Freedom Trail

After a quick rest in my room, we met up with our work freelance photographer/videographer.  He actually lives in Switzerland now, but was brought in to work the conference.  He did graduate school at Berklee College of Music in Boston and lived in the area for 8 years.  One of his jobs while there was a costumed interpreter on the Freedom Trail.  So he hosted Beth and I that evening and gave us a personal tour.  He was a wealth of knowledge!

Standing in Boston Common looking at the Massachusettes statehouse.

The Boston Latin School (oldest public school in America) where 5 signers of the Declaration of Independence attended (Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine, and William Hooper).  Franklin is it's most notable dropout. 

The old statehouse.  Signs of British rule are the statues on the top roof corners.  The balcony is where the Declaration of Independence was first read in 1776.  Where the men are walking is the site of the Boston Massacre.

We made our way back to Faneuil Hall and then had dinner at The Black Rose, a wonderful Irish Pub.  We shared two appetizers - the best onion rings I have ever had and pastry wrapped bangers (even better than the onion rings!).

I had fish and chips.  The fish was scrod, which Haddon (knowledge galore!) explained is actually not a kind of fish.  It is an small cut of white fish.  Here in Boston restaurants, it is the small catch of the day - literally.  All I know is that it was so tender and delicious!

 A graduate student who is a friend of Haddon and his wife also joined us for the tour and dinner.

Afternoon Excursion - Historic Boston

On the day of the pre-conference, we had a morning of set-up, getting the session started with a luncheon, and making sure everything was going well.  Then we were "free" the rest of the day.

My colleague, Beth, and I decided we would head out to see a few sights for the afternoon.  We took the T (subway) to Faneuil Hall.

A little history of this place (from it's website).

In 1742 Peter Faneuil, Boston's wealthiest merchant, built Faneuil Hall as a gift to the city.

The edifice was home to merchants, fishermen, and meat and produce sellers, and provided a platform for the country's most famous orators. It is where colonists first protested the Sugar Act in 1764 and established the doctrine of "no taxation without representation."

Firebrand Samuel Adams rallied the citizens of Boston to the cause of independence from Great Britain in the hallowed Hall, and George Washington toasted the nation there on its first birthday

We walked through it and the Quincy Market, home to all kinds of food vendors and a market place of shops.  We then crossed over to the North Side Neighborhood to follow part of the Freedom Trail.  We made a quick stop in "Little Italy" to buy some cannoli's at Mike's Pastry, a local landmark.

A few blocks down was Paul Revere Park which connected to the Old North Church (1 if by land, 2 if by sea).

In the courtyard of the church was a monument to all the fallen soldiers in Afghanistan.  Each dog tag represents one soldier.

Inside the church.  Each family had a pew box with a plaque on the door with their family's name.

Around the corner, we found a chocolatier and printing press shop from the 1800's.

He told us that the printing press was similar to the one Ben Franklin had in Philadelphia (I told him I had seen it).  Ben would have apprenticed at a shop like this one in Boston.  He also said the Declaration of Independence would have said the same thing, but the layout would have looked different if printed in Boston vs. printed in Philly.

A few blocks over was Paul Revere's house.

We walked back a slightly different way and saw Faneuil Hall from a new angle.  It looked so interesting among the modern skyline. 

We talked about walking to a few other attractions (USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, etc.) but it was a bit chilly and breezy so we decided to head back to our hotel for a little afternoon nap.

Boston Conference

I had a work conference in Boston.  I was gone for 5 days.  Longest I have been away from Camden - even summer camp is only 4 days.

We stayed at the Sheraton in the back bay neighborhood.  I had a lovely corner room on the 7th floor with fun city views.

It was a little dreary and overcast, plus it gets darker about an hour earlier...so by 4:30 the sky is beginning to say goodnight.

Three other co-workers were in for the pre-conference meetings the next morning, so we headed out for a nice dinner at Ye Olde Union Oyster House.  This is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in America.  JFK was a regular as were many historical figures dating back to the revolution.

I am not a huge seafood eater, but wanted to try as much of it as possible while on the East Coast.  We got grilled oysters as a shared appetizer (along with calamari) and I had a lobster roll for dinner. 

My work place considers extravagant hospitality to be of central importance.  We were well fed (lots of food pictures to follow) and taken care of. 

Thanksgiving

We made our annual trek to southern Illinois.  It is always good to see Kevin's aunts and cousins (his uncle Rick wasn't there this year).  The best, though, is getting a few moments with Grandma Beasley, one of the sweetest women on this planet.

Camden, of course, loves to play on the old playground, after the long drive.

A Lovely Saturday

Camden and I got up and going early on Saturday and headed toward Indy.  We made a stop at Titus Bakery in Lebanon for some amazing donuts for breakfast.  They we stopped at the Park at Trader's Point Church for some play.  She is in there somewhere...

We hit a few shops, including Whole Foods.  These adorable plushes were on sale.  Amazing animals, dinosaurs, and dragons.  It was hard to resist.

She was glad for this stop because she got her favorite, weird treat: mochi ice cream.  It has this rubber-like outside which is, believe it or not, pounded sticky rice.  Inside is an ice cream filling.  She gets strawberry flavor and thinks it's delicious. 

Our Beauty

This angle makes her cute little nose look so big!  We both laughed so hard!

One Additional Trunk or Treat

Our church did a Trunk or Treat event on the Sunday before Halloween.  Each small group did a trunk.  Our group is a tad bit creative and a tad bit competitive.  I guess it paid off because we were co-winners of "best in show."  We had a Jonah and the Whale theme.

This thing was HUGE.  It was an 12 ft trailer covered in a monster tarp with pool noodles to shape the mouth opening and create the ribs inside.

Lots of see creatures and junk, along with a set of 5 sensory boxes the kids could reach into.  Jonah was also in the back to welcome them and give them some candy.

Outside a few of us ran a game and handed out more candy.

Some of our small group in costume, including the main creative talent (jellyfish).

Kevin took Camden around to play games and collect candy at each of the other trunks.  It was a huge turnout!