Maine

This weekend we and a bunch of friends went to Maine for a short vacation from the city. We stayed at Laura's family "camp" which she so graciously offered for us to stay in. The weather was not exactly ideal. Our uninvited guest, Hurricane Danny, brought in a cold, wet Saturday. Most of Saturday was spent indoors playing games, however, we did make a quick trip out to Reny's. By Sunday, Danny had made his way out of the area, and a beautiful morning greeted us. We enjoyed kayaking, paddle boating, eating, and basking in the wonderful weather. Check out our pictures of the fun times.

Tomatoes

Our garden has proven itself to be productive. We are now reaping a harvest of tomatoes from our hard labor. With all the plants ripening at the same time, we are literally swimming in tomatoes! We make sandwiches with tomates, salads with tomatoes, pizzas with tomatoes, and even eat tomatoes plain. Already we have given dozens away and still have plenty more to share, so come on by to claim some before tomato season is over.

Red Sox 14, Yankees 1

After an embarassing 20-11 loss to the Yankees the night before, we didn't know what to expect from the Red Sox in today's game. It was a hot, humid, and sunny afternoon as we entered Fenway Park. Our hard earned tickets were for right field bleacher seats up on the 50th row. As we baked in the sun from our sky-high perch, we watched as the Red Sox competed against the Yankees. The Sox took an early lead by scoring 3 runs in the first inning and 4 in the second. They maintained their lead with 7 additional runs in the following innings, while the Yankees were only able to put up a solo home run. The afternoon ended with a 14-1 victory for the Red Sox. It was an exciting game shared with Anna and Kristin at our neighborhood ballpark. Of the Red Sox games we have attended, we are now 3 for 3!

Year One

Today we celebrate having lived in Boston for one full year! So much has happened in the short time we have been here that we cannot believe it has only been one year. Mitch's classes and research are going well, Bekah is enjoying her work at the hospital, and we've been able to see so much of Boston and New England. Despite being far from family, we feel very blessed to be surrounded by a great church community and wonderful friends! Bring on another year!

Crabbing

This weekend, joined by Todd and Kari, we took a trip down to Buzzards Bay in search of blue crabs. Seeing as though none of us had ever crabbed before, we consulted the internet for crabbing advice. YouTube and bluecrab.info proved to be our most useful sources. They suggested we use eel, chicken necks, or bull lips as bait. After searching all over the city of Boston for eels, chicken necks, and bull lips, the best we could find was eel for $9.99/lb in a Chinatown grocery store. With eel so expensive it defeated the whole purpose of using it as bait. We decided to make one final trip to a shady butchershop near Haymarket. They didn't have chicken necks, but they did have about 300 lbs of turkey necks! We decided turkey necks would do and now had bait.

Excited to begin our day of crabbing, we zipped out of Boston in our Hypnotic Teal Scion xB Zipcar early Saturday morning. We arrived in Buzzards Bay an hour later and made a quick stop at local sporting goods store for rope and nets. Armed with our turkey necks, crab rope, and nets, we descended into the murky waters of Buzzards Bay in hopes of capturing crabs for dinner. After about 15 minutes the first crab was successfully pulled from the water! In a couple hours we had our cooler filled with over a dozen crabs, all over 4 1/8 inces long in accordance with MA regulations. It was a fun experience. What we learned: 1) crabbing is best at low tide, 2) crabs are slower and easier to catch than we thought, 3) crabs are agressive and can deliver a painful pinch, and 4) crabs are attracted by turkey necks. With our hunt successful, we left Buzzards Bay for Boston. We enjoyed a crab bake that night complete with Old Bay seasoning. There were more than enough crabs to share with friends.

Seymour

The first week of August was a good one: vacationing back in the Midwest. The main reason for our week-long trip was for the wedding of Bekah's cousin, Seth (above is my sister Rachel, Alicia, Seth, and Bekah). Added perks of the trip included meeting Calvin friends Jon & Jodie at Anna's in Cinncinati, spending a ton of time swimming and playing with Bekah's nephews (Carter & Cooper), eating fresh produce out of the garden, and chillin with the fam. As always, we have some pictures to remember the trip.