Marguerite's Mum (Marguerite Snr) and her sister Mandy (Marguerite Jnr's Aunt) arrived in Boston for a well deserved break. Here they are in Coolidge Corner on their first full day in Boston.
Nee naw, nee naw, nee naw........we managed to nail the auld Boston Fire Engine pic early doors.
This was the closest Marguerite Snr and Mandy got to Fenway Park. Baseball, or sport in general, just is not their bag but they did at least have their pic taken outside it. Jude tried his damdest all week to get them to go by saying things such as, 'it's American Culture, it's fun, you can get beer there and sing Sweet Caroline, etc', but they just weren't biting, they were having none of it.
When they arrived Jude was thinking, 'ok, these two will be rookied by about 10.00pm (3.00am Irish time)', but they were so excited when they got to Boston they sat up to 2.00am (7.00am Irish time). Wow!!! That is way past Jude's bed time. Here he is looking a little tired the next day.
So the first stop on their wonderful holiday was the birthplace and early home of former president John F Kennedy. It's located in Brookline, which is 'just around the corner' really.
Ahhhh, the auld family pic outside JFK's house, nice.
There a famous saying which goes like, 'Ya can take the girls outta Belfast but ya canny take the Belfast outta the girls'. Marguerite and Mandy just had to get sitting in these seats in JFK's back garden even though it was not part of the tour and you are not supposed to do it. Clicking their fingers and calling for tea and biccies they were!!!!!!
Oh yeah the tour, here the tour doll shows Marguerite Snr some cool old pics of the Kennedy's during the time they lived here.
Margeurite takes a wee break on the Kennedy's front porch.
Later and it's time for some high speed, high jinx on the waves of the Charles River. Here the gang are ready to rock as they are kitted out in their fetching Kayaking gear. Nice!!!!
Moments earlier and everyone is getting geared up.
'Hauld on, I say hauld on will ye, we're going the wrong way ye edjit ye', shouts Mandy as Marguerite Jnr takes a wrong turn.
'Now that's better.......look, look Marguerite, no hands look, I'm brill, I can do this lark no bother', shouts Mandy.
'Aye Mandy, dead on, keep taking the tablets', says Marguerite.
'Hehehehehehehe.....what way are we going now like, hehehehehe.'
'Oh shit, there's a boat, we're gonna crash bang into the side of it', says Marguerite Jnr.
'Wow, that was a close one', exclaims Mandy. 'That reminded me of that film about yer man Jack and that doll Rose, eh.....eh....I can't remember the name of it but it was about a boat that struck something and it didn't end pretty.'
Meanwhile Marguerite Snr and Jude 'keep 'er between the ditches' as they say and steer a steady course up the beautiful Charles. The views from out here were really great, spot the Hancock and the Prudential in the background there.
Marguerite Snr and Jude arrive back safe and sound after breaking all course records for Kayaking on the Charles.
'Here...young fella, gee us a hand over here to get outta this Dinghy thingy will ye', says Marguerite.
After the Kayaking everyone dandered back from Cambridge to Boston over the bridge. Mandy by now (day 2) was asking, 'Jude where is this place we're going to?' While Jude kept responding, 'Mandy, it's just around the corner here'. To which Mandy would reply, 'How many bloody corners are there?'
The 3 degrees 'putting the shoulder into it' in the Boston Public Garden.
Having your pic taken with 'George' America's first president is a must in Boston as it was here of course that many of the most important actvities in the War of Independence took place and it weren't for thon war 'George' would never have been president.
This dude is a professional jazz musician who Marguerite knows through the course of her work. Yet on weekends and if he has nothing better to do he just goes down to the Public Garden and treats the passers-by to soem quality busking. Many people do not realise that he earns big money as a pro and probably think he's poor. Far from it, he just says he loves doing this as a nice way to play music on a sunny day. Cool!!!
'What's going on here then muckers, wha?', asks Mandy. 'It's a memorial to fallen firefighters in Boston, replied Jude. 'Here are ye sure it's not the wicked witch after thon Dorothy one threw the bucket of water over her thon time?' 'No Mandy, it's definately a memorial to the firefighters', replied Marguerite Jnr.
Mr Dooleys - Sure ye couldn't beat it with a big stick. Marguerite and Mandy visit one of Marguerite Jnr and Jude's favourite pubs in Boston.
Jude and Marguerite Snr settle in for a few beers after all the activities of the day.
The next day has everyone up and out in the park for a few hours chill out. Here Marguerite Jnr and Mandy practice their auld frisbee skills. Mandy says she used to be schoolgirl champion at frisbee. Aye dead on Mandy!!!!!!!!!
Talking of schoolday champions, here's Jude showing them that he still has it in the frisbee stakes.
Peek-a-boo!!!!!!! Marguerite and.....eh....Marguerite are lloking for Mandy who seems to have disappeared somewhere.
Ah there she is. They found her and just in time for this cool pic in the park in front of Jude and Marguerite's apartment........
.........and another one.
A quick visit to the outdoor section of the New England Aquarium has Marguerite meeting the super friendly Sea Lions.
Mandy tries to kiss one of the Sea Lions.
Forever the tour guide. Here Jude is in full 'melter' flow as he explains some totally useless piece of information to the fully attentive Marguerite and Mandy. Aye dead on Jude!!!!
Some pics are cooler than others ok, and this pic is cooler than most. Wha? Boston Waterfront on a nice summer evening.
Oh yeah, Jude and Marguerite had told Marguerite Snr and Mandy that they would be going on a 'Sunset Cruise' while on their holiday. So Mandy proceeds to tell all and sundry that she is goign on this big cruise, like to Barbados, Jamaica or some place. So just after taking this pic she was informed that she was in fact going on thon ferry thingy behind her on a 2 hour cruise of Boston Harbour.
'Wha, a 2 hour cruise of Boston Harbour, ye must be joking, wha? 'What did you think it was? asked Jude. 'I tauld everyone in belfast I was going on a big cruise, they'll be expecting pics at least, how can I go back and tell them it was a bloody ferry I was on..............mortified, wha?
'Hehehehehehe', the laughter contimued for quite some time until Mandy finally realised this was for real, this was the cruise we were talking about. 'Ye couldn't make this up, how and I going to show my face back in Belfast', Mandy mumbled.
'And it would blow the head of ye into the bargain, some cruise this is, wha?'
'Stop laughing will ye Mandy?' Spot the thumb? Anyone?...... Anyone?......Anyone?.....
'Here Mandy, give this pic to Paul and tell him ye just missed the boat as it pulled out of Boston harbour', shouts Jude.
'Aye that was funny, I still can't get over that one, I need to sit down her for 5 minutes, has anybody any water handy?'
Next day and the girls are off to the beautiful town of Manchester-by-the-sea. Why the long name? Well there are loads of towns, villages and cities in New England which are named after English place. Think....Boston, New Hampshire, Ipswich, etc, etc,.....and of course Manchester. It just happens that there are about 5 Manchesters in New England so the good folk of this wee place in Massachusetts decided to differentiate their town from the others by adding by-the-sea. Sure if it keeps them happy, then why not?
Here is Marguerite Snr taking a stroll on the lovely beach at Manchester-by-the-sea.
And here is Marguerite Jnr doing the 'grown-up' thing and getting buried in the sand.
Somewhere in the distance you can spot Mandy and Marguerite Snr testing the water, dipping the auld toes in like.
Mandy and Maguerite Snr loved this house so much they wanted to move in.
And at the end of the day there was nothing left to do but warm down with a few stretches. Limbering up, limbering down, limbering up, limbering..........
To be continued..........
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