I don’t think of myself as a perfect parent and often not as a good one. I’m frequently aloof, often short-tempered, and not always consistent. Despite my shortcomings I often see evidence that I might be doing something right. At the very least I can see that I’m not undermining with my poor parenting the good work that Jennifer does as Maura’s mother or destroying by my inattention Maura’s essential good nature.
One of those occasions when I can see that Maura is absorbing the lessons that her mother and I want her to learn came last Friday on the final night of Chanukah when Maura opened her last gift. She had appreciated the earlier gifts and I don’t think she had any disappointments. She takes her new stuffed Panda to bed at night and she wanted to wear her new dress to school even though it isn’t appropriate and I had to tell her no. It was clear from the moment that she opened it that the last gift was her favorite--the one that gave her the most pleasure to receive.
That final gift was a boxed collection of classic books for children. Jennifer and I had spotted it at the library book sale and picked it up right away. We can’t agree on who saw it first or whose idea it was to get it but neither of us had any doubts that Maura would love it and I am proud to say we were perfectly correct. Her eyes lit up when she unwrapped her box of books and right away she wanted to start reading them.
Maura is not a strange child. She is friendly and outgoing and enjoys company. She loves to play video games and watch TV. She enjoys being active; playing outside, ice skating, playing soccer and riding her bike. When she’s cooped up inside she sometimes chooses to dance around the living room listening to music on the stereo. She also loves to read and she’ll never be a child whose reaction to receiving a book as a gift is a lukewarm thank you, but rather a smile of genuine delight.
As a parent as well as a as a writer I am really gratified by my daughter’s love of reading. Her mother and I have done our best to instill in her that love. She has always been read to and seen us reading. There are books always in the house for everyone and frequent trips are made to the library to borrow more. I’m pleased when I hear Maura say she wants to grow up to be a writer and I would not be surprised if she does, but I’m more proud that she is already a reader. It’s a big step toward whatever she chooses to become and one that I have no doubt will be a big help and pleasure for her through her whole life.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Harvard Museum of Natural History
On Tuesday, December 8th, we made an excursion to the Harvard Museum of Natural History on the Harvard Campus in Cambridge. The whole family made the trip. Jennifer had taken the day off and my parents were making their annual holiday visit to exchange gifts and see their granddaughter. It was not our most enjoyable trip, though that was hardly the fault of the museum, which has some truly spectacular exhibits. I think we were all a bit tired, my father was not feeling well, and I was in a lousy mood. Still, I think we all enjoyed the time we spent at the museum
The trip started well with lunch at the John Harvard Brewhouse in Harvard Square. The food and the service were good and for the adults there was tasty microbrewery beer. I enjoyed mine immensely. The walk across the Harvard Campus to the museum was rather less pleasant since the day was rather raw and it was a relief to arrive and get inside out of the weather.
The HMNH has some fascinating collections. On this trip we skipped the Great Hall of Mammals, probably the museum’s greatest draw, because on our last visit the fumes from the preservatives made Maura ill. This time we gave more attention to the remarkable display of glass flowers, which are truly amazing. Copies in glass of botanical specimens, they are both beautiful and accurate; superb examples of both natural beauty and remarkable craftsmanship. I would love to return alone someday to spend more time admiring them and improving my knowledge of botany.
The other highlight of the trip for me was the brief excursion we made into the Peabody Museum of Ethnography and Archaeology, which is connected to the Museum of Natural History. We spent little time there because we were already at the end of our day but I found the exhibit of mural paintings from the southwestern United States and Mexico to be really fascinating. I would love to see more of the Peabody. Next time we make a visit to museums at Harvard we’ll have to go to the Peabody first. So far we’ve barely scratched the surface of it.
Jennifer had planned a side trip after the museum visit to Burdick’s, reputed to have the best hot chocolate in the Boston Metropolitan Area. I would have preferred to skip that part of the day, but Maura was excited about it so I didn’t say anything. When we found the place it was crowded and there was no chance of the five of us finding seats. I found the place uninviting and oppressive and wanted to leave. I managed to anger Jennifer by my expression of indifference to the idea of getting something to go and my refusal to make a decision about it. I didn’t want to be blamed for disappointing Maura. In the end Maura and Jennifer got some hot chocolate, the rest of us didn’t, no one but Maura was really happy and I’ll never know if the hot chocolate’s reputation is deserved or not.
The trip started well with lunch at the John Harvard Brewhouse in Harvard Square. The food and the service were good and for the adults there was tasty microbrewery beer. I enjoyed mine immensely. The walk across the Harvard Campus to the museum was rather less pleasant since the day was rather raw and it was a relief to arrive and get inside out of the weather.
The HMNH has some fascinating collections. On this trip we skipped the Great Hall of Mammals, probably the museum’s greatest draw, because on our last visit the fumes from the preservatives made Maura ill. This time we gave more attention to the remarkable display of glass flowers, which are truly amazing. Copies in glass of botanical specimens, they are both beautiful and accurate; superb examples of both natural beauty and remarkable craftsmanship. I would love to return alone someday to spend more time admiring them and improving my knowledge of botany.
The other highlight of the trip for me was the brief excursion we made into the Peabody Museum of Ethnography and Archaeology, which is connected to the Museum of Natural History. We spent little time there because we were already at the end of our day but I found the exhibit of mural paintings from the southwestern United States and Mexico to be really fascinating. I would love to see more of the Peabody. Next time we make a visit to museums at Harvard we’ll have to go to the Peabody first. So far we’ve barely scratched the surface of it.
Jennifer had planned a side trip after the museum visit to Burdick’s, reputed to have the best hot chocolate in the Boston Metropolitan Area. I would have preferred to skip that part of the day, but Maura was excited about it so I didn’t say anything. When we found the place it was crowded and there was no chance of the five of us finding seats. I found the place uninviting and oppressive and wanted to leave. I managed to anger Jennifer by my expression of indifference to the idea of getting something to go and my refusal to make a decision about it. I didn’t want to be blamed for disappointing Maura. In the end Maura and Jennifer got some hot chocolate, the rest of us didn’t, no one but Maura was really happy and I’ll never know if the hot chocolate’s reputation is deserved or not.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
The Harry Potter Exhibition
This Sunday Jennifer, Maura and I went to see the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Museum of Science. Our good friend Joe McGlone joined us for the trip. The exhibition was a collection of props and costumes from the Harry Potter movies. They were extremely detailed and well crafted and many of them were quite beautiful. Most of them, however, were props from movies neither I nor Maura had seen. Despite that, both Maura and I enjoyed the exhibition, though I might have been slightly disappointed if we had paid full price for our tickets rather than getting them at the substantial discount available to Museum of Science members. I’m sure the real fans of the movies were completely enthralled and felt they got their money’s worth.
Since we arrived early and had timed tickets we had some took in some of the museum exhibits before viewing the exhibition. The Museum of Science has become one of our favorite spots to visit in Boston and we’ll be there several more times over the course of the year since we are members and our visits to the museum's galleries are paid for. We didn’t have a lot of time on this visit so we concentrated on some of our favorite spots, the mathematics gallery and the Discovery Center which features hands-on exhibits for children.
For me the most interesting thing I saw on our trip wasn’t something in the Harry Potter exhibition or even a museum exhibit. While we were in the Discovery Center we got to watch a fascinating, if gory, display of nature in action. A red-tailed hawk had taken down a squirrel in the back garden of the museum and we got to watch from the large picture windows as she ate her lunch. Though she knew she was being watched the hawk was not at all disturbed by our presence since we were safely on the other side of the windows and therefore no threat. We got a superb view as the magnificent bird devoured her unlucky victim. She took her time and I could have watched for much longer but we had to go.
Since we arrived early and had timed tickets we had some took in some of the museum exhibits before viewing the exhibition. The Museum of Science has become one of our favorite spots to visit in Boston and we’ll be there several more times over the course of the year since we are members and our visits to the museum's galleries are paid for. We didn’t have a lot of time on this visit so we concentrated on some of our favorite spots, the mathematics gallery and the Discovery Center which features hands-on exhibits for children.
For me the most interesting thing I saw on our trip wasn’t something in the Harry Potter exhibition or even a museum exhibit. While we were in the Discovery Center we got to watch a fascinating, if gory, display of nature in action. A red-tailed hawk had taken down a squirrel in the back garden of the museum and we got to watch from the large picture windows as she ate her lunch. Though she knew she was being watched the hawk was not at all disturbed by our presence since we were safely on the other side of the windows and therefore no threat. We got a superb view as the magnificent bird devoured her unlucky victim. She took her time and I could have watched for much longer but we had to go.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
The Secrets of Tomb 10A
Yesterday Maura had the day off for Veterans’ Day and by happy coincidence the Museum of Fine Arts had free admission for the day, both to the museum and to the current exhibition of Egyptian artifacts from Tomb 10A at Deir el-Bersha, excavated by a museum sponsored exhibition in 1915. Though the artifacts have been in the museum collection since 1920 many have never been exhibited before and they are quite spectacular finds. Though the tomb, which belonged to a high official named Djehutynakht and his wife, had been looted of its most valuable artifacts the robbers had no interest in the wooden coffins that once contained the mummies of the pair or in the many wooden models that substituted for the servants the two would need to provide for their needs in the afterlife. The models included scenes of domestic and agricultural chores and a fleet of boats to carry them safely on their river journeys in the afterlife. Though perhaps not as spectacular as the gold and jewels no doubt stolen by the long-ago robbers, the models are for more enlightening because they show us how the ancient people of Egypt lived. The coffins too are enlightening and beautiful. Covered with scenes and spells in painted hieroglyphics, they tell us about what the Egyptians believed and how they saw their place in this world and in the afterlife.
The exhibit was fascinating and very well put together. Since I’m an archaeologist by training I was entranced and I think Maura was too. She loves ancient Egyptian art and finds hieroglyphics fascinating. She was interested enough in the subject matter to want to read much of the explanatory text and to listen to me talk about the artifacts we saw. I’m very proud of how she takes an interest in a subject that many kids might find dry and boring—and also of how well she behaved in the museum once she began to tire.
Once we had seen the special exhibit we spent some time in the rest of the museum. Mostly I let Maura decide what we would look at. She likes Asian art, particularly Japanese Buddhist sculpture. I encouraged her to think about the pieces we saw and she encouraged me by doing what I asked of her, answering questions about the relationships between the objects we saw. It is a real joy to visit a museum with a child who enjoys learning.
The exhibit was fascinating and very well put together. Since I’m an archaeologist by training I was entranced and I think Maura was too. She loves ancient Egyptian art and finds hieroglyphics fascinating. She was interested enough in the subject matter to want to read much of the explanatory text and to listen to me talk about the artifacts we saw. I’m very proud of how she takes an interest in a subject that many kids might find dry and boring—and also of how well she behaved in the museum once she began to tire.
Once we had seen the special exhibit we spent some time in the rest of the museum. Mostly I let Maura decide what we would look at. She likes Asian art, particularly Japanese Buddhist sculpture. I encouraged her to think about the pieces we saw and she encouraged me by doing what I asked of her, answering questions about the relationships between the objects we saw. It is a real joy to visit a museum with a child who enjoys learning.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Golf at the Library
Last Sunday we had a family outing to our local library to play miniature golf. The library had set up an 18-hole miniature golf course winding through the stacks, complete with greens, obstacles, and flags in the holes. The course wound from the circulation desk, through the reference area, the main stacks, the periodicals area and then down the stairs to finish in the children’s room. There were many challenging holes and a few easier ones. Maura and I both managed a hole-in-one shooting down the stairs, but it was luck for both of us. For five dollars a round we all had a great time, though we could all have done with a bit more practice. Including five dollars worth of raffle tickets the whole outing cost us $20, about what it would have cost us to go to a movie.
Unlike going to see a movie this family outing had a purpose beyond entertainment and family togetherness. The library isn’t usually open as a miniature golf course on Sunday. They tried it once as a fundraiser and by all appearances it was a big success. The links were busy when we got there and by the time we left there was a line of people waiting for their turn. I have high hopes that the library association reached its funding goals and more. In this era of tight state budgets our libraries are chronically underfunded and the money they do receive is often under threat. They can use all the extra help they can get and I urge you to support your local library. Your support may be what is needed to keep it open, relevant and free too patrons.
For me, I can think of no other public institution that directly benefits me as much as my library. I can indulge my reading habit without impoverishing myself and, even more important, keep Maura supplied with books to encourage her love of reading. Even in the age of the Internet the library remains one of the best sources of information available and a first stop for research projects when the quality of the information counts. For those who lack Internet connections at home the library offers access to the Net for free and without the need to own a computer. For me the library is also often my office, a place where I can work without the distractions of home and the place where I can connect with my town and escape the feeling of isolation that days at home can give. I cannot imagine living without the library and I hope the resources and the will can be found to keep it, and all of our local libraries, open and vital for the future.
Unlike going to see a movie this family outing had a purpose beyond entertainment and family togetherness. The library isn’t usually open as a miniature golf course on Sunday. They tried it once as a fundraiser and by all appearances it was a big success. The links were busy when we got there and by the time we left there was a line of people waiting for their turn. I have high hopes that the library association reached its funding goals and more. In this era of tight state budgets our libraries are chronically underfunded and the money they do receive is often under threat. They can use all the extra help they can get and I urge you to support your local library. Your support may be what is needed to keep it open, relevant and free too patrons.
For me, I can think of no other public institution that directly benefits me as much as my library. I can indulge my reading habit without impoverishing myself and, even more important, keep Maura supplied with books to encourage her love of reading. Even in the age of the Internet the library remains one of the best sources of information available and a first stop for research projects when the quality of the information counts. For those who lack Internet connections at home the library offers access to the Net for free and without the need to own a computer. For me the library is also often my office, a place where I can work without the distractions of home and the place where I can connect with my town and escape the feeling of isolation that days at home can give. I cannot imagine living without the library and I hope the resources and the will can be found to keep it, and all of our local libraries, open and vital for the future.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Annual Nashoba Valley Winery Trip
This last Sunday we made our annual fall trip to the Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts, to take in one of their fall festivals. Maura has been every year since she was born and Jennifer and I have been making the trip even longer. The trip is one of the highlights of our year and we’ll likely continue it in years to come. In addition to producing some very enjoyable wines, Nashoba Valley offers apple picking in their orchard and a microbrewery that makes some very good beer. While its alcoholic products are for adults only Nashoba’s orchards and their festival events are family friendly and Maura enjoys our annual excursions there as much as her parents do.
This year our weather was bright and warm, the very best of fall weather in New England. We could sit outside and enjoy the day without bundling up. We haven’t always had such great weather for our visits. On the day of Maura’s first festival at Nashoba it was a raw cold day, New England fall weather at its almost worst. She was only two months old, a tiny baby. I wore her in a front carrier zipped up under my coat to keep her warm. Another year there had been so much rain that the field used as a parking lot turned into a swamp. Our car sank to the axles in the mud and we had to call a tow truck to pull us out. The driver stayed to pull out the dozens of other cars that needed his services.
This year we met a group of our friends for the Brews and Bluegrass Festival. The festival featured beer from the microbrewery on tap and music provided by bluegrass band Southern Rail, all outdoors in the winery’s picnic area. Between sets we enjoyed spending time with our friends while Maura and their children ran around and rolled down a grassy slope, getting dizzy and covered in grass stains.
For a treat at the end of the day we had fresh caramel apples. Maura’s treat got the better of her. When she was done with it she’d lost a tooth and covered herself in caramel. Of course, the tooth had been loose already. It got wrapped up to go under her pillow for the tooth fairy.
On our way home we took the scenic route, heading back toward Boston on route 117 through Stowe, Sudbury and Lincoln. Our route took us by the Walden Pond Reservation and through woodlands and farmlands. The bright sunshine lit the brilliant colors of the autumn trees along the way. We stopped at a farm stand for fresh pressed cider, a great ending to our beautiful day.
This year our weather was bright and warm, the very best of fall weather in New England. We could sit outside and enjoy the day without bundling up. We haven’t always had such great weather for our visits. On the day of Maura’s first festival at Nashoba it was a raw cold day, New England fall weather at its almost worst. She was only two months old, a tiny baby. I wore her in a front carrier zipped up under my coat to keep her warm. Another year there had been so much rain that the field used as a parking lot turned into a swamp. Our car sank to the axles in the mud and we had to call a tow truck to pull us out. The driver stayed to pull out the dozens of other cars that needed his services.
This year we met a group of our friends for the Brews and Bluegrass Festival. The festival featured beer from the microbrewery on tap and music provided by bluegrass band Southern Rail, all outdoors in the winery’s picnic area. Between sets we enjoyed spending time with our friends while Maura and their children ran around and rolled down a grassy slope, getting dizzy and covered in grass stains.
For a treat at the end of the day we had fresh caramel apples. Maura’s treat got the better of her. When she was done with it she’d lost a tooth and covered herself in caramel. Of course, the tooth had been loose already. It got wrapped up to go under her pillow for the tooth fairy.
On our way home we took the scenic route, heading back toward Boston on route 117 through Stowe, Sudbury and Lincoln. Our route took us by the Walden Pond Reservation and through woodlands and farmlands. The bright sunshine lit the brilliant colors of the autumn trees along the way. We stopped at a farm stand for fresh pressed cider, a great ending to our beautiful day.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Camping With Maura
This past weekend Jennifer and I took Maura camping. It was her first camping trip. We had been talking about camping all summer but we didn’t have a tent and it was hard to find a weekend we could go. We finally decided that we would go Columbus Day Weekend, weather allowing, knowing that it would be the last chance we would have this year. We borrowed a tent from our friends the Tittlers, bought a new sleeping bag for Maura and found the rest of our gear in closets and the shed.
The week before the trip it looked like we might have to wait for spring. The whole family was down with a nasty cold. Maura was out sick from school for two days and I felt sick enough on Saturday night that I came home early from work. When we woke on Sunday, though, we felt well enough for camping. We had a good breakfast, loaded up the car with our food and camping gear and headed for Shawme-Crowell State Forest in Sandwich at the base of Cape Cod.
We had a good time on our trip. There were no disasters. On Sunday afternoon we stayed near our campsite enjoying the tasks of setting up camp, gathering firewood and cooking dinner. We got a nice fire going and after the sun went down and it got chilly we huddled around it. We toasted marshmallows for s’mores and sang songs. Well after dark we walked down the road to a clearing and looked at the stars. We couldn’t identify many of the constellations but we could see many more stars than we get to see when we look at the night sky here in Weymouth. It might have been the first time Maura got to see real darkness outside.
After star gazing we retired to our sleeping bags and settled in for the night. We didn’t sleep well. It was cold and none of us was used to sleeping in a tent but it was still fun. When we got up to use the bathroom the moon had risen and though it was only a crescent it was bright enough to cast shadows.
A few hours later we woke to a cold (but not quite frosty) morning. I got the fire going again and started the stove to heat water for hot cocoa and make our breakfast oatmeal. After breakfast we broke camp, packed up and cleaned up the campsite. We put Maura in charge of picking up bits of paper, most of it left behind by previous campers. We wanted to leave the site cleaner than we found it.
The rest of the morning and early afternoon we spent hiking and exploring around Sandwich. We hiked a bit in Shawme-Crowell, visited the Cape Cod Canal and learned about it at the Canal Visitor Center and explored the Greenbriar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen. Then we had a large lunch at a restaurant and headed back home. We had a wonderful time and everyone agreed we would go camping again in the spring.
The week before the trip it looked like we might have to wait for spring. The whole family was down with a nasty cold. Maura was out sick from school for two days and I felt sick enough on Saturday night that I came home early from work. When we woke on Sunday, though, we felt well enough for camping. We had a good breakfast, loaded up the car with our food and camping gear and headed for Shawme-Crowell State Forest in Sandwich at the base of Cape Cod.
We had a good time on our trip. There were no disasters. On Sunday afternoon we stayed near our campsite enjoying the tasks of setting up camp, gathering firewood and cooking dinner. We got a nice fire going and after the sun went down and it got chilly we huddled around it. We toasted marshmallows for s’mores and sang songs. Well after dark we walked down the road to a clearing and looked at the stars. We couldn’t identify many of the constellations but we could see many more stars than we get to see when we look at the night sky here in Weymouth. It might have been the first time Maura got to see real darkness outside.
After star gazing we retired to our sleeping bags and settled in for the night. We didn’t sleep well. It was cold and none of us was used to sleeping in a tent but it was still fun. When we got up to use the bathroom the moon had risen and though it was only a crescent it was bright enough to cast shadows.
A few hours later we woke to a cold (but not quite frosty) morning. I got the fire going again and started the stove to heat water for hot cocoa and make our breakfast oatmeal. After breakfast we broke camp, packed up and cleaned up the campsite. We put Maura in charge of picking up bits of paper, most of it left behind by previous campers. We wanted to leave the site cleaner than we found it.
The rest of the morning and early afternoon we spent hiking and exploring around Sandwich. We hiked a bit in Shawme-Crowell, visited the Cape Cod Canal and learned about it at the Canal Visitor Center and explored the Greenbriar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen. Then we had a large lunch at a restaurant and headed back home. We had a wonderful time and everyone agreed we would go camping again in the spring.
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