Summer vacation: CLT-BOS

One two hour, non-air conditioned, airplane ride and we landed in Boston.

Nana was quick to sweep up Sylvia and show her that life in the big city includes new fangled high chairs,

curvy mirrors (normally used for checking one's golf swing),

and snappy kimonos for puzzle playing.

After a bit of decompression, i.e. bagels and lox, Sylvia, Linda, Ted, Aurelia, and I motored on down to the Boston Childrens' Museum for some fun n the worlds best living room. Sylvia entered the fray and was quick to install herself at the train diorama and car area.

Our arrival in Boston did not go unnoticed. G-pop Jim and g-mom Louise made them selves available mid-week for some fun at the Aquarium. (For more pics of the visit see Louise's blog).

After swimming with the fish we spent some time walking along the port.
Sylvia broke with tradition and actually took a nap in her stroller.

This was followed by tasty food at Wagamama and the first installment in Sylvia's new series:
Great Playgrounds of the Northeast.

Sylvia walking abilities are improving day by day.
She still hesitates but the climbing structure is too great a temptation.

The movie has a happy ending. Baby and play structure are reunited.

The day concluded with dinner at a child friendly restaurant in Cambridge.
While Sylvia waited for her meal to arrive she engaged in a rousing game of peek-a-boo.

gPops and gMom in the House

There are certain weekends when nothing seems to happen. The sun rises, Sylvia poops her pants, her parents draw straws to see who gets to shower, and the sun sets. Other weekends, like this last one, are so full of activity that one event seems to blend into the next. Here's the run down, see if you can keep up:

The weekend began, as the best ones usually do, with a naked bicycle parade. Yup, you heard right. I'm not sure what the inspiration was for this fantastic event, perhaps connected with the World Naked Bike Ride event that was also on Saturday, but they were clearly having fun. Sylvia, a very qualified nudist, wanted to join the parade but her prudish parents refused. Maybe when you're one, sweetie. (not).

all it takes to fight crime: a bike, a cape, and...

The naked parade, however, was only the prelude to the main event. After a few travel shenanigans gPops and gMom (aka Jim and Louise) arrived at our doorstep for a meet and greet with the short one. I'm not sure how Jim's gruff Scottish forbears would have reacted when he got all cutesy wootsie with Sylvia but she was diggin' it. For a few more pics of their visit check Louise's Blog.




After much cooing the gang headed off for a fine dinner at the McMenamins Kennedy School Restaurant and then to bed. On Sunday we crammed into the car to visit one of Portland's premier attractions, the Rose Test Gardens. According to the official version, the Rose Garden was started by a bunch of swanky ladies in 1888 who liked to grow and show roses. That grew, over time, into the best place in Portland to have a first date, take the family, or pop the big question.

Louse and I, always the bloggers, have our cameras at the ready.

This trip was followed by a visit to another fine pub and then home. Louise, in her great generosity and industry, spent a few hours of their brief visit cooking four quiches. Two of these fine specimens we ate on the spot, leaving two for the freezer. She also made a fantastic Roast Beet Salad whose recipe can be found on her blog. We ate and chatted and went to bed. The next day, sadly, we had to say goodbye to gPops and gMom who jetted back to Boston and their puppy.

But wait, there's more.

As the weekend was winding down, a major breakthrough occured. Sylvia had her first bottle. Gasp! It was easy. I sat down with her, plunked the bottle full of prime quality Grade-A mama leche into her mouth, and she went to town. It was a wonderful sensation to feed my child and her after-dinner burp was greatly satisfying (for her and me).

Huzzah!!!!