Whale Watching

This morning we took a boat out of the Cape Cod Bay to go whale watching. It was an incredible experience. The storm from earlier in the week stirred the fish further toward the surface and we were able to witness a whale feast. Many, many whales were splashing and flipping while eating the fish there. The guide told us it was a unique event, to see so many feeding at one time so close to the surface.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Provincetown, MA. This is the location of the first Mayflower landing and the signing of the Mayflower compact. After 5 weeks of exploration, the pilgrims left this shore and headed to what is now Plymouth. Plymouth became the first permanent settlement in North America. A monument to the Pilgrims was built in 1910 in Provincetown to commemorate the first landing. It is a 252 foot tower that over looks the bay. On a clear day you can see Boston. Grant and I made the climb to the top (Xan rode in his backpack).

There once was a man from Nantucket

I finally learned the rest of the limerick. It goes. . . . . .

There once was a man from Nantucket

Who kept all his cash in a bucket.

But his daughter, named Nan,

Ran away with a man

And as for the bucket, Nantucket

As for our time on the island, it couldn't have been more beautiful. It looked exactly like you imagine a New England coastal village would look.

We spent several hours on the beach while Xan slept in his sun tent.

Our vacation with the President

We hit Martha's Vineyard during the biggest storm of the summer. Between the rain and wind, it was difficult to enjoy everything the island had to offer. We braved the weather to visit some of the main sights and had several good meals. 'The Bite' was a crab shack that had the best fried shrimp I have ever had and Grant got a great Lobster bake at the 'Home Port'. Oh, and guess who decided to take a vacation to Martha's Vineyard at the same time. The First Family.

Xan's lobster dinner

Martha's Vineyard Road through middle island

The first time Grant turned down one of these dirt roads I was in fierce protest. This couldn't possibly be a real road but I was wrong. The one above was actually one of the better.

One of rougher roads on Martha's Vineyard

Aquinnah Light House

Pictures from Boston

Paul Revere Cemetery

King's Chapel

Near Old North Church and Paul Revere statue

Water Taxi

Riding the Subway

Napping in Boston Common park

College Visits

It’s never too early to start. Xan toured both Harvard and Yale with particular stops at the law schools just in case he wants to follow in his Dad’s career-steps. He slept the whole time we visited Harvard. I guess he was uninterested, but Yale was another matter. He was alert and looking around. He even wanted to wear his Yale shirt (though he did throw up all over it. Don’t know what that means).

Yale Library

Harvard

The Big Green Monster

What on earth is the Big Green Monster? I saw this phrase all over the place. On t-shirts. Signs. What does that have to do with Boston? Let me tell you a tale.


Tonight, we went to a Red Sox’s game. Grant was excited about seeing Fenway Park and even spent Xan’s nap time today looking for a Red Sox onesie for the game. When we got to our seats at the stadium, Grant points to the outfield and says, “Look, there’s the Green Monster”. I spent several minutes looking for a picture of a monster, or a mascot before asking, “Huh?” Grant finally explained (with a face that said, isn’t it obvious), “It’s the wall”. For all of you that were as confused as me, Fenway Park has a very tall, green wall that makes out of the park homeruns even more difficult to hit. Hence, the Big Green Monster.

Also, I included some pictures of Xan in his Boston Red Sox’s outfit. Grant said I should mention he is also wearing red socks. It’s so CUTE!

Constant Vigilance

I will admit that I was nervous about our trip to Boston. Not the vacation itself but the actual travel. Xan had never been on a plane and I didn’t know how it might go.

This is how it went. . . . . . Xan, for the most part, slept on the plane and was in a great mood even though it was almost midnight when we arrived in Boston. I thought we had made it, I could see the hotel from our taxi when Grant looked over at me with a horrified face. He heard a ‘gas’ sound and something from Xan’s diaper sprayed him. Our taxi driver didn’t notice the smell. He was too busy giving us the weirdest parenting advice I’ve ever heard. Grant was quickly trying to clean up the growing puddle in the back seat. Every napkin and burp cloth we had available was saturated. In the end, we escaped from the taxi before the driver realized what happened and both Grant and Xan went straight to the shower.

All in all, it was a successful arrival and made for a funny story.

On the road again!

It's been 8 long months since we last hit the road. Our first child, Xan, was born in February and that put on hold any travels we had planned. Xan is now almost 6 months old so we thought he was ready for his inaugural journey. Grant and I choose to start small. Although Xan already has his passport, we thought it was best to begin with a shorter plane ride. So, we are off to Boston and a road trip around New England

This blog, which has up until this time covered our explorations of the world, will now also include the craziness of traveling with a child. I have read everything I could find about how to trek with an infant. Pros and Cons. In the end we elected to just “See how Xan handles it”. I’m anticipating this being more of an adventure than any of our other travels :)