We arrived in Manitoba yesterday evening. This trip to Manitoba was slightly longer than it usually is; we added a stop in Iowa to say ‘Hello’ to some friends. L travelled as well as could be expected. We are all glad to be here, not having to face another day of 10 or 15 hours of travel.
Month: May 2008
Going to Manitoba for the Summer
Tomorrow morning we head back to Manitoba for a few months. We’re looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family again. We will continue to post updates here, but the updates will probably not appear as frequently.
Last Day with Aunt Colleen
Today, our last full day with Aunt Colleen, we drove into the Berkshires to spend a few hours at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Norman Rockwell grew up in New York, but for much of his life he lived in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It was interesting to hear about his life. Many of the faces that appear in his paintings are the faces of people who lived in Stockbridge when he lived there.
After taking in the Norman Rockwell Museum, we meandered through the Berkshires back to Granville, Massachusetts, where we stopped for some ice cream. The Gran-Val Scoop, an ice cream shop on an old dairy, is owned by one of the basses I met when I sang with Novi Cantori this spring. The owners of the dairy make their own ice cream. L liked the ice cream, but he was also a fan of the animals there.
Boston
So we took Aunty C into Boston to show her the sites there and once again we saw something new to us as well. We headed to Harvard University first. We had been there before, but we spent some more time wandering around.
L enjoyed the playground in the Cambridge Commons.
Wednesday evening we went to the Museum of Fine Arts, taking advantage of the free admission. Thursday we walked the Freedom Trail.
Not to make Aunty I jealous, but we did stop at the Bull n’ Finch Pub, the inspiration for the Cheers sitcom.
Butterfly Conservatory
Today we visited Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory. Besides butterflies, this conservatory has an assortment of birds. L had a great time following the Button Quails around.
A Day in Old Sturbridge Village
Today we decided to head down the Massachusetts Turnpike to Old Sturbridge Village. We saw some interesting 18th- century buildings and, as L would attest to, some (equally) interesting farm animals. We were worried that the weather would ruin our day, but the rain held off just long enough for us to see what we wanted to see.
Visitor from Manitoba
Aunt Colleen arrived from Manitoba yesterday. She is already L’s favorite playmate. Here he is “helpfully” helping Colleen load the dishwasher.
Today we spent some time outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather. We went for a hike along the Holyoke Range in J. A. Skinner State Park and then enjoyed some campfire-style pizza.
Mother’s Day Picnic
The three of us celebrated Mother’s Day by heading to a nearby park for a cookout. L was mesmerized with the fire. Fortunately, we were able to keep him far enough away from it so that he didn’t get burned. Later, his Dad taught him how to throw stones in the river.
Sick Again
I can’t believe that we are sick again, this time we have the stomach flu. We were just nicely over our colds. L has a bit of an excuse for being sick he is cutting 3 teeth, so I am not sure what is bug and what is teething in his case. I was sick Sunday and Monday. Lowell got sick yesterday evening and so he spent today in bed. At least we were staggered a little bit. L has been a very good boy spending time with Mom and Dad however he best could.
“Yeah, I’d like to cash a cheque…”
This story made me and my officemates laugh out loud. Here’s how I imagine this man’s internal dialogue leading up to the event:
Hmmm. I really could use a joint. But I don’t have any money. I’ve heard that some people write up fake cheques and then cash them. Sounds like a plan. Let’s see, I need a couple hundred dollars. I’ll write a cheque for, say, $500. That ought to cover it. Hey wait. While I’m getting money for free, why don’t I get lots of money for free. What’s a lot of money? Ummm, a number with ten zeros behind it sounds like a lot of money. Why don’t I write a cheque for 340 billion dollars? That way, when I cash the cheque, I’ll never have to write another one. I’m so dumb. I should have thought of this sooner.
Obviously, it never occurred to him that there are many countries in this world that don’t even have that much money, never mind individuals who walk through the door wearing tanktops and shorts. Did he come to the bank with a 3 ton truck? Or did he think he could carry out that much cash in his pockets. I can see the mental machinery at work:
This will be so cool. I’ll get to see some of those billion-dollar bills. I wonder what they look like. Oh, and I’ll be able to start that record company I’ve always wanted to start. Wait, how much does it cost to start a record company? I’d better make that cheque a little bigger. Why don’t I write one for 360 billion dollars. I hope 20 billion dollars is enough to start a record company.