My highly photogenic daughter looking out the main entrance doors of the Old South Church
Boston Public Garden
National Botanical Garden
NBG
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Some more photos taken during my most recent junket, at which time I fancied myself a talented photographer
Near Boston Public Library
My highly photogenic daughter looking out the main entrance doors of the Old South Church
Boston Public Garden
National Botanical Garden
NBG
My highly photogenic daughter looking out the main entrance doors of the Old South Church
Boston Public Garden
National Botanical Garden
NBG
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Travelin' Fool Part 2
SO.
It took me a while to figure out what to do about missing the train. Unlike flying, this mode of transportation doesn't allow for rescheduling a couple of hours later.
My two options were waiting until Monday at noon and taking the Lake Shore Ltd. back the way I came. Or, I could wait until that night and leave at 9:45 pm for Washington, D.C. In the interest of time and ONO's sanity, I opted for the route to D.C. and then back up to Chicago. I was initially very upset by this change of plans, but it turned out to be a wonderful thing.
At first I tried to get out to Worcester, a city 40 miles west where we lived from 1-7 grades. Turned out I'd missed the last commuter train to Worcester for the day, AND I'd only have 3 hours with a car rental. I decided to go back to Bethany's room, run along the Esplanade, shower, eat some dinner and then get to the train station LONG before the train left.
What a FABULOUS run! It was sunny, not too cold, and the view of the Charles River and then the harbor was spectacular! I decided to venture into the downtown and look for historical stuff
that I hadn't had the chance to see the day before. I asked for a lot of directions and people were helpful. I ran up Charles Street to Boston Commons. Then I went back down Charles and circled around a big hill. Turns out it was Beacon Hill, and if you've heard anything about the homes there, it's all true. Here are some pics:
I don't know if you can make out the incline on this street. It was QUITE steep. Needless to say, I didn't try running up that hill. I wanted to enjoy my way home.
I found the Public Garden and snapped some pics there and then realized I was on Commonwealth Ave., and that took me right back to BU.
At 9:45 pm I got on the Northeast Regional and headed for DC. This train was a commuter train, with the seats much closer together and much less comfortable. It was difficult to sleep for that reason, and because the lights were never turned out. In the long run, it didn't matter because I was in our nation's capitol, and I had 9 hours there all to myself!
I swigged a giant mug of coffee, snarfed some Au Bon Pain, tidied up a bit in the very public bathroom, and stashed my bags for the day (and for $15). Then I headed out.
I spent about an hour wandering around the Capitol and the Supreme Court building. There were a LOT of security personnel and I could tell they didn't take much to wanderers. It was sad to me to see this and all the barricades, etc. I have been to DC a number of times since I was 12 and this really spoke to how things have changed in my lifetime.
After a while I pointed myself to where I thought the Smithsonian was. On the way, I happened upon the National Botanical Gardens and was in absolute heaven for about 2 hours! Many pics were taken and something of an important spiritual experience was had.
I also toured the new Native American museum, part of the Air & Space museum (had to take pics of space rockets for Brennan!) and finished off with one part of the National Art museum. Boy did my feet hurt, but what a wonderful day!
The train ride back was less enjoyable, mostly because I'd run out of food and cash, and was forced to sit next to a woman who was drunk and continued drinking from a wine bottle she'd stashed in her carry-on bag throughout the journey. Her mother had died and she was traveling to the funeral. That was sad but she wanted to talk (and talk, and talk) to me about it and I'm sorry! but I was on vacation! I almost asked the attendant to find me another seat but I found one late Monday night and stayed there the rest of the trip.
Despite the annoyances, the train itself was pretty cool. It was one of those double decker deals with a real dining car and sleeper cars. There was also a "Club Car," which had big comfy, swivel seats that you could turn towards the windows and chat with your cronies (if you were traveling with cronies).
I arrived back home at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, exhausted but very satisfied. It was a FABULOUS trip. My one big disappointment about the whole thing is that Carter played what turned out to be his last soccer game while I was gone. They lost in the first round of playoffs, although I heard they played very hard, and very well. I'm pretty sad about that. I really enjoyed watching him and the team play.
It took me a while to figure out what to do about missing the train. Unlike flying, this mode of transportation doesn't allow for rescheduling a couple of hours later.
My two options were waiting until Monday at noon and taking the Lake Shore Ltd. back the way I came. Or, I could wait until that night and leave at 9:45 pm for Washington, D.C. In the interest of time and ONO's sanity, I opted for the route to D.C. and then back up to Chicago. I was initially very upset by this change of plans, but it turned out to be a wonderful thing.
At first I tried to get out to Worcester, a city 40 miles west where we lived from 1-7 grades. Turned out I'd missed the last commuter train to Worcester for the day, AND I'd only have 3 hours with a car rental. I decided to go back to Bethany's room, run along the Esplanade, shower, eat some dinner and then get to the train station LONG before the train left.
What a FABULOUS run! It was sunny, not too cold, and the view of the Charles River and then the harbor was spectacular! I decided to venture into the downtown and look for historical stuff
that I hadn't had the chance to see the day before. I asked for a lot of directions and people were helpful. I ran up Charles Street to Boston Commons. Then I went back down Charles and circled around a big hill. Turns out it was Beacon Hill, and if you've heard anything about the homes there, it's all true. Here are some pics:I don't know if you can make out the incline on this street. It was QUITE steep. Needless to say, I didn't try running up that hill. I wanted to enjoy my way home.
I found the Public Garden and snapped some pics there and then realized I was on Commonwealth Ave., and that took me right back to BU.
At 9:45 pm I got on the Northeast Regional and headed for DC. This train was a commuter train, with the seats much closer together and much less comfortable. It was difficult to sleep for that reason, and because the lights were never turned out. In the long run, it didn't matter because I was in our nation's capitol, and I had 9 hours there all to myself!
I swigged a giant mug of coffee, snarfed some Au Bon Pain, tidied up a bit in the very public bathroom, and stashed my bags for the day (and for $15). Then I headed out.
I spent about an hour wandering around the Capitol and the Supreme Court building. There were a LOT of security personnel and I could tell they didn't take much to wanderers. It was sad to me to see this and all the barricades, etc. I have been to DC a number of times since I was 12 and this really spoke to how things have changed in my lifetime.
After a while I pointed myself to where I thought the Smithsonian was. On the way, I happened upon the National Botanical Gardens and was in absolute heaven for about 2 hours! Many pics were taken and something of an important spiritual experience was had.
I also toured the new Native American museum, part of the Air & Space museum (had to take pics of space rockets for Brennan!) and finished off with one part of the National Art museum. Boy did my feet hurt, but what a wonderful day!
The train ride back was less enjoyable, mostly because I'd run out of food and cash, and was forced to sit next to a woman who was drunk and continued drinking from a wine bottle she'd stashed in her carry-on bag throughout the journey. Her mother had died and she was traveling to the funeral. That was sad but she wanted to talk (and talk, and talk) to me about it and I'm sorry! but I was on vacation! I almost asked the attendant to find me another seat but I found one late Monday night and stayed there the rest of the trip.
Despite the annoyances, the train itself was pretty cool. It was one of those double decker deals with a real dining car and sleeper cars. There was also a "Club Car," which had big comfy, swivel seats that you could turn towards the windows and chat with your cronies (if you were traveling with cronies).
I arrived back home at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, exhausted but very satisfied. It was a FABULOUS trip. My one big disappointment about the whole thing is that Carter played what turned out to be his last soccer game while I was gone. They lost in the first round of playoffs, although I heard they played very hard, and very well. I'm pretty sad about that. I really enjoyed watching him and the team play.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Travelin' Fool Part 1
I had the opportunity to visit Bethany during parents' weekend at Boston University.....so I went!
I chose Amtrak as my mode of transportation for a number of reasons:
1. Traveling this way would give me at least 48 hours of alone time to read, sleep (or so I thought), and just look out the window if that's what I chose to do.
2. Traveling by train is slightly cheaper than flying.
3. Most importantly, traveling by train would mean NOT needing to be shot with a tranquilizer gun in order to arrive at my destination. Yes, I'm afraid of flying -- a bona fide phobia. Isn't that ironic?? Yeah. A therapist with a phobia.
So, I drove to the tiny town of Dwight, IL, smack dab in the middle of the state, and hopped on the Lincoln Service 304 to Chicago around 7:30 pm. I've been to Union Station many times so that was a cinch. I got on the Lakeshore Limited 48 at 10:00 pm and we headed east. I was fortunate to have a row (2 seats) to myself so I could kinda stretch out and I did sleep a bit.
Most folks kept to themselves, but in a friendly sort of way. I did have a few nice gentlemen offer to help me with my bags. The train ride was very interesting, mostly due to novelty. It was clean, including the bathrooms, and the train attendants were friendly and helpful. Here's what I saw if I was only looking forward:
By daylight we were in the eastern part of Ohio. I have to say,
the route along the Erie and Ontario great lakes, and then the rolling wooded and farm lands in Pennsylvania, New York state and western Massachusetts provided me with some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in a long time.
Here are some pics I snapped from the train. They by NO MEANS do it justice -- what I saw was absolutely stunning! Add the sound track to Into the Wild and those few hours were nearly idyllic.
At 3:30 pm, the next day, I switched trains in Albany, NY and finished the trip out with 6 more hours of train ride into Boston.
Bethany met me at the main train station in downtown Boston around 10 pm. We dragged my bags down a bunch of flights of stairs and got on the "T," yet another train! It was a brief, but CROWDED, ride to her stop near where Commonwealth Ave. and the Mass turnpike meet. It's right on the Charles River and you can hear the sculling coaches starting at 7 am in the morning. I called them the "yellers."
The next day we rolled out of bed at the crack of.....late morning. We met her friends and had late breakfast, early lunch (i.e., brunch) in one of the BU cafeterias. The food wasn't that bad!
Then she took me on a tour of west campus. I saw her school and one of the administration buildings.....this school has a LOT of money.
Off to Newbury St. for some shopping, the Boston Public Library, which has some stunning architecture and art, hopped the "T" to Cambridge and walked around there, back on the "T" to downtown.
Apparently the Boston Transit ("T") System is the oldest in the USA, as announced in this mosaic at one of the stations:
We happened upon a open air fruit and veggie market and bought a box of strawberries for $1. We mosied through Faneuil Hall and Marketplace.
Here I am at one of the many "You are here" red pin markers -- very clever!
By late afternoon/early evening we landed at the open common area near the Government Center where a giant pumpkin festival was taking place. I have never seen SO many jack-o-lanterns in one place at one time....literally hundreds -- maybe one thousand! It was very, very cool, and the proceeds went to support a pediatric illness foundation. Here are some of my favorite pics:
By 9 pm we got back to Bethany's room and I thought I was done for the day but we ended up going to see the 10 pm showing of "W." It was ok -- not a GREAT movie but pretty good.
Our plan for Sunday morning was to get up early, work out in BU's FitRec Center, have brunch in the "good" cafeteria where you could get a crepe and/or omellette made to order, and then get me to the train by noon for the return trip. It's a
good thing I'm flexible because we ended up sleeping in (despite the "yellers"), walking a bit on the Esplanade and seeing some scullers and then having scrambled eggs and a muffin at the "good" cafeteria.
Even though we adjusted the schedule, I arrived at the gate at 12:03, and I watched as the Lake Short Ltd. pulled out of the station.
To be continued.....
I chose Amtrak as my mode of transportation for a number of reasons:
1. Traveling this way would give me at least 48 hours of alone time to read, sleep (or so I thought), and just look out the window if that's what I chose to do.
2. Traveling by train is slightly cheaper than flying.
3. Most importantly, traveling by train would mean NOT needing to be shot with a tranquilizer gun in order to arrive at my destination. Yes, I'm afraid of flying -- a bona fide phobia. Isn't that ironic?? Yeah. A therapist with a phobia.
So, I drove to the tiny town of Dwight, IL, smack dab in the middle of the state, and hopped on the Lincoln Service 304 to Chicago around 7:30 pm. I've been to Union Station many times so that was a cinch. I got on the Lakeshore Limited 48 at 10:00 pm and we headed east. I was fortunate to have a row (2 seats) to myself so I could kinda stretch out and I did sleep a bit.
Most folks kept to themselves, but in a friendly sort of way. I did have a few nice gentlemen offer to help me with my bags. The train ride was very interesting, mostly due to novelty. It was clean, including the bathrooms, and the train attendants were friendly and helpful. Here's what I saw if I was only looking forward:
By daylight we were in the eastern part of Ohio. I have to say, the route along the Erie and Ontario great lakes, and then the rolling wooded and farm lands in Pennsylvania, New York state and western Massachusetts provided me with some of the most beautiful scenery I've seen in a long time.
Here are some pics I snapped from the train. They by NO MEANS do it justice -- what I saw was absolutely stunning! Add the sound track to Into the Wild and those few hours were nearly idyllic.At 3:30 pm, the next day, I switched trains in Albany, NY and finished the trip out with 6 more hours of train ride into Boston.
Bethany met me at the main train station in downtown Boston around 10 pm. We dragged my bags down a bunch of flights of stairs and got on the "T," yet another train! It was a brief, but CROWDED, ride to her stop near where Commonwealth Ave. and the Mass turnpike meet. It's right on the Charles River and you can hear the sculling coaches starting at 7 am in the morning. I called them the "yellers."
The next day we rolled out of bed at the crack of.....late morning. We met her friends and had late breakfast, early lunch (i.e., brunch) in one of the BU cafeterias. The food wasn't that bad!
Then she took me on a tour of west campus. I saw her school and one of the administration buildings.....this school has a LOT of money.
Off to Newbury St. for some shopping, the Boston Public Library, which has some stunning architecture and art, hopped the "T" to Cambridge and walked around there, back on the "T" to downtown.
Apparently the Boston Transit ("T") System is the oldest in the USA, as announced in this mosaic at one of the stations:
We happened upon a open air fruit and veggie market and bought a box of strawberries for $1. We mosied through Faneuil Hall and Marketplace.
Here I am at one of the many "You are here" red pin markers -- very clever!
By late afternoon/early evening we landed at the open common area near the Government Center where a giant pumpkin festival was taking place. I have never seen SO many jack-o-lanterns in one place at one time....literally hundreds -- maybe one thousand! It was very, very cool, and the proceeds went to support a pediatric illness foundation. Here are some of my favorite pics:
By 9 pm we got back to Bethany's room and I thought I was done for the day but we ended up going to see the 10 pm showing of "W." It was ok -- not a GREAT movie but pretty good.
Our plan for Sunday morning was to get up early, work out in BU's FitRec Center, have brunch in the "good" cafeteria where you could get a crepe and/or omellette made to order, and then get me to the train by noon for the return trip. It's a
good thing I'm flexible because we ended up sleeping in (despite the "yellers"), walking a bit on the Esplanade and seeing some scullers and then having scrambled eggs and a muffin at the "good" cafeteria. Even though we adjusted the schedule, I arrived at the gate at 12:03, and I watched as the Lake Short Ltd. pulled out of the station.
To be continued.....
Thursday, October 23, 2008
What I did on my vacation.....
Contemplated
Relied on the kindness of strangers
Soaked up my surroundings
Captured beauty
Experienced spiritual awe
Ran
Adjusted my expectations
Listened
Stretched myself
Sat
Doesn't too exciting? It was perfect for me.
I traveled to Boston to visit the college muffin (who is very college-y). I had not been away, by myself, overnight for 3 1/2 years.
I should do this more often.
Pics and more details to come. I just have to get back into the swing of things.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Staring down Middle Age
A couple of days ago I turned 45.
FORTY-FIVE.
That sounds really, REALLY old to me. Like empty-nest-near-retirement old. Well, I'm close to that....I mean, I DO have a kid in college and another very close behind. And I AM thinking about retirement, every now and then, when I'm not thinking about how to pay for college. That alone causes wrinkles and gray hair!
But then I also have these mini-muffins and most of their friends' parents are 10 to 15 years younger than me. We do a lot of "younger people" stuff (not even sure what that is, but whatever).
I try not to think about it too much and usually there's just too much to do and keep track of to dwell on my aging.
Most of the time I feel GOOD (read "young"), but I do get a shock when I look in the mirror -- especially when I first wake up, and just before I go to bed, and at various times during the day. OK. Pretty much all the time I look in the mirror. Like John Mellencamp says: "I look in the mirror.....what the hell happened to me?!"
So, everyday I reach into my "don't look too old yet" arsenal and pull out the various weapons in there: the hydroxy skin cream, the tinted moisturizer with retinol, my hair stylist/colorist, "artful" make-up application, youngish-looking clothing (but not TOO young looking because I don't want to be a joke), glasses (when the bags under my eyes are especially heavy), and of course, a pretty good diet and exercise regime. Particularly running.
I do think both the teens and the minis keep me young. You have to be sharp and active to stay on top of it all. But the running gives me that little extra "something." It gives me challenges that I can overcome most of the time. And although I'm not very fast, I'm plucky, and I keep at it. Doggedly. Just like I will with all the rest of the stuff that makes up this life. A life that is very rich and for which I am very grateful.
So I'll stare down Middle Age, but with a smile. Because I'm pretty sure that's a big part of aging gracefully.
FORTY-FIVE.
That sounds really, REALLY old to me. Like empty-nest-near-retirement old. Well, I'm close to that....I mean, I DO have a kid in college and another very close behind. And I AM thinking about retirement, every now and then, when I'm not thinking about how to pay for college. That alone causes wrinkles and gray hair!
But then I also have these mini-muffins and most of their friends' parents are 10 to 15 years younger than me. We do a lot of "younger people" stuff (not even sure what that is, but whatever).
I try not to think about it too much and usually there's just too much to do and keep track of to dwell on my aging.
Most of the time I feel GOOD (read "young"), but I do get a shock when I look in the mirror -- especially when I first wake up, and just before I go to bed, and at various times during the day. OK. Pretty much all the time I look in the mirror. Like John Mellencamp says: "I look in the mirror.....what the hell happened to me?!"
So, everyday I reach into my "don't look too old yet" arsenal and pull out the various weapons in there: the hydroxy skin cream, the tinted moisturizer with retinol, my hair stylist/colorist, "artful" make-up application, youngish-looking clothing (but not TOO young looking because I don't want to be a joke), glasses (when the bags under my eyes are especially heavy), and of course, a pretty good diet and exercise regime. Particularly running.
I do think both the teens and the minis keep me young. You have to be sharp and active to stay on top of it all. But the running gives me that little extra "something." It gives me challenges that I can overcome most of the time. And although I'm not very fast, I'm plucky, and I keep at it. Doggedly. Just like I will with all the rest of the stuff that makes up this life. A life that is very rich and for which I am very grateful.
So I'll stare down Middle Age, but with a smile. Because I'm pretty sure that's a big part of aging gracefully.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Running etiquette
You're running on the road (there's no sidewalk), and you're struggling up a decent-sized hill, having already gone 5 miles, and a funeral procession comes by. What do you do?
Out of respect for the dead I wondered if the proper thing was to stop running and stand there until the procession was finished. But, out of respect for the nearly dead (myself),
I kept going -- slightly shame-faced. I just kept my eyes on the ground, about 10 feet ahead, and trudged on. Was this bad form?
BTW, today's mileage was 8.5. A little raggedy towards the end, but I went the distance. That 10K coming up should be a piece of cake!!
Out of respect for the dead I wondered if the proper thing was to stop running and stand there until the procession was finished. But, out of respect for the nearly dead (myself),
I kept going -- slightly shame-faced. I just kept my eyes on the ground, about 10 feet ahead, and trudged on. Was this bad form?BTW, today's mileage was 8.5. A little raggedy towards the end, but I went the distance. That 10K coming up should be a piece of cake!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
The commentators must have ODed
on Sarah Palin's folksy-ness. That HAS to be the reason because there is no other way she could be see as doing well at last night's debate.
I'm sorry, people, but you do not do well in a debate by consistently answering questions that were not asked.
OK. I'll give you that she came out on the offensive (not sure that's a good thing, actually), and that she didn't stumble on her answers. But if that has become the definition of doing well in a debate, then we, as a people, have sunk pretty low.
It's like a teacher asking a student to solve a math problem and the student proceeds to go through the spelling list. If you were a teacher, would you pass said student? Or would you suggest the student be assessed for a possible learning disability?
I'm just as disappointed in Sen. Biden. Although he managed to keep his answers "crisp" and "to the point," he let himself get hooked by Palin's non-answers. I guess I was hoping for a dialogue -- the kind of conversation that actually goes back and forth, wherein you hear the positions on each issue compared and contrasted. So sue me for wanting a higher level of representation!
In the long run, it doesn't really matter. I still know who I'm voting for.
I'm sorry, people, but you do not do well in a debate by consistently answering questions that were not asked.
OK. I'll give you that she came out on the offensive (not sure that's a good thing, actually), and that she didn't stumble on her answers. But if that has become the definition of doing well in a debate, then we, as a people, have sunk pretty low.
It's like a teacher asking a student to solve a math problem and the student proceeds to go through the spelling list. If you were a teacher, would you pass said student? Or would you suggest the student be assessed for a possible learning disability?
I'm just as disappointed in Sen. Biden. Although he managed to keep his answers "crisp" and "to the point," he let himself get hooked by Palin's non-answers. I guess I was hoping for a dialogue -- the kind of conversation that actually goes back and forth, wherein you hear the positions on each issue compared and contrasted. So sue me for wanting a higher level of representation!
In the long run, it doesn't really matter. I still know who I'm voting for.
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