Monday- winding down to go home.

I always try to take the kids somewhere educational/interesting on our trips to MA.We have been to the Childrens museum- Plymouth Plantation & the Mayflower in other years. & The Boston Museum of Science 2 years ago. We were going to check out the Salem Witch museum. But it would have meant driving back up to Salem on the day before going back to VA & of course I didnt want to do that! My mother was not imterested in going & I had thought she was so right after we had arrived on the eleventh & discovered that she didn't want to acompany us Lois & I began tossing ideas around as to where we should go.The Aquarium was the hands down favorite!I was especialy exited to see an Imax film since the last time I'd seen one I was pregnant with Valerie! We picked the wrong day to take the subway but the right day to go to the Aquarium! It was beastly hot & the Boston subway system is not even remotely air conditioned! You are pushing it to even hope for an air conditioned train in Bost!
on!

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Sunday

We left Anns in the late morning & went to my Mother's house.We waited for my uncle to appear.He lives on an Island & we were supposed to go to dinner. So we thought he'd show up around 4 or 5. at 6 we started to wonder where he was. By 7 my mother decided to call his cell phone. she got voice mail. She left a message & we gave him annother 1/2 hour & went to dinner. The next day my mother got an email from my uncle apologizing for not being able to get in touch. aparently there was a storm which took out phones etc he said he was emaling from work because he had no services at home still. The reason he didn't show up was that he just moved there & didn't have his island resident status ironed out & couldn't get a space on the ferry!He did state in his email though that we're welcome to come visit him next year on the island. I'm excited- I've barely even been to Cape Cod & have never been to the islands at all. The only Island I've been on ever is Swans Island Maine.& only !
for a day!

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Last Day In Mass Visiting the Aquarium
Of course, I forgot how much fun it is to go to the aquarium via subway especialy since this was a week after the airport tunnel ceiling panel collapsed. Coming from the South Shore we took a redline train to Boston & then changed to the orange line at Downtown Crossing & then, after 1 stop on the orange line to the blue line each stop required a wait of about 15 minutes in a Hot dark tunnel.Normal operations were disrupted due to the airport tunnel closing & unintelligible voices were saying that the blue line trains were not 'mmpph mmpph'it turned out that the trains were not running past the Airport which is a couple of stops past the Aquarium where we were getting off the train. So off we went the harbour seals were great- I now know more than I ever wanted to know about jellyfish! & the big tank in the center is still my favorite part! The kids enjoyed it Lois most of all I think Val finaly got her souvenier t shirt there too!We then faced a predicament- it was 430 pm we had 2 either get on a train or stay in Boston until rush hour was over!

Are you sick of hearing about Boston yet?

After checking out books & getting a Harvard shirt so I don't look out of place on college sports day at work.We went on the subway to Downtown Crossing & walked up to the Common - by mutual agreement we did not walk over to the Swan Boats {Lois & I both read Steven King's Cell this year & the begining is set near the Swan Boats}we sat on the grass & talked then we walked back to Quincy Mkt. & did more shopping & then went to dinner. The dinner was ok. Not as great as I would have hoped but perfectly acceptable in spite of it being served by an anorexic who looked visibly pained at serving food to us! We then hurried back to North Station to get the 655 train back to Haverhill. Once there we did laundry & got our stuff packed up to go & said our goodbyes to Jonathan. The next day we went to Phils & said goodbye to her. Then we went to my cousin Jens house.It was really cool getting to see her & really sit down & talk with her for the first time in years- 10 years at least!

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Boston some more...

After everyone insisted they were starving to death we decided to go over to Quincy Market first & have brunch- not a fair name since we had all had breakfast before we left on the train. But my kids didn't feel like they had had enough to eat at breakfast & so we walked over to get something to eat.Cam had the obligatory hot dog. Lois had 'chicken sinatra' Val had a greek salad & I had a bowl of lobster bisque. Lois has a tradition of getting a strawberry shortcake concoction from Carol Ann Bakery.The little ones & I had chocolate chip cookies from The Boston Chipyard.Then we looked around at a bunch of stuff & decided to go over to Harvard Square, we checked out the coop though my mother had said that it wasn't the same since Barnes & Noble took it over! It wasn't bad but then it had to have been at least 14 years since I'd been there at all- & since the last time I was there was on a double date with my ex & friends. Even Lois had never been there at all & had no point of!
reference.

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Boston continued..

In the reverse aspect I don't recall anyone ever pointing out the city of Boston like I do to Val & Cam! & they're always impressed too! The other things which were or are pointed out are in Virginia stunning views, in Mass stunning houses- That was more my grandmother & uncle who pointed those out to me! Immediately after getting off the train I was informed of the need for a bathroom by everyone. After repeating Phils oft heard mantra 'there are no bathrooms in North Station' a few times I found no one was buying it so I asked & found there IS a bathroom there{I knew there was one there during the renovations back in the 90's.} after waiting in line for an interminable amount of time & being line jumped by some grandmother from Wisconsin *ugh* we were releived & found ourselves at the sports shop. Lois & I got Bruins shirts which was part of the plan. Val & Cam got pencils & a stuffed bear.Then we were off! arguing about where to go first & if we were walking or taking a !
subway!

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Boston for the Day.

I rode on the train with Cameron he looked at railroad tracks & ocasional other trains on the trip. I blogged & tried to point out areas of interest but a lot of buildings have been taken down to make room for new ones.So many of my 'points of interest' {random to say the least} were not there. Cam still is young enough to get excited by things like large bodies of water so all was not lost! While thinking about this I remembered taking a trip to Maine with my Father & Brother when I was 16 & Ben was twelve & my Father verbally mourning our young childhoods- reminising about how when we were younger he'd point out cows, interesting signs etc. along the way. but that now {back in 1986} we were not impressed & often didn't even hear him due to our walkmans.As my kids age I'm begining to understand how he felt. I'm also struck by the differences & similarities in what we point out. Growing up in rural Virginia my kids would think I had lost it if I pointed out a cow to them! co!
ntinued...

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Wednesday. Our Day in Boston.

We had a couple of choices to make on taking a train to Boston, We could've gotten up fairly early & taken a train at 845 am. Or a train which left Haverhill at 1023. We're not morning people as a general rule & while on vacation we've been getting very bad about staying up late & getting up even later. So the 1023 was the obvious choice especialy since the earlier train is considered a commuter train & I try not to inflict The kids on comuters! the train had already arrived from Boston & was finishing up with the discharging of passengers when we got up to the platform. Much to Camerons dismay the train was getting ready to pull out of the station- Not to leave but to turn around Cam thought it was leaving without us & got very upset. I explained about the train needing to switch tracks & he was ok with that. We waited a few minutes & it came back we got on & rode to Boston. The ride in was ok-Not so much graffitti as when I was a teen & went back & forth north shore to sou!
th often.

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Annother Day Annother Boring Trip with Mom!

Because we were so busy at the beach on Monday I designated Tuesday as a quiet day. we spent the morning with Phil visiting & helping her go through some boxes of craft stuff to eliminate some things she says she won't use anymore {which means we got some new craft stuff & some cool halloween decorations!}Then we went to lunch at Ari's & got subs & I drove around while the kids ate & parked at the stadium park & while I ate Val & Cam played on the playground & Lois complained. About what, I don't remember but bitching was done! Then we went around to the back of the stadium & walked down to the rivers edge. The girls stayed on the steps with me but Cam got right into the mud & would have gone in the water if I hadn't stopped him. after annother drive over backroads which I've loved for years we went to Phils & brought her out to go to Markeys for lobster, steamers & as a change Cam had a cheeseburger! After we took a ride thru Salisbury to see the summer place her grandpare!
nts built.

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More of Monday Continued...

I forgot to mention that we also had fried dough & fresh lemonade during our first break from swimming. When we went back to the water they immediately began surfing with the boogie boards & had a great time riding some of the biggest waves I've ever seen outside of a winter storm & I've lived year round at the beach twice.After annother 2 hours or so Cam was cold again & so we went back & checked out the rest of the stores. After going through them we went back to swim 1 last time & it ended after 3 hours more! When we were all ready to leave we went to dinner at a place called the Sylvan st Grill. I had been there before once & wanted to try it again. The little ones liked it because the kid's meals came with deserts- Lois & I liked that to because it gave us the option to have desert too- we shared a slice of triple layer chocolate cake & it was excelent.as was the whole meal- I just can't remember what we had!

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