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April 29, 2008
Mom and Derek
This is a photo which my sister, Nancy, took at our cousins' college graduation party this past weekend.
Derek can be such a ham, just like his dad!
Cousins Nikki and Jon both graduated from U of M, so we were all very proud! Nikki is going on to law school. I'm not sure what Jon's plans are, but he studied physics, so he's sure to do something worthwhile to benefit mankind!
Posted by Jessica at 12:10 PM | Comments (0)
More about the Boston trip
I walked so many miles, I had blisters on my feet!
Especially my left foot, every night I had to rest it and then shove it back into my work shoe the next morning, which was the only pair of shoes I managed to bring along. (We didn't want any possibility of lost luggage, so we each opted to bring a small carry-on bag on the flight.)
I walked a couple of miles up the road from the hotel to the Museum of Fine Art. Then I walked a few miles inside the museum. By the time I got through the ancient Egyptian exhibit, my feet were very sore, indeed! But there was plenty more to see.
Some of my favorite exhibits were the colonial American artifacts, the ancient Greek pottery, and the roomfuls of lovely oil paintings from just about every era. There was even a small medieval section. The collection of impressionists was very nice, they always look so much more vibrant in person than in the photos found in books, and on the postcards I bought.
We ate dinner on Friday night at a pub called the Sevens. Amazingly, they had no burgers or fried foods on the menu. So I ordered a French Dip. The was easily the best sandwich I've had in years, it was stacked so full of roast beef I could hardly eat it.
We also had a dinner companion, a stout, middle-aged fellow named Kevin McDermott. We talked for a long time about Boston, and he was able to answer many questions before his wife came and collected him in her Jeep. Questions such as, "Where do the lower income people live?" (Basically, far outside of the city.)
On Friday, we took a trolley tour of the city. This tour allowed you to get on an off at any stop, as a new trolley would come and pick you up later (they just kept driving in a big loop.) This way, we were able to go on board the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship in the world. It is still manned by the US Navy, and to be chosen for duty on board the Constitution is considered a great honor. It was a very impressive ship, I wish I had had my camera with me (alas, my digital camera is broken.)I think Brian got some photos with his film camera.
We also got out of the trolley at Fenway Park, so that Brian could get photos, and at the place where Boston's hockey team plays. He got photos with his camera there, too!
All in all, we were very impressed with Boston, and would love to visit again soon, as there were many things we missed out on seeing during this trip.
Posted by Jessica at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
April 22, 2008
A Trip to Boston
It might as well have been a trip to another universe. Recession? What recession???
I didn't quite know what to expect in going to visit Boston. I had very limited recollections of a family trip there in the 70's, but those memories were rather vague and didn't involve any downtown area except the interior of the Old North Church.
My concept of large cities had been fashioned around such areas as Detroit and Flint. So I wasn't looking forward to much except a nice, relaxing stay in a hotel room while Brian attended the Geography conference.
Imagine my surprise to find a beautiful, well-kept, vibrant downtown with throngs of middle class and upper-middle class people going about their business during the day and then enjoying the abundant and varied activities in the evening! Massive quantities of historic buildings, all completely refurbished and restored, co-existed alongside of more modern skyscrapers. The older buildings combined storefronts (all filled with active upscale little shops and pubs, or Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts)with offices or apartments above.
The neighborhoods of beautiful, historic brownstones had been gentrified and turned into million-dollar (or three or five million-dollar) townhomes.
The amazing theater district stretched on and on. And the Boston Commons (the large public park) was practically standing room only, it was so filled with people. Middle class, normal people, not bums like you'd see in Flint or Detroit.
Their subway system (the oldest in North America, begun in 1897 or so)was incredible. Get this-actual, normal people ride the public transport in Boston! It will take you anywhere in the city for a very small fee (usually around 2.00.)
(Stay tuned for more.)
Posted by Jessica at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)
April 14, 2008
A Letter to Derek!
I hope that Derek will read this letter when he is older and know how much I love him and want him to succeed in life and be a very happy man.
Dear Derek, my wee Boo,
You are too young to read, but I am writing you a letter today. I want you to know that I have always loved you more than anything else in the whole world. Before you were born, I tried to picture how you would look and what your personality would be like. After you were born, I realized that the reality was so much better than the imagining!
I used to sing to you when you were very small, but now you usually stop me by putting a little hand across my mouth! Sometimes, though, you will actually request a song (most often the Thomas the Tank Engine or Fireman Sam or Bob the Builder theme songs.) I am thrilled that you love to sing, and I love hearing you belt out these and other songs in your joyful and unselfconscious way.
I love to hear your laughter and the way you say, "Momma, I have an idea!" I love to hear you recite long passages from books and tv shows. Your child care providers were very impressed at your ability to speak and use language at the early age of two, and were amazed at your vocabulary.
I hope that you will grow up to be thoughtful, gentle and kind. I know that it's difficult to think of others when you are so young, and the world seems to revolve around your needs and desires. But other people are just as important as you are and you should always remember to try to do what is best for everyone involved in a situation, not just what you would like the most.
Be kind, thoughtful and respectful to family and friends.
Try to make intelligent, informed choices and to avoid impulsive acts.
Trust in family and friends, but trust most of all in your own heart.
with love and many hugs and kisses,
Momma
Posted by Jessica at 11:54 AM | Comments (1)
April 08, 2008
Explaining the world to a 3-year-old
Derek is shown here at the age of two and a half, last May on a camping trip. He was carefree and joyful. He is now almost four, and a visit to our local Home Show caused me to think about explaining some serious issues to him.
At the home show, which featured builders, landscapers, and associated businesses, many of the booths had small toys or candy which they passed out to the kids walking by with their parents. (Derek received a baseball, a painter's hat, and several tootsie rolls.) Each time, Brian and I told Derek that it was okay to accept the items.
At a booth manned by the local Police Department they were making ID cards for the kids. Derek was fingerprinted and had his photo taken, and received a toy police badge. I picked up a coloring book for him, called "Talk to Your Kids About Strangers."
I realized that it was about time that we had a discussion with Derek about this issue, that it isn't normally okay to accept presents or candy from strangers.
Normally, our discussions about scary things go like this:
Derek: Are there really dinosaurs?
Mom: No, there are no dinosaurs any more. They died out a long, long time ago. The dinosaur you saw on TV wasn't real. It is only a movie!
This time, after I read him the coloring book, our discussion went like this:
Derek: Strangers aren't real, are they?
Mom: Yes, Derek, I am sorry to have to say that strangers are very real.
Derek: I mean, they aren't *really* real.
Mom: Yes, they are *really* real, so you have to watch out every day for all of the situations we talked about.
Derek: But Benjamin's mom (our next door neighbor)isn't a stranger.
Mom: No, we know her very well. She isn't a stranger. But people we don't know very well are strangers. They are all around us. Most people who are strangers won't hurt us, but we have to be very careful of people we don't know very well just in case they might try to hurt us.
The absolute WORST part about this discussion for me was having to explain to Derek what his "private parts" were (anything covered up by your bathing suit) and that some bad strangers might want to see or touch that area, and how he should react if anybody tries that with him.
What a sad thing to have to explain to a little boy who doesn't understand why anybody would actually want to hurt somebody else.
Posted by Jessica at 11:46 AM | Comments (1)