Vacation Week

Monday was the start of vacation week for Sam and a day off from work for me. I did sit at the computer for a bit to get a few things crossed off my work to do list and then got a few errands done, but it was too nice to sit in the house all afternoon so Sam and I took a drive up to the Fielder's Choice in Manchester for a bit of driving practice, and of course, as an excuse for ice cream on a beautiful afternoon! 😊🍧😋

Went into the office on Tuesday and headed out early enough to get in a run down to the river in the sunshine a little before 4:00 pm. Nice out. Fiddleheads and false hellebore coming up along the river bank. (6.0 miles)

Didn't get out on Wednesday until 5:00 pm. Hit the roads to keep it easy but had very heavy legs. (6.0 miles)

Headed out around 8:00 am on Thursday for a run on the powerlines. Nice morning. Swallows and redwinged blackbirds flitting, plus towhee calling. And many more trailing arbutus in bloom. (8.0 miles)

Then it was off to get some errands done, do a bit of work and get packed up for our trip into Boston! We left the house around 2:00 and drove down to park the car at Wonderland, where we took the T into the city and got settled in our hotel before walking to Chinatown for dinner. Yum!

After dinner we wandered through the Boston Commons and Public Gardens before stopping at Tatte for a yummy dessert and heading back to the hotel for the evening. It was nice and warm out and so lovely to see the flowering trees and tulips in bloom! Many other people were out enjoying the weather.  (1.9 miles walked)

Saturday, I got up early and headed out for a run around 6:20 am. I ran back through the Commons and Public Gardens, which were much quieter, and then down Comm Ave to the Charles. The river is definitely the place to run and there was a lot of activity. I did an out and back and then retraced my steps back to the hotel. My legs were feeling pretty heavy, but it was a pretty morning and I was glad to get out and enjoy it. (6.3 miles)

We grabbed breakfast at Starbucks and then took the T out to the aquarium where we had 9:00 tickets. It was the perfect time to go as it was reasonably quiet for the first hour, allowing us a chance to watch the penguins and sea lions and then walk all the way up to the top of the main tank without it beign crowded. Then we wandered back down into the chaos and took in the side exhibits and the tank feedings and seal training/feeding before walking over to Faneuil Hall for lunch. (2.5 miles walked)

After lunch and ice cream, we took the T to the end of Newbury Street and then spent the next 3+ (or maybe more?!) hours wandering in and out of the stores and adding to our collection of items to bring home with us. Sam was in heaven! 😂😁👜👚👡

We were still out wandering around at 5:00 pm and I was fading fast (shopping is tiring!), so we took the T back to the hotel to drop off our bags and then walked up to Mast for dinner. The pizza was delish and it was good find! (0.66 miles walked)

Then on the way back to the hotel, we stopped to take a look at The Embrace, the MLK sculpure. Definitely neat to see. (0.75 miles walked)

We woke up to rain on Saturday and after breakfast at Tatte, we took the T out to the MFA. We had tickets right when the museum opened at 10:00, so again, it was reasonably quiet for the first part of our visit. We took in the Van Gogh Portrait exhibit and then wandered around, alternately enjoying and shaking our heads at the art 😉

The rain had let up by the time we headed out around noon, so we walked up the street for a quick poke bowl lunch (0.35 miles walked) and then through the Fens up to Fenway Park and Kenmore Square and out through Boston University before taking the T back to the hotel to pick up our bags. (1.6 miles walked)

It was a fun, quick trip into the city and great to be able to explore and pack a lot into the 2 days we were there! And definitely a good way to wrap up vacation week! 

However, I will definitely admit that I was tired out! Slept in, did a bit of reading on the couch and then got the grocery shopping done this morning before I finally headed over to Brunswick to run around 10:30. Parked out at Pennelville and did a loop out through Coleman Farm, the Landing and Commons. Slow, sloppy, soggy, rainy run with much picture-taking and puddle-hopping. The trout lilies are coming out and the rue anemone and trillium are about to bloom as well. And so many trailing arbutus! Time to start up the weekly runs through the area to keep up with all the ephemerals! (6.1 miles)

 

Peepers!

Spring is springing! This week brought with it a hint of warmer weather, peepers and coltsfoot blooming. But it was also still windy, cool and rainy on and off through the week so we are not quite into shorts weather yet! 

Monday was a planned zero day and then Tuesday, despite my plans to run in the morning, turned into a rainy late afternoon walk kind of day, as Sam has a bad cough and we were all up all night. 😴😴😬😬 (1.7 miles walked)

I did manage to get up and out at 6:20 on Wednesday morning for a run on the cart paths. Nice sunny morning, if a bit damp feeling. Two deer and two turkey plus more trailing arbutus in bloom! And the neighborhood possum and fox in the backyard before I left ❤️(6.0 miles)

Thursday was a late afternoon run down to the river and back after picking Sam up from school and having her get in some driving practice while also getting a few errands done around town. The peepers were out in force! So noisy! (6.1 miles)

Friday, I ended up trying to cram in a bit too much work plus a few errands and then was hungry for lunch, so it ended up being another afternoon run around the Heath and on the cart paths. Windy and definitely did not feel like 50 degrees. But the peepers were peeping, coltsfoot is emerging and catkins are growing. Legs were heavy but alas that is always the case on a late afternoon run for me. (6.0 miles)

Saturday, I chose to hit the farmer's market and get some stuff done around the house before I headed out after lunch for a run on the powerlines. Definitely felt like spring (60s!) but the woods are still mostly brown with only a few hints of spring showing. (10.0 miles)

On Sunday I headed out a little after 8:00. Incredibly windy! 💨💨Even being in the woods wasn't enough to block the gusts. Just sort of meandered along as it was slow going with mud and roots and leaves, and some of the old trails I took which have just become too overgrown to truly run anymore 😢 Two deer, a few tadpoles and one broad wing hawk seen. Also ran into Ted, Eliza, and Ian, who was dressed in an Easter bunny suit 🐰, on the track! You never know what you’ll find out there 🤣(12.0 miles)

Then it was over to Mom and Dad's later in the afternoon for an easter egg hunt for Sam and a yummy dinner!