In this edition. . . I'm going to try to catch you all up with all that has happened from moving in day till now (Monday, June4). So hold on to your hats, this is a long one!

The kids at Boston Common.

Wednesday we finished unloading the truck. During a rest break, we heard the lovely melodies of the carilon bells in the Methodist Church playing several hymns. Then I worked at unpacking boxes while Tim took the truck back to Boston & got his first experience navigating the public transportation system to get back home. Wednesday night we went to see Belmont High School's senior class play . . . High School Musical. The kids really enjoyed it. The performance wasn't half bad, but I was a little distracted by a squirmy David and the lack of air conditioning in the auditorium. We got take out from a little oriental food place called New Asia. It was good, but the chicken and mushrooms, sweet & sour chicken, and sesame chicken (all family favorites) were very different from what we get at China Wok in Hartselle. The kids are already saying that we'll have to eat there when we come home in July.


On Thursday, Tim went to MIT to buy books, get his student ID and do several other things to get ready to start classes. Thursday also brought the Verizon technician out to the house to get us set up on cable and internet service. When he left(4 hours later), the kids and I walked down to the town square to the bakery for a little snack. Ohlin's bakery is said to have the best doughnuts in the Boston area, and Rachel heartily agrees. David is partial to the gingerbread man cookies. We took our snack to a little greenspace across the street from the church and had a little picnic. On the way back home, we stopped in at the pet store in town (which does carry crickets - that cuts our cricket commute from driving to Decatur) and a Ben Franklin store (like a little dime store) with a Webkinz sign posted on the door. Thursday night, Tim & Jamie went to see Pirates 3 while Rachel, David, and I had a quiet night at home.

On Friday, we wanted to do something fun for the kids, so we all piled in the car and drove to Burlington mall (about a 30 min drive) to have lunch at Rainforest Cafe. The kids were absolutely beside themselves!! We also learned that the mall has a Disney store, a Lego store, and a Build a Bear workshop. There is also a Cheesecake Factory there and a HUGE Barnes and Noble across the street. I know what we can do on rainy days!!! We drove around awhile, and ended up at Bunker Hill. David was napping in the car, so just Jamie, Rachel, and Tim got out.


Saturday was our first big family touristy outing. We stopped by the bakery for breakfast to go, hopped on the bus, rode it to Harvard Square, then got on the T to go to Boston (Jamie & David loved riding standing up) and the Freedom Trail. We started our journey at Boston Common.

We walked up the hill to the State House whose dome is covered in 23 karat gold and whose cornerstone was laid by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Then we walked over to the Granary Burial Ground and saw lots of cool tombstones. Jamie was fascinated by the carvings of the skeletons on so many of them. Samuel Adams, John Hancock, victims of the Boston Massacre, and Paul Revere were some of the graves we saw.

This picture is of Rachel standing by John Hancock's grave marker.



From there we went into King's Chapel and got to go inside to see what church box seats were like. We read about how a family would "buy" a box seat for about $150 per year and then decorate it with fabrics, cushions, and other furniture from home. The purpose of the box seats was to keep the worshipers warm in a huge unheated space. The walls kept out drafts and the small spaces could be heated through body heat and a foot warmer filled with coal. The balcony was for those who couldn't afford a box seat.










Then it was on past the first public school in the US and the site of the Boston Massacre to Faneuil Hall. There we stopped in to a festival of bands and heard an orchestra playing Holst's The Planets for their final number. Then as an encore they played a Star Wars suite. The sound was awesome!! We walked past Paul Revere's home and through Quincy Market and ended up at the Old North Church (of "one if by land. . ." fame). Our family sat in a box seat to hear the presentation of the docent. In the front left corner of the church was a plaque on the wall commemorating the preaching of Charles Wesley at this location.

We were all hot, thirsty, and starving by this point so we started looking for a place for lunch. Should be an easy thing since the North End is also "Little Italy". We ended up at a little family place owned and operated by an Italian family. The food was fabulous- Jamie has decided that he loves bread dipped in olive oil and spices - and the portions were enough to feed a horse. We had a complete meal from the leftovers!! Then it was time to head home. We finished the day with ice cream from a local place.


Ok. I gotta quit or my fingers are going to fall off!! I'm not used to all this typing!! I'll have to have do a "catch up" Part 2 next time.