Day 12.110: Just hanging out at Harvard

As you do.

Day 12.109: Middlesex Fells Reservation

While Exile #2 and Exile #3 were visiting college #1 on Saturday morning, the other three of us hiked at Middlesex Fells - a surprisingly large reservation surprisingly close to Boston (perhaps only one of those things is surprising now I think about it). It was cool and cloudy (most of the time) but pretty good walking weather and we definitely noticed it was more spring-like than it had seemed when we left home a few hours earlier. We walked about three and a half miles on a mix of easy, rugged and muddy trails and saw some interesting things along the way:

We were a bit bemused when we started seeing trail markers that were not just rectangles of colour on the trees,

Eventually we realised that they were indicating which direction the trail was heading or that it was turning a sharp corner or whatever.

Day 12.108: Exile #2's Sunday Column #246

Exile #2 writes...

This weekend, five went to Boston. The real purpose was for Exile #3 and I to take a couple of college tours. They were useful and interesting (we both found ourselves preferring the North side of the river) and slowly thoughts are starting to clarify about what kind of college might be best for her. It still feels like we have a mountain to climb but maybe we’re starting to whittle things down a little. Meanwhile, Exiles #1, #3 and E5N1 spent time exploring local hiking and museums, but we all made sure to get together Saturday evening to watch a certain movie that was coming out this weekend.

ed: It was Avengers: Endgame in case that wasn't (or isn't still) obvious!

Day 12.107: Boston skyline

This morning I drove down to Boston and dropped Exile #3 off at college. Tonight I am checked into a hotel room that earlier in the day had this view.

I feel like I may be missing some important elements from today’s story.

Day 12.106: There's Waldo (and other graves)

E5N1 thought going for a walk in the cemetery was a very strange idea, so obviously I had to prove how wrong he was.

This set of graves with what appeared to be a "lad" and a "guy" caught our eye:

In fact it was "Guy", but his father was "L.A.D"

And yes, we found Waldo:

Day 12.105: Caption this!

Day 12.104: What happens when...

...we try to work out if our eyes are the same colour:

Consensus: no.

Day 12.103: More dancing in the library

Exile #3 and her dance company colleagues did another show at the library this evening - this time including some student choreography. Two of the pieces Exile #3 choreographed this year were performed - her two-on-two hip hop vs jazz dance battle and this solo (unless you count the scarf as a dance partner):

It was a fun show with a small and enthusiastic audience - I was sorry to have to leave before the end to get Exile #4 from her karate class.

Day 12.102: Dad's never in the pictures!

One of my requests for the rainy Saturday at the end of April break, was to have a second try at the "May" month of Pandemic Legacy. I'm happy to say we made time for this activity and succeeded at the second attempt. June is coming next (quite possibly in actual June!)

The girls were curious as to what Exile #2 was doing with the iPad, but apparently thought I should be in the record of this success!

Day 12.101: Exile #2's Sunday Column #245

Exile #2 writes...

We spent the main part of today at church. It was nice to catch up with friends we hadn’t seen for a while, and Exile #1 also sang a song. Then we stayed afterwards to help make the small meeting rooms into bedrooms for guests that will be staying this week. We ate a quick lunch and snatched a moment’s rest, then this evening enjoyed a feast of roast beef (with Yorkshire puddings, of course) and carrot cake to finish. It’s back to school tomorrow morning but it’s been a relaxing week.

Thanks to O for the picture of the girls!

Happy Easter from the Exiles!

Day 12.100: The remains of the fort

The main attractions at Fort Foster are the park, the trails and the coastline, but there are various bits of evidence of the actual fortifications. They include this impressive and very sturdy-looking tower and I also like these rusty doors to cave-like store rooms I found this time.

Day 12.099: Fort Foster

Today - with a threat of rain today, but worse for the tomorrow, we visited Fort Foster - at the southern tip of Maine. We'd been there with my parents in October before and seen the Monarch butterfly migration and Exile #3 visited once for a cross-country meet while she was in middle school, but this was the first time we'd been in a while.

We happened to coincide with a working-party day so there were lots of people around working on the trails and it's obviously a popular dog-walking spot at this time of year.

We had a great visit and the weather was surprisingly kind. Two notable things pictured here are just a few of the rescued lobster traps that had been piled in various places by the clean-up crews and some grass that is actually green:

We saw some wildlife too - common eider, northern mockingbirds and a pair of harlequin ducks and Exile #4 (true to form) spotted a snake:

 

Day 12.098: Karate class walk

I was reminded the other day that - back when she only had one class a week - the rest of us sometimes dropped Exile #3 at dance and went for a walk. Yesterday, we made the most of a sunny and fairly warm evening by doing the same while Exile #4 was at her karate class.

We went to the cemetery where we saw that even there they were promoting Game of Thrones:

And also that there are real signs of spring:

Day 12.097: Important business

Apart from our outing, the other important business of the weekend was buying E5N1 his belated birthday present. It's slightly shocking that my height falls in the recommended range for his new bike - albeit with the saddle a bit higher than he needs it.

Day 12.096: If I had a nickel...

One more picture from our visit to Newburyport. I wonder if you can still open a savings account with $0.05?!

Building sign reads, "Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank"

Day 12.095: Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary

On Saturday, after lunch, we visited Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary for another short walk. We took in most of the trails, although clearly not at peak-wildlife levels.

We did spot some birds - a flicker and some others...!

and enjoyed the woods and the views of the marsh as well as the frisson of danger as we passed the sign warning us that the path would be covered at high tide by up to a foot of water.

Day 12.094: Exile #2's Sunday Column #244

Exile #2 writes...

When we stepped out of the car yesterday, it felt as if we had arrived in a different country. True, we were in Massachusetts but the change was still extraordinary. On Monday and Tuesday we’d had snow that settled on the still thawing ground. Yesterday the temperatures were warm enough not to need a jacket and we saw some long awaited sun. The landscapes we walked through were still recovering from the winter. All the colors were bleached out but still strangely beautiful.

In between walks, we popped into the pretty town of Newburyport. The history of the area was fairly evident in the Best of British store, a toy shop with a Welsh flag hung outside and numerous Irish establishments.

We didn’t explore the store this time but we did visit one of the Irish pubs for lunch. It felt good to be out!

Day 12.093: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

With the kids having a week off school to get all their various things done and a day promising to be both dry and warm, we decided an outing was in order. We headed down through southern Maine, into New Hampshire and out again to visit northern Massachusetts.

Our first stop was at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island near Newburyport.

We saw buffleheads and geese and some signs of spring:

by the time we left to go and find lunch, the temperature was threatening 70 °F - which feels like a heatwave to us at the moment!

Day 12.092: Final observations

Yesterday and today, I went to the last two of Exile #3's observation week ballet classes - her modern and jazz classes. They were both excellent and once again showed just how far she's come with her dance this year. I suppose having class every day can do that for you!

Meanwhile, E5N1 had a couple of his friends over for a birthday celebration and Exile #2 held down the fort. It seems that both these things went well.

Day 12.091: Hip Hop observation

My observation: Tuesday's Hip Hop class was much less formal than Monday's Ballet class!

Day 12.090: Ballet observation

This week is observation week at the dance studio. Visitors are encouraged to come and watch a class - no special performance, just a normal class. Today, I briefly popped my head in to see Exile #3 in ballet class, but it wasn't her class, it is the little-girl ballet class that she helps out in.

On Monday, I did go to see her ballet class - and it was quite impressive:

Day 12.089: Spring Concert

In all the other excitement, I failed to mention that it snowed yesterday:

for most of the day:

There was still quite a lot of snow on the ground this morning:

and then in the early evening, it started snowing again:

So, it felt like a little out of place to be attending the middle school's Spring Concert this evening, but that didn't mean it wasn't a great show. E5N1 performed with the Concert Band for the second time and for the first time in the Jazz Band. There were also great performances from the Chorus, the Orchestra (strings only) and the Symphonic Band (that's the equivalent of the Concert Band but for 7th/8th grade students).

This was the Concert Band's first performance (audio only):



You can also see/hear a bit of another Concert Band piece with some special percussion:



The first Jazz Band piece with E5N1's first jazz solo:



and a second Jazz Band piece: