Boston IV - Freedom Trail - Holocaust Memorial

With all the stupid shit unfolding in Washington, the Holocaust Memorials across the country hold even more value. They demand: "What are you going to do about this?"

What are you going to do? Just sit around and not worry about it because killing a journalist doesn't impact you directly?

Boston III - Freedom Trail Part 2

The thing I didn't realize about the Freedom Trail is that it's a physical trail with red bricks in the sidewalk and huge bronze markers that show points of interest. Very cool!

One of the coolest spots was the Granary Burial Ground. Lots of old tombs from a long time ago in downtown Boston.

Boston II - Freedom Trail Part 1

Immediately upon arrival, we hit the Freedom Trail. It started a few blocks from our hotel, and JP had done her homework, so we hit the ground running. The old State House is at the top of Beacon Hill.

Also at the top of Beacon Hill, next to the State House, is an ancient pub called The 21st Amendment. We stopped in for a few bowls of Chowda to ward off the Hangries.

The chowda & wings worked wonderfully.

Boston!

Through a combo of good karma, lots of traveling (Delta Skymiles & Hilton points), and a wanderlust, we did a family trip to Boston.

 

GP scored the upgrade to 1st Class from Omaha to New York. Note the boarding time. It was a long day...

JP & CP got the sleeper section.

Dorm Dog

CP comes home on Sundays for laundry and a home-cooked meal.

JP thought it would be fun to sneak S into the dorm when we took CP back to school. While S didn't seem to mind,CP did; he was not amused.

Mousefeeder

When we saw this little guy on our birdfeeder, it all became clear how the mice we've been plagued with are getting their food. The birdfeeder is now out at the back fence. We love the goldfinches, but not at the expense of having mice in the house.

Car vs. Maple: Maple is Victorious

I was napping on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon when I was thrown awake; I thought S had jumped on my chest. I got up and went to the garage to throw out some recycling and then I noticed a bunch of people standing across the street with a car that wasn't where a car should be.

A girl rounded the corner and was going too fast or not paying attention and failed to stay on the road. Judging from where she left the road and how high up on the tree she hit and how far the broken pieces of her car went, she was probably going 40 mph. She was wearing her seatbelt and her airbag went off, so she was OK (lucky, too!). What I thought was the dog jumping on me was really a tremendous crash.

Since we've been here, this is the third car vs tree accident on this corner in addition to as many car vs. mailboxes plus our lamppost. 

Couch Potatoes

S has figured out that sleeping on the sofa is an OK thing to do with any of us, even W, the cat.

It's hard to believe that he ever slows down to the point of sleeping, but between his manic awake times, he's always good for a nap.

Honored Again

GP hit the honor roll again @ LSW. This time he got his academic letter. 

Stripes on Lion

Last weekend, GP played at Duffy's with his new band, Stripes on Lion. They sounded pretty good!

Dog Eared Dog Tag

SP doesn't like his dog tag.

B-Day Ride

For his b-day, GP took his friends in my car downtown to the wing place in the Railyard so they could all eat the Atomic Hot wings. It's fun watching them finally get out and do things on their own. 

Fuzzy Belly

W enjoys getting a pet in my lap on Saturday mornings when we update the blog. He is so nice to pet! Despite his immense coat, he does not shed.

Growing Up

S & W are coming to an arrangement where they somewhat get along. Especially at nap time.

JP has a dog-protection blanket across the entire sofa, except for the corner.

S is a tight-leash walker. He loves to go for walks every day. This morning he found a golf ball; it's the best toy he's had.

Puppy Kisses

JP missed out on puppy kisses while she was gone. The good thing is that it doesn't take long to get caught up.

Newest Husker

GP received his acceptance letter to UNL this week. He's planning to study computer engineering.

GO BIG RED!!!

Low and Wide

We traded in a guitar and picked up a sweet 6-String bass. It's HUGE! and Heavy! It has one string lower than a normal bass, and one string higher than standard for a four-octave total range. GP is fired up to slap and pop it, and I'm looking forward to playing some Bach cello pieces on it.

Homecoming 2018

Helpful Puppy

JP went to IL for a week and a half to help out Nana. It rained all day, every day for the first week she was gone. The threshold on the back door to the deck was soaked and letting water through, so we installed a new seal on the bottom that has a drip shield. S was a good helper. He got all my tools away from me so that I couldn't hurt myself. He also added some holes to the brand new tube of silicone so that it would come out easier.

When the work was done, he helped me clean up.

And he found some loose threads in the deck rug and pulled them out for me.

Earlier this year, I installed some drip irrigation on one of the berms for JP. There was some extra tubing that I left so that we could route it somewhere else. S found it and chopped it up into nice small pieces for me. He is so helpful!!

Cute Puppy Pics

S is growing by the minute. He was housebroken in three days. JP so far has taught him Sit, Stay, Paw, Leave It, and almost has Down nailed.

W tolerates him. Mostly.

Nothing like herding a ball around the back yard.

Both cats are doing OK with S. He wants to play. W does not, and V wants to play, but she can't let herself have that much fun. Every time they start playing, I get my camera out, and that puts an end to it.