We saw the Big Apple Circus tonight. Coco’s favorite act was the doggies. She went berserk when they came out riding in a little train car.
Archive for Places
Minkster and Mommy Visit Portsmouth
Minky and I went on mini-vacation yesterday (just overnight)! We saw beautiful Portsmouth, swam in the hotel pool, got room service, saw a “sumb-marine,” and watched the Penguins of Matagascar cartoon on Nickelodeon. It was a very fun trip.
Here is Minky on the “sumb-marine.”
Maudslay
Today we spent the morning walking through Maudslay State Park. Maudslay is a small, beautiful place at the edge of the Merrimack river. At this time of year, it is nearly deserted. The view is quite dramatic, as the wide river and a brige spanning it, is visible a short distance into the park. Today there was a dusting of snow, which made it seem very Christmassy.
Minky loved every minute there. She climbed, ran, and “ice skated” on the small frozen puddles.
The only sour note of the day is that all of the photos we took were somehow lost–an unusual, upsetting occurrence.
The main purpose of this entry, though, is to make note of something Daddy said to Minky, as he carried her down a steep, slippery hill.
“I might fall,” he said, “but if I fall, do you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to get right back up.”
Maybe she’ll read these words one day and adopt them as her credo.
Storyland
This weekend we went with two other couples and their sons to Storyland, an amusement park for little kids in New Hampshire. It was a blast! The adults seemed to love it as much as the kids (or maybe I’m just assuming that because I had so much fun).
Minky got to sleep in a big-girl bed and unlike at home she actually stayed put and slept well. She looked cute as a button in a double bed. We might see how she does alone in Sinéad’s room.
Ikea
My friend Maggie and I, along with Coco, went to Ikea in Connecticut today. We arrived at 1:30 and left at 5:45. Neither of us could believe how late is was when we left. The time flew by. It wasn’t crowded which was a beautiful thing. We meandered through the place. The reason I went was to buy the Drominge sectional sofa we want for our family room. It’s this great cushy bed-like thing that will be perfect for watching movies.
Driving through Connecticut, the state I spent my formative years in, brought back memories of what now seems like someone else’s life, not mine. Let’s see…I drove past exits for the towns where my mother and grandmother lived, where I went to high school, where I lived when I was first born, the town where my high school friends Ed and Barry lived. It was at their house that I first watched music videos on this new cable station called MTV. I loved being with them but I loved MTV even more. It wasn’t until I had gone to college that my parents got cable. Until then we had three channels: NBC, CBS and ABC. Am I dating myself?
The best part of all, though, was spending an entire day with Maggie. She is one of my most favorite people in the world.
New Mexico
Arrived home on Wednesday after a week in New Mexico visiting Kristen and my mom. Traveling there and back was a challenge. None of the American Airlines employees were particularly helpful, but we managed.
Minky was thrilled to be reunited with Grand(mother). She went bananas every time she walked into the room. Kristen is crazy busy with work and school. We didn’t see as much of her as I’d hoped but the time we spent together was fun.
We were pretty busy all week. Grand, Minky and I went to the aquarium and botanical garden one day. Then to Old Town to eat at the Church Street Cafe, a place I love to visit each time I’m there. Then we wandered over to Saints and Martyrs.
Saturday rolled around and Kristen had a small party. I’ve met most of her friends many times and it was great seeing them all again. There were a few whom I’d heard a lot about but hadn’t met that came too. Now I can put names to all the faces. Everyone loved Minky.
Sunday morning we awoke at 4:45AM to get to the famed Balloon Fiesta. It was amazing. Hundreds of hot air balloons ascending into the sky together, while onlookers ate breakfast burritos and drank coffee. Tragedy stuck, though, when the Smokey the Bear balloon blew into a radio tower. No one was hurt but the local news delighted in reporting all the meager facts extensively. There is a great picture of it here. The last day, Grand, Minky and I went to Corrales, an old village close by.
At some point during the week I realized that this last trip was my fifth!
Take a look at the photos.
