We haven't traveled far since we went on a bus trip to Nova Scotia in 2019. The furthest we have been from home since then was to visit our daughter five hours west of us. And even then, our children did the driving.
When we got an invitation to a grandson's wedding in Boston, I really wanted to go. Our children worked out a plan to see we got there and it fit the bill. One son and his wife took us up to the hotel our daughter booked. She and her husband took care of us for two days and then another son and his wife brought us home. That way we got to spend time with each of them individually and each couple had some time to see the things that interested them. Our daughter and I had the same interests, so that was a winner.
We never got into Boston proper but were in sections of the outskirts. Our hotel was in Burlington. We arrived Friday evening shortly after our daughter and her husband flew in to Boston. We shared a two-bed, two-bath, and kitchen suite that fit our needs nicely.
The wedding was at 3 in the afternoon, so we had time to squeeze in a little sightseeing on Saturday morning. Our first stop was the Alcott home where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women and other books. Louisa's father was a philosopher and educator. The building in the background was his school. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside the house. The highlight, for me, was seeing the desk where Louisa wrote her books. The majority of the furnishings are things that belonged to the Alcott family. On the walls are many original art works done by the youngest daughter, "Amy." I learned a lot about the real lives of this family. One of those things is that's Louisa's middle name is actually her mother's maiden name of May. Amy's real name was May and her sister "Meg" was really Anna.
A few steps from the Alcott family lies the family of Henry David Thoreau.
A mile or two from the cemetery is Waldon's Pond. This is were Thoreau meditated and wrote about nature.
Thoreau's cabin sets on the hill above the lake.
Although I do not agree with Thoreau's transcendentalist ideas, it was nice to add a photo of his desk to my collection of famous author's desks.
Then it was time to get ready for the wedding in a church in Andover.
The reception followed in "The Vault" in Lawrence. It appeared to have once been a bank or something of that nature now repurposed as a venue for parties.
The newlyweds left in a shower of confetti for their honeymoon in Ireland. May their years together be many and blessed.
On Sunday morning we watched the live stream of Sunday school where another of our sons was teaching the lesson. Then we called in to listen to our church service at home. We ate the lunch I had taken along.
At 4 in the afternoon we drove about twenty minutes to Waltham to visit a friend of mine. She buys every book I write. I knew it would make her day if we stopped in. She insisted on feeding us and we obliged. Her daughter was there to help her and she also invited her brother and his wife. We had a nice two-hour visit. Then it was time to go back to the hotel and pack up to leave in the morning.
Our son appeared before 7 and loaded our things while we finished eating breakfast. And then we made a bee-line south toward home. When we got to Morristown, NJ, we took a short loop off the Interstate to see the hospital where Leroy served two years of alternate service during the Vietnam War.
The hospital has grown significantly in the last 50+ years. This is the old wing that was there in the sixties. The house across the street where he lived is gone.
We got home about 1 p.m. and began the process of unpacking and getting back to normal. We are grateful to our offspring for making it possible for us to go to this wedding. I don't know if we will ever be able to take another trip like this. And if we never do, I'm happy at home. It's still the best place in the world.
