New England in Autumn

My Hills! Real Hills!

I combined a trip home for Neecy's birthday with a day in the old office for a small project, so I was actually back for several days. But the extra time also afforded me some flexibility, so when there was some fairly urgent family stuff going on, I was able to rent a car and go to Western Mass. for a day. With perfect weather, in the fall, in New England. (And there may have been some popovers from Judie's in there, too...) And then the drive back east to my brother's new house avoided the Pike, so it was all scenic, all the time.

Just what I needed! I don't like driving in general (one of the reasons Michigan and its car culture disagrees with me), but I love driving along through these hills. I would like to thank Neecy for being so considerate as to have a birthday that means I have an excuse to come home to a New England fall every year.

Weird-ass rental car, though. Definitely don't want to buy a whatever it was.

Speaking of Nourishing the Soul...

For me, it's the mountains. For Arthur, it's the ocean. He had class all week so didn't fly into Boston until Friday afternoon, but as soon as he was off the plane, he headed off to the Harbor with his parents. Another beautiful, sunny, warm, perfect fall day. Thank you, Sim, for the amazing weather!

Big City Adventures

My brother moved to a new house since we were last in town, so the kids got to show me all around. Neffie feels that rooms are what you have to walk through to get to the closets. He also used to run straight for our pantry in J.P., so he loves mini-rooms.

Anyway, I got my great big squeezy hug from Neffie. And Neecy has decided that maybe she'll consider not disliking me sometime maybe. I even got a high-five :) Quite an accomplishment.

The next day was going to be my adventure in the city with Neffie. Since Saturday was going to be all about the birthday girl and her party, Friday was going to be my time with Neffie. We took the big train (he doesn't live on the Red Train anymore); went to the Science Museum and met Arthur's parents, posed with the T-Rex, and discussed how duck boats could ride on the street AND in the water(!); went to the Planetarium and saw the Sesame Street show (very good and age appropriate); and then to the Burdick's in Back Bay where he passed the test and is worthy of being my nephew. He consumed a full cup of hot chocolate (not the dark chocolate; that was for Auntie ;). I think he enjoyed sipping out of the top like Mommy and Daddy sip their coffee. (I still haven't found a suitable soy hot chocolate out here that comes close to Burdick's. Even the Zingerman's was... meh.)

Ursamajor met us at Burdick's, and after we all obtained our hot chocolates, we walked over to Copley Square. Neffie continues to adore Ursamajor, so between the statues, the piano project, and the people watching (it was farmers market day and we bought flowers for Nana), he had a serious case of the giggles.



It will surprise no one that as soon as the train home pulled out of North Station, he fell fast asleep. On the morning ride, we'd passed through the town where Nana grew up, so we talked a little bit about Nana as a little girl, and her family. The lake we could see out our window is where my and Daddy's Auntie brought us ice skating when we were little. Yes, Daddy has an Auntie of his own! Auntie has an Auntie! In fact, our Auntie posted a photo to FB a while ago of Daddy on that lake when he was little - see, here it is. Yes! that was Daddy right there on that lake a long time ago when it was frozen. Neffie said "that's awesome!"


One thing that happened several times throughout the weekend was perfect strangers not only saying hello (he's cute, so that's not out of the ordinary), but all of them able to identify me as the Auntie without me saying anything. I dunno' - was there an "Auntie" sign on my back that I forgot about? Kinda' neat, though, that the auntie-nephew dynamic is recognizable :)

Birthday Girl

I am not afraid to use my Auntie Powers for good. Trying to get the kids to pick up some of their toys, and not making more of a mess after Daddy cleans. At one point I had both kids and Arthur all sweeping together. Muahahahahahaha. I will work it while I can. They'll soon be old enough to catch on.

Neecy loved helping Mama make the party favors. She's also becoming chatty. I figured out a few of her words before we left. ("Cheese" means food in general, for instance.) She was willing to show me patience while I figured out which item she wanted. A complete change from the last time we visited. She was even comfortable enough with me to walk right up and steal dinner off of my plate :)


The new yard is a great space for a party. Lots of kids zipping around. And a puppy - always a popular attraction. Plus pizza, and birthday cake. And presents! Neecy has definitely reached the point where she enjoys presents. (And Neffie has reached the sulky jealous stage. This is why I brought enough pom poms for both of them.)


Note to any Arthurs who may be reading this: I fully support the notion that birthday girls shouldn't have to choose, and can have waffles AND pancakes for breakfast. Hint hint.