How much do I love thee? Let me count the ways

I don't know if the air in Massachusetts in cleaner and I'm able to think better, or if someone is smoking weed outside of my door every night or what. I LOVE my job. I don't want to jinx it, so someone knock on wood for me. So far, I love getting up every day and putting on my park service uniform and driving in rush hour traffic (it's only for like 5 minutes, but still) and greeting my fellow park rangers and putting up the enormous, gargantuan, titanic flag and opening up the Adams mansion. Maybe it's the fact that no one really bothers me to do anything except open up the house in the morning, give tours all day, and close the house at night. Maybe it's because everyone there is a history nerd and we get excited about this kind of stuff. Just today I was sitting at the table in the break room reading about John Quincy Adams' time of residence in the house. I learned that he, like his father, lined the basement doors and windows with seaweed to seal the house during the winter. As I was regaling this nugget of knowledge to my fellow guides, I noticed a sparkle in one of their eyes and a genuine appreciation and interest in what I had just told them. I'd like to think that I have developed a discernment between those feigning interest and those genuinely appreciative. I know it sounds corny, but it made my day. It reminds me of all the evenings and outings spent with my WNSC compadres during my chapter in Louisiana.

I think I'll go to Boston

So, I am finally sitting down to write in this thing after many not-so-subtle nudges from friends. You know who you are :). I've been in the metro Boston area for almost three weeks now. I love it! Everything is so close, yet so far away because of traffic. I tried to find a target a few weeks back and it took me almost an hour to drive the 10 miles. It was a Saturday afternoon and apparently everyone else had the same idea I did about an afternoon of shopping. Other than the traffic and the craziness of the roads, I read a quote somewhere that if you take a piece of paper, crumple it up, throw it on the ground and stomp on it, that's pretty much the way the Boston grid is outlined. If it weren't for my trusty GPS whom I named Constance (since she is constantly telling me what to do) I would still be driving around downtown Boston.

I did make my way to Faneuil Hall the first weekend I was here. I almost walked the Freedom Trail but it started to get colder and windier and the trail averaged an hour and a half. I'll save that for later. I do have to comment on how walker-friendly most of the area is up here. It's probably because the roads are so bad!!! I never imagined I would be saying this but in some areas, there are worse than the roads in Louisiana. Anyone was to start taking bets on how much work I'll have to have done on my car after this adventure ends?

Quincy Market - houses a lot of restaurants and knick-knack stores.

Another view of Faneuil Hall, a great place to sit and people or bird watch!