Bean Town n Brokies
It's been a long time since I've blogged. Frankly I'm feeling the conflict of FB -- posting updates real time, and then when you return home, the trip/event kinda feels like old news. But our trip to Boston was the first in a long while, and I want to linger with the memories, so I figured a blog post (or several) would be worth while.
The Brokies struck again with a gathering last weekend in Boston. BOSTON! I've wanted to visit there for a long time, and we haven't attended a Brokie gathering since Oxford in 2008 (*gasp*) -- so how could we stay away??
But... OH NO - it was the same weekend as our biggest annual parade and festival for the businesses: Berthoud Days. So, we decided to compromise and head to Boston late, arriving Sunday afternoon, when many of the attendees were headed out. But not everyone was gone, so we had a good day to spend with folks.
We arrived pretty much just in time to gather in the hotel lobby with everyone, many of whom were headed out to see the Price Of Persia - Jake Gyllenhaal's new film. I was actually a vocal supporter of seeing the movie en masse, however having seen the film opening weekend, and being somewhat disappointed (grrr -- that's what you get when you fanatically follow the filming, and production of a movie for 2 years...) we opted to hang back with other folks who opted for a bar instead of the theater:
(Click photo to embiggen)
John (Toronto), Petri (Maine on way back home to Finland)
Ted & Jari (Montreal), Me (Colorado), Jack (Colorado)
While we were still at the hotel, a heck of a rain storm came through. Seriously - we were on the 7th floor and the waves of water hitting our window made me think of being on a ship. Aparently there was a lot of wind as well - something we didn't appreciate from within that concrete tower - but getting to our bar we found this:
In fact, the owener of the rear car was in the bar, and he approached our group to see if we would assist with moving the tree so he could slip his car out from under it. This is Ted and Jack examing the situation -- which in the end we declined to get involved.
Not to fear, the tree crew arrived soon enough and got to work. Boy howdy - did they ever!
In under 13 minutes they had that tree reduced to this:
It turns out we have a fair number of pictures of tree debris from the trip -- which I will spare you from. But it was really dramatic all over Boston (in the garden and Boston Commons especially) trees were down, sign posts knocked askew, essentially logging trucks all over town toting away stumps and trunks, even one huge granite bench slab moved several feet out of position.
After the bar, we met up with the movie folks and had 18 for dinner.
Di, John and Me N Dave... and many others just off frame.
AH -- new photo just posted by another member of the group:
Being Sunday night, we thought that retiring to the sports bar would be a relaxing affair, so half the group headed on over there. However -- seems there was this Basketball game going on? Yeah? Celtics vs Lakers? Yeah - relaxing was not really the case.
Lynne is one of the hosts for this gathering, a local who was team captain for the Brokie Aids Walk team who participated in the fundraiser that morning.
The hotel offered breakfast, so the next morning we said good byes to many of the group. Ted and Jari, however, were sticking around for a few hours before driving back to Montreal, so they played tour guide for us.
Jari, Me and Ted -- in the Public Garden in front of the Swan Boats.
The Boston Commons -- the oldest public park in the country.
Gee - there sure are a lot of "The Oldest X" in Boston!
Reading inscriptions from the grave stones within the Granary Burial Grounds - in which Paul Revere and a bunch of other famous contemporaries are buried.
The Paul Revere placque outside the burial ground.
This is us at one of two pubs we stopped at during our tour. For those that don't know/remember -- I had suffered breaking my pelvis after falling off my horse a scant 2 weeks prior to this trip. I saw the Ortho surgeon for a checkup just prior to going, though, and basically he was amazed as how well I'd been recovering so far. I had gone without the cane for a week already, so his instructions were to "Keep doing what you are doing". Walking is in fact good therapy - so I'm chalking up much of the trip officially as physical therapy. ;-D Never the less, occasionally a stop at a Pub to rest up was called for. Lucky for us there were plenty around to choose from.
Me and the Massachusettes State House
Part of Ted's ulterior motive was that he had a couple antique shops to visit along the wonderful Charles Street:
The "Hardware Shop". Hee - we get a kick out of the fact this was not what WE expected when he said a hardware shop.
Inside "Helen's Leather Shop". I still regret not getting the pic of Ted trying on the 'only Stetson that has ever fit him'. Dave, meanwhile, was taking a load off. It was also in this store that we learned that tractors / farm equipment paraphenalia is somehow really chic in Europe these days. Petri (who is Finnish) bought a John Deere belt buckle and an International Harvester Co Tshirt as gifts. LOL - fashion is such a riot!
Then we were headed back to another pub, when we crossed through the Boston Commons again, to see this parade staging up. And, just as we arrived, they marched off! Asking around what the occasion was, we heard the incredible tale that this was an annual parade held the first Monday of June -- Held continuously every year since 1638!! What a conincidence to just happen upon such a spectacle.
In writing this, I had to look it up: The parade is put on by/in honor of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusettes.
Alas, the day could not go on forever - Ted and Jari had to head home, Petri had to get to the airport to return to Europe, and we had a date to meet up with another Brokie. Crossing again through the Public Gardens, Ted captured this series of photos of which I'm quote fond:
The story continues -- but will have to be another post.
The Brokies struck again with a gathering last weekend in Boston. BOSTON! I've wanted to visit there for a long time, and we haven't attended a Brokie gathering since Oxford in 2008 (*gasp*) -- so how could we stay away??
But... OH NO - it was the same weekend as our biggest annual parade and festival for the businesses: Berthoud Days. So, we decided to compromise and head to Boston late, arriving Sunday afternoon, when many of the attendees were headed out. But not everyone was gone, so we had a good day to spend with folks.
We arrived pretty much just in time to gather in the hotel lobby with everyone, many of whom were headed out to see the Price Of Persia - Jake Gyllenhaal's new film. I was actually a vocal supporter of seeing the movie en masse, however having seen the film opening weekend, and being somewhat disappointed (grrr -- that's what you get when you fanatically follow the filming, and production of a movie for 2 years...) we opted to hang back with other folks who opted for a bar instead of the theater:
(Click photo to embiggen)
John (Toronto), Petri (Maine on way back home to Finland)
Ted & Jari (Montreal), Me (Colorado), Jack (Colorado)
While we were still at the hotel, a heck of a rain storm came through. Seriously - we were on the 7th floor and the waves of water hitting our window made me think of being on a ship. Aparently there was a lot of wind as well - something we didn't appreciate from within that concrete tower - but getting to our bar we found this:
In fact, the owener of the rear car was in the bar, and he approached our group to see if we would assist with moving the tree so he could slip his car out from under it. This is Ted and Jack examing the situation -- which in the end we declined to get involved.
Not to fear, the tree crew arrived soon enough and got to work. Boy howdy - did they ever!
In under 13 minutes they had that tree reduced to this:
It turns out we have a fair number of pictures of tree debris from the trip -- which I will spare you from. But it was really dramatic all over Boston (in the garden and Boston Commons especially) trees were down, sign posts knocked askew, essentially logging trucks all over town toting away stumps and trunks, even one huge granite bench slab moved several feet out of position.
After the bar, we met up with the movie folks and had 18 for dinner.
Di, John and Me N Dave... and many others just off frame.
AH -- new photo just posted by another member of the group:
Being Sunday night, we thought that retiring to the sports bar would be a relaxing affair, so half the group headed on over there. However -- seems there was this Basketball game going on? Yeah? Celtics vs Lakers? Yeah - relaxing was not really the case.
Lynne is one of the hosts for this gathering, a local who was team captain for the Brokie Aids Walk team who participated in the fundraiser that morning.
The hotel offered breakfast, so the next morning we said good byes to many of the group. Ted and Jari, however, were sticking around for a few hours before driving back to Montreal, so they played tour guide for us.
Jari, Me and Ted -- in the Public Garden in front of the Swan Boats.
The Boston Commons -- the oldest public park in the country.
Gee - there sure are a lot of "The Oldest X" in Boston!
Reading inscriptions from the grave stones within the Granary Burial Grounds - in which Paul Revere and a bunch of other famous contemporaries are buried.
The Paul Revere placque outside the burial ground.
This is us at one of two pubs we stopped at during our tour. For those that don't know/remember -- I had suffered breaking my pelvis after falling off my horse a scant 2 weeks prior to this trip. I saw the Ortho surgeon for a checkup just prior to going, though, and basically he was amazed as how well I'd been recovering so far. I had gone without the cane for a week already, so his instructions were to "Keep doing what you are doing". Walking is in fact good therapy - so I'm chalking up much of the trip officially as physical therapy. ;-D Never the less, occasionally a stop at a Pub to rest up was called for. Lucky for us there were plenty around to choose from.
Me and the Massachusettes State House
Part of Ted's ulterior motive was that he had a couple antique shops to visit along the wonderful Charles Street:
The "Hardware Shop". Hee - we get a kick out of the fact this was not what WE expected when he said a hardware shop.
Inside "Helen's Leather Shop". I still regret not getting the pic of Ted trying on the 'only Stetson that has ever fit him'. Dave, meanwhile, was taking a load off. It was also in this store that we learned that tractors / farm equipment paraphenalia is somehow really chic in Europe these days. Petri (who is Finnish) bought a John Deere belt buckle and an International Harvester Co Tshirt as gifts. LOL - fashion is such a riot!
Then we were headed back to another pub, when we crossed through the Boston Commons again, to see this parade staging up. And, just as we arrived, they marched off! Asking around what the occasion was, we heard the incredible tale that this was an annual parade held the first Monday of June -- Held continuously every year since 1638!! What a conincidence to just happen upon such a spectacle.
In writing this, I had to look it up: The parade is put on by/in honor of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusettes.
Alas, the day could not go on forever - Ted and Jari had to head home, Petri had to get to the airport to return to Europe, and we had a date to meet up with another Brokie. Crossing again through the Public Gardens, Ted captured this series of photos of which I'm quote fond:
The story continues -- but will have to be another post.
Labels: Travel
posted by Monica |
9:39 AM
2 Comments:
This was great, but I may have missed something: is Jari living in the States now?
Hi Bridie! Ted and Jari are living on two continents now - part time in Montreal and part time in Finland. It's pretty dizzying for now, but they are trying to workout what the long term plan is going to be.
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