Happy New Year! It's 2014!

 A trip north after Christmas to visit my parents and rendezvous with family...minus husband but plus two children....  the days post nest you take what you can get when you can get it!   Brendan, Sara, Chandler and I decided to make a day trip spending New Year's Eve day exploring the coast from Mass to Maine...with L.L.Bean as our ultimate stopping point.

First stop iconic Nubble Light...I've been there several times but never in winter...

Apparently Nubble Light is a great place for scuba divers...but in WINTER?!  Who knew?

This is how they do Christmas trees in Maine!

As gorgeous in frigid temps as in summertime....

Panoramic view of Cape Neddick

Is this Bean Town?

The unintentional uniform of the night... Sara and Chandler show off their brand new boots.  Can you guess which pair are 34 years old?!  They served me well on my honeymoon in Lake Placid....

Happy New Year!  Jumping to stay warm at the Old Belfry boulder in historic Lexington, MA

Historic Concord...home to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Louisa May Alcott, to name a few...

 The Old Manse, National Historic Landmark. Residence of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Old Manse's stone boathouse on the edge of the Concord River.

The Old North Bridge

                                              We sure do love our insulated Bean boots...

January 2, 2014.  Since it's snowing we decide it's better to take the train into Boston. 

Blustery Boston!  The first snowstorm of the new year...and it's a doozie!

 Make Way for Ducklings in the snow...at the Public Garden.

One of several ice sculptures in Boston Common...

Only $14 million for this beauty on the edge of Boston Common....

 We explore the streets of Beacon Hill...lots of charming entrances and attractive seasonal decor...

 An endearing lower level residence

 The curved staircase of the Beacon Hill Friends Meeting House...

 I'm just scoping out future retirement rental residences....

 What's behind Door Number One?

A warm and cozy cappuccino break at Cafe Victoria in the North End

A sweet ending to a long and cold day...scrumptious treats from Mike's Pastries...  Everyone's favorite: the lobster tail with white cream that is to die for!  It took nearly two days to finally polish off this baby!

You don't get to do this in Jacksonville....

Household chores northern style...

A sunny but frigid afternoon (can't feel our fingers) trying out the cross country skiing trails in Carlisle.

Proof of the Polar Vortex...   Brrrrr....

Insightful Writings in Unexpected Places

My visit with my parents wasn't all typing and transcribing.  We started out with a visit to the Science Museum which had a very special and fascinating exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls.  A fitting way to start a week that was full of investigating some old family documents!  

Another day found us at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.  So very amazing to process all of the art collections, the new architecture (the new glass wing was completed in 2012) and learn more and marvel about Isabella herself.  Well worth our visit.   My mother and I were surprised when we entered the ladies room...which did not look at all like a public restroom, tiled in Kelly Green squares and with stall doors all bold and brilliant in what reminded us of Marimekko fabric.  We loved the random words of wisdom that were randomly placed on the walls.  And yes I did have to double check on the translations.  My high school French was a long long time ago!

 Very cool stall doors.  The inside latches were cool too.

It was so bright and refreshing!  I liked the long trough sink.

"A secret shared by two is shared with God,

A secret shared by three is shared with everybody."

Think much, speak a little, write nothing.

This French proverb is copied from an enamel plaque that was displayed on the mantle of John Pierpont Morgan's home.  Isabella either saw it or actually acquired the plaque as she collected a little bit of everything.  Actually a lot of everything.   Mom is the one who pointed out how appropriate it is for a bathroom as an anti-graffiti request.  Probably something that Isabella would like.

We asked my dad if there were any words of wisdom displayed in the men's room, but he didn't even know what color the wall tile was.   He was more interested in the details of the famous art theft that occurred at the museum in 1990.  It's the largest unsolved art theft in history.  He was disappointed that after Whitey Bulger was captured no more details about the heist came to light (the artwork has yet to be recovered and the FBI has identified the mob connections).  Perhaps more to come....