Tree-Fiddy

We've been home from Boston for almost a week and had a chance to get back into our daily routine - a good time for a trip report.

We finished packing very late Friday night. So late in fact, that I just stayed up all night. I woke Michele up at 4:30am, we finished loading the car and got the kids ready and headed for the airport at 5:30.

As we made our way through the airport with 2 kids, a stroller, 2 car seats and 4 carry-on bags, I started noticing the same look on the faces of the people we passed by... I think it was pity. I'm sure we appeared determined, confused, hurried and overwhelmed - like a walking billboard for birth control.

The plane was overbooked so there was no chance for the extra seat we were hoping for to put Addison in. With a kid in each lap, we took off for Boston. The flight was long but the kids did very well. We had some patient people sitting next to us and we had aisle seats across from each other which helped a lot.

We picked up our rental car and headed for the hotel. As soon as you leave the airport, you get on the Mass Pike and have to pay a toll - $3.50! I thought it was that damn Loch Ness Monster, "Welcome to Massachusetts, can I get about tree-fiddy"? There was another $3.00 in tolls before we got to the hotel. We had D'Angelo's for lunch and spent the first day visiting family and roaming around Framingham.

The second day started with a visit to my grandmother. It was the first time she met Sullivan and almost two years since she met Addison. We had a good visit and I know she loved the company. Next was lunch at Papa Gino's. I was surprised I had been in Mass over a day and had not had it yet. It was a little overcooked and the crust was way too crispy but it was still the best.

We then went to Southwick's Zoo in Mendon. Addison and I got to ride an elephant! We only saw about half of the zoo before they closed but it was really a great time and we'll see the rest next visit. We finished the day Candlepin bowling and then dinner & dessert at Friendly's.

Monday was our day in the city and my sister Jeannette joined us. We met our former stepsister Julie for lunch and had a chance to catch up. It had been about 22 years since my sister and I saw her, we were recently reunited on Facebook. We then took a tour of Fenway Park, walked around Boston Common for a while and ate fried dough before taking my sister to the airport - and then paid another damn tree-fiddy! When we got back to the hotel, we took the kids to the pool and had a quiet evening.



Tuesday was probably the best day of the trip. I stayed up the night before researching beaches to go to. There are so many to choose from I didn't know what would be best for the kids and not too crowded. My searches kept coming up with a place called Wingaersheek Beach. It is on the North Shore about halfway between Boston and New Hampshire. The online reviews said if you show up at low tide, their are tidal pools to explore and a sand dune that stretches out more than 100 yards. It sounded good and low tide was just after lunch so we took our time in the morning and stopped for Papa Gino's on the way. When we got to the beach, we were amazed. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect setting. The water was crystal-clear (but quite cold) and the tide was almost all the way out. We did some exploring and found lots of hermit crabs, starfish and sand dollars. It was a great day and we will definitely make it a point to visit every trip.

I was planning to meet an old friend after the beach but it was getting late and we were pretty far away, we decided to get together on my next visit instead. Since we were so close to the New Hampshire border and Michele had never been, we headed north to look for dinner. Once you're in New Hampshire on I-95 it's only like 20 minutes to Maine - Michele had never been to Maine either and it was so close... we kept driving north. Once inside Maine (it was around 5pm) we stopped at the Welcome Center. We talked to the guide at the information counter and told him we were looking for a nice place nearby, on the water, to eat dinner. He recommended a nice seaside village a short 10-minute drive away in York.



One of the attractions in York is a lighthouse. We drove up the shore to the lighthouse and walked around on the rocks. After taking a few pictures and some time to sit and soak in the scenery, we drove back down the shore to a nice restaurant right on the water. We took our time eating and listening to the waves crash below - it was incredible.



It was about a 75 minute drive back to the hotel from Maine. Sullivan was out cold the entire ride but Addison stayed awake and demanded to be entertained. After Michele ran out of children's songs to sing, I put them through my versions of "Don't Stop Believing", "Endless Love" and "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight". I sing them when I'm alone in my car so I know most of the words. We stopped at Friendly's near the hotel for dessert - they deserved it.

We left New England the next morning. There were plenty of empty seats on the flight so Addison got her own next to me and Sullivan sat on Michele's lap. It was a good flight with minimal fussyness. We landed in the sauna that is Atlanta and got the car, picked up Haley at the kennel and then I had to go right into work. It took a few days to recover but we had a great trip, packed with fun, about $20 for tolls and I'm still feeling vacation-sick.

I can't go back soon enough.


In other news...


Michele found a place in Rome where you can pick your own strawberries. We took the kids up there Saturday and it was fun. The farm was nice and the kids loved being there. We got a big box of strawberries, 2 bowls of strawberry ice cream and a soda for $7 - not bad.

Sullivan is 11 months old today! He's not walking yet but he's really trying and getting daring. He will let go of something he's holding on to for just a second to stand and then grab it again or sit right down. He is more vocal and trying to form new sounds.

Addison speaks so well. She talks in sentences more and has learned a ton of new words. She remembers things that happened weeks ago and still brings them up - I'm a very proud daddy. She started potty training Monday. Since Michele is off, she can work with her everyday and hopefully get through it quickly. It's been a tough two days so far but no major problems.

Michele is having fun with the kids everyday. She is taking Addison to a tumbling class for the next few weeks and regularly takes the kids to the playground and plays with them for hours in the house.

I started going to the gym Monday. I'm really going to make a serious go of it this time and get in there almost every day. I have not been taking very good care of myself in the last few years and need to get back into shape.

That's it for now, go look at some pictures.

If you didn't get the title reference - watch THIS.


Pictures from the New England trip HERE.

NEW June pictures HERE.

NEW videos below - scroll down!