bex77

Dear LJ friends, 

It's time for LJ and I to part company.  This will be my last entry to show up on LJ.  It's been an amazing 12+ years but it is time to go elsewhere due to moving of the servers to Russia and their criminalization of LBGT materials.  I am exporting everything to Dreamwidth - you can find me over there under the same name.  

I plan to post about once a month and I am definitely reading what you write.  Hope to see you there or on Facebook or even in "real life" one of these first days!  Au revoir!  

-B

 

Some quick notes for the record so I'll remember what we did to celebrate our 20th anniversary!

We started early and ran late, spreading the festivities out over more than a week!  

Sunday, October 23
We had a wonderful day in RI!  We had a delicious German lunch at Redlefsen's in Bristol, then headed off to the South Shore Beach in Little Compton.  It is so beautiful there!  We stopped at a farm stand going down, then at a farm coming back and another farm stand.  I found a yummy chocolate chip cookie, a honey crisp apple, caramel apple sauce and a wonderful butternut squash apple bisque at the farm.  I got a cucumber, a tomato, fresh corn and a pumpkin at the farm stand!   We had dinner at our favorite restaurant in the world - The Boat House in Tiverton.  I feasted on the raw bar sampler of oysters, clams and shrimp, then the baked stuffed lobster.  We shared the cranberry creme brûlée for dessert.  Yum! 

Wednesday, October 26 (the day)
I was off work.  We had breakfast delivered from The Neighborhood via Foodler.  We had the installation team in from NetBlazr, making real our year-long campaign to get away from Comcast.

We headed out about 6 pm to VOTE EARLY!  We went to the Police Station on 6th Street.  It was fast and easy, and such a relief to have it done.  We took the requisite selfies and posted them to Facebook.  

We had a special dinner at Helmand, the Afghani restaurant.  The service was it's usual lackluster thing but the food is so special I overlook it.  We had the pumpkin, which is, as a friend put it, "the best thing I ever put in my mouth."  I had the aushak soup and the quabalee lamb and rice dinner, had the ferreeeney for dessert.  

Thursday, October 27 
I was off work again.  We went to MGH for the last of my five-year check-ups with the radiation oncologist.  He said I look fine and don't need to see him again.  YAY!  I visited the Healing Garden one last time, and had my arm measured for the lymphedema study.  

We went off to Lake WInnipesaukee!  We headed to Shipley's in Alton Bay, but they were already closed for the season.  Argh!  We drove on the Patrick's Pub in Gilford. I had the onion hooks and the shepherd's pie and pumpkin cheesecake.  It's a pleasant place but the food is not that great.  I don't need to go back there.  

We went over to Weir's Beach to Kellerhaus, the candy and gifts store.  I got some cashew turtles, butter crunch and two bracelets!  Bling!  

We went to the Belknap Point Inn to check in and crash.  Despite the rain, I could still see the lake from the balcony!  I got to nap for a couple of hours, then we made our way in the rain and cold (40s) to Laconia for dinner at Tavern 27.  We shared tapas.  The Scotch eggs with the mustard mayo sauce was the stand out.  I had a great hibiscus iced tea.  We made it back to the hotel and turned in early.

Friday, October 28
At Lake Winnipesaukee 
We slept late and made our way back to Laconia in the pouring rain for the $6 buffet at Pizza Hut!  I was surprised how many choices there were - a salad bar, a pizza bar and desserts!  I especially enjoyed the dutch apple pizza dessert!  

I drove around "downtown" Laconia, trying to get the lay of the land up there, but it was too cold and wet to get out and explore.  So we went back to the hotel for another nap. 

We had dinner at the Lyons Den, just down the road from the hotel. We had a prime waterfront table with a view of the lake and the brand new marine patrol station.  I had the crab cakes to start, then the baked stuffed shrimp with peas and rice.  We shared the pumpkin mousse cake for dessert.  

We made our way to Meredith to the Lake Winnipesuakee Playhouse, an amazing refurbished barn turned into everything a theater should be!  We saw a staged reading of "War of the Worlds" with great foley work and wonderful actors.  

We checked out the spiffy new Cumberland Farms convenience store near Weirs Beach.  It is huge and had lots of different candy and munchies.  We went back to the room to nosh.  

Saturday, October 29
It was time to pack up and go off to our favorite breakfast place, Kitchen Cravings, near the airport in Gilford.  I had kielbasa!  We went on to Walmart to stock up on basics at low prices with no taxes.  We picked up coffee for Hubby at Dunkin then an iced chai for me at the Starbucks in Tilton, then hopped on I-93 and whizzed home in no time!  

I was amazed that we managed to have such a lovely retreat in the cold, wet weather, but the food and the play and the lake still made for a great time away! 

Monday, October 31
We had one last blast of anniversary treats with a trip to Malden to our favorite Asian restaurant, All Season Table.  I had the hot & sour soup, crispy honey ribs and a scallion seafood pancake!  So so good!  

So that's the story on our 20th anniversary!  Here's to many more! 

We went to Lake Winnipesaukee!  Overnight! After 17 months of seeing my mom through her final days, jousting with calendars, and weeks looking for a lakefront room, the stars finally aligned to get us out of town to NH!  List of wonderful businesses we frequented:

Restaurants
Kitchen Cravings - breakfast and lunch place
Tavern 27 - tapas and piano bar
Kellerhaus - ice cream buffet, candy and gifts
Walter’s Basin - lakefront American restaurant

Lodging
Belknap Point Motel

Boat tour
U.S. Mail boat Sophie C 

 

Sara McKenzie Hunter of Arlington, died at 90 on June 15 at Winchester Hospital of complications from heart failure.

Born in Laurinburg, NC in 1925 to Murphy Grady and Mitt McKenzie, Sara grew up on their tobacco farm.  She was a graduate of Orrum High School, and East Carolina University in Greenville, NC.  A long-time home economics teacher and community volunteer, she was predeceased by her beloved husband of 60 years, Rev. Richard Dowling Hunter.  

Sara’s joy in life was service to others. With Rev. Hunter, she served churches in Michigan, Ohio, New York, and Massachusetts during their lifelong ministry.  She was the first woman elected to the School Board for the Ravena Coeymans Selkirk Central School District in NY where she served for many years, and was President of the New York State UCC Women’s Fellowship.  She was an active member of the Park Street United Church of Christ in Arlington, MA since 2007.  

She is survived by her three daughters: Anne and Rebecca of Cambridge, MA and Elizabeth of Somerville, MA, and their spouses: George Young, Neil Marsh and Jason Merrill; and her beloved granddaughter Alice.  She is also survived by her brother, M.G. McKenzie, Jr. of Lumberton, NC;  her nieces Barbara McKenzie Tervo of Wilmington, NC and Julie McKenzie Jones of Greenville, NC; and their children Ashley, Benton and Caroline.  

A celebration of Sara’s life will be held Saturday, June 18 at 2 pm at the Park Avenue Congregational Church, 50 Paul Revere Rd, Arlington, MA with a collation following at the church. The Saville Chapel of DeVito Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements. http://www.devitofuneralhomes.com

Donations in her memory may be made to the Park Avenue Congregational Church in Arlington.

I actually got out to the movies yesterday! And I liked the film!  

I'm not much for going due to the price and rude people etc. but the Oscar-nominated film, "Spotlight" caught my fancy and I got out to see it at the Kendall Square Cinema yesterday.  I highly recommend it to you!  I was surprised how good it is.  I could see why the Academy and other awards organizations are focusing on it.   The script, the set design, the editing, directing and acting... even the music fit in a subtle way.  WOW.  It reminded me of "All the President's Men."  It was great to see Boston scenes on the big screen, and get the background on how a huge, tragic  story made it to press, a story I followed closely in 2002 and it's still going on.  They do talk frankly about the abuse of children by priests, so if that is a trigger, this one is not for you.  But for me it was so wonderful to see people listening to them and finally doing something about it!  And making it so that could happen all over the world.  I was also touched with how people who were raised to go to church had to stop, and how they talked about it.  

It is the only Oscar-nominated film I could fathom seeing, and it is sticking with me.  I find myself thinking over the facts and figures and the craft of presenting them, of cramming 6 months into 2 hours and so many Boston characters whose names we all know.  The script is based on first-person interviews and you can tell.  The actors got to hang out with the real people and are spookily similar-looking and acting.  Unlike most movies, you can assume most of what they're showing is true.

Take someone with you if at all possible - I needed someone to talk through it afterwards and it was great that the person knew what I was talking about!  

The Boston Globe has a bunch of articles that are a great read:

Ty Burr wrote an insightful review.  He brought up the point that this movie was not Hollywood-ized - it focuses on the story, and how they got it published.  
www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2015/11/03/superb-spotlight-tells-story-journalists-who-investigated-clergy-sex-abuse-scandal/fHKF2YxUGUXcLVl3lfs2MI/story.html

How the movie got made
www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2015/10/30/how-spotlight-movie-got-made/wXVXUiYPkoF3hEP9K4dydP/story.html

The real people the movie is about
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2015/10/28/the-real-people-behind-spotlight-characters/SktMepoMe7ZB2c0cIF90HI/story.html

And my favorite, where the reporters talk about what it's like to have an A-list actor be you in a movie.
www.bostonglobe.com/arts/movies/2014/11/29/spotlightfilm-intro/d8Tp3MQ4Y0OQA3JZgABkeO/story.html

It's rather sad that most of the reporters are not with the Globe anymore, and the heyday of the local newspaper is over.  I glanced at the other work the Spotlight team has done recently - I had not heard of it.  If it doesn't show up on Facebook or the drive-time radio broadcast, I'm unlikely to know about it.  And with them charging for online access (after 5 articles a month), there are many other free sources to tell me news. 

So that's your tip for today!  

-B

 Monday I celebrated being alive!  It's been four years since I finished radiation treatment for breast cancer, so being alive seems especially wonderful!  We went to NH and Maine!

I took a day off from work to have some fun before the crush of work to start the semester.  It was a perfect day outside - clear, 70s, breezy, so I poked around the internet to find a restaurant for brunch and something fun to do in Oqunquit.  Trip Advisor and Yelp were great for me! 

11:30 am We headed north.  

12:30 pm Brunch - We found the little airstrip in North Hampton, NH and ate at their Airfield Cafe.  It was a new find through Yelp (brunch near Seabook NH) and perfect in that "kitchy diner" way.  They have a huge breakfast and lunch menu.  I had Irish Eggs Benedict with corned beef hash instead of Canadian bacon.  And a raspberry lime ricky.  

1:30 pm We drove up to Ogunquit, Maine, found parking in the public lot and the cleanest public bathroom I've ever seen, then raced to make a boat tour.  

3 pm We got on the FinestKind Lobstering Trip for $18 each.  Captain Tom did a virtuoso job keeping the boat steady in the waves and showed us how to pull up lobster traps, measure lobsters and toss back the smaller ones and pregnant females.  The rocky coastline along there is spectacular!  

4 pm Early dinner at Barnacle Billy's Etc.  So so good.  We ate outside on their patio with the stunning view of Perkins Cove.  I had the lobster stew, bacon-wrapped scallops, and lobster sauté with a baked potato.

5:30 pm we headed South.  There was almost no traffic!  

7 pm We stopped at Brandano's, the local ice cream place, for a butter pecan soft ice cream... yum.  

This is the kind of day that will keep me warm all the way through to February! 

-B

We tried out the new location for what is reputed to be the best taco joint in the area.  The owners of the Lone Star Taco Bar and Deep Ellum in Allston have opened a new spot on the corner of our block!

They open 11 am for brunch and plan to stay open until 1 am.  

Lone Star Taco Bar
635 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02141 
     (corner of Lambert Street) a block East of the RR tracks if you're coming from Inman 
     #69 bus from Lechmere or Harvard runs along Cambridge Street
     Street parking with meters 

Check out the menu and the news spreading.  
http://boston.eater.com/2015/7/6/8900073/lone-star-taco-bar-opens-cambridge#4779434

N, a theater pal and I rolled in after work about 5:30 pm on a Tuesday night and got one of the last seats at a table in the front corner window well.  The news is definitely out that the place is open.  They announced they were doing this in June 2014, and everyone has been waiting impatiently for them to open.

They opened on Sunday, so I am just reporting and reserving judgement, hoping certain "new place artifacts" will smooth out.  

First off... this is a bar.  Maybe you like bars.  I mostly don't.  It reminds me of Highland Kitchen or Magoun Saloon.  Good food - too crowded and loud before I can finish eating.  

There was a handsome young man in a baseball cap outside on the street carding everyone who wanted to enter, including gray-haired old me! That's silly.  I hope it stops soon.  They turned away people with children.  Come on... card people at the table who order drinks and allow kids at dinner time?  I hope they're waiting for training for their waitstaff and can change this soon. 

Pet peeve - three pages of alcoholic drinks focused on cocktails, tequila and mezcal.  and no listing of their non-alcoholic offerings.  They don't have iced tea.  They were able to give me a limonada - the sparkling lemonade.  So it ended well but... come on folks.  Someone in just about every party should not be having alcohol!  Offer some festive choices!  They were serving margaritas in scotch glasses?  

Second peeve - we didn't have a waiter.  A very nice guy asked us about drinks.  Another lady brought us food, and the bartender.  A third lady asked us about dessert.  And we had the dreaded "now we're ready to go (and open a table for someone standing at the bar) and we can't find anyone to bring the check, or take it to be processed."  

The food falls into the "bar snacks" category.  We tried nine items: 

Salsa and chips
Guacamole and chips
Chili con queso and chips
Tuna ceviche and chips
Street corn 

Dallas Spicy Beef fried taco
Avocado and tofu soft taco
Sonoran dog - hot dog wrapped in bacon with refried beans, cheese, salsa, crema and spicy mustard

Flan with pepitas 

Everything is tasty, reasonably priced, small plate size.  I liked the street corn and the hot dog best. 
The place got loud by 6 pm - combination of peppy music and crowd noise.  
Their a/c was not keeping up last night.  

I think it's a great addition to the neighborhood, will likely be quite popular.  I'll go with anyone wanting to try it out!  But it doesn't seem like it's going to be a favorite of mine. 

Here are my photos.  (Sorry I can't figure out how to upload them here) Enjoy!
https://www.facebook.com/bex77/posts/10206298012941755

-B







 

If you didn't make it to the Globe Theatre in London to see this show, you can pop up to Davis Square THIS WEEK AND NEXT for an intimate performance of this funny play!