A Lecture and a Concert: Cultural Enrichment for Maura

Jennifer and I believe that it is important to expose Maura to many different experiences and give her many opportunities to learn. The education she gets at school is vital and provides her with basic skills but the world is full of interesting things that she won’t be likely to learn at school. Maura is curious and smart. She takes an interest in most of the new things she is exposed to and her mother and I are comfortable in taking her to events that might not interest many nine-year-olds. This Saturday we took her to two of them.

The first event was a lecture at our local library. Authors Keith Stavely and Kathleen Fitzgerald discussed their recent book Northern Hospitality: Cooking by the Book in New England. The book (and the lecture) discusses the history of cooking in New England through the cookbooks that were used here from the 17th Century to the early 20th Century. Maura likes history and I was fairly certain that she would be interested enough to pay attention to a talk about the history of food. If she was bored she could have gone into the children’s library which is just across the hall from the room the lecture was in. She stayed through the whole lecture and was well behaved so she must have found it interesting enough to hold her attention. I found the topic fascinating. We both enjoyed tasting the plum cake, baked according to a 1796 recipe, that we had a chance to sample at the end of the lecture. Some of other patrons were surprised that Maura would eat the plum cake but it was not a surprise to her mother and I. We have always encouraged her to try new foods and by now she does so as a matter of course. Very often enjoys them. We all liked the plum cake. It was rich and lightly sweet. If we had been at home I would have had a second piece.

In the evening we went to the Cantors’ Concert at Congregation Sha’aray Shalom. Cantor Weiss of Sha’aray Shalom was joined by six of his colleagues who serve other congregations to present a concert honoring the musicians who perform in services at Sha'aray Shalom. The performers came from as far away as California, though the majority were from the Boston Metropolitan Area, They sang a variety of music—a mixture Jewish religious music, pop songs and show tunes. There were several ensemble numbers and each cantor had at least one solo or duet. They all had wonderful voices and had chosen their pieces well. Maura was well behaved but it was a late night for her and by the end of the show she was falling asleep. We stayed at the reception afterwards for a while but it was clearly time for Maura to get to bed so we didn’t stay long. We might have left as soon as the show was over but Maura would have been disappointed.

Happy Spring!

It was still officially winter last Sunday but it wasn’t obvious from the weather which was nearly perfect. Sunday afternoon the temperature was near 70 degrees Fahrenheit with few clouds and a light breeze. It was a day to be out of doors.

When our Sunday morning activities were over we took the opportunity provided by the perfect weather to get out for a hike. We went to the Moose Hill Audubon Sanctuary, in Sharon, Massachusetts. We were joined by our friends Mike and Becca and the younger members of their household, who live in Sharon and had invited us for dinner afterwards.

Our hike took us through the varied terrain of the sanctuary, through upland forest and boggy bottoms, by open fields and past ponds and vernal pools. With three active children (Maura and Becca’s two boys) plus a baby in a stroller, there wasn’t much wildlife to see or hear but it was still a pleasant walk. I tried out trekking poles for the first time in the hope that they would save my knees which have been hurting after long walks. I had received them as a Christmas gift but did no hiking during the winter. They either worked or the walk was not long or rugged enough to cause a problem with my knees. I did find that my arms and shoulders were tired after the hike.

I didn’t see any wildlife except for chickadees and crows, which are everywhere and unafraid of noisy children, but we did hear frogs as we walked by the vernal pools. They were likewise undisturbed by children and loud enough that they could have been heard over a dozen kids. I could only identify the spring peepers but there were also lower notes of another species of frog also breeding in the vernal pools.

The fine weather continues this week. I may go hiking again on my own but even if I don’t I’ll take the opportunity to walk around town. At the very least I will dodge traffic and skirt construction to walk to Maura’s school at dismissal and come back with her in tow. We both enjoy the outdoor exercise and the time together. Suburban sidewalks are not as pleasant a place to walk as wildlife sanctuaries but they are still much better than a stuffy house on the finest days in the early spring.

Maura the Star

Last Friday night was a proud parent moment for me. Maura had a role in the Purim Spiel at Congregation Sha’aray Shalom. For those of you who are not familiar with it the Purim Spiel is a dramatic retelling of the events of the Book of Esther which is presented to celebrate the Jewish holiday Purim, which was actually Thursday.

At Sha’aray Shalom the Purim Spiel is always a spoof of a hit Broadway musical. This year’s spiel was based on Les Mis. Maura played the part of Logo, the little girl from the Les Mis poster. She helped to introduce the show and sang several solos. She did a wonderful job in her part. She had worked very hard in preparing for it and it showed. He lines were clear, audible and delivered to the audience with a smile. When she sang she was on key, which is more than can be said for many people who sing in amateur performances.

The show was a lot of fun to watch, which is part of the point of putting it on. Purim is not a solemn holiday but a celebration of life. All the performers had worked hard and enjoyed their roles. My friend Julie and her son Peter came to see Maura perform with us and had a good time too.

I lost track of the number of people who told me how great Maura was after the end of the spiel. She did do an excellent job but I think people were particularly impressed because she was the youngest person in the show. It’s the second year she has taken part and I wouldn’t be surprised if she kept at it. She might decide she wants to try out for roles in other plays. There are several amateur theater groups in our area that she could join. I would certainly encourage her to try if she has an interest in it. I just hope stardom doesn't go to her head.

Charlestown: The Constitution and Bunker Hill Monument

On Friday, February 24th the Ellett family visited the Charlestown sites on Freedom Trail: the U.S.S. Constitution, the Constitution Museum and the Bunker Hill Monument. It was a long and tiring day but it was fun and we learned a lot. We also got plenty of exercise.

We traveled into Boston by T-train as we usually do. To get to the Constitution, which was our first destination, we surfaced at North Station and walked over the Charlestown Bridge, following the line of the Freedom Trail. It was a nice day for February and we didn’t mind the walk. When we arrived at the museum we checked in and then went to pass through security in time to catch the next guided tour of the U.S.S. Constitution.

I hadn’t visited the Constitution since before 9/11 and the security arrangements were new to me. It had been even longer since Jennifer had last been on board. We had to pass through metal detectors like the ones at airports or Federal Courthouses. It might be a hassle in the summer when there are crowds but in February it was easy and the security personnel on duty were friendly and professional.

Once through security we boarded the ship and took the guided tour conducted by a petty officer serving on the Constitution’s crew. The Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship still afloat in the world. It is unlikely to happen but the ship could technically still be ordered to sea. It was fascinating to have a tour of the ship conducted by a man who has a connection to the naval traditions that stretch back to the days when the Constitution was a significant part of the United States Navy. We learned a bit about how the sailors lived and fought when were taken below to see the gun deck and the birth deck which can only be visited during a guided tour.

After we toured the ship we visited the Constitution Museum nearby. The museum offers a more complete look at what it was like to serve on board the Constitution and at what life in the United States was like in 1812 when the ship fought its most famous battles against British frigates. The newest exhibit was “All Hands on Deck: a Sailor’s Life in 1812” which explored what it was like for the men who served on the Constitution and for their loved ones left behind. It told the story of the ship through the biographies of some of the men who served on her. Much was explained in their own words using material drawn from journals and letters that they wrote. The real people whose stories were told included common sailors, marines and officers. They came from all walks of life and included minorities and recent immigrants who were important parts of the crew. There were many hands on activities to interest children and draw them into the exhibit and plenty to interest adults as well. We spent at least an hour in the exhibit and Maura could have spent more time there.

Both the U.S.S. Constitution and the Constitution Museum are free to visit. Both do request donations and depend on them for a significant part of their funding. For the museum the suggested donation is five dollars for adults and two dollars for children. In my opinion it would be worth paying more to visit this museum so be generous if you do.

After exploring the Constitution Museum we followed the Freedom Trail up Breed’s Hill to the Bunker Hill Monument, the granite obelisk that marks the site of the militia defended entrenchments that British regulars assaulted during the Battle of Bunker Hill. We left the nearby Bunker Hill/Charlestown Museum for another day but we did climb the 294 steps to the top of the monument. We did it because Maura wanted to, though Jennifer and I were both ready for a break. The view from the top was gorgeous but I’m not sure it was worth the pain in my knee. I was limping badly by the time I got down.

After climbing the monument we headed down the other side of the hill in the direction of the Community College T station, looking for a good place to have lunch. We found it in the Warren Tavern, a cozy old tavern built in 1780 and named for Dr. Joseph Warren who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was nice to sit down and the food was good. Lunch cost more than we could really afford but the prices were not unreasonable for a sit down restaurant in Boston. After lunch we continued on to the T-station and headed home, tired but happy after an enjoyable day.

Skate for the Love of It

Sunday morning saw us heading to Brockton, Massachusetts for another skating competition. Maura competed in the Skate for the Love of It ISI Competition hosted by FMC Icesports at the Asiaf Ice Arena. It was Maura’s first competition at the Alpha level. She’s been working on her new program now since the beginning of the year and she was ready to do it for real.

We got up early to get to Brockton by 8:30, an hour before Maura’s scheduled ice time. Early is relative. Brockton was only about half an hour from our house in Weymouth, a much shorter trip than it was to Marlboro in December and not much further than it is to her home rink in Rockland. Leaving the house 7:45 was sufficient to allow us to get lost on the way and still arrive with time to get Maura registered and dressed before she had to take the ice. Since we managed to get lost driving through Brockton it was good that we’d given ourselves the extra time.

Maura skated well. During her program she had her usual look of intense concentration but when she was done she was all smiles. She was happy with her performance and so was her coach. I’m not a qualified judge (at least not yet) but I thought she’d done fairly well. She came in third in a field of four, not a stunning result, but it is the first time she’s gotten a medal that wasn’t by default. Maura was happy to come in third and posed to get her picture taken on the podium with a big smile on her face. If she ever decides she isn’t satisfied with third place she’ll start working harder when she’s off the ice and she might do even better. Until then I’m satisfied with her performance if she is. The most important thing is that she enjoys what she’s doing and keeps at it. She certainly does enjoy it and I’ll do my best to get her to lessons every week as long as she wants to keep taking them.

After Maura was done we headed home for most of the day. I was happy to get out of the rink. I need to get a warmer coat to wear when I’m watching Maura skate. I’m always shivering in most of the rinks we visit, at least in the winter. They are quite pleasant in the summer.

We spent the early afternoon playing games together as a family and then headed back to the rink to watch our friend Rheannon Swire skate with her synchronized skating team. Rhe is one of Maura’s role models and we wanted to go out to cheer her on. Cheering on your friends is almost as important a part of the competition experience for Maura as skating. She’s always happy to see her friends skate well, even when she’s skating against them.

A Monday Drive

Monday was Presidents’ Day so Jennifer and Maura were both home. The afternoon seemed a good time for a family excursion. We had several hours of free time between morning chores and Maura’s ice skating lesson in the afternoon. We decided on a trip to the South Shore Arts Center in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Maura had been there on a school trip and it sounded like an interesting place to go. When we arrived we found that it was closed. You might think that we would have learned our lesson about making sure our destination was actually open before heading for a visit but apparently we have not.

Because we had no other plans for the afternoon we decided to drive down the shore and explore. We drove back roads through the towns of Cohasset, Scituate and Marshfield, seeing what there was to see. The day was a bit chilly to be outdoors but otherwise very fine and we enjoyed our trip. We drove by beaches and harbors, through woods and fields, by houses large and small. Towns in New England are much prettier away from the highways. Near major roads they put their unexceptional, if not ugly, buildings. The remarkable and beautiful ones lie where it takes more effort to see them. We talked as we drove. It was an enjoyable ride.

When we got to Marshfield we headed inland to Pembroke to do some shopping. I had driven by a game store, Medieval Starship, on Route 139 a few times and I thought it was a good time to stop and check the place out. As a family we enjoy playing board games and card games together and it was fun to see what was on the shelves. We all enjoyed the visit. Maura found several games she wants to add to her wish list. I might just buy her a copy of Lemming Mafia for her birthday in August. It sounds like a weirdly humorous game—the object is get your lemmings to throw themselves off a cliff. You put your opponents’ lemmings in cement overshoes to stop them. I can’t wait to play it.

After the game store we went down to check out The Bookshack, the new independent bookstore that opened up where the Borders used to be in the Independence Mall in Kingston. It looked like a good bookstore. I’ll admit I didn’t buy anything but I’ll try to make some purchases in the future when I have more money to spend—if the store lasts that long. As a writer I want to support bookstores. Even if most of my sales come through Amazon it helps to have a place where people can see and touch my book and where I can promote it in person. It’s hard to have a book signing on a web site.

Waiting for Phil

In case you are wondering, Phil is a snow day. He hasn’t come to Weymouth even once this year, though last year it seemed Phil had taken up residence for the season. The name comes from lines in a song Maura sang in her school’s Winter Concert this year: "Snow Day… gonna call him Phil." It’s out of context—Phil is supposed to be the name of a snowman—but it’s fun to tease Maura with it now and then.

I’m beginning to think we might not see Phil at all this year. It’s mid-February already and we’ve hardly had enough snow to build a snowman much less cancel school. Winter is not over but the coldest and snowiest parts of a typical winter will soon be behind us. Maura is disappointed. She looks forward to sleeping in, lying around the house in her pajamas all morning, and dressing in her warm clothes to spend the afternoon playing in the snow with her friend Dominic from across the street.

I’m glad Maura hasn’t missed school this year because of weather but in a strange way I’m disappointed, too. In past years I’ve always enjoyed the surprise vacations I got courtesy of the weather. The storms themselves were exciting and unpredictable but the best part was the extra time I got to spend cuddled up with Maura and (if the weather was particularly bad) Jennifer. We couldn’t go anywhere unless we wanted to drive on the badly cleared roads but there was always time to spend together. We could share a cup of cocoa, play a board game or watch one of our favorite movies on DVD. We’ll have some time to spend together next week when Maura is out of school on her February break. We won’t be cooped up in the house the whole week unless the weather changes. The trouble is vacations are predictable. Part of the charm of a snow day is that it is never expected.