Boston - The Final Story

After a short lay off I'm back to finish off our travelogue of Boston and the surrounding countryside. Rather than stick with my original plan of a day-by-day account of our adventures in Massachusetts I think I'll just hit the remaining high points, in no particular chronological order. WARNNG: This is a long post. You might want to break it up over a week or so.

On the 4th of July we took the Number One bus north on Massachusetts Avenue for the twenty minute trip to Cambridge and the fable Harvard University. If you recall, about a month ago when I started blogging about our Boston trip I mentioned that the "unofficial" tour of the Freedom Trail was not the best way to go. That was true, but the "unofficial" tour of Harvard - run by the same bunch - is definitely the was to see Harvard. Due to "licensing" issues with the university - which I think involved Harvard getting a cut of the fees - this tour is technically free. That right - free! However, the "suggested" gratuity at the end of the tour is $10 per person or $20 per family. Being that there were two of us we had the option of paying $10 twice or $20 once. If you're ever in the neighborhood make it a point to stop by the Harvard campus and hang out with the "unofficial" tour kids. They were funny and informative. However, I did notice that one of them - although a Harvard student - did not know the correct usage of the word "set" vs. "sit".

After Harvard we took the Red Line subway out of Cambridge and headed for Fenway Park to watch the Red Sox do battle with the last-place Baltimore Orioles. Of course the Orioles killed the Bosox, but the trip to Fenway was fantastic! Walking from the subway stop to the Park was an experience that resembled a carnival. Once inside the sight of the Green Monster looming in left field gave me chills (well, considering it was almost 100 degrees maybe not actual chills). We were particularly impressed with the Boston fans, who sang God Bless America in the 7th inning at the top of their lungs. In addition, their enthusiastic rendition of Sweet Caroline was something to behold, as was the fact that nobody left early even though the Sox were losing 6-0 in the 9th inning. They eventually lost 6-1.

After the baseball game we went back to the North End for some more Italian food before heading down to the Esplanade along the Charles River for the gigantic Boston fireworks display. Or so we thought. Once we got into the throng of at least 500,000 people crammed into every square inch of space along the river we decided that between searching vainly for a spot to watch, probably not being able so see anything anyway, and the prospect of spending several hours escaping through the overwhelming sea of surging humanity after the show that we'd pass on the fireworks this time around. As we struggled through the throngs on our way back to the subway we were amazed by the thousands of people who were on their way down to the Esplanade, knowing that there was not a single blade of exposed grass remaining to be claimed.

On Tuesday we headed out of town to visit Salem, home of the famous witch trials in the 17th century. The witch thing turned out to be a bust - there was a cheesy witch museum that we skipped. But we did hit the Salem Customs House where Nathanial Hawthorne was employed as a customs officer when he came up with the idea for The Scarlet Letter. We also checked out some of the other historical buildings, the docks, and the large restored sailing ship that was docked near the Customs House. The problem that we eventually succumbed to was the heat, which actually hit 99 degrees. Our solution was to head north to the seaside town of Gloucester, where we managed to attached ourselves to a whale watching tour that was leaving just as we arrived. As whale watching tours go, this was a top ten experience. We saw at least 30 whales, some of them 70 feet long. Vicki got lots of pictures, all of which looking strangely the same - vast expanse of blue water with a black dot near the center.

On Wednesday we went north to Plymouth, home of the famous Plymouth Rock, which the truth be told could just as aptly be called Plymouth Stone. As famous rock go, it's not exactly the Rock of Gibraltar. It more like something that would fit inside one of those plastic kiddy swimming pools. Near the rock is a rebuilt replica of the Mayflower, which is only 102 feet long. Standing on it you get a sense for just how bad the Pilgrims wanted to leave their former digs for the New World. Anyone who would get on such a small boat to sail across the Atlantic Ocean must have had nothing to lose, except breakfast, lunch and dinner when they got seasick.

After the rock and the boat we headed for Plimoth Plantation (yes, its spelled differently). The Plantation is a recreation of the original town site that the the Pilgrims built on land that they stole from the locals when they arrived. It was a fascinating place, even though air-conditioning was not available. After Plymouth/Plimoth we drove up the coast for some sight-seeing, stopping at the town of Rockport for one last taste of lobster. Rockport is a quaint little town with the ruins of an old colonial fort in its harbor and a guy playing the violin for tips.

Well, that's about it. On Wednesday we headed home. All in all it was a great trip. We would highly recommend Boston as a vacation destination. Pictures below . . .

One last note that you need to know. In Massachusetts there is no sales tax on clothes. It was weird buying a $15 shirt and actually paying $15 for it.

Vicki and I in Rockport at sunset.

The citizens of Plimoth Plantation.

Plymouth Rock (note the "1620")

The tale of a whale.



Rockport Harbor (below)

Vicki and one of the witches in Salem.

Aboard the whale watching boat.



Fenway.

Vicki at Harvard (below)

Boston - Day Two

Sorry to keep everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for the details of the second day of our Boston trip. I hope my delay didn't cause anyone any permanent angst. I'm really not sure exactly what I've been doing that seems to have kept me so busy. I have had a few long days at work lately. Yeah, that's it. Work.



Regardless of my reasons (excuses), I'm here now and ready for a vivid description of Boston - Day Two! If I throw in some stuff that I already talked about in Day One please forgive me. We kicked off Day Two (Saturday) with a tour of the Freedom Trail. For those of you who are not up on Boston geography/history/tourism, the Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile tour through the historic sections of Boston - which is pretty much all of Boston. To stay on the trail you simply follow the red line painted on the sidewalk. The brochure says 2.5 miles. It seemed farther for some reason; maybe because Boston was in the midst of one of its worst heat waves ever. It reminded me a lot of Houston's weather, and I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't take a 2.5 mile walk in the middle of the day in Houston, but when in Boston . . . Let me give you some guidance on taking on the Freedom Trail. There are three options of which I'm aware - 1) A trolley tour where you ride around in an open trolley and someone describes everything for you. It's an on-and-off trolley, so you can get off and on any time and anywhere you want. We decided that this was for wimps, 2) The "official" Freedom Trail Tour, during which you follow a guy dressed like Ben Franklin around to the various historical sites. This is the most popular tour. We opted to skip this because the guide was not only dressed like Ben Franklin, he was also just about as old and didn't seem like he'd be a fun guy, 3) The "unofficial" Freedom Trail Tour, which is conducted by two twenty-something kids dressed like two twenty-something kids. What distinguishes them is that one of them carries an American flag. This tour is much more hip than the others. It also - in spite of what the brochure says - skips about 50% of the historic sights, which meant that we had to go back and look them up ourselves, which wasn't too difficult because to the red line. We decided that if we had it to do all over again we do it all over with Ben.



Regardless of which tour option is selected, the history is the same. I won't give you a detailed historical account of each attraction, but instead will simply refer to the pictures below, each of
which includes a brief, snappy narrative.



Some Boston street entertainers. These guys called themselves the Breeze Team and they were pretty entertaining. In addition to their heavy funk break-dancing and acrobatics they also delivered two lines I'll always remember fondly: "We're gonna pass the bucket for our recommended $5 per person tip. If you run we will chase you" and "Remember folks, the more money you give us, the more money we'll have."







The inside of the Old South Meeting House. It was from this very place that the colonists - fed up with rising taxes and an overbearing government (hmmm?) - launched the original Boston Tea Party. After whipping themselves into an anti-British frenzy they rushed out and dumped a few million dollars worth of tea into Boston harbor.





Me surrounded by some very old dead guys. We learned that several years ago, in order to allow space for lawn mowers, the keepers of the old Boston grave yards rearranged the headstones into more manageable rows, meaning that the current placement of the stones to not correspond to the location of the deceased.






The TD Boston Garden, home of the Boston Celtics, multiple winners of the NBA championship. For the record, this is without a doubt one of the ugliest buildings I have ever seen.

Vicki's very artsy photo that captures not just the Old North Church, but also the statue of Paul Revere! One if by land, and two if by sea . . . It was 17 miles by land or one mile by sea. Where the lanterns really necessary?








An upscale neighborhood street scene in Boston. Most of these building are at least 150 years old.













Me standing in front of Paul Revere's house. A few historical tidbits about old Paul -

1) This house was already 90 years old when he and his family moved in.
2) Paul served in the Continental army, but was dishonorably discharged for reasons of insubordination and cowardice. After the war he demanded a court-martial which eventually cleared his name, thereby allowing him to become a tourist attraction.




Another street "performer." I'll bet she was hot under her chrome exterior.

















In this cemetery are buried Paul Revere, and Ben Franklin's parents. Nobody ever really said where Ben himself is buried.













Vicki outside a festive flower stand near Faniell Hall.



















Musket fire near the Bunker Hill memorial, which is by the way not actually on the top of Bunker Hill, which by the way was not really the hill upon which the Battle of Bunker Hill was conducted. Look it up.











The flag boy of the unofficial Boston Freedom Trail tour. If you look closely you can see the Ben Franklin guy in the background. I think Ben is giving flag boy the evil eye.








After finishing off the Trail at the old navy yard (home of Old Ironsides - not pictured) we elected to take the harbor ferry back to the North End. I highly suggest this as a nice way to end your day on the Trail, especially if the temperature is 96 degrees. It's about a ten minute ride and the breeze feels great. And if that's not enough, the price of the ticket ($1.70) is covered by your 7-day "T" pass. They also have ice-cold fountain diet-Coke, which was the highlight of the trip for Vicki.

After disembarking from the ferry we found ourselves surrounded by the festivities of the annual Harbor Days throng. We also found ourselves face-to-face with Legal Seafood, which according to all the tourist guides is THE place to go for lobster. I didn't get the low down on how it got the name "Legal". Sorry. Regardless of the mysterious name, the lobster was great, and not all that expensive (as lobster goes, that is). We had a waiter who was at least 6'9" tall and who was quite chatty. After dinner I bought myself a Boston Red Sox hat to wear to the game on Sunday. I'll talk about that "tomorrow", maybe.


After our lobster and hat-buying we headed back to our digs on the South End. It was a quick ride on the Red Line, the the Green Line, to the Silver Line bus. Not confusing at all! We highly recommend the Boston subway when the temperature is in the 90's! It made us feel right at home!

Tomorrow: Harvard, Fenway Park and Fireworks Madness!

The Great Massachusetts Muffin Tour

Greetings friends! After a lengthy absence I'm back to tell you all about the vacation trip Vicki and I took to Boston. We left last Friday morning and just got back to Sugar Land this afternoon. Other than the fact that during our visit Boston experienced one of its worst heat waves in recent memory (the temperature hit 99 degrees), we had an absolutely fantastic time. Who knew that Boston was such a fun place?

For starters, we stayed at the Aisling Bed & Breakfast, which is a 135 year-old row house on Boston's South End. The South End is definitely not the most upscale neighborhood in Boston, but it gave us a flavor for the real Boston, which is one of the most diverse places we've ever been. Our B&B was very comfortable, the gourmet breakfasts were all great (more on this later) and we were only a block from the Silver Line of the bus/subway system (the "T"). For a $15 weekly pass we traveled all over the city with ease (once we figured out how to read the transit maps). If you ever go to Boston, DO NOT bother to rent a car to get around in the city. The streets are for the most part narrow, they aren't laid out in a logical grid, and the traffic there make Houston look like a Sunday drive in the country. The T works great, it's cheap, and with the exception of a few weirdos who made Vicki a little nervous, it seemed pretty safe.

Rather than bore you with a very long post detailing all of our exciting adventures I'll instead break our trip into several shorter posts, which will enable me to bore you on a continuing basis over the next four or five days. Let's start with last Friday . . .

Boston Common - Boston Common is the oldest public park in America, dating back to the early 1600's. It's sort of the Central Park of Boston, but a little smaller and lot older. During its history it has served as a common pasture for the town's sheep and cattle, as the site for public hangings, as the place where occupying British troops camped and trained, as a burying ground, as a place for the town's folk to protest against the British government, and now, where the city-dwellers go for some outdoor rest and recreation. As Vicki and I strolled through the Common we realized that there were very few people who looked like us. We heard multiple languages spoken by people who looked like they came from a multitude of countries. This included the locals and the tourists. We stopped for awhile at the Frog Pond, which is an acre-sized concrete pond that's about a foot deep, in which the local kids frolic under a couple of water-spewing fountains as their parents relax in the shade. In the winter months the Frog Pond becomes a giant ice-skating rink.

Adjacent to the Common is the Botanical Garden, which is a much more serene and much quieter place. Apparently the masses don't enjoy tranquility as much as chaos because there were far fewer people here than in the extremely congested Common. In addition to the multiple flowers that populate the place, there are also the Swan Boats that operate on one of the small lakes. These are boats that seat about twenty tourists (I can believe that too many locals do this) and are powered by young men who sit in the back and pedal. The distinguishing characteristic of the Swan Boats is the large fiberglass swan that is perched at the back of each boat. By large I mean about eight feet tall. It actually looks kind of weird.

There are also several statues and monuments throughout the garden, memorializing significant people and events. My personal favorite is the Ether Monument, which as the name suggests is a monument to ether. It seems that the first successful application of ether as an anesthetic was at nearby Boston General Hospital. In the center of the garden is a large statue of George Washington astride his horse. As we were admiring this statue I overheard a conversation next to us in which a woman told her friends that you can always tell if a person died in battle, in which case they are always depicted mounted on a horse. I guess George Washington was killed in battle after he served his time as President of the United States.

After our ramblings in the Common and the Gardens we found our way up to the North End, which is home to the Old North Church and Paul Revere's House. These are both worthwhile attractions in their own right, but they pale is comparison to the North End's real attraction - about a hundred Italian restaurants packed into the area of a few city blocks. If you want some really good Italian food, go to the North End. We actually went twice while we were in town. As an added ambiance bonus I noticed that in front of many of the restaurants there were small tables at which sat old Italian guys who looked like they just stepped off the set of The Godfather. They all looked just about the same - slightly overweight, white shirt, slicked back hair, smoking a cigarette, drinking something alcoholic, and typically gesturing to each other while they spoke. They reminded me of my Mom's side of the family.

After our North End dinner we headed back to the South End. This being our first day on the T it took us a little while to figure out the difference between the Orange, Red, Blue, Green and Silver lines and which direction to take on each (a key consideration), but we managed to make it home without too much trouble. All day long we had commented to each other how nice the weather was - not too hot and not really humid at all! Little did we know the steaming evil that lurked in the weather forecast.

Tomorrow: The Freedom Trail, Lobsters, and soooo much more!

Fathers' Day

After a long absence caused by not having anything to write about I'm back, trying to think of something to write about. Father's Day seems like a logical topic, given that it is approaching this Sunday. Unlike Mother's Day, which has been recognized as a holiday in the U.S. since 1914, Father's Day didn't become official until 1972! I think the delay was primarily due to the influence of TV sitcoms, which for decades have generally depicted fathers as insensitive, incompetent, self-centered, clueless bumblers. Ever since Father Knows Best, Andy Griffith, and Leave It To Beaver vanished from the airwaves several decades ago, fathers have been represented almost exclusively by the likes of Homer Simpson, Al Bundy and Ray Barone. We get no respect, but it doesn't really bother us, because we know that we're important in our own way, and for what we bring to the parenting game.

Speaking from my personal experiences, I have to tell you that I am probably the luckiest father in the world. My two daughters (Bethany and Kayla for those of you who know them) are about as fantastic as any two daughters could be. I look back over our 25+ years together and realize that without them my life would have been nowhere near as fun and fulfilling as it has been. From pixie-league softball - where the Indians won the world championship - through two of the most beautiful and over-budget weddings ever performed, we have had a lot of really great times together. We've taken family trips to a lot of wonderful places - including Costa Rica (twice), Canada, Uganda, London, New York City, Colorado (countless times), California, Florida - and done a lot of really fun stuff - deep sea fishing, white water rafting, Broadway theater, U.S. Open golf, Disney World, Disney Land, climbing the highest mountain in Colorado, skiing, swimming with the sting rays in the Cayman Islands, and lots of other things I can't even remember. Kayla and Bethany both graduated from ACU in four years (almost unheard of these days) and now both have their master's degrees. They've both managed to find great Christian husbands (our secret goal when we sent them to ACU) and they've become great Christian wives. When I hear of all the pain and anguish so many of my friends have gone through with their kids I almost feel guilty. With the exception of a few minor disappointments, Vicki and I have been blessed beyond belief with two truly fine daughters. We wouldn't trade them for anything or anybody.

Happy Mother's Day

Vicki in her "pre-mom" days.

As many of you know, this Sunday is Mother's Day. Although it was celebrated on a local and state level as early as the 1860's, Mother's Day was officially recognized for the first time when on May 9, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation, declaring the first national Mother's Day as a day for Americans to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died while serving their country in U.S. wars.

My mother died on March 14, 1993, about eight weeks shy of her 64th birthday of May 8th. Because Mother's Day falls on the second Sunday in May, my mom's birthday occasionally fell on Mother's Day. As a kid I remember that to her Mother's Day was far more important to her than her birthday. She successfully raised four sons, who collectively managed to turn her hair completely grey by the time she was forty years old. She loved us all in spite of the torture we put her through. We loved her, too, and we miss her.

As is my custom, each year when Vicki asks me what I plan to get her for Mother's Day I tell her nothing - she's not my mother. But, she is the mother of our daughters, Bethany and Kayla, so maybe I should reconsider how I approach Mother's Day. . . maybe next year. But in the meantime I can at least reflect on the tremendous job she did raising our kids. They are both outstanding young women. They are kind, respectful of others, and compassionate. they are solid Christians. Vicki taught them to be that way. They both aspire to be mothers themselves one day. They'll be great moms. They learned all the tricks from a great role model.

You see, all Vicki ever wanted to be was a mother. Oh sure, she's a college graduate and she spent a few years "working outside the home", but that was just to kill time until she got her promotion to what she really wanted to do, or more correctly, to what she really wanted "to be." I'm an okay dad, but Vicki is an unbelievable mom. Just ask our girls. Now that they're grown up and married and living away from us it's easy to tell how much they still depend on her. They call me every week or so - maybe - usually to ask about how to fill out their W-4 form or how to strip an old piece of furniture. They call Vicki every day, and usually more than once. I don't always know what they talk about, but I know it's always important to them.

I found a good description of Vicki in Proverbs 31:10-31. It's actually a description of a good wife, but with a few minor tweaks it's also a good description of a great mom - Vicki.

A mother of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

Her daughters have full confidence in her
and lack nothing of value.

She brings them good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

She selects what's good for them
and works with eager hands.

She is like the merchant ships,
bringing them what they need from afar.

She gets them up for school while it is still dark;
she provides breakfast for them and encouragement for their day.

She sets about her work vigorously;
and she is always strong for her tasks.

When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

She makes her daughters' beds when they forget;
and they are covered with clean sheets and comforters.

She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her daughters arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her.

"Many mothers do noble things,
but she surpasses them all."

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but she fears the LORD and is to be praised.

Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her the praise and gratitude she deserves.

Happy Mother's Day Vicki!

Even if you're not my mother.

What in the World is a Neti-Pot?

Greetings friends and neighbors everywhere. It's another Friday, which means that I'm home enjoying the first day of another three-day weekend. Nothing too, too exciting to talk about today, but I have a few things to bring you up-do-date on.

First of all, I'm still sick! It's now been three weeks and I still have whatever it is I have - sinus infection, bad cold, strep throat, swine flu? I don't know exactly what I have, but I wish it would go away. I called my doctor this morning and he phoned me in another antibiotic. Apparently the last one didn't work. This one is pink, the other one was white. Let's hope pink is the answer. Over the last few weeks I have amassed quite a collection of medications, both prescription and n[Photo]on-prescription. My favorite thing by far has been the Neti-Pot - the "Nasal Saline Wash System with Gravity Method, providing Natural Relief from Allergies & Sinus Symptoms."


What it actually is is a small plastic tea-pot looking thing that you use to pour a saline solution into your nose. You put the spout of the tea-pot into one nostril, lean forward, and pour in the solution, which runs through your sinuses and come out the other nostril. It sound pretty gross, but it's really not all that bad, and it works (to some extend). I'm considering grinding up one of my antibiotic pills, mixing it into the "99% pure, preservative-free sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate solution" and then pouring this concoction into my nose. Isn't sodium chloride itself a preservative? Hmmm . . . Well, maybe I'll give things one more day.

Take a look at this picture below that was taken behind our office building at work. I knew there were alligators in the area, but nothing like this! It looks like the most dangerous thing about working in a nuclear plant isn't the radiation after all. And I thought that the "Gator Crossing" sign next to the sidewalk was a joke.

Tonight Vicki and I and nine of our guests will be attending the annual Second Mile Mission Center dinner and auction. This is Second Mile's biggest fund raiser, and they're expecting a crowd of 400. It will be nice to hang out with my old peeps from Second Mile. I kind of miss going down there on Thursdays.

Dead Trees & Baseball Games

Go Astros!

Yesterday was a sad day at our house, more specifically in our back yard. The giant elm tree that formerly resided there has now left the building. All that remains of the once mighty 80 foot tall tree is an inglorious stump. Stump is such an ugly word - don't you think - but a stump is all we have to remember our friend, who has now gone to the big mulch factory in the sky. For those of you who hadn't heard the news, our elm tree never came back from its winter vacation. When the leaves fell off last October we had no way of knowing that they wouldn't be coming back.

Yesterday morning at around 9:00 the crew from the Lanza Tree Service showed up. After a brief introduction to the tree they got right to work taking it down. I must admit to just a little trepidation at the thought of turning over the safety of not just my house but also our next door neighbor's house to four young guys who spoke about ten words of English between them. It was a little reassuring that an English-speaking Mr. Lanza himself showed up to kick things off, but he was gone by the time the real chain-sawing excitement got underway. As a gesture of my complete confidence in them, I placed a lawn chair in the center of the back yard and sat in it all day - the perfect spot from which to watch their every move. My positioning didn't seem to bother them much. I, on the other hand, did have a few moments of mild panic during the morning and afternoon. There's just something slightly discomforting about a guy with a chain saw at the top of a huge tree that sits seven feet from your back porch yelling down to his associates in a language you don't understand just before he starts sawing and having the entire group break into laughter. However, in spite of their laughter, the boys from Lanza did a great job, and their efforts kept me interested and entertaining for most of the nine hours I spent watching them.

For the naturalists among you, the highlight of the day came when a large raccoon decided to make a break for it as the chain saw approached his lair. As you will divine from one of the pictures below, a good portion of the tree was actually hollow, providing a nice residence for Mr. Raccoon. He scurried from the hollow in the tree, raced to the ground, and then sprinted along the fence line, circumventing the entire back yard before climbing up the fence and leaping into the neighborhood beyond. I have thought since what it would have been like had someone been walking down the the sidewalk at the precise instant the large raccoon vaulted over the fence into his unsuspecting path. A 9-1-1 call would probably have been in order.

Below I have included some pictures of the tree dismantling, starting from its full altitude at the beginning and ending with its attainment of stump status. Even the stump will disappear when the crew comes back on Tuesday with the stump grinder. Good-bye Mr. Elm. We'll miss the relief your shade provided to our summer electric bills.

Here's what the tree looked like before the cutting started.

A friend to raccoons, squirrels, ducks and all shade-loving people.

Here's what it looked like just before the raccoon decided to evacuate.

This is considered a condominium for a raccoon.

Attainment of "Stump Status"

After surviving the drama of Mr. Elm's demise, we decided that an outing to watch the Astros would put us all in a better frame of mind. "All" in this case included not just Vicki and I, but also Kayla, who was in town for a job interview. From the sound of things the interview went well, but I'll let her talk about the details, which I anticipate will show up in her blog at some point in the not too distant future. Going to the game made me feel that the world had again assumed its correct positioning in the universe, because I had gotten the tickets free from a vendor at work. As I'm fairly certain most of you will recall from one of my blogs last summer, after a streak of almost 30 years, we actually bought tickets to a game while I was unemployed. It was painful, and I vowed never to do it again. Anyway, the Astros beat the Pirates 4-3 in a game that lasted only two hours and four minutes. There were fireworks after the game, and a good time was had by all. The only downside to the evening was that we didn't get one of the commemorative Astros 45-year fleece blankets that were given away to the first 10,000 fans. We'll get there earlier for the 50-year blankets.