Boston. Finally.

Okay, let’s see what I can remember a week after the fact!

Friday, the 4th: As instructed, I called KT when I was on my way to Baggage Claim at Logan. It turned out that Teddy was already at the airport, so she told me to look for a silver car. I already knew what the personalized tags would say, so I saw Teddy before he saw me… which meant that he didn’t get a chance to wave the Colorado state flag that he’d purchased in anticipation of my arrival. He was able to work through his disappointment, and still had a chance to wave a set of New Mexico flags when picking up the THREE carloads of people who were to arrive a couple of hours later. We all spent the afternoon gabbing and drinking fancy Belgian beers and slurping spiked slushies in the backyard, and then it was time for a gluttonous FEAST of steamed lobster and grilled steak. (Yeah, I had neglected to mention my vegetarian tendencies. I knew that it would be rough on this crowd of foodies who were being so gracious as to house and feed me, so I reverted to omnivory.) Then Ted and KT brought out an American flag cake, AND a cheesecake, and we all found room in our bellies for just a little more. Feeling stuffed, we worked it off by walking the few blocks down to the local yacht club for a good view of the fireworks.

Saturday: We started the day with a walk around the perimeter of Deer Island. We saw lots of boats, and met lots of dogs. This was followed by more schmoozing around the backyard, and then we all walked back to the yacht club to await our golden chariot: a cruise around the harbor with Ted’s friend Larry on Larry’s boat. Larry traps lobster for a living, and his boat was large enough to haul 18 of us around in spacious comfort. We spent a few hours on the water and were getting ready to wind things up when Larry decided that he may as well pull a string of his traps out of the water and show us city folk how things are done. It was great to see Larry and his wife, Sandy, at work. There’s a poetry to the efficiency of movement that he’s developed over the years, and his passion for his work was evident. In fact, as we were later finishhing up a dinner where we celebrated Ted’s birthday with an intimate gathering of 34 people (complete with magic show performed by our Ordinary, Everyday, Magical guest of honor), Larry mentioned that even after 30 years, he was looking forward to getting up at 4am and getting back to the boat. That is, he was looking forward to it until we exited the restaurant into a blanket of fog. Everyone stumbled back to the Tiger Mews for dessert (of course!) of not one, not two, not three, but FOUR homemade pies, and leftover flag cake and cheesecake.

Sunday: We made it into Boston proper for a walk through town. By which I mean we took the T into town, walked about three blocks, and stopped at the Union Oyster House (oldest restaurant in the U.S.) for drinks. Feeling refreshed, we walked a few more blocks into Chinatown, and enjoyed steaming baskets of dim sum for lunch. We then headed back downtown and a few of us were lucky enough to get tickets for a Duck Tour! The “conDUCKtor” of our DUKW amphibious vehicle, South End Sara, was Jailbird George, and he did a terrific job. After a day in the sun, we headed back to the Mews for a delicious paella, and fresh coconut cake. And pie. And flag cake. And cheesecake!

Monday: We splintered into smaller groups of Shopping and Sightseeing, and while I know what you’re expecting, I actually joined the folks heading to the aquarium. And what an aquarium! Definitely a sight to see, with hauntingly beautiful jellyfish and electric eels and “shaaaahks” and rays and and and! We had just enough time to work our way up and down through the throngs of kids before we had to find our way over to Boston Beer Works, where we were regrouping for an early dinner before the game at FENWAY PARK. Yeah baby, first row in the grandstand, right behind home plate. Just a little bit of heaven. Of course, after last year’s trouncing of my Rockies by the Sox in the World Series, I had a hard time getting behind the home team. That didn’t diminish my joy at being in one of the last truly historic ballparks in the country, though. The Citgo sign! The John Hancock neon! The Big Green Monster! Oh, yeah, and (sigh), the Sox.

It had been 14+ years since I’d been to Boston, but I’ll try to get back a little sooner next time.

Tons of photos if you click on the one below.