June Happenings

 We obviously had a much more active month of June, having spent a weekend in Portsmouth.  But that's not all we did!

You're not even gonna believe this but Todd went from crazed felon to respectable lawyer, all in less than a half hour!

My peonies also bloomed nicely in June! I didn't cut them (bad Colleen!  BAD!)  Maybe I'll remember next year (even though my friend Sara reminded me!)

LOOK WHAT ELSE I DID IN JUNE FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE (uhhhh... have I had a pedicure since I've been back to America? I don't think I have!)

The Bolts played the Florida Panthers (beat them in 6), the Carolina Hurricanes (beat them in 5), the New York Islanders (beat them in 7 - tough series, although the game that we won 8-0 was a LOT of fun) and then at the end of the month, we faced the Montreal Canadians for the Stanley Cup! Most games I watched virtually with my friend Brian over text and we are very superstitious so I had to wear this shirt to every game!

My other LOVELY peony also bloomed!

I still do a lot of walking because... Covid.  Every once in a while, I spot some turkeys on my walk around the neighborhood.

Once again, I went out to dinner with Michele and Sara and didn't take any pictures, except for a picture of this INCREDIBLE fig and prosciutto pizza that I got at the Local in Wayland.  This is one of the best pizzas I have ever eaten!

I think we are finally done setting up the back deck - we got an outdoor rug!

One evening, the two big kids (Todd and Brendan) decided to play some laser tag with the younger kids.  It was "adults" vs kids!

The bigger kids took this VERY seriously.

Brendan used the Whikens car as protection.  You can see Grant ducking way in the background!

The new neighbors who moved in across the street saw us playing laser tag and came over to drop off some goodies for the kids because Brendan had loaned them a leaf blower to clean off their deck for their WEDDING.  They got married that day! (Which is why you see all of the cars!)

I'm officially 107 years old.  I did this great puzzle of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a lovely city we had visited in Germany many times - only, it was missing pieces!  And note the extra piece in the bottom center that matched the actual piece above it that was used in the puzzle.  That was disappointing.

We had some beautiful weather in June and were able to sit outside and have a nice dinner.  Steak, butternut squash and a grilled onion - one of my favorite meals ever!

And the kids finally finished the second worst school year ever (only second to last year of course).  Natalie was VERY surprised to learn that she had won a 2021 8th grade drama award. She HAD gone back in late winter for drama club, which met after school one or two days a week, but had only been going to full day in person school for 9 weeks.  NINE WEEKS!

And how about THIS?  She had only been at Ashland Middle School for TWO DAYS (in person) when the 8th graders voted on the class superlatives.  And she WON most likely to end up on Broadway!  This really shouldn't surprise me, but it does!

Ignore my weeds - I was waiting til the very last minute before my mulch delivery to do the weeding.  But aren't my lilies pretty? My plant identifier app says this is a Siberian Lily.  So pretty!

Todd decided to bite the bullet and attempt to do something with this built-in planter, so he bought a few colorful plants (hydrangea mostly) and then mulched it. I should have taken a picture after he mulched!

And look at this.  We have one who is now officially a middle schooler, and one who is officially a high schooler. 

Ok guys, give me a silly one for your last day of school.

Father's Day weekend, we finally celebrated with (almost) all of Todd's (Massachusetts) family.  Lulu and Craig live in upstate New York now, Madison is still in South Korea and Anna was at her best friends bridal shower. These three guys had been out in the woods shooting each other with dart guns. (Oh!  You can see the mulched planter here!)

We did a little Facebook Portal call with Madison, who was having coffee because it was early Sunday morning in Seoul.

We were sad that we didn't get to see Anna, but she did send along some of her famous Anna Cookies!  Grant goes bonkers over these (secretly, so does Todd cause I saw him eating more than one of these!)

The point of the day was to celebrate Natalie and Bean's birthdays (14 and 85, respectively) and to celebrate Seth graduating from high school!!!  I love this pic of Nauni kissing Nat.

Time for a brother and sister selfie on the back deck.

Natalie has always been so good at sitting with adults and having real, adult conversations.

Aunt Betty, Grammi, Bean, Natalie, Uncle Gordie, Grant, GoGo and a silly KK who spotted me with my camera.  Todd grilled out some burgers and sausages, and then everyone enjoyed some cake and ice cream!

Speaking of cake and ice cream - YUM!  Uncle Steve and Aunt Jeanne sent us a fantastic cake from Dulce D Leche here in Ashland.  He ordered from them last year, and they make an incredible cake.

Celebrating these three crazy kids!

I seriously can't believe Seth has graduated from high school.  

It seems like just yesterday that Seth and I were drooling together on my couch after Natalie's baptism!

Everyone hanging on the back deck while Seth, Bean and Natalie open up some cards.

Natalie opening up a card at the Bailey backyard BBQ.

Grammi and Bean scored some t-shirts.  Grammi always calls for her Cabana Boy when she wants a cocktail, so these were perfect.

Me, after a family party at my house. Actually I kicked everyone out because the Lightning were playing ha ha.

The following day was Natalie's ACTUAL birthday, and she wanted her bestie Kaavya to come over to celebrate with her.  I'm sure her other bestie, Giya would have been here, but you know... she kind of still lives in Germany.

I ordered some pizza for the girls and they hung out on the back deck for a few hours.

Since it was also Father's Day, and we didn't want to do birthday and Father's Day celebrations back to back later in the evening, we decided to let Natalie open presents with Kaavya.  I found this Broadway puzzle at Kohl's literally a few hours earlier.

I only got the puzzle because she really was only getting ONE gift otherwise.  Which of course, Todd made her work for.

A 12 pack of Dogfish Head, Daddy, you really shouldn't have!

But within the Dogfish Head box was ANOTHER wrapped present!

And within THAT was... yep, you guessed it - ANOTHER wrapped present.

And within THAT was... a phone case.  Hmmm.  For a phone she doesn't have?

But you know Daddy will make it fun, so here you go Natalie.  The first clue in your scavenger hunt!

We followed the girls around the house as they worked out the clues.

The last clue led them to the back deck again (where I had put the gift, which was in a backpack) when they were in the dining room.

Hmmm, could the gift be in this backpack?

YAY!  An iPhone 11!  It's literally JUST what she always wanted!  The rule in this house was always that you don't get a phone until you go to high school.

Meanwhile, it was also Father's Day. And you can tell by the scavenger hunt that he put a lot of thought into, that this guy is one of the BEST Dad's out there!  You deserve that 20 pound wall ball, honey!

If you're wondering what Grant is doing, the answer is I have no idea.

Since it was Father's Day, Todd wanted to set up the 17 foot blow up screen and play a movie for the neighborhood kids (and Brendan of course).  They chose the new Disney movie "Luca."

Follow me for more cake decorating tips.

It was 11 pm on a Sunday night by the time the movie was over, but we still hadn't sang happy birthday to Natalie!

Make a wish, little girl.

She can no longer wish for a phone, because she finally got one!

At the end of the month Grant FINALLY started his OIT (oral immunotherapy) for his peanut allergy!  Daddy took him to Mass General for the initial appointment.

The first appointment required him to eat an increasing amount of a dust-like peanut substance (I think it's just crushed up peanuts) every 15 minutes until he got up to 6 mg.  

He was a little nervous before hand - isn't he so brave?

But when he found out he was just going to be eating pudding all morning (that's what they put the peanut substance in) and got to build a Lego set, he didn't mind at all!

And of course, Daddy promised to get him Panera Bread for lunch afterward.  He did really well at the initial appointment and didn't have any adverse reactions.  PHEW.

Our neighbor doesn't really ever mow his lawn and the backyard is really overgrown.  So it's the perfect spot for a deer to mosey in and lay down for a nap one day!

Lastly, I had gotten Todd a gift card to Bourbon's in Framingham for Father's Day so we could have a date night out without the kids.  They have lots of small plates and tacos - so we crushed it!  It was a nice evening, and we were able to get back for the Lightning's game 7 vs. the Islanders (which they WON!)

Can't wait to see what July brings!  Maybe a Stanley Cup, perhaps?

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Part II

 After our hot and cold harbor boat ride, we were back on dry land and ready to see the Strawberry Banke Museum across town.  We were a little bit sad because the actual museum didn't open up for another two weeks, but the grounds were still open for you to stroll through.

Chase House, one of the homes in the Strawberry Banke Museum, was built around 1762 by John Underwood.  The Georgian home changed hands a few times before being sold to Stephen Chase in 1799.  It remained in his family until 1881 when George Chase (Stephen's grandson) bought it and donated it as an orphanage which was in use until the early 1900s. You can actually (normally) visit inside the homes for a glimpse into Portsmouth lift over the past several centuries. This one is furnished in the style of the very early 1800s.  Too bad we couldn't go in!  (We tried to peek in the windows though!)

But you CAN run around the grounds, which are really pretty.  This goof is running around in front of some apple trees (which I'm told are Paradise Apples.)

Todd, being silly as usual under the apple tree.

From the gardens at the Aldrich House, you can see the Shapiro House and it's stable across the "street."  It was built in 1795 by Dr. John Jackson but the more notable owners were Abraham and Sarah Shapiro and their daughter Mollie.  Abraham and Sarah were Jews born in Russia, so this house focuses on that time period when there were many immigrants in the area.

I spy a garden!  We discovered the pretty garden behind the Aldrich House and spent a little time there.

Oh-so-pretty with all of the colors and the brick walkway.

The Aldrich House was where Thomas Bailey Aldrich lived with his grandfather from 1849 to 1852.  He later went on to become editor of the important literary magazine The Atlantic Monthly.  He counted Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Mark Twain among his friends.  In 1865, he moved to Boston and as the Strawberry Banke Museum website explains, "It was shortly after the move to Boston that Aldrich began to record some thoughts on his own child hood. The result was The Story of a Bad Boy, a fictionalized recollection of adventures and impressions of his years spent in Portsmouth at his grandfather's house on Court Street. Aldrich's Bad Boy is significant as the first realistic treatment of a boy in American literature. It had great influence on other writers including the author's close friend Mark Twain, who six years later wrote a similar story about a similar boy, also named Tom."

These guys were staying cool under the canopy of vines on the trellis.

Natalie got her own professional photoshoot in the gardens. She's behind the daisies.

Oh why hello. I didn't see you there. You caught me mending my fences, one of the many things we do here in the Aldrich family garden.

Todd and I particularly liked the Ethnobotanical Herb Garden in front of the Cotton Tenant House from 1836.  Although not original, it featured plants/herbs from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

The Peacock House, while a private dwelling was one of my favorites because it showed you the extent of each expansion on the house. First built in 1821, it was then expanded in 1880, and then again in 1940.

We walked down "Atkinson Street" past the Jones House (from 1790, on the right) which was getting some renovations.

APPARENTLY there was a high school graduation going on here, so the kids made the representatives from the class of 1990 and 1994 pose for a picture.  PLEASE notice the sneaky little face behind us!

We walked back down Atkinson toward State Street and noticed this sign outside of the Pitt Tavern.  John Stavers opened the tavern in 1750 (known then as the Earl of Halifax Hotel and Tavern), but it was long suspected that his loyalties were with England. When a man named Mark Noble tried to chop down the important tavern sign, John's slave James nearly killed him by hitting him over the head with an ax and knocking him unconscious.  Only... it was John who was arrested for the beat down! He was released a few days later, but because people were unsure of John's loyalties, the tavern was eventually renamed "Pitt Tavern," which was named for William Pitt.  Pitt was Britain's youngest prime minister who believed the American colonies were justified in their fight against Britain and once declared, "You cannot conquer the Americans!"

Being Hamilton buffs, we wanted to visit the tavern because the Marquis de Lafayette visited here in 1782, as did George Washington in 1789.

Well, that's one happy hour that won't be happening!

The Clematis were out across the street from the Pitt Tavern, looking pretty in purple.

That's about all the heat and history we could handle for the day, so we headed back to the hotel to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Some of us (errrr, both of us) fell asleep at some point between the first and second period.

But we rallied for the third period and so did the Bolts, suppressing a comeback and beating the Florida Panthers 6-4.  They also took a 3-1 lead in this, the first round of the playoffs.  We went down to catch all the action at TJs on Daniel Street.

Oh but wait!  They're also running the Belmont Stakes today!  Don't worry. My boy Steve Kornacki is gonna give you all the mathematical probabilities in his khaki pants!  Essential Quality won.  Todd and I did not pick him with the $5 we used to place bets on the Twin Spires app. Oh well, next time!

Alright, the Bolts have won, the Belmont Stakes are over, and now it's time to fetch the kids and go grab some dinner at the Portsmouth Brewery!

Portsmouth Brewery has been around since at least the early 1890s. However, this particular Portsmouth Brewery only dates back to 1991 when it was opened by the people who founded Smuttynose.  This was the first brewpub and craft brewery in New Hampshire.

After dinner at Portsmouth Brewery, we went to Izzy's for some soft serve (Grant) and ice cream (Natalie)!

Todd and I didn't get any ice cream, so I took a picture of our feet.

After ice cream, we went back to the hotel so the kids could shower and get settled in before Todd and I went down the street for a drink by the water at Old Ferry Landing.

(Me panicking inside: No masks, no masks, no masks, no masks....)

There were a couple of ladies sitting near us, and we thought that we accidentally stole these seats from them (that maybe they wanted to sit right on the water instead of next to the bar) but they didn't want to move.  Instead, they took our picture for us!

Because of Covid (I think?), Old Ferry Landing closed at like, 9 pm so we had to leave.  I have no idea what I am doing here on Commercial Alley, but I'm sure I'm telling Todd to snap to it, because I need a cold beverage in this heat!  Or maybe I thought "Corks and Curds - Purveyors of Fine Wine and Cheese" was a funny name for a store!

Todd and I actually went back to TJs but couldn't get in because of Covid restrictions on capacity. No worries, because we could still sit outside (which we preferred anyway).  We didn't stay long, but it was really fun to people watch again!

In the morning, before we left Portsmouth to head home, we stopped by Colby's for some breakfast.

I wasn't as wild about the lemon pancakes as I thought I would be. I think the whipped cream was too runny, and it would have been better with the salted whipped butter that we had at the Friendly Toast.   

But I will give major kudos for this - at least they really did write down for the kitchen that someone at our table had a peanut allergy!

As we left Colby's, I spotted a German flag! 

Next time, I'm totally coming back here to Kaffee Volnsolln for some coffee!  You mean I don't have to fly all the way over the ocean to enter Europe? I can just stop in here?  No passport needed?

Until next time, Portsmouth!  You're a real gem!