I can't believe that I've taken so long to post these pictures. In March, Bob and I got to go to Boston! We stayed with Christian and Tara. Tara had arranged everything to make sure we were pampered, had the royal tour of the city, and had a wonderful time.
I rode on the subway for the first time. It was fun!
Daniel is a veteran of all things "big-city". The subway was just an everyday thing for him. He had his scooter and still didn't lose his balance. I was trying not to lose mine the whole time.
We went along the "Freedom Trail", starting with a ferry ride.
I wanted a picture of these three Amish men, but I wasn't sure they would want me taking pictures, so I just held my camera in my hand (without looking in it) and nonchalantly snapped a few pictures.
The
U.S.S. Constitution, known as "Old Ironsides". It is still considered an active ship in our Navy.
Bob found a new hero at the Bunker Hill Monument. We'd never learned about Dr. Joseph Warren before.
Here's the start of the stairs up the
Bunker Hill Monument - we hiked all the way up and down - 294 steps! My legs were sore for a few days.
Anna started getting fussy, and would only be happy with Christian carrying her upside down. She stayed this way for a long time.
Union Oyster House, the oldest continually open restaurant - many of the founders probably gathered here. (Click on the link - it is quite interesting!)
We heard that there was going to be a re-enactment of the Boston Massacre that evening, and were trying to figure out how to change our plans to be there that evening at that time (we had planned to come later, and Tara had arranged for a babysitter). We walked up to the Old State House, and were happy to find out that they were practicing the reenactment at that very moment. We were standing right there, and didn't have to brave the crowds later in the evening.
Visited a neat cemetery where Sam Adams, John Hancock, and many other famous men are buried. Amazing!
John Hancock's gravesite
That evening, we dined on delicious Italian cuisine at Giacomo's. We waited in line for about an hour, but it was worth it. I ordered the butternut squash ravioli. Yum! It was fun to have a date night with Christian and Tara.
The next day we visited Walden Pond. I had been reading Walden on the plane ride - it is one of Bob's favorite books. It was such a beautiful place.
Thoreau meets iPhone. Now we know how he lived at Walden for so long.
We had a picnic at the North Bridge. This was my favorite site of the
whole trip. It was so neat to be in the spot where the Colonists
finally said "we've had enough". Where they finally stood up to a
tyrannical government and decided that freedom was worth fighting for.
We walked along the battle road where the colonists fought the British.
The last day I was there, Tara took us to a charming town - Rockport. We walked out on a rocky pier, saw a lobster boat and lighthouses, and visited a candy shop where Tara bought salt water taffy and Boston baked beans for us to take home to our kids.
She had planned to have us eat lobster from an adorable lobster shack there at the beach, but it was still closed for the season! So, we ate at Five Guys Burgers instead. We looked at their bags of potatoes from Idaho and noticed that they were farmed by our neighbor! The burgers were delicious and I've craved Five Guys several times since then.
Then they took me to the airport. I made it on to my plane, and through a transfer in Chicago without getting lost. My sweet Dad picked me up in SLC and I spent the night at my parent's home before driving home with Jace and Spencer who had just spent a fun weekend with my parents.
He got to visit the site of the Boston Tea Party,
and drive to New Hampshire to see a maple farm, and eat pancakes with real maple syrup.
Christian and Tara, thanks so much for giving us this amazing trip with wonderful memories. We can't wait until next time we can visit!
