We have been everywhere these past two day, Chickie, Robin, and I. Actually I am glad to write tonight so I won’t forget what we have been doing. So much to see and do!

Yesterday we walked down to the Boston harbor to see the Atlantic Ocean. All kinds of sail boats dotted the water. It was a wonderful feeling again looking out over the ocean. I have not been to the east coast for several years. It was a windy day and quite warm, a perfect day for sailing. People were walking, riding the buses and cars, and popping up from the T, or the subway. We have ridden the subway often. I feel like Alice in Wonderland every time I step out of that underground transportation system. One starts out in one area of town and ends up in whole different area of the city. We completed our day walking around the famous Faniel Hall or Quincy’s Market ,a huge outdoor and indoor market filled with food ,clothes, and souvenirs.

Today we started out at Carson Beach, which is only a half of mile from our airbnb we are staying in till we head to Salem on Thursday. The sand felt soft and warm under my feet because of course I had to walk and dip my feet into the cold salt water. Carson Beach lies in a tiny inlet of water, and the ocean was calm with no waves. If I had known I would have a local beach near me I would have brought my bathing suit to swim. I would love to tell my pool buddies at the Y that I was able to swim in the ocean this week.

We jumped on the T again and headed to downtown Boston for the Boston Common Park. It was wonderful to be surrounded by the Tall Beings again. I am truly the country mouse gone to the city when I travel to these larger towns and the trees always make me feel at home. Lots of beautiful flowers too; roses, vincas, cannas, begonias, and purple sage. I saw small groups of the “littles” out with their day care attendants enjoying the playgrounds for children. The photo above is a statue found in the park. I want to show it to my yoga teacher, Becca, because when I first saw it I immediately thought what a tough yoga pose that would be. The park had several statues, a merry-go-round, and a large concrete ice skating area that would be filled in with water in the winter.

We walked on and on and ended up by the St. Charles River with lots of brownstone brick homes in the area. The river was quiet with many small boats anchored in the marina. Then we headed back downtown to a section called The Haymarket, with lots of shops and restaurants. We met our guide Gee for a food tour that we had booked. Four other people attended, two couples, one from Texas, the other from Pennsylvania. They had jumped off their New England cruise ship for a short time in Boston.

The food tour was great, beginning with a creamy Clam Chowder and homemade cornbread. We then walked to a different restaurant and sampled a marvelous Lobster Roll, a homemade roll with lobster stuffed with celery and a few spices. As I am a pescatarian I did not try a couple of the other food selections, a pastrami sandwich and a chicken parmesan. Chickie and Robin reported they were delicious. At the last restaurant we ate an apple cider donut and also a cannoli roll stuffed with cream, yummy!

I had never been on a food tour before and I must say I really enjoyed it. But most of all I enjoyed the people, not only the seven of us and Gee, our guide, but the waiters and waitresses that served us. Everyone has been so helpful. I think most of us like people watching, including myself at times. But I have realized on this trip that our little trio, Chickie, Robin, and I, must have a lost look on our faces often. Especially in the underground caves of the subway. So often someone will simply walk up to us and say, “Do you need help? Do you know where you are going?”. Yesterday a woman named Sherry offered to help us find our airbnb when we were trying to decide if we needed the red line or the green line in the T system. It turned out she lived a block over from where we are staying! I had a talk with my angels before I left Louisville for everything to go smooth with our travels, and as usual they were listening.

Tomorrow we are off to Martha’s Vineyard. I am sure another spectacular day!

Time to rest now.

c   Love, Joan