Back From My Break - A Trip To Boston

Hello, Dear Friends - I have missed you! 

I am back from my break feeling rested and renewed. 

Thank you so much for all of your encouraging comments

and best wishes. 

xoxo

So, here I am along a beautiful little creek in Raymond, New Hampshire

where we visited my Ramblin' Man's Dear Mother and Sisters. 

We also went to my Niece, Ashley's beautiful wedding in Massachusetts. 

My Ramblin' Man and I grew up in rural Massachusetts

and were high school sweethearts. 

This will always be 'home' to us and it was so good to go back

and be with those we love. 

I have a lot to share, so today I will start at the beginning.......

We flew out of Seattle under lovely blue skies

with 3 of my children and their spouses -  eldest Daughter Heather and Eric,

 Son Gabe and Erica, and youngest Son, Dustin and new wife Jen. 

We left Daughter Jennifer at home, as she could not take time off

and she was needed to care for beloved pets while we were gone. 

You can see the Cascade Mountains with a cloud capped Mt. Rainier

from the window of the plane - the tip of the wing visible in the upper left. 

Here, you can see Mt. Rainier on the right, barely visible under the clouds

and Mt. Adams under the wing on the far left. 

As we zoom in on Mt. Adams, we can also see the very tip of Mt. Hood

all the way down in Oregon. 

Three volcanic peaks right in a row! 

In between lies Mt. St. Helens which is aligned with Mt. Rainier. 

Of course, she is not visible, as she has blown her top!

That makes four volcanoes! 

From this perspective we can see that they are closer than they seem

to each other. 

This is a relatively young geological mountain range and all of these are considered 'active' volcanoes. 

Moving away from the Cascade Mountains, we see the mighty Columbia River

as it flows southwest towards the Pacific Ocean. 

Washington State is divided by the Cascades, with Western Washington very green and lush from the moisture off the Pacific. 

Eastern Washington is considered 'High Desert' and is quite dry and arid, as the Cascade range blocks most of the moisture. 

The Columbia River is very important for irrigation on this side of the mountains. 

It also supplies electricity from the Grand Coulee Dam .

Beautiful, patchwork farmlands alongside the Columbia - green from irrigation. 

As we travel further east, we see the arid topography. 

I am fascinated by the beautiful patterns. 

Soon the skies turn lovely pastel colors as we fly away from the setting sun. 

We take a non-stop flight, landing in Boston near midnight. 

After a long dark flight, we are grateful to see the bright lights of Logan Airport as we land. 

Oh, it is so nice to stretch our legs! 

Boston is known for its many tunnels which are fun to drive through as we head to our hotel. 

Oh, how wonderful it was to finally arrive and get some sleep! 

We had traveled from coast to coast, a total of 3030 miles! 

After a restful sleep, we awaken to a view of Boston from our hotel window. 

Our panoramic view also includes Boston Harbor. 

This was a lovely surprise, as the room was part of a block of rooms reserved for out of town wedding guests. 

We meet our children and their spouses for breakfast and head up to New Hampshire 

to visit Dear Family. 

We pass the harbor on our way. 

Under lingering morning clouds, the beautiful city of Boston comes into view. 

A large old smokestack releases steam into the lightening skies. 

An interesting juxtaposition of old buildings and new. 

The city of Boston dates back to the early 16th century. 

Someday I hope to go back and spend more time exploring my home city. 

My ancestor's date back to these early colonial days and I feel a strong link to this beautiful city. 

But time is short and we must take advantage of every moment, so on we travel. 

We take the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel, which was built during the 'Big Dig' in Boston recently. 

This tunnel takes us right under the heart of the city. 

Interestingly, Seattle is undergoing its own 'Big Dig' along the waterfront right now, which is currently on hold due to the tunnel boring machine, 'Big Bertha' being out of commission from running into buried debris dumped during the turn of the century. 

I love tunnels - did I mention that? 

I also love the feeling when the plane takes off and lands. 

You know, that 'rush' you get when you practically leave yourself behind.......:)

or crash back into yourself. 

I also love bridges and this one is a beauty. 

This is the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge. 

Click on the link if you want to see some amazing photos of this beautiful bridge. 

As we leave Boston behind we travel north to lovely New Hampshire

with its wonderfully famous motto, Live Free or Die.

This is where we start to see some beautiful autumn color!

Photos just don't do it justice.

We arrive to find a warm welcome at the home of
my Ramblin' Man's Dear Mother.

She is turning 86 this year and is in frail health.
We are so happy to have this time with her.

There have been two new additions to the family since she has seen my children -
my son Gabe's sweet wife, Erica on her right and my son Dustin's darling wife, Jen on the end.

It was such a special visit.

All too soon the day was over.

Thank you for coming along on this special journey, Dear Friends.

Next time I will show you some beautiful New Hampshire sights
before we head back to Boston to celebrate the wedding.

I hope you will join me!

xoxo

'A happy family is but an earlier heaven'
-George Bernard Shaw-