Shutters

The shutters arrived today. My camera is in the repair shop (that is another long story) so the camera phone photos will have to do. I'll post the before and after photos next week. Landscaping and new deck still to come-- hopefully before the snow flies!

A Funny

This morning I wake up (after having an anxiety filled dream about my house siding) and look at the clock. It says 4:45 a.m.

"Much too early," I think. "I've only been in bed since 11 p.m."

I try to go back to sleep.

"Gee it seems really light for being 5 o'clock. I hate winter time when 5 a.m. it is still pitch black outside."

After a half-hour I decide to get up. It will have to be a "nap" day.

The kitchen clock says it is 8:00.

"The battery must have died."

The bathroom clock says 8:00.

"Hum.. this is strange."

The clock in the other bedroom is flashing 5:15. "Oh... the power must have gone out. "

It really is 8:00 and I had a fabulous 9 hours of sleep-- only interrupted by crazy, anxiety filled dreams :)

Life is Good!

July 24th- Pioneer Day

July 24, 1847. This is the day that Brigham Young entered the Salt Lake Valley and declared that "this is the right place." This would be the place where members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormon) would finally find respite from the persecution that they endured since the organization of the Church on April 6, 1830 in Fayette, New York. Each year, the state of Utah celebrates Pioneer Day in commemoration of the Saints' arrival in Salt Lake.

Today, I am reminded of another favorite stop on our Boston trip. We visited Sharon, Vermont. On December 27, 1805 Joseph Smith was born here to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. Joseph Smith was the prophet who restored the gospel of Jesus Christ, translated the Book of Mormon, and organized the LDS Church.





As soon as we drove onto the property, I could sense a different spirit. Though the homestead is no longer there, and only a marker indicates the hearthstone, it is apparent this is a special place. As we spent time at the visitors center and the surrounding property I felt the Spirit so strongly. I told Ms. L that the feeling I felt there was the same feeling I have in the celestial room in the temple.




There is a granite monument on the property, 38 1/2 feet tall, one foot for each year of Joseph Smith's life.


I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I am grateful to him and my pioneer ancestors who accepted the gospel message so many years ago. My life is immensely blessed because of their choice to follow a prophet of God.

Ben and Jerry's

It is no secret that I love ice cream. And I am particularly fond of high quality ice cream (i.e., real cream and milk). Inexpensive ice cream that is filled with air just isn't worth the calories. My love of ice cream stems from my childhood. Every Sunday night we made homemade ice cream and chocolate chip cookies. Our friends Deano and Sally would come over, with additional occasional visitors including Barb and Scott, and others.

Ben and Jerry's is my favorite ice cream. In particular I like Chubby Hubby. I like it because it is high quality and is only sold in pints. I can do pints. If I had a half gallon in my house-- well that wouldn't be such a good thing.

So needless to say, when we planned our time in Vermont, it had to include a trip to the Ben and Jerry's factory.


The only disappointing thing was they were not making ice cream that week due to the 4th of July holiday. I think this would have been the perfect week to be making it. After all-- what is more American than ice cream? Nevertheless, we had an enjoyable tour of the factory and got matching t-shirts, which we wore on the last day of our trip.

The sample ice cream that day was a new flavor- Oatmeal Cookie Chunk. We both thought it was a little too sweet.

Boston Duck Tour

Several years ago I was in Boston at a professional conference. One day my colleagues and I saw the Boston Duck Tour vehicles. One of my friends suggested that the vehicle operated on both land and water. I did not believe him and thought he was imagining things (from a distance I didn't notice the writing on the boat).
We'll when planning our trip to Boston, I discovered that one of the "must-do" things was to take a Boston Duck Tour. And in fact, it does go on land and water. It gives you a tour of the city and a ride on the Charles River.

We went on a very drizzling, raining, overcast day, but it didn't dampen our spirits. We had a great tour guide named "Super Size." He was dressed as some imaginary super hero.

I have been on quite a few city tours and this was by far the best tour guide ever. He was truly amazing. He had Ms. L and I laughing the whole time. Every time he said "super size" we had to respond with "Quack Quack." Of course, this was when there were several pedestrians nearby. Some of the things he said reminded me of my brother- Ms. L's dad. Later, as we saw other Duck Tours, we noticed that the passengers did not seem to be having quite as much fun as us.

Once we got on the Charles River, Super Size said that union rules required him to take a break. So he asked Ms. L ("you with the white headband") to come up and take a turn driving the Duck Boat. She did very well!
I typically don't buy the photos they take of you, but this one was too cute to pass up. It was supposed to be in front of the boat, but as you can see, we are sitting under the shelter keeping dry from the rain until it was time to board.

The whole tour was definitely worth the cost. If you go to Boston, do the Duck Tour. But make sure to book your tickets early-- they often sell out.

Proof That I Fed the Birds

Here is the proof that I fed the birds on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. Thanks Ms. L for the photos.

Summer Visitors

My sister and her two kids came to visit this week. They do have a dad, but he is working. I told my sister that all my photos make her look like a single mom! But in reality, they really, really, really miss their dad, especially at night!

We had so much fun. The house seems awfully quiet and lonely after they leave.



We started out by going to the BYU Museum of Art. There is an amazing exhibit there by Walter Wick. You may know him best from the "I Spy" books. We had a fun time looking to find objects in the pictures.

That evening we went to the BYU Bean Museum and participated in a program about "reptiles." We got to pet a snake and a bearded dragon lizard. I wasn't too keen on this, but I couldn't let a 7 and 11 year old know I was fearful. Ms. K is fearless!
On Tuesday we spent the afternoon swimming at Scera pool.

I got my first sunburn of the season despite using sunscreen. I guess I missed a couple of spots during the application process. I discovered spray-on sunscreen, which actually works really well.

Wednesday I asked Mr. J what he wanted for breakfast. He opted out of cold cereal. He suggested German pancakes. Well, I'd have to find a recipe. I did find one in a cookbook, but he didn't think it was the correct one because the picture didn't look just right. He said we could have regular waffles if we had buttermilk syrup. Well, I had no eggs (used them the morning before in breakfast) and no buttermilk, so it was a quick trip to the grocery store. In the process of finding the buttermilk syrup recipe, I found the one for German pancakes. They actually turned out really yummy. We topped them with fresh strawberries and buttermilk syrup. YUM! I even got to use my new syrup crock that I bought at King Arthur Flour in Vermont.



On Wednesday we went miniature golfing.


Afterward we went up Provo Canyon to play and have a picnic.


Ms. K loves to take photos. I had 179 on my camera from yesterday. She had taken most of them! I also found several random photos on my cell phone camera!



Life is Good!

Martha's Vineyard

We did a lot of fun things on our Boston trip. One of my favorite was a day in Martha's Vineyard. The weather was beautiful (blue sky and sun!) but the time was too short. I would love to go back here.

We awoke early and took the T to South Station. Here we caught a bus for a 90 minute ride to Woods Hole.


From there we caught the ferry for a 45 minute ride to Oak Bluffs.



Brenda had told us to take some bread on the ferry because the seagulls would fly next to the boat and eat it out of your hand. Ms. L didn't want to do it, so I got the duty. I have a strong fear of chickens, so doing this took all the courage I could muster. I held a piece of bagel out with the tips of my fingers and waited for the bird to scoop down and pluck it away. I was a little nervous, hoping the bird's beak wouldn't peck my hand (that is what I hate about chickens). It happened twice (Ms. L has the photos to prove it). The third time I chickened out(no pun intended)and pulled my hand away. Then I guess the birds were too full and I couldn't get them to eat more.

Our first stop in Oak Bluffs was the Gingerbread houses.

According to our handout from the visitor's information desk, "The seeds of Oak Bluffs sprouted in August, 1835 from a handful of tents pitched amid a grove of oak trees fro a week of spiritual rejuvenation. By 1880, this Methodist revival meeting in the Camp Ground had grown into a summer city of a thousand wood frame tents and cottages." We visited the museum and found out that the people started decorating their tents with gingerbread decor, and hence the name. The tents turned in to rough frame houses. Most people live here only in the summer because there is no insulation-- it is just the frame. The lady at the museum said they still pay "rent" and don't own their cottage.

Next we decided to rent bikes.




By our estimation on the map, we rode 16 miles that day. Five miles from Oak Bluffs to Edgartown-- a beautiful route that follows the water.


6 miles to the west-- very scenic


5 miles to South Beach and back to Edgartown. Our final destination was South Beach. We took a little detour to the west, and so didn't get there as soon as we had planned. The water was about 68 degrees, so it felt a little cool. The sand was so soft and the water a beautiful blue. There were lots and lots of people enjoying the sunshine.


We took the town bus back to Vineyard Haven (didn't have it in us to ride another 7 miles) to catch the ferry back to Woods Hole. At Woods Hole we ate dinner and then caught the 7:10 p.m. bus back to Boston. Ms. L conked out on the way home and we both slept well that night.
The day was so much fun!! I wish we could have spent more time here.

Boston Restaurants

One of the things both Ms. L and I were looking forward to on our trip was good food. Ms. L has an affinity for cooking. She has taken cooking classes at the finishing school and Orson Gygi. She is currently employed as an assistant at the finishing school. We both love watching the Food Network on TV. Here are a few of our favorite places we ate while on the Boston trip.

Main Street Grill in Montpelier, VT. This is sponsored by the New England Culinary Institute (NCEI). This was probably Ms. L's favorite restaurant. The food is cooked by the students at NCEI. I think she would secretly like to go to school there one day. She had a pork chop, which was thick and juicy, served with a vegetable and tomato-vegetable soup (very yummy!). I had ribs.
Bob's Clam Hut Kittery, Maine. I have always wanted to try a lobster roll. This place came highly recommended. The lobster roll was good, though I have nothing to compare it to. This is when I first realized that New England rolls are something I have never seen before. It is like a combination between a hot dog bun and a slice of bread. You have to experience it to understand. The place was packed with people. In fact, the seats inside were full so we braved the cold and wind and sat outside. It had been pouring rain all morning, but there was a slight break in the clouds around noon. We hurriedly ate and then headed for Boston.

Durgin Park at Faneuil Hall, Boston. I have eaten here the two other times I visited Boston. It is famous for family style seating and generous portions. Indeed, the Yankee pot roast they served me could have fed four people. The mashed potatoes and squash were yummy, right along with the clam chowder.

Red Arrow Diner, Manchester, NH. This was probably Ms. L's other favorite restaurant. It has been featured on the Food Network program Diners, Drive-ins and Dives hosted by Guy Fieri. It was a dark, cold, rainy night, so the diner wasn't too crowded. We got great service and enjoyed the atmosphere. This was our first meal of the day (the peanuts and cookies on the airplane don't count) so we were famished. We ordered chicken cacciatore and chicken tenders. Laura has photos of the food on her camera. It was really tasty. They gave us stickers for being first-timers to the diner and Ms. L received a Frisbee. They thought she was 16! I didn't ask how old they thought I was-- most people guess 10 years younger than my real age. We went back the next morning for breakfast. The food was good, but the service and atmosphere not as good as the night before. It was like everyone's coffee had not quite kicked in yet. There was standing room only and people were waiting for seats. In this picture you can see Ms. L, the menu, and little red tabs. The tabs or labels had famous people's names. Ms. L's seat said "Guy Fieri sat here." The next morning her seat said "Ty Pennington sat here."

Pizzeria Regina, North End, Boston. Brenda showed us this hidden gem on our walk Friday afternoon. You can see that the line is out the door and down the street. That is how good the food is.I have never eaten such tasty pizza in my life. YUM! The crust is thin-- which Ms. L didn't care for. But the flavors were out of this world. Our pizza was Prosciutto Con Spinaci "a classic combination of Regina sauce and Ricotta cheese, fresh spinach, prosciutto, cherry tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese. Accented with Romano cheese and fresh basil.The pizza at Terra Mia pales in comparison-- in fact there is no comparison. Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous food! You have no idea how long the wait is, as it just depends on how long the people take to eat. We waited probably 20-30 minutes, at the most, on July 4th.


Union Oyster House, Boston. This is the oldest operating restaurant in America. Brenda told us that we had to eat here-- even if it was just for clam chowder. Ms L wasn't so sure, because of the name of the restaurant, but with Brenda's endorsement, she decided it would be okay. She had crab cakes and I had clam chowder and haddock. The clam chowder and corn bread was really good. Our tour guide on the Duck Tour said there is a booth where JFK and Jackie sat, and you could ask for it. We did, but were informed it was only for parties of 4 or more. Oh well, it was at least worth an inquiry. Our booth was just over the divider-- so it was almost like sitting in the same place as JFK.

Last, but certainly not least was Mike's Pastry in Boston's north end. The night before we had seen people carrying around white boxes with blue lettering, wrapped in blue and white string, bearing the Mike's Pastry label. We decided that it must be a pretty good place. Brenda introduced us to it the next day. Oh my. I fell in love with cannoli. YUM!! They are on the top of my list of favorite foods. Of course any cannoli I have from here on out will be compared to Mike's Pastry shoppe. The place is usually packed with people waiting to place their order for one of many tasty options. It is "cash only" so be prepared. But it is so worth every penny and every calorie. We got the ones that are chocolate covered. A little sweet, but again, so worth it.


Life is Good!

Boston Pops

On July 3rd we went to the Boston Pops rehearsal concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. This was another tip from Brenda. If you go on the 3rd, the concert is free, and it is more of a locals event. You can't see the fireworks from the Hatch Shell, so on the 4th you get a spot somewhere along the Charles River to watch the "fireworks spectacular" (and they were spectacular).


The gates to the Hatch Shell open at 4:00. We walked from our hotel, making a brief stop at the Cheer's location for a photo op (Ms. L had no idea what the Cheer's sitcom was-- so sad), and arrived around 4:30. We were greeted with a very long line to get through security. After walking half way down the Esplanade to the end of the line, I wasn't sure if we would actually get a spot on the grass once we did get through. But 45 minutes later we made it and found a place on the grass that wasn't too wet or muddy. We spread out our ponchos (no blankets for these travelers) to stake our claim. We now had 3 hours to wait until the concert started (still better than an all-day wait on the 4th). It sprinkled a little rain so we got out our umbrellas, but it soon stopped. We played the game "Blink," chatted with Brenda, and ate the sandwiches we bought from "Finagle a Bagel" to pass the time. We also watched the guy next to us propose to his girlfriend. Everyone cheered and thought it was so neat.



The concert was definitely worth the wait. The music by the Boston Pops was amazing! I am not a music connoisseur, but they were far and above better than the Utah Symphony, Salt Lake Symphony, and BYU Symphonic Orchestra (which are all talented). And of course Neil Diamond was "So good! So good! So good!" I was really feeling my age when younger people had no clue who Neil Diamond was or what he looked like prior to the concert. Yikes! Two renditions of "Sweet Caroline" was really sweet.



At the end there is a patriotic sing-along with the audience. That was really inspiring too. I love the 4th of July and everything it represents. It is one of my favorite holidays.


I would definitely go to Boston again for the 4th just to attend the Pops concert (and maybe a Sox game!).

Boston Red Sox

On Tuesday we went to a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Thanks to Brenda, we scored great seats (on the 3rd base line-- which an avid baseball fan told me is the best location!). Brenda said we had to wear Red Sox shirts to the game. Ms. L already had one, but she was most concerned that I did not, because "Brenda said" we had to wear one to the game. I finally bought on on Tuesday afternoon. I wasn't sure we would actually make the game, since it had been raining all day, so I was a little reluctant to invest in a shirt I couldn't wear. But alas, the sun came out (or at least the rain stopped) and we went to the game.
We rode the T with all the other fans to Fenway Park. We found our seats and then went back to the concourse for food. "Brenda said" we had to eat a Fenway Frank, so we made sure to do that. Ms. L got a few laughs out of the sign on the Fenway Franks box that the boys who sell food in the stand carry. It said, "Also available in grocery stores except in New York." I also learned something about New Englad buns (oh, so that is what the Maine lobster roll was served on). Since we were at the game, we also had to eat peanuts (skipped the popcorn) and ice cream served in Red Sox helmets. Never mind that we were shivering from the cold and snuggling to keep warm (should have worn long pants on this trip).


The game was fabulous. I always thought MLB baseball was so boring until I went to my first ATL Braves game. Now I love it. This was my fifth MLB game-- and definitely the one with the most fan spirit. Sox fans are the best.



Brenda told us that a tradition at Fenway is that at the bottom of the 8th the fans sing Neil Diamond's song "Sweet Caroline." After the phrase "Good times never felt so good," the fans chant "So good! So good! So good!" Oh... so now the Boston Pops concert on July 3rd made so much more sense-- that is why the audience added their own additions to the song.

It started raining about the bottom of the 8th. The game ended in the 9th just before the rain got too bad. It was fun to see them covering the field to protect it from major mud puddles due to all the rain Boston had received.


Getting home from the game was another adventure. The T was packed with people. But the MBTA was prepared with extra cars and it went rather quickly.

The "Green Monster" (or Monstuh) A ball hit here is a home run.

Thanks Brenda for helping us score tickets to a Sox game!