If any of you have had the privilege of being a guest in the home of Bonnie, may it be in NE or in WY you all would agree that she is a superb hostess! She always has events and food planned for all ages and all hours of the day. I have learned my hostess skills from her, so when mom planned a trip to come see me in Boston, I knew I had some planning to do! Mom has been in Jackson Hole, WY and decided to fly from there to here and then to Omaha, then back to Jackson Hole.....why the heck not?! Mom arrived late on Thursday night around 12midnight! She has been used to the hot weather but not the humidity that engulfed her as soon as she hit the Boston air....or lack there of.
Friday I had to work so mom was left to her own accord in Boston for the day. I had planned to meet her for lunch and then give her further directions if needed. She did great on her self-guided tour of Boston for the morning and afternoon, making it back to my apartment packed and ready for our weekend trip. We set out after work and headed to the northeastern tip of MA, Cape Ann. Cape Ann is an island made up of Gloucester and Rockport, and I have made many trips to this great location in the past several months. We pulled up to the "footpath to the Atlantic" sign and mom looked at me a little skeptical I would say. 2 weeks prior I had brought Katie to this same location and the path was overgrown by weeds and grass that made it nearly impossible to navigate. This day however the path had been mowed and maintained and we were able to walk a "Harry Potter" like path to places and lookouts that I had not been able to see. It was absolutely breathtaking and adventurous!! After our adventure to the Atlantic we made a few more stops on the island, at the pier in Rockport and the seaport in Gloucester. We stopped at the Pilot House for fabulous seafood and steak tips! Let the weekend of great views and great food begin.
Friday night we drove from MA to NH to stay at a hotel in Portsmouth that contrary to the description, was not within walking distance to downtown. We figured though that a good night's sleep was sounding better than a beer at the brewery! Saturday morning after a great continental breakfast, we headed north....to Maine:) I decided to head up Route 1, coastal route to stop at a couple beaches along the way. I had not driven this road yet so when we found a beach just north of York, I was pleasantly surprised and mom was elated! I didn't have the heart to tell her that the next day we would spending hours climbing rocks around Cape Elizabeth, because she was having so much fun and to be honest.....any shoreline is beautiful so we should enjoy them all! The sound that the waves made going back out was so cool. It was a fairly steep shore line cluttered with small ocean rocks, so when the wave went back out it rolled the rocks down the shore. Mom said it sounded like, "pop rocks in your mouth". It was difficult to tell her we had to move on from this spot. About 10min later into our drive, the rain began, and the rain continued and continued! We stopped in Kennebunk, ME of course for mom to see Bartley's Dockside restaurant where I have spent so much time and to enjoy a great lunch complete with Maine lobster. Following lunch, in the rain, we decided to do a little shopping while we were there and all.
Mom for some odd reason, loves to swim in this frigged cold water! I on the other hand do not, but I was definitely going to make her day when we stopped just north of Old Orchard beach, at Scarborough beach. It was still raining a little and the air had a definite lower temperature but there was no stopping the crazed senior citizen from swimming around for a bit! We walked the beach for a while and then decided to head up to Portland, ME. We arrived at our little Inn for the night and it was exactly what mom had wanted. She had mentioned that she wouldn't mind staying in a bed and breakfast......with your daughter? really mom?? Well I settled on an Inn which was about the same as a B & B. It was originally built and ran to house the men from the railroad as it was being built in ME but now has been maintained for all types of guest. We had our own cute little room with a double bed and a private bath in the hallway. The wall paper patterns were enough to make you vomit but is was really quaint. We went out and about in the rain in Portland to a few spots, top of the Eastland for a martini and a view, the long warf and to the old port. Somehow we scammed a free ride from the shuttle guy at the Eastland hotel, but from there we had to take a taxi back to the Inn. An experience for the mother!!
Sunday we awoke with hopes to go on a whale watch tour following our adventures at Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth of course. Mom gets motion sickness fairly easy, so it was not a huge disappointment when they had to cancel the whale watch due to "rough seas". Our morning at Cape Elizabeth was awesome! The waves and tide were so high that it added such a level of excitement and beauty that even I hadn't seen in all my trips to this very same location. We traveled and climbed all around the lighthouse on the huge rocks, playing in the water and having fun trying to capture the perfect pictures with the Maine beauty behind us. We had a picnic overlooking the lighthouse and the ocean. It was then that I think mom finally realized why I love it in Maine so much!! Since our whale watch was cancelled and the sun was about to come out from the clouds we quickly made our way to Kennebunk beach to bask in the sun and for mom to swim of course. The water temperature was even a little too cold for mom this day, but of course she got in anyway. Mid afternoon we headed south, stopped at a restaurant close to Wells, ME for some more seafood of course, then headed back to Boston. Wheeeew!
After a quick recovery from our long day of adventure, we headed out to walk the Charles river, get some ice cream and sit on the wharf to enjoy the evening. I was really not too upset when we headed back to the apartment a little early because of course I had to work the next morning. Monday at noon I met mom again for lunch at a different spot. She had already found her way around Boston again successfully that morning. She ventured to Quincey Market and got some lobster bisque for breakfast:) Whatever works for ya mama. Mom still can't figure out why we are all so shocked that she can find her way around Boston so well! Um mom, you usually can't find your way out of a paper bag! Love ya, but it's true! After lunch we attempted to go our separate ways, her to my apartment and me back to work but the weather had other plans. I have not seen rain this intense in quite sometime and of course we had both left our umbrellas behind! The nice waitress at the restaurant gave us some extra umbrellas but unfortunately they didn't help too much. In the one block we had to walk back to the apartment it had rained so hard and the wind had blown us in so many directions that we were absolutely soaked up to our boobs!! I then had to run up to the apartment, change and then run back to work still soaked!! Mom decided to take the opportunity to nap and read for the afternoon being that it poured all afternoon on and off.
Our last evening in Boston I had planned a very romantic night for my mama! We first walked to the blue line stop so she could purchase her ticket and know how to make it to the airport the next morning. Then we went to the North End for some wonderful Italian food, followed by retrieving some pastries at Bova's. We found our way to the water after walking around the North End for a while, and then discovered the Harborwalk. I hadn't found this walkway yet and it was fabulous. The walkway takes you all around the harbor....well duh, hence the name harbor walk I guess! It takes you around the harbor side restaurants, condos, marinas, over little old bridges and over towards where the cruise ships come into customs. It was truly great, can't wait to do that one again!! We didn't realize though how far we had traveled from home in all of our gawking around, so I made the executive decision to cab it back to my apartment. We still had to copy photos and pack up mom's things for her trip to NE in the morning. And yes, she made it without a hitch to the airport the next morning:) She is getting better in her "senior" years!! haha
I've said it before folks, but I love this area! I love being able to show people around especially my mom, even though I am just a tourist myself. Now I think that mom definitely likes the area as well but she is still not keen on the idea of me moving here anytime soon! In fact as soon as she touched down in NE she sent me a text that read, "Can't wait for all of my girls to move to Crete! :)". I replied, "Don't hold your breath!"
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