What We Did on Our Summer Vacation (Part I)

We drove around New England, that's what! The plan was to drive slowly, on scenic byways, avoiding the big roads. Honestly? I cannot recommend this enough. It was totally awesome. Check out this beautiful park we found in Connecticut off the Merritt Parkway on our drive up:



So first, a few sun- (well, ok, and rain-) soaked days in Boston, where we explored the Public Garden and its swan boats. Have you guys read one of our house favorites, "The Trumpet of the Swan"? Ok, seriously, run out and get a copy right now - it's the perfect mix of E.B. White's masterfully crafted sentences and a very sweet story about a mute swan who learns to blow a mean horn. One of the places that swan ends up? The Boston swan boats - so you can imagine the excitement of checking them out in person.

Check out this nice picture Lara took of the ducks (and see if you can pick out those white blobbies in the background - they are actual trumpeter swans!).



The Public Garden might just be my favorite place to go with kids on a nice day in "our fair city".



Green, full of climb-able trees, banked by ice cream trucks and balloon sellers - what's not to like?





Although just walking around the city is good too. Who knows when you might stumble onto a cool fountain?



But the best part was getting to see some of the far-flung family.



Thanks for the squash lesson, Uncle Max!



And thanks for being game enough to let the kids play baseball in your house, Tanya and Senya! You guys are braver than I am...



Stay tuned for more adventures, as we leave Boston and slowly drift south down the coast. Can you guess where we ended up next?