We're All Still Friends

Left to Right: Sharon, JPD, Hi-C & Me. Our images etched temporarily in the sands on the eastern shoreline of Massachusets. My likeness clearly has the largest hair, as it should be. The four of us packed up and hauled rental car through New York, Vermont and New Hampshire to finally settle for a few days in Boston. Good thing we are good at entertaining ourselves because we were locked together in a tiny car for many hours. Our favourite game involved speculating about the likelihood that anyone actually inhabited some of the ramshackle structures in small town America.

In terms of beauty I would have to say that few places can offer as lovely countryside as backwoods Vermont. JPD found us a barn-turned-hostel in nowhere Vermont. That was the life. We had wooden swings , a pingpong table, a full kitchen and an adorable country store just down the road. The man (John) who ran the hostel had the life: hostel operator, teacher of handmaking canoes, raiser of chickens, harvester of maple syrup, roaster of nuts....er, cashews. If you're ever passing through Vermont by the back roads I recommend paying him and his dog Sunny a visit.

Once in Boston we crashed at the YMCA hostel and explored during the day. Everyone humoured me and visited the New England Aquarium to see jelly fish, squid, crazy-looking fish, adorable penguins and everything great under the ocean. We were determined that each of us would have a 'moment' at least once during the trip. Mine was Vibram's Fivefingers (I mentioned them here). In an adorable shopping district in the cool evening we stumbled on a small workout boutique carrying the odd-looking foot covers. They were surprisingly comfortable and I was soon sold (or the shoes were)....so yes, if you were wondering: I bought them, I'll post more later about wearing them.

Sharon's Moment: she bought a va-va-va-voom dress at a stylish shop near Harvard campus.
JPD's Moment: acting as a keen navigatress in the horrendously designed city of Boston. We bow down to her sense of direction.
Hi-C's Moment: finding her coveted shower curtain in a NY Target.

Hi-C's traveling friend met us on Saturday evening after a full day of shopping, aquarium, local food, and a carousel ride. She took us on a tour of Cambridge (passing through Hahvahd Yahd...or Square) which sits just across a short bridge from Boston. While eating at a local pub she taught us how to eat our food British-style with all kinds of manners. I now have the ability to be a dainty eater.

Sunday was ocean and witch day. We cruised out of the city on scenic country roads to be tourists in Salem, MA. You know, the place where they hung witches for fun times. We saw a reenactment of a witch trial with two live actresses and 5 creepy wax figures (not full figures: the judge was a wax head on a podium). By the time we hit the beach it was a bit foggy but it was great to feel the breeze and smell the ocean air (even if it was a little eau-de-rotting-fish). We combed the tide pools for friendly little hermit crabs and snails. If I'm being totally honest: it was the piece of coastline I've seen so far. But I still enjoyed it and was so glad to be at the sea.

While we had fun there is a caveat: having 4 opinionated women with somewhat different ideas of what should be seen/done is not as easy as it sounds (does it sound easy?). We worked on compromise: sometimes we performed spectacularly and sometimes slightly less so.