birthday list | This and That

Another Birthday on the Cape

03 Aug 2018 Leave a comment

by fancenance in animals, birthday list, museums, nature

I spent my birthday on Cape Cod for the third year in a row. This year’s locale was Falmouth. We had one beautiful day and one crappy day weather-wise. Allen and I spent the beautiful day exploring the art exhibits and grounds of Highfield Hall and Gardens. I love touring historic homes and grounds, so I was so pleased that the community rallied and raised millions of dollars to keep this estate safe from bulldozers.

Then we walked to a neighborhood beach and sat for a while. I wanted to catch the sunset and a lighthouse at the same time, so we drove along winding roads to Nobska Light. We watched the sunset from a spot across the street from lighthouse that overlooks Vineyard Sound.

It rained on my birthday, so we took the opportunity to visit the Woods Hole Science Aquarium and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. They are small institutions but interesting nonetheless.

We had a lovely Italian dinner and then drove to a nearby beach in hopes of seeing another sunset. All we saw was fog. But fog is pretty in its own way.

On the way out of town, we stopped at Coonamessett Farm because I had read there were farm animals there. Alpacas, sheep, goats, chickens, oh, yes! I also picked some fresh lettuce to take home with me.

Forty-eight hours of a quintessential New England vacation. A happy birthday indeed.

Visiting the Durant-Kenrick House

21 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

by fancenance in birthday list, museums

My boyfriend and I lucked out when touring the Durant-Kenrick House in Newton, MA, the other day. It was a gloomy Sunday afternoon and we had the house to ourselves!

The house had me at its exterior green paint, since green is one of my favorite colors.

It’s a small historic house, but it gives a nice overview of the Durant and Kenrick families. The Durants lived there in the 1700s and the property was a working farm. The Kenricks bought the property in 1790 and established the largest New England nursery in the 1830s. One of the Kenricks was a founding member of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.

The property was eventually sold off in pieces. Arthur Dewing bought the house from the Durant family in 1923, and his family lived there for 50-odd years. Now the city of Newton owns the property.

It’s a family-friendly place and the grounds are pretty with many large trees and gardens. If you enjoy historic homes, it’s worth a visit. The day we visited, we bought a combo pass, so we will be visiting the Jackson Homestead at some point as well.

Touring My Own Neighborhood (and City)

06 Jul 2018 Leave a comment

by fancenance in birthday list, city Tags: Boston

One of the reasons I enjoy working on a birthday list every year is that it gets me out into my own neighborhood and city and helps me appreciate all that is at my doorstep.

A friend and I recently took a historic walking tour of a local neighborhood. I’ve lived in the same three-mile radius for 17 years, and this was the first walking tour I’d taken in the area. It was nice to take the time to look at local architecture and hear some historical facts about the neighborhood. One woman on the tour had grown up in the area, and it was cool to hear her share firsthand knowledge of the changes over time.

Local Art Deco building

In the same time period, I took my first Boston by Foot walking tour. I don’t know what took me so long! I went on the “Dark Side of Boston” tour. The volunteer tour guide was great, and I learned some new things about Boston. I learned that the North End neighborhood used to be extremely dodgy and was called the Black Sea.

I learned that Charles Ponzi, the man behind the Ponzi scheme, created his scheme in Boston. I put a misconception to rest: I thought the Boston Strangler killed his victims in the 1800s; I guess I equated him with Jack the Ripper? Nope, the Boston Strangler was killing his victims in the 1960s. The tour guide grew up in the Boston area and remembered that his neighbors started locking their doors during that time.

There wasn’t much of a dark side to the story of the narrowest house in Boston…just your run-of-the-mill brotherly spite. A father left land to his sons when he died, and the one son built a huge house and left his brother very little land. That brother went ahead and built a house on the tiny spot. The guide said that the house recently sold for $800K. That’s Boston real estate for you…

Skinny house

Turtle Swamp Brewing

30 Jun 2018 2 Comments

by fancenance in birthday list, drink Tags: beer, Boston

Some friends and I went to a local brewery called Turtle Swamp Brewing one recent glorious Friday afternoon. A couple of us work for an employer that bids us adieu at 3:00 on Fridays in the summer, so we were waiting for the doors of Turtle Swamp to open at 4:00.

We bought beers and staked our claim at a prime spot on the outdoor patio. The weather was perfect and we spent hours there, drinking really good beer (mostly IPAs and pale ales). The food truck that was scheduled to appear had cancelled, so we did an online search for nearby establishments and called in a large pizza.

Being a fan of IPAs and pale ales, I enjoyed the beer and the neighborhood vibe of the patio. I will find my way there some other Friday afternoon this summer…

Putting Makeup in My Hair

22 Jun 2018 Leave a comment

by fancenance in birthday list

I stood in the hair dye aisle at CVS the other day, thinking about dyeing my hair lavender.

But then I spied hair makeup. Hair makeup? That’s a thing that I didn’t know existed. It was very temporary—washing out with shampoo, so it was a no brainer. I picked rose gold because I enjoy that as a color in general.

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It seemed easy enough. Squeeze the tube and the color would come out of a sponge applicator. Color some strands and then blow-dry the hair to “lock in the color.”

I bought; I tried; and maybe I will try again someday. I found it almost impossible to color the strands myself. I managed a few nice strands, but the majority of the hairs I touched with the makeup just ended up a stringy, wet-looking texture.

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I’ll try again someday with a friend who is willing to be a volunteer hair makeup applicator. Have you tried hair makeup?

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