Exploring Boston

Last week I had the opportunity to explore Boston for the first time. I lived in New England most of my life, yet I hadn't ever done more than drive by! Some of my cousins and I got together for the day and planned a fun trip viewing the beautiful architecture, learning more of the history of the city, and delving into some yummy Boston food. :)

I took some pictures so I could take you along with me on a virtual tour of Boston. Welcome to the city!

...as was pretty much everything in the city! I thought this was a fun sign!

Samuel Adams

Part of my day involved a guided tour of the south part of the Freedom Trail. I would love to do this again, and tour the whole trail instead. I learned a lot during this tour!

This building is called the Old South Meeting house. It was a very key part of the Boston Tea Party, and the largest building in the city at that time.

On December 16, 1773, five thousand colonists crowded into this building to decide what to do with the tea. If it was unloaded, they would be taxed. After the final attempt to have it sent back to England failed, Samuel Adams addressed the crowd, saying, "This meeting can do nothing more to save the country." We all know what happened after that! (Read more about the Old South Meeting House here)

Another stop on the trail was this, the Old State House. This was originally the tallest building in the city. Now it is one of the smallest...obviously!

The Declaration of Independence was first read from the balcony of this building on July 18, 1776. Abigail Adams was among those in the crowd that day. (Read more about the State House here.)


We enjoyed a short ferry ride across the Boston Harbor to visit the USS Constitution.

It was windier and sunnier than I realized, lol! I didn't feel like I was squinting. :)

The USS Constitution is the oldest battleship that can still sail on it's own. It sits in the harbor like any other ship...not dry docked or anything. You can visit parts of 3 levels of the ship, which was very interesting! I would not want to live in those tight quarters!

We finished the day with gourmet desserts at Finale for supper. This was my plate...it was all AMAZING. I can't even describe how delicious this was.

During the day we also enjoyed riding the bus into the city, riding the subway while in the city, and walking...walking...and walking while taking in the beautiful architecture and bustle of the city. At the end of the day, my legs were screaming at me to be done with the sightseeing...but I would love to go back and see more!

Have you ever visited Boston, or any other historical city? What do you enjoy about history in general? If anyone wants to visit Boston, I'd be happy to meet you there. :)

Linked up with the Weekend Wind Down Party

Balancing Rock + Brier Island

It has been quite a while since I've shared a sightseeing post from here in Nova Scotia. Ready to see some Canadian beauty?

Recently we took a last-minute day trip to some nearby islands. These islands are across from the mainland where we live, so while we look over at them all day, we don't actually visit them very often! The scenery is so beautiful, I couldn't resist taking waaaay too many pictures to share with you all! Nova Scotia has so much varied scenery - rocky coast, sandy beaches, forests, etc. - that each place is beautiful and unique. This day was a bit foggy at first, but it cleared off for the most part in the afternoon.

We drove down the peninsula first, Digby Neck, and then took a fun little ferry over to Long Island. Our first stop was Balancing Rock.

This rock is a neat place to hike to on the coast. It is not a long walk, but it has a wholelotta steps to get down to it!

Rumor has it that once someone got concerned that this rock was going to fall on someone, so they tried to pull it into the water with at least 2 cranes. They couldn't budge it. So even though it looks like it is about to topple over, it really isn't!

Of course, that makes for some really fun photo shoots.

After the boys got done trying to prove their manhood, we traveled on down the island, across another small ferry, and over to Brier Island, the last in this string of islands. We drove to the tippy tip, where there is a small coast guard station and a lighthouse.

See the fog out in the distance? That is the fun thing about these lighthouses...they are still being used! Now there are foghorns as well, but the light in these lighthouses is also important for the fishermen.

We followed a foot path that took us down the edge of the ocean. Is it just me, or is the coast one of the most beautiful places on earth? I thought so.

We walked all the way out to this point of rock. Grammie, don't watch.

From this farthest point, we could watch these rocks. The tide was coming in around them, but do you see those silvery things resting on the rocks?

They are great big seals!

I couldn't zoom in any closer than that unfortunately, but these seals were HUGE and were making this loud, bellowing sound. It sounded like a cross between a mourner's wail and the track from a haunted house. We could hear it loud and clear as we watched these big guys fight for a space on the warm rock. As the tide came in, more and more of them just swam out to the ocean. It was so fun to watch!

The last thing we did before heading home was to drive to the other side of the island. Neither of these islands are very big, in case you hadn't figured that out, so it was easy to drive around and take in the whole island.

Much like when we visit Lockeport, I absolutely loved being on this island. I love the small-town feel of it. I love all the water. Water, water, everywhere. And boats. And a nice mix of sunshine and fog.

That is a recap of our day! Sun, fog, and beautiful scenery. Have you ever been sightseeing in Nova Scotia? How about to an island? Don't you just love islands?

Maine in August, 2013

We recently were able to make the trip over to Maine to visit family, and boy what a fun time we had! It is always fantastic to spend lots of hours visiting, soaking in family time, and feeling your feet planted on good old US soil. =)

Here is a rundown of our whirlwind trip. Even though we were there a week, it seems like just a couple of days. We managed to cram in two family picnics, two different churches, and much more.

We took the ferry from Digby, NS to St. John, NB, then drove the remaining four hours to our destination. Taking the ferry is always so nice, way better than taking the 11 hour trip around the bay!

The weather was perfect for the ride, and we were even able to spend some time out on the deck!

This was just a random couple that didn't know I was taking their picture, but aren't they cute??!!

A seriously beautiful day for a boat ride!

My aunt lives in an amazing 200+ year-old farmhouse. We stay there each time we visit, which is a treat in and of itself! There are cousins that live nearby, so each day feels like Christmas as we all spend time together!

Since our last visit, some work had been done inside, and “my” bedroom had a makeover. What my aunt has done with some of these rooms is just beautiful, and I often said that I felt like I was sleeping in “the very sparest of spare rooms.” {Can you name that movie?}

This view made me smile every.single.day!

The very first morning we were there, two of my cousins invited me to make a couple batches of scones with them. They were easy and fun to make, and tasted oh-so delicious! We made pumpkin chocolate and blueberry lemon. Yum!

A friend owns this cute business called The Parsonage House. She does catering and family-style meals, plus teaching cooking classes. She invited us to use her kitchen for our scone-making party, how fun is that?

Wouldn't you take the opportunity to cook in an industrial kitchen if you had the chance??

Don't I have the most beautiful cousins?

I wish I could convey to you how much time my siblings spend with their cousins. They literally take advantage of every minute they can...even if it means being up until 3am!

The curly hair slays me!

Visiting the family farm means we get it on the work, too!

To be honest, I have to say I spend a fair amount of time with my cousins as well. ;) Living away from them for 8 years+ has really made our time together more meaningful and appreciated. It wasn't all that long ago that I was the kid cousin, so it is fun to go back now and be able to do the "big-kid" stuff!

For instance...homemade cappuccinos to wash down the left-over scones. I literally dream about these cappuccinos sometimes!

And I already mentioned that we squeezed in two family picnics. I didn’t take many pictures, but the first one was accomplished despite a complete downpour! It rained buckets most of the day, but that didn’t stop us from utilizing the covered porch and having a good time anyway.

There was lots of food...it involved lobster. There are definite perks to having a chef in the family!

Thankfully the weather for our second picnic was sunny and perfect!

Well that is a recap of our week, though we crammed a few other things in as well. It was a great week of relaxing, visiting, and wishing it didn't have to end!

What is your favourite part of a week away from home?