72. Thankful for family

Week 72  11/25/16

Charlie and Judy offered to host Thanksgiving this year and we were happy to come. None of our children were there, but they were mentioned once or twice.  :-)

Brothers discussing family memories behind the house. We walked around the large field before dinner. On Friday, Charlie and Paul climbed the mountain. Judy made a delicous soup.

View of Charlie and Judy's house in Amherst.

71. Noanet Woodlands

Week 71  11/14/16

Noanet Woodlands is a Trustees spot in Dover. We had never been here before. There is an extensive trail system and lots more to explore in future visits.

This is how the sky looked!

We decided to climb to the highest point overlook and stopped to have a picnic.

And here is the view! The colors were very nice - a bit subtle on first look, but more interesting the more we looked. Can you see Boston on the horizon?

Evidence of drought is very obvious here.

70. Disappointing day, to say the least...

Week 70  11/8/16

On election day, Paul and I hoped (OK -- expected) to be celebrating the election of Hillary Clinton to be President of the United States. We and other like-minded folks met at Vincent and Deborah's house, ate Mexican food and watched a TV screen, trying to figure out what was happening. Paul and I had reserved tickets to the party at Wellesley College, but we decided not to go, after all.

69. A bit of Boston History

Week 69  11/3/16

Paul had never toured the Massachusetts State House, so we made a reservation to have a guide show us around. Of course we had to be scanned through a metal detector at the entrance. Arriving early, we spent some time looking at the exhibits in the main hall.

We both learned a lot about the history and art of this "new" state house. The others on our tour were from Chicago (proud of Cubs recent World Series win) and Philadelphia. Both cities with much history of their own. For me, much of the interest was seeing legislators, aides, press and others scurrying around doing their regular business. One hall was set up for a press conference. 

This hall of flags is a new use for the space. Each city and town in the Commonwealth has a flag displayed. It is used for functions. Medway's flag is in the middle tier, 9th from the left (white flag with seal in the center).

Next stop was to the main branch of the Boston Public Library. We viewed a special exhibition on Shakespeare.

This photo of the main Copley Square entrance makes me laugh because even though I've been here dozens of times, I would have sworn that there were two lions at the outside entrance. Turns out the lions are inside. The figures on either side of the entrance represent science and the arts. Paul has chosen science for his photo op.

We picked up a hot drink at the cafe and watched the tourists.

I was excited to show Paul the beautiful new (last month) renovations to the BPL building at the Boylston Street entrance. Here is a broad view of the information/cafe/radio broadcast booth area.

The upper floors of the renovated building contain spaces for media, children, reference, and so forth. It is getting lots of use. That is me on the stairs. Paul is taking this shot from the matching staircase on the other side of the lobby.

I wanted to see the old reading room where I read and studies sometimes. This part of the library is historically preserved.

This is the Abbey Room with it's murals about the quest for the Holy Grail. The room is being set up for a function here.

68. Barber Reservation

Week 68  10/25/2016

We took a hike at a spot that neither of us had visited before - the Barber Reservation in Sherborn, MA. A walk through the woods took us to a series of connected fields, separated by beautiful stone walls. Others were taking their dogs for walks. Signs warn against going off the paths in order to protect plants and wildlife. The views were beautiful, especially with the autumn color. Because it has been an area for horse events, there are many jumps scattered around. Paul says he has seen notices for these events recently also, and apparently cross-country skiing is allowed.

This property is fairly recently acquired by the Town of Sherborn and is part of the Bay Circuit Trail System.