Beach Day: Houghton's Pond

Goodness. It's been a busy summer.  I have so much to share!!

Though it's not as relaxing as it can be, I've been able to go to the beach almost every week at the summer program.  So, I'm going to write a little bit about the beaches we've been to.

Houghton's Pond is located in the Blue Hills of the Greater Boston area.  It seems like it's a great place to go hiking and to have some outdoor BBQ action.  When we went on July 20th, the program took advantage of the BBQ pits and the beach area of the pond.

I had never swum in a pond before.  Up in Maine, the boyfriend's family took me canoeing and we swam around a bit in the river.  But swimming in a pond has not really come up.

Compared to the coldness of Singing Beach, Houghton's Pond was an absolute pleasure to swim in.  It really felt like bath water.  I suppose that in general pond water isn't super clear, since there's dirt and rocks from the forest floor.  But it felt really pleasant to swim in.  We also got to share the water with some geese.

honk honk, said the goose

The swimming area was pretty shallow, so it was a great place to take the younger kids.  At some point, the little kids decided that they wanted to hold on to me while I swam under water like a mermaid.  That was pretty fun, actually.

There were quite a number of people at Houghton's Pond for a Wednesday.  It was difficult not to run into other people while playing around in the water.  Still, it was a pretty nice place to be.

Gorgeous day for a swim

Simple Pleasures Sundays - Sunshine

After what seemed to be an extremely dreary Spring, the sun has finally returned.  And so has the humidity.

I had a feeling that this was going to be the trend as this past winter was so long and so intense, summer is not one to be out shined.  But all of us here in the Northeast couldn't be happier.

Prior to the "unofficial start of summer" (a.k.a. Memorial Day Weekend),  I've already had the pleasure of riding topless in top-down cars (meaning the cars were topless...hahahaha!), sitting in the grass, and putting my face to the sun. 

This is the season that makes me love living in Boston.  All the free and upcoming events, all the trips to the beach, all the being outdoors.  It's fabulous.

taken with Camera360 app

I am extremely simply happy and content about this weather, and I hope it seeps into other aspects of my life.

taken with Retro Camera app

My Big Fat Greek Adventure - Kalimera, Santorini

On July 8th, at 7:30am, Jenny and I boarded a tiny aircraft headed to Santorini, one of the most gorgeous islands in Greece.

Santorini from Olympic Air's window

Our plane tickets told us that the flight would take approximately 50 minutes, which was about 10 minutes more than the flight from Boston to Montreal.  But we learned that that 50 minutes must have included boarding the bus that would take us to the tiny plane from the airport gate.

You know how when a plane gets to the right altitude, the flight attendants proceed to distribute snacks and drinks?  Then maybe 15-30 minutes later they start collecting your trash?  Well, this flight was so short that everything was super rushed!

*Plane reaches perfect altitude, seat belt signal turns off*
*Flight attendants start handing out drinks and snacks, which were cute little cookies that looked huge on the box, but were actually tiny!  It's like they multiplied as I opened the box.*
Flight attendant:  Here's your snack.
Me:  Thank you. *I start opening the box and were surprised by the tinyness of the cookies*
*Seat belt signal turns on*
Flight attendant:  Okay, give us your trash! We're landing!
Me:  But..wait..I just got my snack!  Aaahhhh!!

Seriously, as fast as you can read that scenario, that's how fast it happened!

8Things - Celebrate the Sun

I'm super excited about this 8Things list.  My favorite season is coming up, and there's so much to look forward to amidst all the sadness in my professional life.

This Spring, I've really felt somewhat like how Spring might feel - in between.  There are wonderful, beautiful days, then come the violent, stormy days.  In Boston, it almost feels like Winter tries to hold on as long as it can, while Summer is sneaking in occasionally to kiss you goodnight.

But I'm so ready for Summer to stay for a while.

Last Summer, I celebrated the Solstice in a somewhat rainy Coney Island with my best friend at the Mermaid Parade.  A lot has happened in this past year.

I want to be aware of all that's happened in the past year this Solstice.  I want to be aware that this is my last week at my job.  I want to be aware that an exciting adventure is on the horizon.  I want to be aware of new doors that will open. 

Here's how I plan to celebrate the longest day of the year.

1. Open up my day with The Beatles Good Day Sunshine and Here Comes the Sun.

Griffith Park, 2008

2. Welcome the Sun with a set of  Sun Salutations.

California, 2009

3.  Dress in the colors of the sun and summer - oranges, yellows, whites, and I have to throw in some green.

Los Angeles, 2002

4.  When I can, hold hands with the boyfriend.

Venice Beach, 2009

5.  Step outside my workplace.  Watch the clouds and smell the flowers, just to remind myself to slow down even though things might be going crazy.

Napa Valley, 2009

6.  Eat vegetarian for the day.

Oahu, HI, 2007

7.  Dance.

Sunrise and Sunset, 2008

 8.  Spend some extra time in the shower with some salt scrubs, and exfoliate away the Spring.

Hawaii, 2007