Memorial Weekend

My family came to visit this past weekend.

We went to the Blue Hills Reservation.

Some of us went hiking and some of us went swimming.

And we also had fun at home.

Spring is turning to summer in Boston.

And we are thrilled!

#14 & a Sunny Day!

The sun came out for a few hours today, quite unbelievably.

(Amira spying on a cat that jumped the fence, a feat our cat could never accomplish.)

And #14, outside again! It has been a little more than two weeks since I started this, likely three weeks. With the nice weather, I painted this while Amira napped. Though when she was awake again, she wanted to participate, and in an unsupervised moment smeared magenta paint in the center of my painting. One of the hurdles I need to figure out.

A Day at the Zoo

Took advantage of our long weekend and spent a day at Franklin Park and Zoo, here in Dorchester.

The lion kept roaring. Which had the opposite of his desired effect I am sure, as everyone gathered to watch.

A new baby gorilla! Mom and baby were positioned by the window, and the little baby was pressing his mouth against the glass. Of course there was a swarm of kids at the glass as well, making it difficult for me to get a good view. Amira wiggled her way in though.

This duck is on the wrong side of the net!

And Amira learned a new word "Peacock." She picked it up fast, amazed by these beautiful birds wandering around.
The zoo felt pretty big to all of us, and we were all pretty tired at the end of the visit. Amira took her only real nap of the weekend after this visit. She has been having some trouble sleeping lately, not just at nap time but going to bed too. Which leaves mom and dad a little too tired to run around and tire her out during the day. Hopefully this is just a phase. We really enjoy our sleep around here!

Walk in the City

Adrian teaches "Drawing about town" on Sundays.

So Amira and I took a trip into downtown to pick him up from class.

I am downtown during the week for work, and it is a busy place.

But on the weekend, anywhere more than a block from Faneuil Hall is empty.

And there are horses!

But even though we have been living out here for about a decade, I still like these tourist areas.

And Amira certainly does!

Moments of Spring at the Arboretum

We took a walk in the Arnold Arboretum and caught visions of spring. It has been a beautiful weekend here in Boston. Everyone had their dogs out, which made little Amira ecstatic! Her running down hills made mom and dad a little nervous, since her control is, well, lacking. But, we caught her before each potential tumble. Now we are back home, with Adrian and Amira napping.
I wish I had written down the name of some of these trees. The first one is a beech, but that is all I know. Any ideas? Feel free to share...