Out to Lunch

 

Schedules haven't collided for two weeks so today I'm out to lunch with Teague. We're actually going out for breakfast, but may go out for lunch, too.

The Friday Five Good Things

 Five good things that happened this week

1. A chat with Teague to plan another play day.

2. Got the walk and half the driveway shoveled before everything froze

3. Skype with Nan with the idea of meeting at Tower Hill to sketch in the Organgerie.

4. I was going to make a comment about the third storm this week, but don't want to jinx things.

5. Enjoyed the first class of the Book of Marks

Sudbury River Walk

After having lunch at the Wayside Inn and visiting the Grist Mill, Teague and I took a walk along the Sudbury River via the trail behind the Grist Mill.

The water that powers the mill wheel

Heath asters

Water droplets that looked like jewels

A view of the Sudbury River

Swans on the river. We tried to get closer to them, but they moved off.

A Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Bright green moss that looked like Godzilla and a dinosaur

Tiny red berries

A rocky road and not the good kind. (Rocky Road is chocolate ice cream with nuts and marshmallow pieces. Sometimes chocolate chips, too)

Tiny mushrooms

 Pet Sematary

Outings with Teague usually end up at the Dairy Queen. I had the Very Cherry Chip Blizzard which is cherry ice cream with chocolate chunks.

T Stands for One on One Time with The Eldest

While the Eldest was visiting us in July, I got to spend one on one time with my baby.

After we toured the Jewels of the Nile exhibit, we stopped for a late lunch at Panera. We both had the Pick Two Options. She had Mac and a Citrus Asian Crunch Salad. I can't remember what she had for her beverage. Papaya something? Between chips, a roll, or an apple. She made the healthier choice of an apple.

I had half of the Napa Chicken Salad Sandwich, a Strawberry Poppyseed Salad, a bag of chips, and an iced tea. I would have chosen an apple instead of the chips, but the only variety of apple they have is Red Delicious. I prefer tart apples like Granny Smith or MacIntosh.

We had a nice lunch and chat. Since she lives so far away, it's something I have missed.

One of the things I had wanted to do while she was visiting was to go to the beach. The ocean .I asked my friend, Teague if she'd like to go along, too.

Turns out ocean plans didn't happen. A lot of the public beaches have restricted parking. Residents in the areas have complained about traffic congestion. Parking spaces are put into a lottery and you have to sign up online. Not only that, but day long passes go so quickly and only two hour passes are available. It means if the weather isn't a great beach day, you're out of parking cash as there were no refunds.

From where we live, it takes 2 hours or so to get to any of the beaches in Maine, New Hampshire, The Cape, Rhode Island or Connecticut. Neither of us wanted to take a long drive to stay at the beach for such a short time.

The weather was with us as it was a perfect beach day for a Friday. We thought the park might have filled up early, but there was hardly anyone there. Everyone must have taken their kids down the road apiece to the Breezy Picnic Grounds and Waterslides. No complaints from us. We even found a spot under some trees so had shade the entire day.

The water was so nice.

I was part way through lunch when I remembered I need a picture. Turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard on a bulkie roll, and an Arnold Palmer. Half lemonade and iced tea.

There was also fruit, chips, and oatmeal raisin cookies.

While wading through the water, I found a rock shaped like a heart. A souvenir of a perfect day

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Found a calligraphic brush to use with Procreate on the iPad. Thinking of using the iPad for my demo in class instead of working on the chalkboard.

2. Got a text from the Eldest she wouldn't be able to do our weekly Skype because she was going to a friend's house to watch the Super Bowl. While I was sad I wouldn't be catching up with her, I was happy she seems to be settling in her new home and making friends.

3. Found a device for the basement that acts as a dehumidifier and purifies the air.  It doesn't need to be emptied either.

4. After 2 hour wait for paper work, we finally got to take the new car home.

5. I thought I lost my TARDIS and 10th Doctor car charms. I found them in a bag of trash when I cleaned out my car.

How was your week?

The Friday Five Good Things

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Got a commission due in April.

2. Weekly Skype with the Eldest, and she's making plans for her Summer vacation to come home

3. Got some happy mail

4. Snow squalls ended by the time class was done so I didn't have to drive home in white out conditions.

5. Out with the old and in with a new lease vehicle in TARDIS blue. Paperwork filled out waiting for the vehicle to arrive at the dealer. They didn't have the right shade of blue on the lot.

How was your week?

T Stands for Cemetery Hop

My friend, Teague  and I took  another cemetery hop at Mt. Auburn Cemetery just outside of Boston. The cemetery was the first garden cemetery in the country. You can read about the first trip we took there and see some of the monuments of famous Bostonians: The Tower, Famous Bostonian Monuments, and Beautiful Scenery

This trip was to find the grave of my great-uncle Vincent, The Judge. During my genealogy research, I thought I found Uncle Vincent at St. Michael's Cemetery in Roslindale, a suburb of Boston. The cemetery office had records for a double burial plot for him and his first wife, but there was no headstone at the site. 

This turned out to be a mystery that was solved several weeks ago. I  was contacted by a women through Ancestry with information about Uncle Vincent and where he was buried. Seems Uncle Vincent had fathered a child out of wedlock. The woman who contacted me was the grand-daughter of Uncle Vincent's son.From my father, I knew about his 3 cousins, Uncle Vincent's children, but not about this child. Sadly, he was a very, big family secret. I don't think my father even knew. 

C sent me a photograph of the grave and said Uncle Vincent was buried in "Catholic" Mt. Auburn Cemetery, and the mother of his son was buried in "Protestant" Mt. Auburn Cemetery.

Our first stop was the administration building. To get a map and directions to Uncle Vincent's grave. The cemetery had no record of the mother of Uncle Vincent's son.

Walking to where Teague parked the car, some of the graves were covered with small, blue flowers. The first signs of Spring I had seen after the Winter that wouldn't end. Oh, and if you visit, don't park on the edge of the grass. Teague had parked close to the edge of the road so other cars could get by. The cemetery police left a rules and regulations flyer on her windshield.

After wandering around the path, Teague spotted Uncle Vincent's grave. He's buried with his daughter, Gloria, who clerked for him, and Gloria's husband. I was so excited about the trip to the cemetery, I forgot to stop and get some flowers. I left a stone on the headstone to mark I was there. 

After the visit, it was close to lunch so Teague used her phone to find restaurants close by. We decided to try the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown. The restaurant is in a classic train car. There was only street parking and Teague found a metered spot a little ways up the street. Fortunately, she had quarters to feed the meter.

Classic decor

Menu filled with all-day breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even Blue Plate specials.

Teague ordered a chocolate soda, and I had an Arnold Palmer, which is half iced tea and half lemonade.

Teague ordered a Reuben on rye, and I had a Monte Cristo, and I asked for a bit of strawberry jam as the restaurant didn't have any raspberry jam. Sandwiches came with seasoned french fries (chips), coleslaw, and a pickle.

After lunch, Teague wanted to find the grave of her great-aunt Gertrude. She was buried in Mount Feake Cemetery in Waltham.

There was no one in the cemetery office even though we were there during the posted office hours. Teague had a general idea of where the grave was located.

Across the Charles River from the cemetery is the old Waltham Watch Factory now apartments, offices, and a restaurant.

While driving through the cemetery, I spotted Aunt Gertrude's grave. 

While Teague visited with her relatives, I wandered around. I love visiting cemeteries and photographing the old monuments. Yeah, a weird, but cheap hobby. I was charmed by the lamb on this headstone for a boy named Warren.

We weren't the only visitors in the cemetery. 

After our trip, it was back to Teague's house where she brought her laptop out to the sun room so we could dig a little deeper into Uncle Vincent's secret. I had been told that the mother of Uncle Vincent's son was rumored to have a gypsy connection. Teague found references to this woman, Sophie, in census records. But names changed or were changed, her mother's name became her name. Very confusing. Her marital status was listed in the census records as widow. Most likely a convention for an unwed mother to avoid the stigma associated with having a child born on the wrong side of the blanket. 

And some things that Dad mentioned in his notebooks made sense. He said Uncle Vincent's wife, Amelia had become ill and the two, younger children were sent to live with his family for a time. Later records listed Amelia as divorced. Maybe her "illness" was another way to avoid a scandal of a child born out of wedlock, and a divorce.

We still don't know how Uncle Vincent and Sophie met though Teague found directory listings that put them living within the same neighborhood. Perhaps, Auntie Amelia did become ill and Sophie was hired to take care of her. Or she was a maid in their home or at Uncle Vincent's law office. This mystery might never be solved.

While searching Uncle Vincent's records, she found a hand-written record of Uncle Vincent staying with his Uncle Francesco. The uncle my dad claimed was a blind baker. Turns out, I had only a printed version that listed the man's last name as Glase, but in looking at the hand-written record, Teague noticed the letter was actually the letter B and the last name for Uncle Francesco is Blasi.

That's the fun thing about genealogy research. You begin looking for one thing and then fall down a rabbit hole chasing an entirely different thing and another mystery.

When I got home, I called Mount Auburn Cemetery to ask about the "Catholic" and "Protestant" sides. I was told Mount Auburn is a non-denominational cemetery. All faiths may be buried there. I was told that some people call the Sand Banks Cemetery, "Catholic Mount Auburn" as it is located across the street and maintained by the Archdiocese of Boston.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.