Camel's Hump

Shane and I went on our first hike of the season last night to Camel's Hump, it was great!



May

The Month of May...

It's been quite rainy the past two-three weeks, which would normally be a bummer, but it's actually been rather pleasant.  For one, it's not cold anymore, which is WONDERFUL!  Secondly, the building I work in has two walls consisting mostly of windows which let in a lot of light.  It's nice in terms of light, and the view is great, but all that light also results in a very warm building.  Not to mention the HUGE oven in the center of the building which extends from floor to ceiling and is operating at least until 1:00 p.m. everyday.  In short, working in a bakery when it's a little bit rainy outside has its perks.

Another awesome consequence of so much rain is growth.  Everything has exploded in the past couple of weeks... tree leaves, grass, and flowers.  It is remarkable how much hope, happiness, and carelessness spring can instill in a community.  Or maybe I'm mistaken and it's really a result of the college students finishing their finals?  Either way, its palpable.

Another perk of rainy days?  "Couching" it all day.  A.k.a. Shane and I delving into a newly discovered series (Mad Men) while eating treats, and not caring one bit about the outside world.  Truly a great time, and probably not as enjoyable if it were sunny outside since one might feel guilty for not being outside and enjoying the weather.



Sunday in the Park

A Sunday afternoon in the park...

We're both slowly, but steadily, coming out of a long winter hibernation.  As an example, today we put away our thick, winter sweaters to make room for our light, warm-weather shorts--seriously exciting!  Other spring happenings include Shane's week-long spring break, a bit of spring cleaning around the apartment, and a fantastic 13-mile jog two Sundays ago.

Also, wanted to share the view from our living room window on most evenings here in Burlington.

The Weather

Observe that on Friday, March 9, (less than two weeks ago) we had snow on the ground...

Since Sunday, March 18, we have had blue skies and highs in the low 70s... today we reached 80.  I went from jogging in thermals, a hat, and gloves to a tank top.  Definitely not complaining, it's been beyond amazing.  Yet, when spring actually does reach us we're in for a cold/rainy surprise!

Some signs of spring have started to pop up: longer days, trees and flowers budding, and, alas, bugs are back (sigh)...

BURLINGTON

Four months of winter down...

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

JANUARY

AND... FEBRUARY

One more month 'till spring!!

Boston

It had been awhile since Shane and I had been on a trip, so we made plans to visit Boston over Presidents' Day Weekend.  Our impression?  What a clean, walkable, intriguing, and exciting city!  We left Friday night on the "Megabus", which was fine except that it was scheduled to leave at 8:00 p.m. and actually left Burlington at 11:00 p.m. which meant that we did not pull into Boston till 3:00 a.m.!  However, the rest of the trip went off without a hitch.

We woke up Saturday to beautiful blue skies and so decided to walk from our hotel to the Museum of Science where we met up with a girlfriend of mine, and her boyfriend.  We spent the greater part of an afternoon weaving our way through clusters of laughing, crying, and screaming children while also exploring and entertaining ourselves.  Some of the highlights were: the Lightening Show, an opptical illustion exhibit, and an exhibit on old train engines.  After leaving the museum we walked  the rest of the way to the city of Cambridge.  On our way we were able to observe the MIT campus dispersed throughout the city, and we also quickly walked through some of the Harvard campus.  You know the opening scene of "The Social Network" where Zuckerburg is dissing his date because she goes to Boston University (a common public school)?  Well, that is definitely the impression we got as we walked through the city and the campus.  Yet, after museum-touring and walking so much we were thirsty and famished!  So, the only thing to do once in Harvard Square was to find a small bar where we enjoyed some Guinness, burgers, and fries.

Sunday was another gorgeous day.  We started the day with a jog along the water and spent most of the rest of it walking the Freedom Trail which takes tourists on a historic pathway through the city where one can see many historic buildings and monuments.  The trail ends at the U.S.S. Constitution, which was definitly the best and most exciting exhibit--as well as the only free one.  After another day of walking we decided to retire to our hotel room and have an amazingly relaxing night of TV-watching and treat-eating.

Before catching our afternoon bus back to Burlington on Monday we enjoyed another little jog near our hotel and then took the subway into a different part of Boston and had some breakfast and black coffee at 'Mike's Diner'.  That afternnoon our bus arrived on time, and we had an uneventful ride back to Burlington.  We would both love to go back.  The city is safe, clean, and has so much to offer.

US