Snow Day! Sledding at Walnut Hill, Natick, MA

Walnut Hill 

corner of Bacon Street and Belvedere Street

Natick, MA

For those of you following from afar, it has been a winter wonderland here in Greater Boston.  This is our third snow day this season and the  banks are so high, we can barely see our neighbor's house.  The NY Times says it is sunny and warm in northern Canada, so thanks for the Arctic winds Canucks!  We've gone Xcountry in Weston , downhill at Smuggs and sledding at Elm Bank.  We decided last snow day to try a new spot.

The Walnut Hill School  brings kids from all over the world to study performing arts.  They must have been indoors today.  Usually Kam hangs out across the street at the Loker Street playground.  But, the other day as we were heading with our new sled (it has since been buried in the front yard somewhere, yes, trust me we looked through the snow for twenty minutes) to Elm Bank again, we remembered just how windy it can be.  I had an image in my head of Walnut Hill and kids sledding their past winters.  It was in great shape and mobbed.

This morning the snow had stopped by seven and the sun was out, so we headed back to Walnut Hill.  We made the tracks.  A foot of fresh snow and we carried Liji up the hill.  We made our own toboggan run (see Kam on You Tube with our new Old Timey movie 8 mm app.)  Ten runs later we hit our old haunt Mel's for burgers and fries and are ready for naps.  Oh how I love a good snow day.

Skatastic! The Loring Rink, Framingham, MA

Loring Rink

165 Fountain Street

Framingham, MA

The height of sixth grade cool growing up was chasing girls on skates at the old MDC rink on Soldiers Field Road.  Why not get my boys ready early?  I mean, how embarrassing would it be if one of them was skating backwards and fell on his butt in front of the cutest girl in the class (ok, maybe I did that). 

Sydney got out on skates early.  He was still two (by three weeks people), when we put blades of steel on his feet and hobbled around the rink.  Last winter we got out on our back nine,  Lake Cochituate, when our cool neighbor plowed a rink off our dock.  We even discovered the coolest old man walker for mini-skaters I've ever seen at Floyd Hall rink in Jersey.  By the end of that session he was out on his own.

Today, with his new skates on Sydney let me drag him around for about thirty seconds.  Then he decided to head out on his own.  Sure, all those hard core Jr. Flyer  kids were flying by him with pads and helmets, but I didn't say I want him on the hockey team people! (Although our 9th grade babysitter on the Natick Comets Girls' team is pretty cool)  A few minutes later we hit the snack bar for cocoa and a pretzel.  One more hard fall and we were out of there.  It won't be the last knock on the head, that's for sure.

Horticultural Paradise; Garden in the Woods, Framingham, MA

Garden in the Woods

180 Hemenway Road

Framingham, MA

We spent a lot of time in the garden this summer.  We started with the season buying plants at Russell's and ended it when the tomatoes ran out at Verrils'.  But sometime we just need some inspiration for our green thumbs.  The diversity and density of species at Garden in the Woods just blows away rivals like the Mass. Horticultural Society's Elm Bank.

The New England Wildflower Society has really put together an amazing display, from the lily pond to the Western woods.  You can catch a glimpse of turtles on floating islands full of flowers and run through the meadows with wildflowers taller than the kids.  The Invasive Plant Jail is one of my favorites because it inspires me every spring to rip out all those annoying berry bushes that take over my side yard.

But the most amazing highlight of a visit is the art.  We walked through a beautiful twig house, and followed the wooden mazes through the trees.  But our highlight to date has to have been the Insects installation a couple of years ago featuring artist David Rogers.  His installation of giant spiders, ants, butterflies and more was spectacular.  You can still catch a giant walking stick (pun intended I think, 'cause it is made from sticks) off amongst the trees.  So enjoy the flowers, take the kids on a scavenger hunt and end your day at Sichuan Gourmet, our fav "real" Chinese in Metrowest and make it a day in Framingham.

Tonkarrific! Touch a Truck; Wayland, MA

Touch a Truck

Wayland Middle School

201 Main Street

Wayland, MA

Recently our best friend FoodieMommy left Natick and crossed north into Wayland.  It is a brave new world up there, even though it is just one block away. Everything is just fancier in Wayland, from the little pristine ponds to the cute little fire houses.  Even our favorite "wooden playground" is more than Natick can offer on our limited property taxes. Thankfully, the 5th Annual "Touch a Truck" event let's Wayland keep it real.

Lij reads about trucks, drives around toy trucks and talks endlessly about front-loaders, fire engines and bull dozers like an afficianado.  Yet, even Sydney was impressed with the line up at this event.  In addition to the standard fair offered at Natick Days; fire trucks, ambulances and cop cars, this show had giant lawn mowers, snow plows and some wierd electronic van (a local sponsor?  there were plenty).

But this was more than a truck event.  There were inflatable slides, bouncy houses and standard fair fare from Nathalie's pizza to some decent hotdogs.  While it didn't rival our local fall event with booths, games and more, it wasn't a bad way to spend a beautiful fall morning.

A Half Moon Memory; Crescent Beach State Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME

Crescent Beach State Park

Bowery Beach Road

Cape Elizabeth, ME

It has been over fifteen years since I combed Crescent Beach; a year out of college and temporarily east for another summer in Maine before I moved back out west.  Crescent is still one of my favs. While Portland has changed from a sleepy port town to a tourist mecca, Cape Elizabeth is still that tony suburb by the bay with miles of farms and prime oceanfront property.  Crescent changes only with geological time.  It is still a hop-skip and a jump from Two Lights, another fav state park amongst the many gems of our northern neighbors.  It is still that perfect mix of sand and rock, refreshing tide and fresh water feeders.  It is an explorers' dream.

We camped out right next to a feeder stream, winding down to the beach.  After sailing down our boats and constructing a few dams, we headed off for a walk.  Like many Maine beaches, Crescent is home to a stunning rocky outcrop, full of tide pools.  We discovered an old lobster pot, and what looked like a vertebrae of some large sea creature.  Sydney tossed old periwinkle shells off the rocks, followed by Lij.

We spent the better part of the afternoon building sandcastles and avoiding the creeping tide.  Thankfully, after a day of sun and surf, Kettle Cove Creamery and Cafe was right on our way back to the pool at our hotel.  We hit the Portland Lobster Company for dinner, which was more fun for good daddy/mommy drinks and views than it was for kids or serious lobster eaters.  All and all, a beautiful day at the beach.

This is the End? Who Knew it was so Beachy; World's End, Hingham, MA

World's End

142 Martins Lane

Hingham, MA

One of our first Dadventures in Beantown was long before there was a blog, back when Liji was just shaking off his first mommyventure.  Stroller and all, we trudged up the hill with two year old Sydney and settled in on a beautiful view of Boston.  Then the clouds rolled in and all I can remember is sprinting with a six month old, his stroller and someone carrying Sydney.  Today, was not that day.

The Trustees for Reservations spots are so incredible, it is almost impossible to imagine that they were ever in private hands.  Did the Cranes really have Crane Beach all to themselves?  Did local businessman John Werner really own this enchanted hillside on the bay in Hingham for just the fam?  Evidently Frederick Law Omstead of Central Park fame helped out a little on the design.  We love the Trustee lands, we just keep coming back for more.

This was a fitting cap to a summer of dadventures with my closest pal Adam and his daughter.  She led my boys down to the beach and spent an uninterrupted hour plus hunting hermit crabs with them while we caught up.  Covered in muck and happy as clams to get out of the heat, we headed for the tony downtown. We hit up Yelp for a local find and ran across the Square Cafe.  While our mud may not have suited the owner, the pasta sure suited us.  Thanks Hingham for a lovely day on the shore that felt a far cry from the end of the world, or the last place on earth.

A Lovely Tromp Through the Woods: Tolland State Forest, Tolland, MA

Tolland State Forest

Tolland, MA

Perhaps when you think of the Berkshires, you think of Tanglewood or Jacob's Pillow.  But, just maybe you came with the kids to get away from it all.  Just maybe, you wanted to be alone with the fam, not surrounded by thousands of artistic junkies.  Then Tolland is the place for you.

While the motor boats on Otis Reservoir were a bit disconcerting while tromping in nature, this was a beautiful body of water.  We opted for the "Healthy Heart" Gillmore Trail.  Not simply because we just can't get enough of that wacky mother and daughter team.  More, because I really was hoping that if we didn't go too far, Liji could make the entire trek on his own two feet (re: the end of the daddy backpack please!).

Well, we started to climb and ole Liji's legs gave out, but he opted for grandpa's shoulders (phew).  Grandpa regaled us with that time that he and I summited like 70 peaks in three days, including Mt. Washington when I was just a few months older than Sydney is now.  (It was like 20 below one night at Lake of the Clouds people, and the dog almost froze!)  Ironically we had just been there, so I reminded Sydney what a crazy idea this was for a five year old.  Anyway, we had a lovely tromp, caught up on some more salamanders, checked out the woodpecker holes and made it safely back in time for lunch.  The perfect hike.

Salamanders Ho! Granville State Forest, Granville, MA

Granville State Forest

Granville, MA

We are Department of Conservation and Resources (DCR) junkies.  I hate to admit it, but they put together a good party.  At our home base on Lake Cochituate they remove trees from your dock if a winter storm wanders by.  They maintain pristine beaches and beautiful lakes with flair.  They provide clear and accessible maps online and at each site.  I have visited a lot of state parks in my day, and I must say DCR rocks!

We set-up camp in the Berkshires this summer in Granville with dad and his longtime companion Allison.  This town is a small, former farming community near the Connecticut border, and our stay in Wildwood has been dreamy.  Swimming all day, fishing early and often and paddling our hearts out.  We went for a little change of pace this morning by starting with a hike, and the boys couldn’t have been more thrilled.

Every twist and turn of these well-maintained trails was littered with red spotted salamanders (they are both scientists, so we learned that this was like the tadpole stage of newts).  Last night, we were lucky to skip another night in the tent because it was two inches deep in water when we awoke.  But what a bonanza for the wildlife!  These salamanders crossed us at every turn.  Little peeper frogs hopped across the trail in droves.  There were so many types of fungus, my dad (or Mr. Wizard as they used to call him) couldn’t even keep up with all of Sydney’s questions.  So when you are done riding horses at Undermountain Farms, or splashing at Play Bosquet come on out to Granville for a taste of the wild.

All Tangled Up in Blue (Skies): Tanglewood, Tanglewood, MA

Tanglewood

Tanglewood, MA

As a relative novice to the Berkshire scene, it appeared that no trip out here was complete without a trip to Tanglewood.  On our first visit this summer, we had plans to see our Cousin Philip play there with his colleagues in the Emerson String Quartet, but alas work called us back to Boston.  We had tried to get James Taylor/Carol King tickets, but please people, there was no way.

So this trip out we hit the nail on the head with an ole standby, the BSO.  Tanglewood has been the summer residence of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937, and it is clear why.  This place is magical for adults and kids alike.  My dad and his girlfriend set-up camp on the lawn ahead of schedule for us with the requisite blanket, rented chairs, wine glasses and crackers.  Before the first tuning, the boys were full of snacks.

Sydney lasted through the entire performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D which I fondly recalled from my long-night study sessions in college.  He and I silently worked our way through Uno and Go Fish while he enjoyed the music.  By intermission, we were ready to join Liji and Kam on the overlook at the Kid’s Corner.  That’s right people, Tanglewood leaves open a huge space overlooking the lakes and mountains for kids to run, parents to listen and provides free snacks and arts and crafts.  Did I mention the kids got in free?  This was our first real outdoor concert with the boys, and we couldn’t have asked for better.

Into the Wilds of Natick; Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Natick, MA

Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

280 Elliot Street

Natick, MA

There are three Natick favs that separate us from your typical Beantown 'burbs; the Natick Community Organic Farm, Lake Cochituate and Broadmoor.  These were the reasons we moved from Brooklyn to Natick.  Less than twenty miles from Boston we have farm classes with cows and canoeing with Great Blue Herons.  At Broadmoor, we even see the occaisional beaver working on his dam.  Spring, winter, fall or summer, these bastions of rural New England living keep us sane and our kids grounded in ways that soccer practice just can't match.  

We love Broadmoor every season because of its incredible diversity of flora and fauna.  Like most other Audobon retreats, (our fav is Drumlin Farm) you can see it all with tons of info to spare for the kids. Like most Audubon spots too, birding is the big draw, and we have seen plenty.  We are certainly no birders, but we have caught our fair share of a myriad kinds of hawks, warblers, orioles, sparrows, finches and woodpeckers.  Enough to fill their page long list of suspects?  No, but enough to get excited when we caught glimpse of Mr. Owl perched high above the tree tops.

The winter is virtual wonderland, with broad meadows and snow covered tree-lined trails for cross-country fun.  Only ten minutes from Natick Commons, it feels more like northern Vermont than Wellesley when the winter winds arrive.  Their amazing programs continue throughout the cold months as well. They feature a diverse series of speakers to just get you prepped for spring or for a trip around the world.  The center is a model of green architecture; Sydney really loves the no flush compostable toilets; "why don't they smell?"  They'll tell ya.  So if you need a break from the city, head on down to Broadmoor.  It sure beats four hours on 93N in Friday rush-hour just to say you hit the Green Mountains.

Small Ball at the Yard: Futures at Fenway, Fenway Park, Boston, MA

Futures at Fenway

Fenway Park

Yawkey Way

Boston, MA

Today was their big day.  Last Tuesday was mine.  Today they dipped a toe in the splendid grass that covers Fenway.  Tuesday I took the mound at the Y.  Minor league kids who dreamed of this day doned their Lowell Spinner caps and made adjustments.  Up until Tuesday I had been dreading/dreaming of coaching T-ball for my son some day.  Today it all came together.

Was the baseball good at Futures at Fenway?  Was it good at the Y with 4 and 5 year olds taking the field?  Do I really need to answer either of those questions?  All I know is that Sydney could ask me today why the runner stole second and the Fenway Franks tasted perfect.  When my buddy Leo and I debated why stealing home on a passed ball on the fourth ball was ok, I am fairly certain Sydney at least had an inkling of what we were talking about.  Maybe the guys behind us who was staying for the second game of to watch the Salem affiliate could answer us.

Sydney was willing to sit through the rain out and "watch the tarp."  He even decided to shoot down the ride to our car, parked over as always by the "cheap lot" at BU so that we got get drenched.  We drove home shirtless through a monsoon with class IV rapids on Route 9. It sure beat driving home from Pawtucket.   If today wasn't an adventure, well hell, what is?

Go Triple A with the PawSox: McCoy Ballpark, Pawtucket, RI

McCoy Ballpark

1 Columbus Avenue

Pawtucket, RI

It is hard to review any park after Fenway (of course, I left that one up to author Chris Klein 'cause I knew he would do a way better job). That doesn't mean I won't try.  I still hold on to that college dream of a summer coast to coast road trip, hitting as many majors as I can.  Now that would be a dadventure boys.  In the meantime, I'll settle on the minors.  I love the park in Portland, you can't get enough of that SeaDog mascot (whatever that is) or that loud foghorn with every homer.  The other Portland hosts a bizarre park and the last time I was there they were still a Rockies affiliate because there is so little pro ball in the west.  The relatively new stadium in Newark is pretty nice, even though it marks another failed effort at gentrification in this once prosperous town.  But, the best location of all is not the view of Manhattan atop the hill in Staten Island (plus their a Yankees affiliate).  It's the Brooklyn Cyclones at Coney Island.

Now, if seeing a Sox affiliate is more important than the park or locale, Pawtucket is your place (Lowell, here we come!) We were greeted at the park by Paws the Polar Bear and his lady friend.  Sydney was psyched and went back three times to grab a pic, a handshake, then an autograph on his Sox cap.  Lij wouldn't come within ten feet.  Seventeen bucks later on day of game and we were in for general admission seats.  We chose the left field bern.  I am not sure what a bern is at a ballpark, but it was a pretty sweet lawn view of the action.  Paws' lady even made it out there to throw some souvenir balls.

Free parking, five dollar beers, a benjamin less than the gates at Fenway and yes, we even saw Clay throw a mean one last summer as he got his act back together.  Who knows, you might be watching the future Youk, Dustin, or even Rocket Roger.  Was it the best ball we've ever seen?  No.  Did the boys shake their booties every time the PA pumped out a player's theme-song?  You betcha.  So head down 128, stop by the  Roger Williams Zoo, save a few and enjoy.

Beach Season Opening Day: Duxbury Beach, Duxbury, MA

Duxbury Beach

Duxbury, MA

I was raised a north shore beach boy.  Gloucester, Ipswich, and Mansfield by the Sea were all part of our weekend ritual from May to September.  Mom loaded us up  the car with breakfast, lunch and a 1980's laissez-faire lack of sunscreen.  This blog will see the likes of Crane (all-timer), Wingaersheek, and Singing.  You might be deluded by our attention to Eastham (a week every summer) or Miami (our April spot to visit family) into thinking that there are beaches that rival the great white north, but you are mistaken.  You can even try them all at this great resource from the Globe: New England Beach Finder.  So why kick-off the second most important season of the year? (No people, there is no coincide the pinstripes are on Yawkey Way tonight).  Perhaps, like my wife, you are a southerner and the term "north shore" makes you think icy waters, or great whites.  Maybe Woodman's hasn't opened for the season.  Perhaps, like the sox bats, it can only get better as the weather heats up.  

Let me start by saying to all you Duxbury folks, you have a perfectly lovely spot.  The rocks are not nearly as bad as Cohasset, some of them were even pretty to look at (and throw into the water).  We did find the parking situation with permits after Memorial Day a bit, say, elitist.  But, who hasn't paid a pretty penny to get into Crane on a sunny Sunday at 8AM just to get a rare spot.  Your town is quite quaint as well, although besides that cute little french bakery Cafe Vanille (that's right people, a french bakery near the beach... do with this information what you must), we couldn't really tell on Easter Sunday.  There  certainly was a noticeable lack of clam shacks though.

What really caught us off-guard was our friend Rio.  There we were, minding our own business, building a rock castle and Sydney yells "horse!"  Now we love a good equine, but we had read Eric Hill's "Spot Goes to the Beach" and I am pretty sure there were no horses.  While it is dreadful enough to have the threat of beach police trucks running over your children, I can not begin to describe the horrible afterglow that a horse had left at 11AM, thus instantly evaporating all wonderful beach scents and sounds.   So while I appreciate the opportunity for some middle aged men to have their Bo Derek "Ten" moment in Duxbury, (and the views were fantastic),  I think next day trip we'll stick to the north, where we belong.

A Lovely Neighborhood Spot, If You Happen to be in Southeast Mass: Capron Park Zoo, Attleboro, MA

Capron Park Zoo

201 County Street

Attleboro, MA

Mind you, I only knew that Attleboro existed because I road through on the way home from a PawSox  game.  Thanks to our guestblogger Kim Foley MacKinnon for her new book Boston Baby: A Field Guide for Urban Parents because I would have never known about this little gem of a zoo, tucked in between Rhodie and the South shore.

What was most amazing about this zoo was not the funtastic playground outside the fence (although the boys were none too pleased to leave that behind).  No, it was the incredible diversity of endangered and rare animals in a zoo no bigger than our street.  They had snow leopards!  That's right, the same animal that Raghunandan Singh Chundawat followed for over five years in the Himalayas for National Geographic (great article here).  We caught the opening of their exhibit at the National Zoo in DC and it was a huge deal.  Of course the boys also really liked the sloth bear  (although he was pretty unslothlike in his pacing).

The highlight though?  The llamas.  Mean, hornery, grumpy and prone to spitting and biting, you would think that they wouldn't even make the top ten.  But, we got to feed them.  There is really nothing better than a wet lick from an animal four times your size when you are two.  Lij burned through at least three dollars of quarters (at $.25 for five pieces of feed).  It wasn't simply because we love Anna Dewdney's book Llama, Llama, Mad at Mama, this was just plain, old-fashioned zoo keeper fun.  So next time you head down for the PawSox, stop on the way home at Capron Park for some rare treats.