatre was pretty cool too, one of the oldest on Broadway but done over really nicely. Best theatre seats we ever sat in, roomy and plush. After the show we hung out at the stage door so maybe she would sign some things but after 20 minutes or so we bailed. Wasn’t that a big a deal to us. People resell the stuff on eBay if you really want one, which is ridiculous. We walked around Times Square a bit, acting a little touristy. Nothing like the smell of the big vity in summertime, right! We didn’t realize it was over 10 years since we were last here, probably when we saw Al Pacino on Broadway.

We thought about maybe staying away an extra night in Mystic Connecticut but then decided to just go home, so we did and got back by 9:30 pm.

You can click each picture below for a small caption.

High Hopes, Low Altitudes: A Day at the Kite Festival

Attended the rescheduled Revere beach Kite Festival yesterday. There didn’t seem to be as many kites as when we went a couple years before but it was a pretty warm day to be at the beach! You should be able to click each pic for a larger version. That big black thing on the beach looked something like a hot air ballon but as far as I couold tell it never got off the ground unfortunately. That would have been cool to see in the sky.

A Dunk in the Pool Weekend

Saturday we took the oppourtunity to join some freinds for some much needed pool time. My first of this year. I’m sure there’ll be others as the months progress. We also got to watch their cute dog for a while when they had to step out for a bit over an hour. I will say, they got this new pool float which was the balls! So comfy. Here’s some pics of my lounging in it!

Funny thing happened on the way to the pool. LD had a craving for a bagel, so I swung by a shop across town to grab one. While I was waiting, these two women came in and tried to order a baker’s dozen, but they wanted almost all of one flavor. The employee behind the counter actually told them no and insisted they mix it up so there’d be enough for other people later on. They got into a whole back-and-forth about it, and eventually, the women just walked out. Honestly, it was pretty weird—I get wanting to save some for other customers, but why turn away a sale when you’re not even planning on baking more? Seemed like a strange move. What do you think?

Sunday was basically a day of more yard work and getting things ready for a guest coming soon for a visit. I mowed the lawns and LD did some more planting in to the new planter after I measures and cut a liner and some other stuff for the bottom. Always more to do though. Oh and we plan on going to NYC to see Mariska Hargaity on Broadway!

An Afternoon Along the Blackstone River

Took an afternoon ride out to Lincoln, Rhode Island hyesterday to pick up a raised planter LD found over on the marketplace so she can plant some more things. After getting the pickup we drove over to a nearby state park in the area. Pretty scenic location actually with what looks to be a very nice bike path that parallels the Blackstone River. Then we jaunted over to a nearby restauarant for lunch. Also checked out what apparently used to be a former monastary in the area. You click the pics below if you want more caption details.

Currently Watching: An oldie but a goodie! Homicide: Life on the Streets Seasons 1 and 2

Oh! I almost forgot another thing that happened yesterday1 LD finally sold her old car, to the next door neighbor no less!

The Day a Capybara Climbed on Me (Best Day Ever?)

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!

107 Years in Inman Square: A Farewell to S&S

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.