A Visit from Grandma and Grandpa

My parents came from Indiana last week on their annual spring visit. They make a point of visiting several times a year because we don’t have many chances to visit them. They don’t want to miss their only granddaughter growing up. I doubt we’d see them quite as often if it were only Jennifer and me. As always everyone enjoyed the visit though we didn’t have as many adventures as I had planned.

They arrived last Tuesday. Jennifer took the whole week off and Maura was on her spring break so we were all here to greet them when they arrived. We went out to lunch to Sweet Lemons, our local Thai restaurant, which we go to for lunch almost every time they visit. We all enjoy going out to eat.  The rest of the day we just spent relaxing. My parents had had a long drive and I didn’t want to wear them out.

On Wednesday I’d tentatively planned to take a trip to the Cape Cod National Seashore but the weather was lousy. We stayed closer to home instead. The rink where Maura takes ice skating lessons had a free skate period during the day so we took a drive there so Maura could practice and show off her progress to her grandparents. Damp chilly weather doesn’t matter much in the ice rink. It’s always cold in there. We all enjoyed the time, though, despite the shivering. We went out for a nice dinner in the evening.

On Thursday we made an expedition to Cambridge to visit the Longfellow National Historic Site, which consists of the house where the poet Longfellow lived along with its grounds. In an earlier generation the building had been George Washington’s headquarters. We were disappointed because the house was not open for tours, though we had assumed it would be because Jennifer had found it on a list of National Park properties that would be free that week. The gardens were open, and free, but they are always free. They were quite beautiful with early blooming trees, though they will be even more gorgeous in a month or two. We will have to go back during the summer, when I expect the house will be open for tours. Our trip was not a complete waste. We had a nice lunch and did some shopping. Maura got two gifts, both of them books. She tends to get what she wants when her grandparents are around but I’m proud of what she wants. In the evening I took my parents to church with me for Maundy Thursday services.

On Friday Maura went to the Weymouth Carnival with her mother and grandparents. I stayed home because I’d come down with a nasty cold. Maura had a great time. I know because I’ve seen the pictures. I am not surprised. Maura loves carnival rides. It was back to church in the evening for me and my parents for the Good Friday service. Despite being under the weather, I did not want to miss it.

We took Saturday off. I was still not feeling well and everyone else seemed to want a rest. I did have to work in the evening.

Sunday we celebrated Easter. For my parents and me it is a religious holiday and we started the day with church but the centerpiece of the day for Maura and Jennifer was dinner. We had Easter dinner with our friends the Tittlers. We’ve been friends with them long enough that they’ve gotten to know my parents and everyone enjoyed the visit. Julie Tittler is a good cook and she does her best work on holiday meals. It would be hard not to enjoy a meal that good eaten among friends.

Maura was back to school on Monday. We all went out for pizza in the evening and followed it with ice cream at Nona’s in Hingham. They make their own ice cream there, and it’s a real treat. It was a good end to the visit. In the morning my parents hit the road and headed back home to Indiana.

April Vacation

Last week was Maura’s April vacation from school and we put the time to good use. Except for Tuesday, when Maura had a dentist appointment, we had a fun outing every day she was off from school. I’ve already written about our first outing, down to Cape Cod to go hiking on Monday. On Wednesday we visited one of our favorite haunts, the Children’s Museum. On Thursday was a trip to Weymouth’s annual April Vacation Carnival. On Friday Jennifer took the afternoon off and we took another family hike, this time in the rugged terrain of the Blue Hills Reservation.

We arrived in Downtown Boston on our Wednesday outing in time for an early lunch and a visit with Jennifer at her office building before we went to the museum. Though it rained later in the afternoon the weather was beautiful when we arrived in Boston so Maura and I ate our baloney sandwiches on the Greenway. Because it was Earth Day there was an event going on and we enjoyed listening to a rhythm band and watching stilt walkers as we ate our lunch. Afterwards we met Jennifer for a stroll and desert which she brought with her from an office party. Her building was having an Earth Day event in the lobby and we picked up some biodegradable swag. The Children’s Museum was as usual noisy, chaotic and crowded. Maura had a wonderful time. There were no new exhibits of note but there were a few Earth Day demonstrators there as well and Maura got a piggy bank for her collection.

Thursday morning we spent at home because we had a coupon for an unlimited ride bracelet that started at 2 pm. Maura was very excited all morning. Julie Tittler and Peter came over to join us at the carnival. Maura loves carnival rides and she had a great time, though she couldn’t convince Peter, who is four, to ride any rides with her. Maura is big enough to ride almost all of the carnival rides by herself now, including some of the really wild ones. I didn’t ride with her this time. I would have had fun doing but I wanted to save a little money. I did play a carnival game to win Maura a prize. I won a plush husky puppy throwing darts at balloons. Sometimes it’s worthwhile to spend ten dollars for a two dollar stuffed animal.

On Friday Maura had hot dogs from Windy City Eats for lunch and then went to pick Jennifer up at the T-station. Since we forgot our Blue Hills trail map we went to reservation headquarters to pick up a new one and started our hike from there. We hiked for about three hours, out on the very rugged Skyline Trail and a longer and flatter route back. The weather was almost perfect and the hike was wonderful. It’s really great to get out and get some outdoor exercise on a perfect spring day. We were all exhausted by the time it was over though. The steep and rocky terrain is hard on knees and ankles.

April vacation made me look forward to summer. Maura has a few weeks of activities planned over the summer, she’ll be attending a day camp at one of town parks one week and spend a week apart from us with her grandparents in Indiana and another week with us. We will both be home for most of the summer and I plan on taking her on lots of outings.