Winging it in...Boston!

You’re gonna need a bigger boat…
Or possibly not for the Charles River; despite the fact it is 80 miles long, although only 26 miles from its source to the sea and flowing through 14 cities (towns), it does not, I am fairly certain contain man eating sharks. Having said this, a little more space would have been appreciated for the hour I spent aboard this afternoon.

However, I should start at the very beginning (as has been said before, “a very good place to start”) of my busy and long anticipated weekend. I have been planning all the activities from this weekend for a good few weeks and it just so happened that they all occurred over the same 48 hour period. It started, as any busy weekend should with a adult education class- “Cupcakes and Cocktails”. I know, I don’t cook, ever. Unless you include toast. Turns out most people don’t. So, I don’t cook. Yet, for some reason this seemed like a fun way to spend a Friday night. I am though, a big fan of amaretto, so anyone that starts an evening class telling me that they are “super fun” and will be making birthday cake shots flavored with amaretto is onto a winner. I was also very much into the cooking and baking whereby I got to watch other people do the work and still get to eat and drink the results. This didn’t last for as long as I would have liked, and I did eventually get called on to make fruit compote and a separate bourbon/ espresso topping. I think I managed to sufficiently impress everyone with my superior stirring skills, I could be a teaspoon wielding professional.

By this point the liquor was starting to kick in, most people in the class were getting to the slightly loud, giggly stage and plans where people would head out to next were beginning to develop. I seem to have bypassed this step completely and was already at the “I’m just going to take two Excedrin and put my head on this table” step in the process. Apparently I am just too old to be out later than 8:30pm on a Friday night. Again, this didn’t bode well for the next time I was called on, to ice the sangria cupcakes. I think my efforts at piping frosting should be blamed on the alcohol because quite honestly anyone that can be as cack-handed and make as much of a mess as I did needs some excuse, and that is the best I can come up with.

I can completely justify the mess my cupcakes were in when they arrived home on the subway, I’m not sure about everyone else in the class, but I’m just going to live on in the hope that I never meet them again… or that they also live on the Green Line and took the T home. Due to an earlier problem a number of trains had been canceled, meaning the subway stations was jam packed and then some. The trains were full to bursting and when they finally did arrive in the station they were operating on a one off one on policy. I did honestly think I was going to have to balance the box of cupcakes on my head… Not a good plan- this is where my mangled mess stopped being important. For some reason, known only unto himself (although I’m sure if I had thought to ask he would have told me- he did talk continually for 3 ½ hours) the guy teaching the class had some strange Jell-o fetish going on, and added it to everything! The heat, the wait and squash on the subway caused it all to melt. After a few minutes I started to feel soggy cardboard from the box, then my fingers felt sticky, then my shirt started to feel damp where the box was pressed into me, and finally liquid, multi-colored Jell-o started to trickle down my shirt. However bad the cupcakes had looked after I frosted them, they were now gelatinous mulch, and my belt has an interesting stain round the buckle. I think there is nothing left to do, but call it a successful night, write out my learning statement (always working- I have learned not to bake cupcakes including vodka Jell-o and then take the subway home as they will make an embarrassing mess) and book a place on the holiday cookie class.

Saturday was the boat ride day! The long awaited boat trip on the Charles has been in the planning since cheap tickets were announced at the start of August, it really has just taken that long to find a weekend into which it will slot and a time that is appropriate for playing about on the river. I have to say it was a very pleasant trip. It was a 60 minute cruise around the Charles River Basin, and the multi-taking bar man took over the microphone (thank you Kevin) pointed out the most historic sights of Boston and Cambridge. Having done a few trips to various places now, and sat through a tour or two (I am now looking forward to a Duck Tour (land and sea on the same vessel)) It was fairly easy to spot Beacon Hill, Esplanade Park, the Back Bay, Boston University, M.I.T. and Harvard. This week you don’t even have to prepare yourself for the history lesson, I figure I have told you all about these place over the last few months and if you wanted to know, you probably read it then J. Also, I was still nursing the headache that had required the Excedrin at 6:30pm on Friday night and was less than on the ball, so I probably missed most of the exciting facts.

Saturday was a great day weatherwise. The sky was a gorgeous blue, with a few white, fluffy cumulus clouds bobbing around like cotton wool balls, the sun was shining, it was a delightful 77F, and out on the river a light wind was blowing. Just right for taking photos, listening to someone talking about the history of Boston and Cambridge, watching the sail dinghies and row boats that BU and MIT had out on the water. One of those days when you have to love living here and being a part of the city. There is a big regatta coming up during October for all the schools and colleges in the area, and Boston is nothing if not academic, with Harvard, BU and MIT all within about a mile of each other- not to mention the other smaller schools bringing the number of colleges in the Greater Boston area to somewhere about the 150 mark. It does also mean that just over 1/3 of all the residents in Boston are college students. Nonetheless, this is one more event that will go into the diary and I shall endeavor to watch some of it.

Unfortunately I didn’t really make the most of the last few hours of the day light and the perfectness of being outside. Having been running during the morning, I had experienced a totally gorgeous start to the day, but think I may have gotten a bit too dehydrated, and never did really shake the headache from Friday night. Determined to continue fitting in all my weekend experiences and to enjoy the Sunday trip to “Literary Lights” at Boston Public Library on Sunday I headed home for bed and spent the evening sleeping- I am so rock and roll.

Literary Lights is an event held at the Boston Public Library and to raise awareness of Children’s literature, promote literacy, honor children’s authors, and raise money for the Library’s children’s services and collections. Four students selected from Boston area schools introduce and present the awards to each of the honored authors. The honorees then discuss their writing careers and share their love of books with the audience before moving on to the book signing segment of the day. This year the authors were Jerry Spinelli, Karen Hess, Grace Lim, and Neil Gaiman (who appeared to have sparkly, blue hair). All the authors are ones that we study in school and make it onto the class reading list at some level, and it was great to see some of the children there.

I’m not really sure what the actual award looked like but it came in a very nice Tiffany box, which is actually playing a part in making me consider my career choice. I’m definitely liking the idea of free Tiffany sparkle! If only my English teachers had told me I could be getting free trips abroad, and free jewelry I would have paid a lot more attention in class. Now, I’m off to write a children’s book!

Winging it in...Boston!

I meant to come sooner. I'm sorry I did not. I've been kept occupied.
So I hear: amusing the king.

I know Halloween is still a good few weeks away, but having gotten so excited about costumes and dressing up this weekend provided an opportunity to try and get it out of my system. Saturday, as hoped, was a bright and sunny day, and when the sun was out (which was most of the day) a very pleasant temperature, which meant it was perfect weather for King Richard’s Faire! Having been to renaissance festivals in the past I was more than a little excited at the prospect of going again- and to a the New England one.

Not only can you get dressed up in any number or varieties of costume- they really don’t have to be linked to any kind of renaissance in any way, Robin Hood, Victorian finery, stilt walking leprechauns, large headed unicorns, devils, and cyborgs to name but a few - you can buy garlands of flowers to adorn your hair (yes, I did. I buy them every year), watch the jousting, swoon over medieval knights- although I have a suspicion one of them was called Eric, watch numerous beggars compete in mud drinking competitions and enjoy wenching songs. Really, there is something for everyone.

The whole festival is set up around a village showground- it has real buildings and pathways, but it is only in use for eight weekends a year. It includes artisan stalls and shops and lots of food on sticks- well at least they say it is… I was most disappointed to see it served on plates and with plastic eating implements. Amoung the non stick related food you can and will be parted form your money by fantastic glass blowing, portrait painting, hand-spun pottery, sword making, sparkly jewelry- with a lot of celtic themes-, leather and armor, period clothing, moccasins, perfumes and scented oils, face painting, and psychic readings. Don’t be fooled by the Psychic- they are less psychic than you might think. Although with a name like Joyce Smith I should have seen that one coming- but then I don’t claim to be psychic!

I did however; get so excited at the prospect of costumes and fancy dress that I procured a pirate outfit at the Halloween costume store on the way home. It was intended for fancy dress day at school just before Halloween, but on closer inspection is a little shorter than the image on the front of the package suggests- I am now wondering if I can just wear stripy leggings underneath it for work- after all it is Halloween, people should be prepared to be scared, so I think I’ll give it a go.

Winging it in...Boston!

Cursed pirates sail these waters. You want to call them down on us?

Well, I have no idea if there were actually pirates here in Marblehead, but if I were a pirate (and I am actually considering it as a career move) I think the natural harbor and sheer amount of small boats moored here would act as the perfect cover for a little rum smuggling. Mental note to self- check if pirates still smuggle rum before embarking on new career. So, today saw an overcast and breezy (read chilly) day out to the North of Boston. Marblehead is famous for its contributions to the American Revolution and Civil War. It was Sailors from Marblehead who rowed Washington’s assault force across the Delaware River for his lucky attack on Trenton during the Revolution. I am still convinced that the only reason for Washington’s success in that battle was luck more than judgment, but that is nothing to do with the skill of the boatmen, who I am sure, where only following orders.

I have to say Marblehead is a small and quaint little town with very little in the way of tourism, although the fact is that it is now out of season, and if not for the dramatic rocky ledges overlooking the natural harbor it would have little other than being an affluent commuter town. As it stands though, the views do make it worth a visit and are quite amazing. The guide books do warn about limited parking and this was actually an issue, despite being grey and cloudy. One can still see the some of the remnants of the fortifications built by the British in 1644, and it was here that the USS Constitution was protected and defended in the War of 1812. Despite being seen mainly from a moving car, the houses, most with plaques honoring past sea captains and their endeavors lined the narrow, winding streets and made for an interesting, if short visit.

Marblehead is not surprising, very like Salem, the next stop along the northern shore. While Salem maybe better known for the witch trials and the Arthur Miller play, “The Crucible” it did in fact spend many years as a flourishing seaport, something which can be seen from the abandoned wharfs and the lines of sea captains homes, as echoed in Marblehead. At this time of the year, more than at any other, it is the Puritanical self-righteousness that is attracting the tourist attention as the town gears itself up for the spooky Halloween festivities… (I’m off to get my costume sorted out early this year!)

Winging it in...Boston!

Summer's almost over. It's sad, isn't it? Makes you want to - I don't know - reach out and hold it back.
Labor Day is upon us, and while it is a great long weekend, it also officially the end of the summer. I finished it off in style though with a trip out to The Cape (or The Cod, for those in the know!) The plans for this weekend have been a bit up in the air for the last few days with the promise (or threat) of Hurricane Earl blowing in off the Atlantic. I had been wondering where I was living, temperatures of 102F and hurricanes in September… for a few freaky days I have been thinking I was back in Houston, TX! I think I scared myself even more by referring to it as “…back home…” today! By the time the storm actually hit it had been downgraded to a tropical storm and in true form was a bit of wind and rain for an hour or so overnight. For all their snow and ice, and being able to deal with severe winter storms I have to say there was a lot of New England fuss over nothing this time. This does mean I did get a day out in Plymouth (of rock fame) and Falmouth.

The drive out took longer than I thought. When I started planning the trip (pre-storms) I was thinking everyone would be heading out to The Cape on Friday night after work- thus, I planned to leave on Saturday after brunch, thinking I would miss the traffic. Unfortunately, over the last few days everyone had left, boarded up houses, pulled boats out the harbor and placed sandbags in all the necessary places (what were these people doing- everyone knows all you need in colander, a cork screw and few good bottles of white… J)nonetheless, preparations had been made and houses vacated. So, by 11am this morning when I was thinking of leaving, so was everyone else. The storm had gone and they wanted to get home and enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend. Traffic, tailbacks and queues…

Falmouth is a relative small town of about 30,000 people, and I have say I could quite happily make it 30,001 and move there, but it really would take me far too long to get to work of a morning. It is a very cute and quaint town, surrounded by water on two sides and incredibly picturesque and charming. Even today with slightly rougher seas and the occasional guest of wind the inlets, bays and beaches looked inviting (not enough to get me in a swimsuit and sitting on the sand, but enough for a wistful glance). The Main Street has the usual assortment of gift shoppes, Old World Pubs and the churches overlooking the park, but today the perfect weather, the blue skies and the cute charm made it a place you wanted to linger over an ice cream and people watch for a whole afternoon- alas it was not to be. The drive back to Boston, despite the extra time I had allowed, was as I had expected and over much faster. While people were in a hurry to get out there this morning the prospect of not needing to be back at work until Tuesday was keeping people out there all weekend. I will say that I am glad I’m not heading back to town then!
Sunday was a very definitive autumnal morning. I was out running, the air was clear and crisp, and refreshingly pleasant, and a very few of the leaves in the park were starting to turn a shade of yellow, and orange. Only hints and small touches at the minute, horse chestnut trees with conkers starting to drop to the ground, dewy sparkle in the grass, the later sunrises, “jet planes meeting in the air to be refueled..” well no, not that, but it really did feel as though there should be- do planes even do that anymore?
By the afternoon the sun was heating through and it turned out to be a great day. So much so that I headed out to do some shopping, where I was accosted by a very strange lady who insisted on asking me questions all about I store I hadn’t been to, and then making completely random comments about Boston! Apparently, and I wish someone had told me this before, people who live in Boston never shop there, and no-one lives close to Fenway Park. I’m fairly sure I have never been called a liar by a stranger in the street before. All part of exciting experiences! I did procure some very nice cookies tho, before making a quick escape.
And now, off to see a movie before it gets dark!