First Summer Vacay of 2018

Yes, I'm saying it's the first because I fully intend to have other summer vacays this year.  But, for purposes of this blog, I'm saying that my recent trip to both Massachusetts and California is my first.

So, I called the first part of this first vacay, the part where I went to Massachusetts, Operation Paul Revere.  This operation involved not just me but Maddie, Heidi, and Yvette.  To get those guys warmed up for some Revolutionary War fun, I prescribed some Liberty's Kids videos and other useful info to get my traveling companions in the mood.  I left Knoxville on a Sunday morning, traveled through the wonderful Detroit airport, and ended up in Boston by early afternoon.  I checked into the hotel and got everything ready (by checking out the pool and liquor situations) while I waited for the Sacramentans to arrive on the redeye on Monday morning. 

Once we were all in the same city, and after some naps for the all-night travelers, we headed out toward the Prudential Center to enjoy the gorgeous views of the city and to play the "naturalization test" game and learn about immigration.  A short walk from there (well, short to me, not so much for my companions) found the four of us at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum.  It was just what I wanted it to be.  A beautiful building and fantastic art.  Our evening plans included drinks and journaling at the Asian restaurant next door to our hotel and then to Yvette's choice of restaurants, a totally cool place that had a giant Ouija board on the wall.  I tried my first Scotch egg, which was delicious and allowed me to keep to my goal of always trying a new food on a trip.

For our second day's adventure we tackled the Freedom Trail.  We began at the Boston Common, then up the hill to the memorial to the 54th Massachusetts.  I don't recall seeing this when Tricia and I were in Boston in 1986, but that was before I really knew anything about the 54th.  I was disappointed in the rest of the Trail, as Boston has changed a great deal.  The city has built up like crazy, and it was chock full of people.  Add to this the fact that it was raining all day, and we had some soggy sightseeing.  But we managed to walk the entire way from the Common to the Constitution, including stopping at various locations along the way, visiting the graves of Paul Revere and Samuel Adams (he was both a brewer AND a patriot), sitting in a pew in one of the churches, enjoying the statuary.  Places that didn't charge much in 1986 now charged a lot and some of the old buildings have been re-purposed to serve commercial interests.  Yuck.

The one part that didn't disappoint was the U.S.S. Constitution.  I love the fact that this is the flagship of the U.S. Navy.  It's still gorgeous.  As I had already been below decks, I stay up top while my companions went exploring.  I took the opportunity to speak with one of the young sailors assigned to the ship.  I inquired about the green cammo worn by the sailors, and the young man not only told me about the uniform but also explained the way in which a young sailor gets stationed to the Constitution.  Very cool. 

On our third day of vacay, my companions and I took a very speedy ferry ride to Salem.  I hadn't visited here when I last went to Boston, but I gotta say that I immediately fell in love with this village.  It wasn't the witch stuff, although that was fun.  It was the entire town, the small shops and historic sites.  I loved visiting Nathaniel Hawthorne's house and the House of Seven Gables that inspired him.  The Witch Museum was also a treat, including a very weird little presentation that combined a deep-voiced narrator over a loudspeaker and several scenes set up with wax figures all around the room.  It actually got a little creepy.  And it was, as far as I could tell, historically accurate.  It was Maddie's pick, so we ate Mexican food at the Howling Wolf and Maddie sampled the unique cocktails while I stuck with the tried-and-true Margarita.

Our last day was a Grayline tour to Lexington and Concord.  Our bus driver/tour guide was a man from Lebanon and an example of the varied ethnicities that make up Boston.  He was funny and very nice, although he did get some of the history wrong--which irked me, of course.  But Yvette more than made up for the bad history by buying us cupcakes that we ate next to the bridge at Concord.  It was easily one of the coolest moments of our trip.

After a quick visit to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts on Friday morning, the four of us caught a Jet Blue flight and headed for home and the first part of my vacay was over.  The second part involved staying for a few weeks at the parental estate in Sacramento, seeing old friends, and spending time with my family.

The best part of my visit to California was a quick overnighter to my Fortress of Solitude.  I love that the girls have totally made their own way of having cabin fun.  Not the same as me or the generations before, but something totally of their own.  Yet they keep the old traditions, like Nana pancakes with bacon and cantaloupe for breakfast.  Heidi does her great-grandmother proud.

As ever, the best part of any vacation is spending it with my babies.  I'm back in Knoxville now but already planning for Maddie's trip here in August and the fantastic road trip we have planned.  Then its Christmas at home with these beautiful women, then New Orleans in the spring with Heidi.  I'm so glad I have the babies I have.  I'm the luckiest mom in the world.

So, I'm tired and hungry,so I'm going to have some dinner and a good night's sleep.  Knighty-Knight from Knoxville....