Boxes, more boxes, water creatures, sculptures and donuts

In MA, my family has a big red barn. At various times in my life I have wished it were filled with horses and hay, but at other times I have been very grateful for the extra storage room that it affords in addition to our relatively small ~115-year-old house.

When I left for college, I left quite a few boxes behind—of clothes, keepsakes, books, old school notebooks, etc. Over the years I have added to them as well as taken away. Before I left on my mission I tried to go through and get rid of more things—and I did! But somehow, there were still more boxes left than I would like to admit.

After my mission I had sorted through again and pared down a bit more, but then since F and I had just packed up our life in preparation to move transcontinentally, I had learned a new level of brutality in relation to physical possessions.

I attacked the boxes this time with new vigor and took photographs of almost everything—and then got rid of them! A small digital file takes up a lot less space. So I turned almost all of my memories into digital pictures, keeping only a few of the most precious ones physical. The rest of the things were recycled, given away, etc. And once the paring down was complete, the amount was about 1/5th of what it had been. I emerged conquerer!

But enough about boxes. N, a good childhood friend, F and I and went to Boston, rode some ducklings (the first set of water creatures), and ate some oysters, Boston clam chowder and other yummy fish (the second set) at the famous Oyster House along the Freedom Trail.

We also went to the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts Boston) and while we were in the gift shop, I read F the famous “Make Way For Ducklings” book, whose statues we had already ridden. As a German-Canadian, F was not familiar with the story, so I took the opportunity to address that gap in his education ;) We had a lovely time and saw some cute Canada Geese and goslings along the Charles River (the third set).

We also went to the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, and went swimming in the freezing Atlantic Ocean. F’s family loves water—and he is Canadian—so he was in the water the longest (probably 30-45min), but even I was in there for a good 15-20 minutes in total. It was quite chilly, but after the initial shock wore off, the body became a bit numb and the water was then bearable :). We enjoyed riding the waves and building a sand castle wall against the rising tide.

I also finally had a proper Boston Cream Donut from Dunkin’s again. (I had tried the effective equivalent in UT—and it was just NOT the same. Bavarian Cream equals NOT Boston Cream. Boston Cream is better. Now, I did have to admit that Krispy Kreme Blueberry Cake donuts are superior and I love Macey’s grocery store Old Fashioned donuts..but Boston Creams are Boston Creams. There’s just no substitution. And Dunkin Donut’s Butter Nuts are quite tasty too :) )