END OF JULY FAVES

 

It's Friday and I'm on the south  shore of Massachusetts in Plymouth County/Boston/Quincy area.  Dave and I took the week off from work (I was shocked that my boss allowed this....they usually don't in the middle of summer school and when I go back Monday, there will only be 2 weeks of summer school left then THREE and a half glorious weeks of vacation until September 7th). We decided to do another mini-vacation in Plymouth (south shore MA).  Part of this trip included spending an afternoon and early evening with his aging parents.  Part of it is a birthday gift for Dave (today:  The John Adams National Historic Park in Quincy and a musical in the community theatre of Norwell).

For now, I'm pausing to share FIVE of my blessings from the past week.  And before you ask:  yes I am STILL dealing with the daily congestion/sinus headache.  Am on my 4th OTC allergy med and still taking the prescription one.  This sure has been a long journey and I'm still not convinced it's allergies but.....time will tell once I have that allergy testing done on August 30th. I thank all of you who messaged me/emailed, that you are praying. Giving thanks for the blessings keeps me from being totally discouraged and we can thank Susanne for continuing this blog exercise. Head over to her site to learn more!

FIVE FAVES

• FAMILY BBQ:  Saturday found us driving 1.5 hours west to my sister Hope's home in the woods of the Adirondack foothills.  She and her husband Donny bought an old trailer, turned it into a ranch style house and raise goats, ducks, chickens.  Each summer since the girls were in their pre-teens, she has held a family BBQ.  Now that Mom and Dad are gone, she continues to do so but now it is just my family, my sister Joy and her son Luke, and our youngest sister Jill and her family.  This year it was just the 4 of us, plus Hope and Donny and Joy. My girls drove out together and then Claire had to leave to meet up with friends in Saratoga and so Courtney stayed with us and we dropped her off at her apartment when we got back to the Capital Region.  Jill and her family had to attend her daughter's softball tournament.  It was still so much fun! We had some great food, fellowship, and swimming in their little above ground pool.  Joy left around 3 pm and  Dave, Courtney and I stayed until about 6 pm!  I'm thankful for  afternoons with extended family. 

• RAIN!  We finally got a rain storm Sunday evening and it really helped to cool everything down.  Our high humidity and heat broke and Monday/Tuesday was so pleasant.  We really needed the rain as everything in our area was turning brittle and brown.  I'm  thankful for a good summer rain and more normal temperatures. 

• PHONE CALL!  Last week I had a text then a phone call from a childhood friend I haven't seen since 1986!  It was a complete surprise.  She found out my mobile number from Facebook and we chatted for over an hour with plans to meet for lunch sometime in the autumn.  She lives in the Boston area so we will meet somewhere halfway between our homes. I'm thankful for surprise calls and being back in touch with old friends!

The Blue Spruce Motel
Plymouth, MA

poolside

• MINI-VACATION DAY ONE: Wednesday, Dave and I drove out to Plymouth, MA about 3.5 hours southeast of our home to stay in a small motel for 4 nights.  Our major goal is to spend some time with his fragile parents who are not doing well physically. They live about 20 min north of Plymouth.  Day One (Wed) we arrived about 2 pm,  and spent the afternoon at the motel pool just relaxing, reading, talking and swimming.  Then we changed, freshened up and walked down the road to a little spot for  dinner. Dave had scallops and I had (for the very first time) fish and chips.  I have always wanted to try this British dish and the white fish was amazing!  I don't usually eat fried foods but this sure tasted great! After dinner, we walked over to a soft serve ice cream place for dessert. I'm thankful for the time away and for fresh seafood that we certainly can't get in the capital region of NY!

my dinner:  fish and chips and slaw!

• HISTORIC PLYMOUTH/Vacation Day 2:  One thing on my bucket list this week was to get over to Cole Hill where the large Sarcophagus is located.  This contains the remains of the first pilgrims who arrived in 1620 and who died that first winter here in the New World. My husband's great-great x 9 grandfather is buried there with 2 of his sons. If you zoom in on the picture of the names you will see the name "John Turner".  That is Dave's great-great, etc grandfather. Since we've seen Plymouth Rock many times, and toured the Mayflower II twice when the girls were little and once as newlyweds, we skipped that part and  just poked around other monuments we hadn't seen up close before.  We also did a little shopping for my 2 co-workers and 2 daughters. Then we had lunch at a delightful little cafe called The Yellow Deli.  What a great morning. (in the afternoon, we went north west to visit Dave's parents and have dinner with them).  In our opinion, everyone who calls himself an American citizen, should visit Plymouth and Plimoth Plantation at least once in their lifetime.  We have taken our daughters quite a few times to Plimoth Plantation and Patuxet Village (aka Wampanoag village)It will sober you.  I'm thankful for these pilgrims and Native Americans who helped shape our country. 

The Sarcophagus on Cole Hill
Plymouth, MA

Dave's great great x 9 grandfather is buried here. 
Can you find the name? 

the names of the 104 passengers from the Mayflower 
who died the first winter after landing here on the East Coast

Dave in front of the Mayflower replica

The Mayflower II 

the Pilgrim Maiden fountain 

me in front of the Massasoit monument
I've always had a heart for the Wampanoag Native Americans.
If you don't know the story of Massasoit, please look it up!

A Plaque honoring the National Day of Mourning

The Native Americans gather here every Thanksgiving

as a symbol of what they had to endure due to the pilgrims

invading their lands. To this day, racism and other social injustices prevail in our country against the various tribes of the Native American people. Because I am a direct descendant of a Native American tribe, my heart has always been tender towards these people. This Day of Mourning began in 1970 and continues to the present day. 

The bathroom door at a local cafe.
this place "gets it".  one bathroom with one toilet 
and a locked door.  ANYONE no matter your gender or sexual identity 
can use this bathroom.  Every establishment should do this! Maybe then, the ridiculous fighting over this issue will end!  Kudos to The Yellow Deli of Plymouth, MA!

a charming window seat at The Yellow Deli
in downtown Plymouth

ROOT BEER iced and in a frosty mug!
my first soda since 2004! 
(not counting when I have a rum and coke!)

That wraps up my week.  

I hope whatever you have planned for the weekend, you have a time of reflection to thank God for your blessings.  Have a restful weekend!