Boston Marathon - Heartbreak Hill

Women front runners

Bert and I road our bikes along Heartbreak Hill to see the front runners and cheer on a friend visiting from PDX who ran his16th marathon.

Red Sox - Fenway Park

Spring has sprung!!!

Easter Weekend - French Family Farm

What a beautiful weekend it was!  The weather couldn't have been better.  It got up to 83 degrees and felt like summer time.   We spent most of our time enjoying the outdoors.  Bert and I watched kids from the area stock the local lake with 300 brown and rainbow trout.  Carole (Bert's mom) took her first riding lesson of the season. Hailey (my dog) did lots of pond diving to keep cool.  Bert Sr. did lots of  relaxing out in the sunshine.

Easter in Pawling, NY

Bert, Carole, Bert Sr., Barbara and Claude

        

Claude and Barbara (Bert's godmother and husband) came up from NYC to join us for Easter Sunday with their new puppy.  We all had a wonderful day and topped it off with a lovely meal at the local cafe. 

St. Patrick Day Adventures

Post Race - Davis Square

Bert and good friend Mike Moran

A Sunny-Sunday Hike at Wachusett Mt. Reserve (central-Mass)

 

We had an exceptionally warm and sunny patch of weather last weekend so we went in search of a good hike. Massachusetts has lots of state parks and nature reserves but isn't known for mountainous terrain. The western half of the state does have the Berkshires where the Appalachian Trail crosses through, but heading east towards the coast the topography becomes sandy and mostly level. Most of the state was under-seawater during the ice ages and over time the land was shaped by rambling glaciers. We've checked out a few nearby nature reserves and enjoyed the winter scenery. However, they felt more like walks than the hikes we've become accustomed to in the Northwest. We have both been hankering for some elevation and more strenuous terrain. During the week we looked up some outdoor books at the library and ear-marked hikes specifically labeled "Difficult". Sunday was a beautiful 50+ degree and sunny kind of day. We got up early, packed up the Subaru and steered west of Boston on the Concord Turnpike. In one hours time we found the mountain we were looking for . . .

How happy we were to be in the outdoors again and at the foot of a real trail-head. It's still winter here but temps have been rising into the 40s and today the glorious 50s. There was one big difference between here and the city that we hadn't anticipated. . . Lots of snow on the trail.

Luckily we had our trekking poles stored in the car's roof-rack . . .

Wachusett Mountain has an elevation of 2000 feet (yes, minor by west coast standards) but it is the highest point in Massachusetts between the Connecticut River and the Atlantic Ocean. With 360 degree views at the top, on a clear day it's possible to see Boston's skyline, nearly 60 miles away. 

Though the buds on trees were still fairly dormant, all around we spotted hints of spring materializing on the forest floor . . .

As the day wore on and the sun rose higher in the sky the snow pack loosened up which made the uphill climb even more challenging. . .

It was a real bun-burner!!!

Jack Frost gets his picture taken and points the way to the North Pole.

Hailey loved every minute of the hike and considering how much she trotted back and forth on the trail, she probably hiked twice the distance we did.

She worked up quite a thirst. . . 

When asked if she wanted to have her picture taken she said she was too busy enjoying her water. . . 

Later though she didn't mind posing at the summit.

Now that spring is fast approaching and there's more and more light thanks to daylight savings time, we're looking forward to exploring more of New England, from mountain to sea.

There are more adventures ahead. . . stayed tuned.

A Place Called Home

Dear friends & family, what has happened to the winter? It's flying by. We're approaching our two month mark living in Boston...I'm scratching my head...it's kind of hard to believe. I guess we've been busy getting settled and learning our way around town.

We're experiencing lots of new things each and every day but right now we'd like to inform you about one particular change... Even though we thought we had found the perfect apartment to live in, we realized today we should of held out and kept looking. Sometimes it takes time to find the perfect place to call home. While we were returning from the 2010 Census Job Fair this morning, we passed by a house on a hill that in no simpler words, absolutely "Spoke to us." As we drove up closer our eyes grew bigger and our jaws dropped open. Lisa gasped - I've never seen her react so emotionally to something of this nature. Tears of joy welled up in her eyes. I swallowed deeply and felt so humbled by the majestic site of the house that stood in front of us. We've never seen anything like it before. Who built this architectural masterpiece? What era is it from? Is it holy? These questions and many more came to mind. In that moment it seemed that time stood still. We knew then and there what we needed to do. We're canceling all other plans through the remainder of the week so that we can re-pack our bags and boxes and move cross town to this mecca in the sky...

                           Just kidding! 

Mid-Winter Walk on the Charles

New England in Wintertime...

I was expecting to be wearing thermals and shoveling snow every day but this year the season has been much milder than usual. In fact Boston has missed some of the biggest blizzards the east coast has seen in years. (Sorry DC !) Those huge snow-storms just didn't have New England in their travel itinerary ... On their way up the coast they either blew out to sea or converted to rain. It has been surprising to say the least. In any case, the milder weather has allowed us to get out more and explore the area. While we traveled cross-country we had talked about our expectations of winter in the northeast and how we wanted to try and stay active despite the colder conditions. So each weekend we've made a point to check out new places where we could either walk, hike, xc-ski or snowshoe.

Last Saturday we went on a nearby nature walk hosted by the Dept of Conservation and Recreation. We had learned about the tour from a flier we found a few weeks back while hiking at Breakheart State Park, just north of Boston. We were especially looking forward to this nature walk because it was along the Charles River and would begin on Gaylan Street bridge, which is literally at the corner of Watertown Square, the town we live in. The weather could not have been better for a mid-winter weekend...bright and sunny with temps in the 40s. We showed up at 1pm and met Ranger Russell Geer who was right on time. He was great - he brought along hot chocolate to share from Dunkin Donuts, which we all enjoyed. We told him we had moved from Oregon and about the natural landscapes we had experienced in the west. We also expressed how much green space means to us. Ranger Russell admitted that he wished he worked in a more natural area, and even described himself as an 'urban ranger.' He was excited to have us along, and since no one else showed up for the tour, the three of us headed up river along the recreational path.

Lisa and I are constantly amazed at the amenities of our neighborhood. To name a few: Proximity, quietness, trees, great running loops, classic Greek diners, unbelievable Armenian bakeries and Middle-Eastern food shops, and we have quick access to the Charles River. Our house is exactly one mile to the Charles.

Up stream of the Gaylan (Watertown) Bridge, the river and the adjoined riparian zones have been restored as a natural reservation: http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/charlesRiver/upperCharles.htm
 

Former industrial sites encroaching on the riverside have been cleaned up and pulled back. Native plants have been restored to the river's banks, a few pedestrian bridges have been built as well as a fantastic recreation path runs along the river for miles. This restoration has brought back local birds and wildlife which Ranger Russell pointed out to us along the way. We spotted a red Cardinal but it was too far and too quick for me to take a good picture. There were lots of waterfowl swimming in and out of rapids and the wetlands. We were told that in the warmer months the upper Charles is popular amongst kayakers and canoers. Of course Lisa and I were excited to hear this.

We had such a great walk with the ranger and learned a lot from him about Boston history geography and politics. He also informed us of other large city parks as well as great scenic escapes in Western Mass, New Hampshire and Vermont. A few days after our walk he even mailed us a packet of maps and local guides. How great is that?!

After our hike we headed home and poked around in the yard which had been defrosting and drying out in warm sun. The smell of earth came up from the ground and it felt like mother nature was testing out some components of spring. Sure enough, wouldn't you know it, there on the south side of the house we found bulbs sprouting up under the water spigot. 

Hurray Spring is near!

Our new home in Watertown, MA!