The Best F*#&$^@$ Ice Cream?!

Considering we had been sitting in 90 degree weather for the past three weeks my friend Chris and I decided to avoid the beaches on the Cape and head toward the North Shore and the beaches of Gloucester.

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This is Half Moon Beach...I'll confess I picked it because of California associations! :)

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Chris is very pleased...he had just put up the umbrella and has zero intention of using it! 

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I love New England!

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But of course I was busy prepping for Monday night class.

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This was my beach reading...what I wouldn't give for a little fluff novel!

After our tough day at the beach we decided to drive into Essex, founded in 1623 and a current population of 3627, for an nice ice cream.  New Englanders love their ice cream and when we stopped and asked where we should go the lady at the gas station said in a low rapturous voice "Oh my God, the best F&#^%*@ ice cream ever is a mile down the road."  With that kind of recommendation we had to try it!

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Doing my best Vanna White...it was pretty unbelievable!

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Chris liked it too!

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They had cute chairs for people to relax and enjoy their ice cream.  I think this picture screams "NEW ENGLAND"

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 I also made Chris stop at Woodman's, supposedly the place that invented fried clams.  Unfortunately for me no fried clams, BUT...

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Lobster anyone?!

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Can't wait to take my little guy home and eat him!  I went with the precooked lobster that I only had to heat up.  I was remembering how much screaming was involved last summer when we tried to cook the live ones - though Sebastian and Sabrina (yes we named them) did taste good!

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And he was good!!!  Though I do want to point out it took a lot of work to crack this sucker using a can opener - it was the only thing we had in the house that I could use!

What kind of world is it without World Cup?!

World Cup has ended...

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This is the final...Spain v. Netherlands

I am happy Spain won but I don't know what I am going to do with myself.  

No more games to watch...I'll have to give up my spot at Cityside...what will I listen to when I drive back?

Alas I guess I will have to focus on reading and writing and look forward to Brazil in four years... but wait there is the Euro Cup, the Olympics, English Soccer, High School Soccer...Maybe I have a bit of a problem... :)

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This was my final crew, Chris and Liz!

OH THE CARNAGE!!!

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BTW I thought you might want to see the post drive carnage before I washed the car.

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There were a lot of large thunks in Texas...

God Bless America and Umbrellas

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One of the things you are supposed to do at some point in your life is to spend the Fourth of July in Boston.  This is my mom and I last summer in front of the Boston Pops on the Esplanade.  

Although Elaine couldn't make it out this summer (she'll be back in action in 2011), I was still able to make it out and enjoy the Fourth with the Boston Pops and several good friends.

Interestingly in California I am considered to be fairly intense while on the East Coast I am thought to be laid back.  Where ever the truth may lie - I like the laid back label better! :) - I am pretty intense about getting good seats at the movies and for things like this.  So this morning I was up at 6:00 and ready to get in line with all of the stuff I didn't realize I needed last summer.  Last time Mom and I sat in the hot sun for about ten hours hiding under whatever cover we could find.  Our seats were too little and I didn't have the right cooler.  This time I was prepared.  

Cooler: check

Umbrella: check

Blanket: check

lunch, dinner and snacks: check

magazines: check

Book for class: check

sunscreen: check

chairs: check

I was in line by 8:00am and ready to set up my campsite.  Please keep in mind the concert didn't start until 8:30pm!  We filed in and I got my spot and settled in.

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I think it looked pretty good myself.

I settled in with a few thousand of my closest Bostonian friends...

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And waited as my friends trickled in over the course of the day.

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Laura #2, Laura #1, Jarrod and Greg.  

Laura and Marie...they were very happy the sun had finally dipped behind the treeline!

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We are standing to sing God Bless America.

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These were the local hosts for those home watching the concert on TV.  We tried our best to get on TV but alas no one saw us in California.

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Marie and I after a long day guarding our space!

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The entire group!  We made it till game time!

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The gorgeous sunset of a lovely summer in New England.

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Awesome spot if I do say so myself!

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Had to get Greg in there too.

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This was the ass who thought it would be a good idea to bring a helium balloon to a concert.  I had to run down and tell him to take it down and then so did about five other people!

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Singing Yankee Doodle and waving the flag!

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This is the finale...Stars and Stripes Forever!

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And they said you couldn't see the fireworks - pshaw I say!

After the concert was over we trooped back up to Boylston to get in the car and drive back home.  It took us about 45 minutes, but I was super glad to be in air conditioned car and not on the smelly T.

Fourth of July in Boston is pretty outstanding!

Back to School

 

I am back at Boston College to take two courses this summer and unfortunately I can't always get the books at O'Neill Library so I head over to Wellesley to get my books.  This is the library.

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And the inside.

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And obviously mission accomplished as here I am back in the Boston College with my book prepping for my Modern Europe Class...at least the library is air conditioned.

Saturday in Rockport

I love love love having a car in Boston.  Living here without a car was great, as the T goes most places and it is an easy walking city.  BUT having a car means things that took hours take soooo much less time.  And having a car means that day trips are possible!!!

So this Saturday Marie, Grainne and I decided to take a trip up to the North Shore to visit Rockport, Glouster and Marblehead.

This was in Rockport.

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The town really reminds me of the Witches of Eastwick.

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Everything is historical in New England.

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This is main pier of Rockport and this is Marie enjoying our Maine ice cream.

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Supposedly, according to the guidebook, this is the most photographed spot in America.

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Marie and Grainne don't believe it!

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Historical

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This is cool history...

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This is the Norwood Inn

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Nice New England House

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This is in Marblehead.  We went here to watch the US lose in the World Cup.  We had stopped to ask for directions from the Tourist shack.  When I asked the older lady for a great place for us to watch the World Cup she turned to her friend lounging in the chair and asked "Where do all the young people hang out".  We ended up at the Sail Loft and yes there were alot of young people, but also some townies.  When I asked the Lady Bartender "Can I get a Cider?"  She responded "Ohhhh we don't do that here!"  I drank Coke.

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Yes this is the house of the Josiah Bartlett who signed the Constitution and the president from West Wing was named after!  New England really is historical!!!

The First Visitor from California

So I literally woke up to my first morning in Boston to realize that my friend Marilyn was coming for a visit...today.  In fact she was about to move into the BC dorms for a conference before staying with me for a night. 

We had a really good visit, including dinner in the North End, a ballpark tour of Fenway and Toy Story 3.  Here are some of our highlights.

 

 

Dinner at Warren Tavern.  This tavern is one of the oldest in Boston and where the plotters of the Tea Party and the Revolution would meet.  

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Fenway

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One of the smallest and oldest ballparks in America and according to Peyton Kayser the best.

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Marilyn is soooo excited to be here!

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This is my third tour and I am a Giants fan, it's alright.

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They were friendly but not a lot of connection, note the body language.

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Meet the new man in my life!

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Because the Sox were in San Francisco, the Giants won this day, they took us on the field.

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Ta-da Marilyn is here!!!

Touching the wall

 

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It sounds like a good job to work the scoreboard but that is how you watch the game.

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Looking up the Green Monster

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Marilyn is in deep thought...not sure what she is looking at.

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The field from the top of the Green Monster

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From the grandstand

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Sacred Heart Alum and Hall of Famer

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Dinner in the North End...mmmm lobster risotto

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This is my serious history face... Sacco and Vanzetti were sentenced to death in twenties for being Marxists

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Boston's North Beach...it occurs to me that the Italians liked the North.

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Success!!!  Marilyn got herself a cannoli!  Erin will we be going here too?