Massachusetts Vacation Edition
-1-
By chance, I finished listening to the audiobook version of The Mayflower Bride by Kimberley Woodhouse just before we left Hershey for Boston. We hadn’t even planned on visiting Plymouth Rock, but it ended up we did. I had a greater appreciation for the pilgrims and their sacrifices than I would have had otherwise. I needed a bit of a refresher. The rock isn’t much to look at, but it’s a quaint town.
-2-
We confirmed on this trip what I think we already knew in our hearts. We are not city vacation people. We fare so much better in our element, which is nature (mountains, beach, forest) and historical sites. This is not a family that does well with walking on miles of concrete and using public transportation. It’s good to know your limitations, no?
-3-
Ice cream really says vacation like nothing else. We stopped at two spots for delicious ice cream: Bedford Farms Ice Cream (Concord, MA) and Bertie’s Creative Creamery (Westwood, MA). We were hoping for some Boston Cream Pie, too, but couldn’t track it down outside of pricey, fancy five-star restaurants.
-4-
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I love that I can enter a Catholic church anywhere in the world and find my Savior in the tabernacle and experience a universal worship – the Mass. St. Catherine of Sienna Church in Norwood is stunning – much more than this picture reveals.
-5-
One of the best parts of this vacation was visiting with friends who, interestingly, don’t even live in Massachusetts but in New Hampshire and Maine. But it worked! Our kids loved hanging with their kids too.
-6-
History is fascinating and critical to our present and future. Author George Santayana famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Perhaps my growing love of history and historical accuracy is why I was so bothered by seeing downtown Boston re-enactors with what looked like gay pride symbols affixed to their tricorn hats. (Gay Pride Month and all.)
-7-
I hate the run-up to vacation. Inevitably, I failed to meet my husband’s expectations for readiness, with deadlines days before travel. We’re scrambling late into the night doing laundry, scouring the garage for missing items, and making all sorts of last minute preparations that result in raised voices and tears. On the flip side, there are the mounds and mounds of laundry to do when I come home and the hundreds of emails to sift through. Before we left, I was close to suggesting the rest of the family go on without me. I could stay home and get lots accomplished on updating the kids’ bedrooms. But it was a family vacation. The kids would balk if I tried to back out and rightly so. Despite the fact that even our little excursions (that usually involve hotel points, camping, or skimping on meals) stretch our budget, the experiences and the memories made are precious. I don’t regret our trip one bit. (But seriously, six a.m. highway traffic in New Jersey. What’s with that?)
###
For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain’t the Lyceum.
THANKS FOR STOPPING BY! STAY A WHILE AND LOOK AROUND. LEAVE A COMMENT. SHARE WITH A FRIEND. IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SEE, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR MY AUTHOR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP UP-TO-DATE ON NEW RELEASES, EXTRAS, AND HOT DEALS!