The Oregon Trail

Okay, so maybe we should change the name of the blog to something about Oregon. Yes, it's true. After only one year in Boston, we are headed back to the west coast. This time, Portland, Oregon, or as the locals call it, PDX (Portland's airport code).

Karin is now attending Lewis and Clark Law and loves it! We have a cute little condo right in the Hawthorne neighborhood and are looking forward to being close to pubs, coffee shops, and restaurants. And of course, only 2.5 hours from Seattle!

Meg will be leaving Boston on Sunday to make her way across the country with a u-Haul trailer and two dogs. After stopping for a few nights in Elmira and Lancaster, Meg will drive 5 days to PDX. Luckily, Meg and Karin's friend Sarah will meet Meg in Columbus, OH to help with the long drive. This time, Meg will be taking a more-southern route, driving mostly on I-70, I-80, and I-84. Just like last time, Meg will try to make daily updates on the progress of the road trip. Until then, here are some of our favorite pictures from our time in Boston.

Karin's new bike!

The famous Boston Marathon

Mom and Grandma visited in March

Maximus and a stelle

Acadia National Park, Maine

The State House

The Longfellow Bridge into Cambridge

The Tall Ships Festival

The Fam in Gloucester

Beautiful old homes in Marblehead

The Arnold Arboretum, a quick walk from our apartment - we will definitely miss this!

Stay tuned for pictures from the Oregon Trail...

Boott Cotton Mills

I got to go on my first 4th grade field trip to Boott Cotton Mills in Lowell, MA.  It was a pretty cool visit and one that merits an return trip...without 4th graders.  Part of the town is now a National Park, preserving some of the dormitories and famous industrial revolution factories that were first home to Massachusetts farm girls, and then to immigrants - first the Irish, then Greeks, Colombians, and Cambodians (and many more).  Here are a few pics.

the two pictures below are the exterior with the canal system running by the factory.

lots of windows...a lot of the old factory buildings are being turned into lofts...

this is a clip of one of the looms running.  imagine 200 of these in one room!

St. Patrick's Day Parade - Southie Style

Today was Boston's famous St. Patrick's Day Parade. People from Ireland come to this, it's that legit. Most of the groups marching are local, but we saw a few from greater New England and New York City. They don't dye the Charles River green, but they do have about 600,000 people wearing green within a 5 mile section of Broadway.


These people are getting off the T with us. Some are sober, some won't know the meaning of that word until tomorrow morning.

Irish flags abound in Southie, Boston's Irish neighborhood.

Where else in America would you find a mural that says, "Ireland unfree will never be at peace."

We made the epic journey with our friends Peter and Laura. Don't we all look festive?

The parade begins with mounted police, which coincidentally are being disbanded due to budget cuts.

Lots of men in kilts playing pipes. A truly amazing sound. Most of these "pipes and drums" bands are police and fireman units throughout Mass.

I thought this was the Wells Fargo dudes that they have at all the SeaFair parades, but alas it was not.

More pipes and drums.

The famous DUCKS.

If you weren't marching with bagpipes, chances are you were in period costume with a musket, many of which were fired every 50 feet or so. So awesome.

These old men were adorable. The Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick from New Bedford, MA.

No parade is complete without firetrucks, especially in Boston.

One big bagpipe band leader.

Of course Guinness was there.

Leaving the parade, a sea of green.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It's a Boy! and we've changed his name (again)

We'd been discussing the pros and cons of getting another dog. Ultimately, we thought a new dog would be a great companion for us and Maddy. We searched shelters throughout Boston during much of December but nothing ever panned out. While in Elmira, visiting Meg's family, we decided to take a look at the Chemung County SPCA. We found an adorable American Staffordshire Terrier - Rottweiler mix there named Dunkin. Dunkin was found in the boonies as a stray - we think his owner bred him to be a tough guard dog, but fierce is definitely not in his nature, so he was let go. Just one day before we got to the SPCA, he was on the local news as the featured dog. He has quite a large head, but is a lovable little guy, and very handsome in person. So, we ended up getting him after a rigorous tryout with Maddy (who also has some Rottweiler in her). At first, we called him Winston (we toyed with many names, such as Hank, Reggie, and Tyrone) because Karin didn't like Dunkin too much and Meg didn't want to give Dunkin Donuts the satisfaction. However, when we got home, Winston just didn't fit, as Winston brings to mind a distinguished English gentleman, while our dog, as we discovered, snorts and snores like a pig. Karin, as she sometimes is known to do, got on the internet and Googled breed info on Rottweilers. She found out that Rotties date back to Rome's war dogs that later were bred with local breeds from Germanic tribes. At this point, we thought of referencing our favorite movie, Gladiator. Maximus (Max for short) seemed to fit him, but there was somthing missing. How about a nod to the Rottie's German heritage (sorry Mom!)? Otto would be good, but Otto I would be better. So, our new dog's name became Maximus Otto I. Not that it matters, because all he responds to is Meg's whistle and "Come here!" He is a lover though. He loves Maddy, loves food, loves to chew on toys, and is not afraid of the vacuum - disproving Meg's theory that all dogs are afraid of vacuums. Max is an amazing addition to our lives. We are so happy that Meg's family got to meet him, and look forward to Karin's family doing the same (hide the cats please). Enjoy the pictures of our new best friend.

Presenting Maximus Otto I

And not to be outdone, Maddy the Brave

Maddy and Max together

On the way home to Boston

Ditto

Catching Up

It's been so long. Blogging is harder than it looks (Anjelica!). Anyway, it's a few days before Christmas so we thought we'd show you some photos of the last month, the recent blizzard, and just a general update on life.

Here is our lovely Chirstmas tree. It was quite fun to decorate and has left our livingroom smelling amazing. Below is our homage to Seattle - with a ferry and the needle.

On the 17th, Karin finished her last exam of her first semester! Two days later, it began to snow. Meg's district shut down school at noon and it pretty much snowed from 2pm on Friday until Sunday evening. That puts us at today, Monday, and Meg's district is still closed (four day weekend!) and Karin's car is still buried. Our goal today is to get it out. The pictures below are of the snowy weekend and Maddy enjoying the white fluffy stuff. Meanwhile, it's already getting a little old to have to put on snow pants to take the dog for a walk. But it is beautiful, and Boston goes all out with x-mas lights so it really looks like a winter wonderland. Also, on Friday night, while walking Maddy in a blizzard, we witnessed the "Thunder Snow" everyone had been talking about. We even got lightning along with it. It was pretty strange. Oh, and Meg's new favorite word: wintry mix. Wintry mix is to Boston as sun breaks is to Seattle.

It begins...

Our backyard on Sunday afternoon

Karin's car on Sunday evening

Maddy in the backyard

She really, really, really loves the snow!

One happy dog