Boston, Mass – I happened on this new little play area in Chinatown Park. It’s nothing earth-shattering, but I was struck by the unique design – colorful, modular pieces that fit together in unusual ways to allow crawling, climbing, slithering, sliding…
Blog Fast
Somerville, Mass – I gave up blogging for Lent, apparently. Sometimes the inspiration gets lost, amid the work deadlines, birthday parties, swim lessons, snow days and laundry piles. With all that going on, who has time to travel anywhere, let…
Myakka River State Park
Sarasota, Florida – It’s wonderful to have snow-birding (grand)parents. We don’t have as much time as we did last year, but there’s no way I’m passing up a *free* vacation in sunny Florida. One of the highlights of the week was…
Somerville: Rockin’ the Boston ‘Burbs
Somerville, Mass – The ‘Ville is in the news again, this time making the Lonely Planet list of best places to travel in 2016. And we get to live here! (Disclaimer: I am not responsible for the headline.) Read more…
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Santa Elena, Costa Rica – We made our way from the tropical dry forests and beaches of Guanacaste to the mystical cloud forest around Santa Elena and Monteverde. We climbed some 4,662 feet, most of that on bumpy, windy, narrow…
Our Culture of Fear
Somerville, Mass – While riding the bus this week, Twin V noticed that somebody had etched a name into the window pane. “Why would anybody write on the window?” he demanded accusingly. “That’s not right.” I nodded in agreement. Then…
Kindergarten
Somerville, Mass – Last night, we were psyching the twins up about their first day of kindergarten. Daddio enthused (or was it lamented) that he had to go to school too. Twin S said hopefully “Didn’t you know that I cancelled school?”…
DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum
Lincoln, Mass – At some point in the last five years, we have been members of just about every single museum, zoo and nature park in Boston. It’s a survival strategy: when small children and harried parents need to get out…
Cape Cod Beach Guide
Cape Cod, Mass – Ah, Cape Cod, America’s postcard-perfect summertime destination: sand dunes covered with wild beach rose, happy kids frolicking in the waves and sailboats drifting peacefully off the coast. But there are nearly 560 miles of coastline here, so…