Back from Massachusetts

If I had written this yesterday, I could have started with the generic, "Greetings from Massachusetts!" But since I didn't write this yesterday, this will have to do...

Greetings from (yawn) California.

M & I just spent a week on the East Coast, leaving last Thursday and returning last night. To most people (and that was but a handful), I said I was in Boston, but we were only in the city for a day. We were in small towns, like Bedford, Dennis, Marblehead and Rockport, the rest of the time.

Thanks to the generosity of M's friends, C & S, we had a nice place to stay in Bedford. The only tradeoff was spending parts of our trip with a 3-year-old and a 16-month-old, which is not a bad tradeoff at all. Toddlers are amazing creatures (and I use that term because calling them human hardly seems sufficient). They have the ability to change from angels to monsters and back to angels in the blink of an eye, before you can call for help. They can melt your heart with a giggle and drive you up the wall with a wail. Now I have even more respect and appreciation for people who are parents. They are incredible.

Once I get home, I'll upload the photos and write in detail, but for right now, here's a quick rundown of some firsts from this trip. It was the first time I:

• flew to Providence, Rhode Island.
• took the T.
• ate at Dunkin' Donuts.
• drank a Sam Adams at Cheers (the Bull & Finch Pub).
• was keenly aware of how difficult it is to find television shows suitable for young children.
• thought, "Too many lighthouses! Too many lighthouses!"
• put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean.
• did not shave for a week. (I now look like a survivor from Lost.)

I'm a few days late, but Happy August!