It seemed like a long time in coming, but summertime finally arrived. Here’s some of my favorite pictures so far.
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At Home with the Boys
Category: Activities
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Fun in the park
The local playground recently received a splashpad, so Jacob had to test it out.
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East Coast – Day Five – Cape Cod
After the first night in our yurt, we hopped in the car to explore Cape Cod. If you look at a map if the Cape, it looks like an arm flexing. Our state park was in the elbow, and we drove up the forearm to get to the fist (the point). We quickly discovered that recent storms had done a number on some of the beaches (namely, the wooden staircases accessing them) as they were closed.
After visiting the site of the first transatlantic telegraph signal, we found an open beach and spent some time enjoying the sun, waves, and sand. Finishing up our picnic meal, we hopped into the water for a brief and rather chilly splash. While the sun was out, the temperature was only 70° and the wind fairly strong.
After a few hours, we continued north and found Race Point, spending some time learning about the Life Saving Stations that had dotted the coast line and the men who were stationed there.
Next, we stopped in Provincetown and took the opportunity to walk around the docks and downtown area with shops and art galleries in abundance.
After we had an ice cream treat, we headed back to the state park to shower before heading out to dinner at Laurino’s.
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East Coast – Day Four – Sam Adams
Today we packed up our stuff and checked out of the Hyatt Regency in Boston.
We grabbed breakfast at the Boston Coffee Company and hopped in the car to once again brave the Boston streets (although we had a fairly easy time doing so). Our destination was the Sam Adams brewery just southwest of downtown.
After searching for a parking spot for quite some time (it was street cleaning day!) we eventually parked and we’re able to hop inside. Waiting for the tour to start, we had a chance to discover some of the history behind the brewery.
Once the tour started, we were informed about the brewing process and the ingredients used with the highlight for me being able to taste and smell the grains and hops. The rest of the tour included a look at the equipment in the brewery, which was pretty sparse.
We found out that most of the brewing happens in larger facilities elsewhere (Cincinnati and Allentown, PA) whereas the Boston brewery is used as an R&D test kitchen, with most of the original brewery being used as office/retail space. The “tour” ended with a tasting of some of the beers (Boston Lager, Summer Ale, and a ‘Baby Saison’) while our host explained the tastes.
Afterward, we headed to Doyle’s Cafe, the oldest Irish pub in America, where we ate a late lunch.
With plenty of beer and food in our stomachs, we began our drive to Cape Cod.
We arrived at Nickerson State Park and spent some time driving around, checking in, and getting some supplies (food, blanket, toiletries). Once we had all we needed, we made our home in the yurt (yes, a yurt) and played cards while eating cheese and hummus with some red wine before heading to bed.
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East Coast – Day Two – Wedding
Day Two: Friday
The big day had arrived for Chris and Karen. As one of the groomsmen, I arrived at the church (St. Thomas More) at 9:45 am. The morning was filled with putting on tuxes, a debate on how to fold a pocket square, and plenty of pictures interspersed with some waiting and joking.
After the cameras had enough, we went back into the church for last minute preparations and some food.
The ceremony started at 1pm and went very smoothly (although I was happy to return to the air conditioning of the gathering area – it was once again over 90°).
Following the ceremony, we all hopped in the cars to travel out to the reception, now being held at Water’s Edge Resort since the original location had gone out of business! The resort was a picturesque setting located right on the ocean.
After a delicious cocktail hour with hors d’oeuvres, we headed inside to eat dinner and to dance. The celebration ended at nine, and we headed to the hotel where we chatted with friends. Overall, it was a great wedding filled with good times and good people.
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East Coast – Day One – New Haven
Elise and I arrived in New Haven late Thursday night and, upon getting our rental car, proceeded directly to our hotel (Premiere Inn and Suites). It was a nice place with small living room and kitchenette, but it was in a slightly strange location nestled amongst a business park.
On Friday morning, we headed north to the suburb of Hamden to pick up my tux. Afterward, we drove to Sleeping Giant State Park and went for a sizeable hike on the many trails. The trails were beautiful and ranged from wide and level to fairly rigorous. The park is named for due to the terrain representing a giant lying on his back. As a result you could hike up his shoulder, head, etc. and be afforded a very nice view of the surrounding area.
After a lunch at one of the peaks, we headed back down to the car and returned to the hotel for a refreshing shower (the temperature was a balmy 90°).
Late in the afternoon, we drove to downtown New Haven to meet up with Chris for the rehearsal, followed by the groom’s dinner at Geronimo’s (a tex-mex restaurant with delicious food and good margaritas). All went well and we were prepared for the big day.
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East Coast – Day Three – Boston
Yesterday was an exciting day of discovery in Boston. Heading out from Sandy Brook, CT we dropped the tux off at a Men’s Wearhouse and ventured toward Boston. On the way, we stopped at an outlet mall and picked up some great watches (via a recommendation from one of the groomsmen). We rolled into Boston around 12:30, parked, and checked in to the hotel (Hyatt Regency).
Afterward, we hit the streets in search for a brief bite to eat and then some sightseeing. We toured the Boston Common (giant park) and started out on the Freedom Trail (a red line in the sidewalk that directs you to a plethora of historic places that were important in the American Revolution.
Following the trail, we ended up in the North End and found Mike’s Pastries (another recommendation). We purchased some amazing cannolis and enjoyed them while watching a softball game next to the harbor.
By this point our feet were rather tired so we caught the ‘T’ (subway) back to our hotel.
After a brief nap and shower, we hit the town for some late night sustenance. We ate some wonderful ahi tuna and BBQ shrimp (with beer) before heading to an Irish pub (Emmet’s) for some drinks. After a long, but great, day of sightseeing we walked back to the hotel and hit the hay.
Tomorrow, it’s off to the Sam Adams brewery and then to Cape Cod.
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Circus
On May 9th, we decided to go check out the traveling circus. The circus was brought to Iowa City for two days by the local Shriners, and held an outdoor event at the Johnson County circus. We thought it would be a great opportunity for Jacob to see all of the animals that he knows from his books.
It was a great event featuring tigers, elephants, flying ladies, a hilarious clown, and other stuff that we didn’t see (we left at intermission due to the lateness of the hour). For the majority of the time Jacob sat with this awed look on his face, never really moving or talking other than to request some water.
Enjoy the photos!
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Sickness and the End of Year
It’s been a while since I’ve last posted – essentially a month and a half! The time over the past month has been rather chaotic and filled with a number of activities. As is common this time of year, Elise and I were both substantially busy with the end of the academic year.
A few weeks ago, one of the favorite activities was going to the circus. I have been meaning to post photos of the event and will get on that soon (fingers-crossed). Within the past couple of weeks, Elise has been battling a pretty mean virus that knocked her out for approximately 5 days and still has residual symptoms. Jacob was also lucky enough to catch the virus, and stayed home with Papa and a brief stint with Nonni (Mary), while Dad and Mom wrapped up some major items at work.
As I write, we’re hanging out at Teresa’s house waiting to catch a plane to head east. We are leaving the kiddos behind, to be lovingly attended by the aunts and grandparents, and heading to New Haven, CT for Chris Thissen’s wedding. Since we’ll be out there, Elise and I are going to take a few days and hit a few sites (Newport, Cape Cod, and Boston).
Look for photos of the past few weeks and the pending vacation soon!
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Easter Egg Hunt
I was unable to get the video uploaded due to size, but have an alternative in place. Be sure to check out this video of Jacob’s Easter Egg Hunt at the Degen’s. It’s rather large, so you will have to download the movie in order to view it.