Boston Post Conference

On Friday after our conference ended, we rented a car and decided to make our way north to South Hamilton to visit Chris and Meredith who had moved there in June. Sightseeing on our way, our first stop was Lexington and Concord. On April 19, 1775, the American Revolution began at Lexington and Concord with a clash of arms known to history as "the shot heard round the world." The Battle Road Trail is a 5.5-mile pathway in Lexington, Lincoln, and Concord that marks the path once trodden by British soldiers on their way from Boston to Concord, where they had marched to seize a supply of arms the colonists had stored. The markers along the path tell the stories of the smaller battles fought, the politics of the time, and the individual stories of people who lived and fought in the area - putting a human face on the tale often told in history books. At Minute Man National Historical Park the opening battle of the Revolution is brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and witness the American revolutionary spirit through the writings of the Concord authors. We wanted to hike the trail and read all the markers but, alas, we were on a schedule.Minute Man encompasses the story of an evolution of the ideals of freedom and liberty, new notions of cultural independence and citizen responsibility. These ideals led to an American literary revolution the following century, introducing Concord authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott and Ralph Waldo Emerson. The drive was so gorgeous! So many trees along the streets and it was such a treat to come across the homesites of Emerson and Alcott. After eating lunch in Peabody, the next stop was Salem. This photo is a residence in town with a witch on a broom displayed on the siding of the house. We visited the museum, but again, no time to spend in reading the literature, or viewing the video available to visitors.We arrived in So. Hamilton late in the afternoon . Here is the entrance to Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary . Isn't it beautiful? Chris, Mere and the kids live in married housing. I loved the hallway downstairs! Full of strollers and bicycles. The laundry room is right there as well. Everyone was hungry, so we headed to Legal Seafood which had become a favorite restaurant of ours. Because it was Friday, we had to wait for an hour to be seated. The restaurant was in a mall, so we hung out there to pass the time. Sophie enjoyed the coloring at the table. We really enjoyed the time with them and the children were wonderful despite the long time at the restaurant and getting tired. Afterwards, we headed back to the apartment, where Meredith made us lattes. A very fun visit! On our last full day in the area, we headed south of Boston to Plymouth and Cape Cod. The replica of the Mayflower was celebrating it's 50th anniversary. We saw "the rock" and visited the plantation. The traffic to Cape Cod was horrendous! If you hate the 91 freeway commute, you really would detest having to go into Cape Cod! It is beautiful there though. The sand is so white and the beaches so small. There was a crowd of people there. This is a photo of the ferry that goes to Martha's Vineyard. We didn't go because we were dreading the traffic back to Boston and didn't want to get back late as we had a flight out the next morning. Of course, you can't go to the east coast and not take the opportunity to get into the Atlantic ocean! We had a great time in Boston and are so glad to have been able to see that part of our country so rich in history.

Boston- LPL Financial Conference

On Monday, we said goodbye to John and Denise. I am so glad they decided to forego their bike ride to Bar Harbor and make arrangements for their aged dog Sinai just to come spend the weekend with us. That evening our Conference began with a buffet dinner and entertainment by: We sat at a table with a broker from North Carolina and his son who had a camera like ours. He had a nice lens with image stabilizer that he insisted we try on our camera. We were able to get some great close up shots of the band members. Chicago is still a really tight band and everyone enjoyed the music. This is the 4th time we've seen them live. The son (can't remember his name) took our picture after the show. Tuesday morning was the opening meeting and our speaker was President George HW Bush. Of course, all the speaking is geared around the financial economical state of affairs and designed to motivate and inspire. The conference is a good place to talk with brokers from all over the US and to take courses to complete the continuing education requirements for financial advisors. In the hall outside the meeting room, all the vendors for mutual funds, insurance, etc. set up booths to hand out literature and little fun things. I picked up a pair of underarmor shorts, pedometer, stuffed gorilla, juggling balls, and more. In between meetings, we walked the city of Boston to sightsee. Stopped at a fire station to pick up a T-shirt for Tim on our way to Fenway Stadium. Here is Fenway. Couldn't get in as a game was in progress, but shopped for a hat in the souvenir store. We were treated to dinner by our Janus Funds representative at a restaurant in the italian section of the city . The meal was incredible. Another evening we went to the Boston Seaport World Trade Center. Historical characters such as Abigail Adams and Benjamin Franklin strolled around to speak with the attendees. The John Hancock building spelled out LPL on the side of their building by lighting up windows. The last night of the conference was a gala. We dressed up: Had a candlelight dinner and our entertainment for the evening was none other than Joe Walsh and Glenn Frye of The Eagles. Sorry the pictures aren't that good. It was difficult to get as close to the stage as we did for Chicago. We sat next to a very nice couple from Wisconsin. They said they were river rats and we found that they owned a boat and spent alot of time on the Missouri river with it. We shared with them about our boat and camping on the Colorado River. The conference was very enjoyable.......Next year....Chicago

Boston...pre conference

Keeping the schedule of a much younger woman, I went to the beach on Wednesday night for my Moms bonfire (see July post), arriving home at 1 am. I got up the next morning at 6:30 and left for Orange County at 8:30 with Lauren, Sally and Katie to shop all day. I returned home at 7 pm (ish), threw my suitcases in the car (previously packed on Wed.) and drove to San Diego to catch a red eye to Boston. CRAZY!! We arrived in Boston at some time in the morning (can't really remember) and got to our hotel.....that day we power napped most of the day, waking up to go to dinner and returning to sleep...here is our room at the Park Plaza HotelThe hotel is celebrating 80 years in service and is located on the commons. Here is our quaint little bathroomAnd here is how the hotel looks out on the street...On Saturday, Paul's brother John and wife Denise made the 3 hour drive from Maine to Boston to spend the weekend with us. It was so fun! We decided to walk the Freedom Trail...Paul is standing by the grave of Paul Revere.On our way from the North Church (1 if by land, 2 if by sea), to the USS Constitution, the sky opened up and we got rained on. Halfway across the Charlestown bridge, we came upon a covered area which we shared with 15 other people trying to get out of the pelting rain. We decided to turn back and find the subway back to our hotel. It continued to rain and on the way through the commons, we saw some people wearing yellow rain ponchos bearing the name "Cheers" on them and we changed course once again to Cheers. What better way to get out of the rain? John spent some time chatting up Norm. Back to our hotel to change and go to dinner. We chose to have dinner at Smith and Wollenskys which is housed in a prominent brick and stone building constructed in 1891. It originally served as the headquarters for the first Corp of Cadets. The first floor gunroom, social hall, and museum floor have been converted to the main dining room. After an incredible dinner, we walked up to the Prudential tower to visit the 52nd floor and see the views of the city and bay up there. The following day was sunny and warm, so we resumed our venture to the USS Constitution. After lunch at Tavern on the Water we boarded the ship-USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. It was first launched in 1797. Constitution is one of six ships ordered for construction by George Washington to protect America's growing maritime interests. The ships greatest glory came during the war of 1812 when she defeated four British frigates and earned her the nickname "Old Ironsides," because cannon balls glanced off her thick hull. The ship was restored in 1927 with contributions from the nation's school children. John and Denise suggested a trip over to the aquarium to take in an Imax show. Here are John, Denise and myself preparing to be amazed in 3 -D. As the sun was going down we made our way to China town. Found a restaurant where the locals eat....Yum! Another fun day! John and Denise stayed one more night and did some more sightseeing the next day. We had so much fun getting together and so appreciate them making the trip down to visit with us.

SURELY!

A Wedding in the Works

We are so happy to announce the great news of our precious sweet daughter Lauren's pending marriage to a wonderful godly man named Tim. We send you our congratulations and love!! Please look at Tim's Blog for the proposal. Aren't they just so darn cute together?

July Fun

We stayed home from the river for Independence day this year due to some other events we attended and scheduling of an extended trip/conference in Boston. The day was warm, so we barbecued and enjoyed the pool. I had wanted to try a recipe for Summer Shortcake which I found in Martha Stewart Living. It was very good although I modified the recipe a bit. There was no cinnamon to be found in the ingredients (what's up with that?) and I am quite certain that cinnamon is an essential seasoning for practically all desserts, so I added it to the buttermilk biscuit. Here it is: The next weekend, Lauren, Alex and I traveled to the wedding of a friend that we met in our neighborhood on Yardley. Christopher and his sister Jennifer were home educated and came often to Temecula from Anaheim to visit their Aunt who lived down the street from us. Whenever they visited, Jennifer and Christopher would come and play at our house with Alex. We stayed in touch over the years and Christopher joined us on our houseboat trip to Lake Powell a couple of times. We went to see him perform in several plays with Biola Youth Theater. So we couldn't miss his wedding to a beautiful young lady he met in the theater group. Their wedding was in Malibu (which is a long way from Temecula) and it was lovely.

Mid-July found us back at Lake Mead. This time we were joined by Tim's parents, Gary and Cindy, as well as, his sister Kim and her 4 children. Joel and Jill also came & Jared....It was a nice trip...the weather was great and the water excellent! Tim's family enjoyed seadooing. I got up on a wakeboard this trip. YAY! Don't have a picture though, Tim took one with his camera and I haven't seen them. Life has been very busy!

This was a fun party. These three friends decided to celebrate their right to the senior discount years together. Wonderful ladies! A celebration of 165 years of life! And then, one more Beach Bonfire with the MOMS.....unfortunately, Bo couldn't join us this time. We missed her! Di was able to catch a wave on the boogie board and rode for a long time. Up next.......Boston and Baptism.