A Visit from Caroline

This post reminds me of the early days of the blog when we would just post one picture and maybe a few words about it.  Of course, back then we had zero followers so I guess it's all relative.  Well, think of this as a Throwback Thursday - just one picture and a few words. 

Caroline is back in the US for her summer break.  Blog readers may recognize her from a few London visits - she and her sister Geraldine go to London ever February so we saw them several times when we were over there. In fact, I think this is the first time I've seen her since we moved home.  

Caroline, Denise and I went out to dinner at Ceia followed by the largest size-small cups of gelato ever scooped.  Yesterday included a passing thunder shower, gelato, light until 9:00pm, and mosquitos - it's officially summer!

Patio Part Two

Progress is being made outside our door.  A week ago it looked like this - - laying the ground work for the bricks.

Here they are, eagerly awaiting installation.  We wanted old bricks so that it looked like it was always part of our yard rather than a new addition.

I talked Bill into a herringbone pattern.

Almost as exciting as the patio is the water management.  The new orange downspout and the plastic tubing will create a system to get the water away from the house.  We just need one more little piece to connect the spout to the tube and then we are ready for a deluge.

This is what it looks like this morning.  They added the loam and stone walk way yesterday.  We had our first fire pit night with Bret, Zoe (still pregnant!!), the boys and then Laura and Dixie (and Piper) in the second shift. 

Still lots to do - adding plants, mulch, and then extending the porch a few feet out for Bill's little covered cigar area.  But for now we are happy watching the project unfold.

Ballgame

A beautiful night, hanging with my buddy Peter, tickets to the Red Sox ... and all free!

I was given the company tickets to the game and Peter was able to carve out a night where he didn't have to bring his boys to their ball games.

All was aligned for us to have a perfect night at the ball field.

We sat next to a tough guy and his wife.  They were from Rhode Island and they said they tried to come to the park 4 or 5 times a year.  They got a hotel room, which was appropriate, given that the guy said he'd had a dozen beers before the game and had a half dozen more during.

I asked the guy behind us to take our picture, but Peter was riveted to the game.  I decided to include him in the photoshoot by palming his head.

Peter is either trying to look tough or the hot dog isn't settling.

Rockport Gardens

We spent a lovely Saturday with loyal blog reader, DiDi, in Rockport.  We went for the Garden tour although our major preoccupations were really food, drink and shopping. 

No trip to Rockport would be complete without a picture of Motif#1.  For some reason I though it was called Motif #3…having no idea what Motif #s 1 and 2 would be but Diane set me straight.

Diane suggested we look for the most hideous thing in the shops.  Perhaps this wooden carving of Richard Nixon dressed as a monk?

The first garden we went to turned out to be our favorite.  We liked the narrow walkway back to the ocean view.

The woman selling the garden tour tickets recommended a place for lunch where we could sit outside overlooking the water.  Drinks, steamers, lobster rolls, a cool breeze and a view.  Perfection!

This gate wasn't even on the garden tour.  It was the neighbor of someone on the garden tour but I liked it more than the official garden.

Although….at the official garden there was a hen house.  The owner collected his eggs while we were chatting with him.

He gave me two eggs because I looked like Molly Ringwald.

Some of the gardens we went to were really just….yards.  Lots of grass with border plants.  I really didn't think that was worthy of a spot on a garden tour….nor as a picture on the blog.  As you can see, the judges were disappointed with this house giving it a 5 out of 10.

I spent a lot of the day talking about how we needed to come back to Rockport - either as a day trip or a weekend visit.  I was planning the weekend visit before we even started the day we were currently having.  Of course, by the end of the day, I realized that we just did everything there was to do in Rockport.  

Fathers Day Golf

Joey took one for the cause when he agreed to golf with me for Father's Day.  Joey is not a golfer.

Despite the smiles below he was a bit nervous.  Joey is my 'always on time' son, so even though he went to the wrong course first, he was still there a half hour before the time we agreed.  He must of been extra nervous.

Joey is off to a tough start, as his bag tips over and his clubs spill out.  I immediately launched into action and took a picture.

His swing was a bit unorthodox but at list the results were terrible.

Joey didn't mind that he was hitting the ball all over the place.  He minded that there were so many little etiquette rules in golf.

Joey thought that having to keep quiet while others took their shot was weak.  He wanted to taunt the other guy while he shot.  Sounds like my son, all right.

Joey is tall and had to hunch over to swing.  His form coming out of the trap exemplifies that.

Near the end of the match one of Joey's shot sliced wide and almost took out an older guy.  We yelled 'fore' but he didn't hear us (neither of us have strong voices).  He came up with his arms wide and yelled 'REALLY?'.  I thought we were going to end up throwing down with the old man.  Joey's first golf fight (mine too).  

Really fun day.  Next up is to go with Bret, also a non-golfer.

He might have taken on the old man.

Friday Night with The Littles

Jana calls her grandkids The Littles.  I like that name - I tend to call the Bret and Joey generation "The Kids" because all our lives until now they were the kids!  But now, Bret has  kids. So if Wyatte and Malikai are The Kids what would we call Bret and Joey?  They can still be The Kids and the grandkids can be The Littles.

We babysat on Friday night for a few hours - - feeding them grilled burgers and corn on the cob on the roof deck.

Bill prompted me to make the old joke about how corn goes in on the cob and comes out on the cob.  Malikai slaps his head in disgust and says, "Oh, Gramma Jen…."

Wyatte  looks sharp in Bill's hat.  

Bill played dance hits.  Malikai and I put on a show.  Malikai told me to do exactly what he did but it was hard to keep up.  The kid has moves.  Or I should say the Little has moves.

Then again, I've got  a certain flare for the dance myself as demonstrated regularly on the blog. It's hard to tell if Malikai is clapping and hollering in appreciation….or yawning?

Shortly after this dance-off there was lightening and we had to go inside.  

The Littles put on an inane cartoon and then Bret and Zoe picked them up.  

Here's a teaser…there could be some baby news soon!  Watch this space for more Littles!!

Klosterman!

For once we went to see an author that BILL wanted to see - Chuck Klosterman!

I'm not really sure I know the origins of Klosterman - he writes books and articles about pop culture and he is The Ethisist in the New York Times.  Where did he first come from? I have no idea but Bill started talking about him a few years ago from listening to Bill Simmons' podcast.  Anyway, Bill is a fan so when I heard Chuck would be in Harvard Square I quickly acquired two tickets.

He was great!  Very funny, entertaining, and the hour flew by.  His book is an examination of some of the things we all take for granted are true - and then we ask if maybe they aren't true.  Like what if, in a few hundred years, everyone thinks it's funny that we thought there was gravity.  Kind of like how now we think it's quaint that the ancient Greeks thought the sun god dragged the sun across the sky in a chariot. But he applies this to pop culture as well as science.  

Thus the title of the book - What if we're Wrong?

We had terrific seats right up front - close to the signing table but Bill said he didn't want his book signed.  Instead we took selflies with Chuck in the background

This is me saying "Look, I'm with Chuck!"

Thanks for a good night out, Chuck!

Animal planet

When Laura is away, the animals of Atwood Street need a substitute.

Laura drives neighbor dog Piper to doggy daycare in the morning so I'm on Piper Uber duty.

Dixie is so nice that she leaves me little presents.  Piper and I enjoyed a nice bottle of chianti on the way to Frisky Dog.

Dixie says that Piper never looks at the camera so I'm giving her selfie lessons each morning.

A+!!!

Of course, Mickey also needs a babysitter.  So he's staying with us and getting the royal treatment.  Water on demand in the tub.

Lots of love from our little visitors.  

Malikai was sulking at the time and said that Mikey made him feel better.

Mickey is surprisingly tolerant.

But of course, after a long day of therapy, Mickey is ready for some Me-Time.  

Paying to Trespass

Last Saturday was the local garden tour!

We love to get a view into other people's lives and houses and yards.  Plus, since we are doing a little landscaping ourselves, we need to get ideas on small trees and low maintenance plants.

We liked this little tree.

Who doesn't love peonies??

We also liked this tree - it was one of the ones that our landscaper recommended for our small yard.

We joke about having a big statue of Petey in the yard…we say we are joking but I think if the opportunity seriously presented itself we would go for it.  Everyone has gargoyles but we would have the only Petey.

This was our favorite yard.  It was long and narrow and ended in this pond.

I am only NOW noticing the sign that says Poison Ivy!!!  Yikes. Why are my ankles itchy….?

I wish this was what our patio was going to be like.  Couldn't you see yourself out here every night? (Yes EVERY night!)  

This is behind me from the shot above…they have an upper deck (are you laughing Di?) and a little hallway out to drive way.  The whole configuration was very cool.

None of the other yards were as good as this one but we enjoyed our glimpse into these private spaces.