Adventures Before Departing

Yesterday, on our last day in Boston for this trip, Audrey was recovering very well from the anesthesia and after a good 12 hours of sleep she was ready for a relaxed adventure in her stroller. We bought blueberries for her lunch at the Haymarket, sushi on the North End for mine, visited the rose garden at the waterfront and caught a ferry to Boston Harbor Islands National Park. On Georges Island we explored an old fort and attended a free classical string quartet concert by the Berklee School of Music (which I'd heard about from a guy wearing a Powells Books t shirt while waiting in line for the ferry). On Spectacle Island, she fell asleep and napped peacefully while I explored the visitor center and then hiked the long spiral around the island to the highest point in Boston Harbor. She woke up in time to enjoy the view with me. The boat ride itself was exhilarating--the perfect weather, the thrilling wind that broke up the heat, and the smell of the briny sea air all combined to give us such a feeling of freedom from worry. On our way home she saw the horse drawn carriages and asked me so sweetly that we decided to gift her that special experience. We wrapped up the night with a fun dinner out with our wonderful host family, and Audrey has been a traveling champ again today. She was a total nut on the plane, playing very cute games with her infamous "Pink Blankie". Our 3 hour layover in Chicago is nearly at a close and she has been napping peacefully for most of it. One more plane, one more train, then looking forward to resting in the arms of my family tonight and celebrating Aaron's 10th birthday tonight with his special request-- homemade pumpkin pie (made with our own chicken eggs). Feeling more thankful than I can say!

Climbing the spiral path to the beautiful vista at the top of Spectacle Island, the highest point in Boston Harbor, and historic town-dump-turned-gorgeous-nature-preserve.