Special Guest Today

We had a new walker join us today. Well, he's probably been walking for a long time, but he was new to our group. Welcome to Louise's husband, Danny. He brought some spunk and speed to the group, or at least to whomever he paired up with at any given moment. We hope he'll come back. Maybe he'll even inspire Howard to come back. I'm sure Larry would appreciate the male company. Poor guy, was overwhelmed by six women last week. He was probably in mortal fear of yard sales. Lucky for him there aren't any in April. Actually, I'm just joshing, Larry was great company, as always, and a terrific photographer. 

Okay we had a contest last week. Remember this odd structure that looked like someone was trying to build a park bench but put two backs together and forgot about the seat? Well, we received 4 guesses including the actual answer! Tadaaaa....

1. The POET: This bench is for U! 
 
2. The DREAMER: The bench looks more like a bed or hammock.

3. The REALIST (and a grandparent): A child safety bench for preventing toddlers from falling.

4. The WINNER: The bench is an art piece by Matthew Hincman.

The guessers are (not in any particular order):  Diane, Hilda, Larry, and Ellen (not me....my friend from Newton who used to go to TOS if any of you remember her).

Photography by Larry

Now, clearly someone won the contest but that would be too easy and not as much fun. So let's carry this on through next week. That's the surprise ;)  Let's see if you can match the answers with those who guessed.






I wish everyone a lovely week, warmer weather, and lots of energy! I'll wave my magic wand if you need it, just let me know ;)
 
~Ellen
    

(BTW, Danny is in the market for new office space, if anyone has a lead for him.....)

SPRING is in the air!!!

Oh it's beautiful today!!  We were a crowd this morning. So many of us in fact that Howard suggested we get a bus! He's such a comedian... 

There were the 3 Ls (Louise, Lynn and Larry), and I'm an honorary L, sort of. And the 3 non-Ls (Diane, Harriet and Gail). Guess I'm a non-L too. We walked the Emerald Necklace, along Muddy River the other way to, and part way around, Jamaica Pond. 

????????? 
You're guess is as good as mine!

Along the way we passed a, a, a bench??? A very funny-looking bench. Perhaps it had baked too long....or not long enough. Any ideas? If anyone knows, please do let us know. How about a contest? I'll post your answers on the blog next week and the funniest one wins. The grand prize is....a surprise! 

Here's

our 

solution

below.

The gals sitting pretty.

The first crocuses of 

the season!!

 









Enjoy Spring!

~Ellen



;)

Welcome Back!

We got sidetracked for a while but we're back....It's early March and the forecast said 34* but there's no way it could have been.  It was a perfect walking day.  I struck out with Lynn, Louise, and Larry, the three Ls.  (I have two Ls in my name so I guess I fit in there somewhere.)  We opted to avoid the Hill today and headed for Muddy River and the Fenway.  

We found the route to be unexpectedly tricky to navigate near the Fenway area.  Apparently after about 10 years of planning, the Army Corp of Engineers have finally begun work dredging the river and opening up the large waste-of-an-area across from the Landmark Center.  Muddy River will soon see the light of day after a lifetime of flowing partially underground.  They've chopped trees down all along the river's edge so we're thinking perhaps there will be more of a waterflow.  Here are a few of those trees.  Just a few.....

 We're hoping they are put to good use.

 

On the way home we found ourselves serenaded to some beautiful bell-ringing as we passed this church.  Larry thinks it must be Russian Orthodox.    Perhaps you can see the man on the upper-level balcony pulling the ropes to the bells above.  Every passerby stopped to listen then we all applauded as a group.  It was a lovely, serendipitous moment.  Lucky timing on our part.

Larry and I talked a bit about the gala event we and our wonderful committee of volunteers are planning.  It will be held on Wednesday when our synagogue, Temple Ohabei Shalom will honor four deserving Menschen (plural for mensch) from our community and beyond.  We are very excited to celebrate after all the preparation.  We'll be raising money for the educational programs at TOS.  A little shameless advertising!  It's actually too late to come (unless you rsvp asap!!) but it's never too late to support education ;)

Now it's time to support my hunger pangs.  And I must begin planning Advah's 30th birthday party next week!!  My baby....

~Ellen

:)

  

 

Oh gosh, it's been a month...

I did sneak in a few long walks, usually multi-tasking to Trader Joe's or CVS. Last Saturday I walked to Town Hall and voted early! It was great, while you were all standing in long lines on Tuesday, I was in and out in 10 minutes. I even got my I Voted sticker. Is everybody happy with the results?! Even Sophia voted for the first time at college. Of course she voted in NY. Doesn't she have to be a resident to vote in NY? And if she is a resident, don't we get to pay resident tuition? Makes you think...well it makes me think, anyway.

This morning Louise and I did some multi-tasking. We walked to TJ Maxx. We figure that's about 3.5 miles round-trip. And what a day for a long walk, on a gorgeous sunny Fall day, not too hot and not too cold. Turns out that Louise and I are kindred spirits at the Hardware store!  It's one of both our favorite shopping experiences! Who knew? I wanted an awl; I lost my beautiful old antique awl with its worn wooden handle, aged with time and use. They don't seem to sell awls anymore; I was led to the ice-pickers, screw-starters, and scribes. (I always thought a scribe was someone who hand-wrote Torahs, not a sharp pointy thing with a plastic handle.) I opted for the screw-starter, multi-tasking again. I suspect that some of you readers are not hardware store junkies like Louise and I, so I will move on. 

We talked about the nearby Clearflour Bakery but I was afraid I'd cancel out all the good walking I was doing. That place is bread-heaven (second only to hardware stores!)

See what happens when we shift course away from our normal route? But I promise we did talk about our kids and Lynn's cutie-pie of a granddaughter whom I was lucky enough to meet recently! And we talked about the hurricane. Did you all fare well? We did fine inside our house, but outside they stripped the branches off all our beautiful trees. They were leaning on the electrical wires, I guess there was no choice. They look so sad now. Louise, on the other hand, lost power for four days. None of the utilities were available to help her because they were all on our street cutting down trees...  

I don't think I'll be able to walk next week, it's Larry Hoffman Weekend at TOS. But the next perhaps. Sophia will be home but she'll probably have left by late Sunday morning. Oh, I must tell you about Sophia's good luck. Her friend won a contest to see One Direction (a cute boy-band from England if you don't know) at Madison Square Garden next month. She's allowed to bring a friend....guess who she picked?!! My girl, that's right :) So you see, dreams can come true!

Happy Thanksgiving!
Love, Ellen


;)  

There I was, taking a nice long soak.....

...as I often do on weekend mornings, when I suddenly remembered that Louise would be ringing my bell at 10:00 for our walk. I lose all track of time in the tub (some of you may recall where I dreamed up the whole idea of this near-weekly walk) and for all I knew it could be 9:59 at that very moment. I leaped up and out of the tub in a single bound, now in clear view of the Kokopelli clock and....phew, only 9:40. Twenty minutes later, complete with mascara and the wet-look still a reality, I answered the doorbell and off we went.

Diane & Louise at Jamaica Pond by the Boat House

Across from Jamaica Pond

A little cooler than I expected—or was willing to believe on this gorgeous fall morning, it was too late to go back and change out of my capris and sandals. At least I wore ankle socks with my sandals, Israeli style. We caught up with Diane by the Brook House and chose a different route than usual: we took the walking path along Pond St. and Leverett Pond. Louise was excited because she'd never been this way. We made our way to Jamaica Pond and walked all the way around, 1.5 miles. Hard to believe we were still in the city. Only the guardrail along the road gives it away.

And how about that beautiful foliage? It's the only thing that keeps me from disliking fall—and the gorgeous climate, of course, doesn't hurt. The only thing that makes me want to dislike fall is winter being right around the corner. My friend Janice told me I should take up snowboarding, then I'd love winter. She's probably right. And a new set of clothes always helps :)

We talked about so many things, we covered the "gamut" from our children (only briefly, can you believe?!), to geese and their aggressive and abundant ways, to whooping cough and shingles vaccines, to living in warmer climes some day, to bird watching, to dogs and their personalities (namely Diane's sweet dogs), to floods, and to rugelach—which Diane and I baked yesterday with the Sisterhood. Yummm! 

Enjoy your week,
Ellen



;)

Trekker Reunion

Lynn and Louise joined me this morning after several weeks of missing them. Lynn had visited Romania! Wow! And Louise had a brunch, an anniversary celebration with her hubby, as well as a few other things that outweighed a fun healthy walk with friends ;)   (I know, there is life outside of Parker Hill Ave.)

We laughed so much that we paid no attention whatsoever to the route. Which was fine, after all that's what it's all about. So needless to say, I shot no photographs. 

But first catch-up subject was my new tattoo and here's a photo of that. (It's on my inner arm, an inch or two below my elbow.) We spent a family afternoon at the tattoo parlor!* Sophia, Advah and I got matching tattoos and Howard watched. The printing says 'fly' in Hebrew, or more literally 'flutter.' 

Then we moved on to Lynn's trip to Bucharest. She said everyone was young, had long straight hair, and was white. Interesting. Apparently it's a college town which explains the youth. The lack of curls and color we can only guess at....but everyone was very nice and friendly.

Next we exchanged stories about all our college-aged children and there we stayed for nearly the rest of the walk. Our kids' new-found independence sure keeps us laughing. Their love and appreciation of us is there, mixed in with "Thank you! You can go now." Then there's baby Hannah's mom who's a bit cryptic about her family's future....which apparently involves all of them coming to live with Lynn! 

We finished with a mandatory chat about politics and the upcoming elections and a lot of laughing happened here too. Details to follow in 6 weeks.....

Have a great week all, Ellen

*Shout out to Catherine Johnson of Regenerist Tattoos in Allston, MA--Thanks!

;)

OMG, I forgot to write yesterday!

Harriet and Diane and I walked yesterday morning and I forgot to add an entry. I even have photos. We stepped outside and were met by a bikers parade!

At first we were a bit frightened because there must have been 50 or 60 police officers on motorcycles. We thought they were chasing someone! But they were followed or accompanied by another 40 or 50 civilian riders!  It was an amazing site, right there on Aspinwall Avenue, blocking our way. They went on and on. These photos don't do the experience justice. 

But wow.  

And today is Rosh Hashana. Services were lovely; Howard and I sat on the bimah and found this unusual perspective such an enriching experience. 

In the afternoon we joined many congregants and friends at Muddy River for Taschlich. The weather was gorgeous and we sang and prayed and tossed our sins into the river. It was like mannah from heaven for the ducks and geese: we threw sins, they received bread. It was miracle! 

I wish you all and your families a wealth of health and sweetness for the new year ahead. 



;)

Welcome Back Diane and Hilda!!!

It was so great to see you two! It was also nice that somehow all four of us managed to walk and talk together rather than in two pairs. Which is also nice. Diane and Louise hadn't met yet. Big day! It was beautiful, a little warmer than expected but with a nice breeze.

Steve and friend

We ran into Steve the stuffed pigeon, or rather a Rock Dove. I learned that on his riding buddy's blog PigeonRide.com. In this picture Steve looks plastic but he's real, or at least he was real once. Feathers and all! Any of my friends (read: contemporaries) beware if you visit Steve's buddy's blog. My guess is he's Advah's age and four-letter words abound. I know I sound like a mother, what can I say?!
 

And here on my right is a lovely church to which this photo does not do justice. We can't see the stained glass colors above the doors. Hilda used to live in this neighborhood. She was awed by how much it has changed since then. 

 
Then Diane regaled us with stories about the actor Edouardo Ballerini. Not bad..... :)


Recommended by his mother....it doesn't get better than that.

We didn't even discuss college too much. But I must say I'm excited that Sophia will be home in a few days!! And next week we get tattoos! I'll include a photo next time.

~Ellen



;)

Clearly we Needed a Longer Walk Today

My die-hard walking buddies showed up at 9:30 on yet another hot Sunday morning in New England. We took a short route today, then stood in a shady spot for another 15 minutes talking. Hence, the title. Lynn is off to Nantucket later and Louise is going to an air-conditioned movie theater (not sure she's watching a movie but it will be cool!) And I'm sitting at my computer. I seem to live here. It centers me. If anyone else sits in this chair I start to shake....really!

Crane

I figured something out about the blog-world today. We wondered why followers weren't getting email notifications each time I posted. Apparently I needed to make a list of email addresses to whom notifications would be sent, unrelated to followers -- of which I have TWO! Which makes me wonder what the point is to being a follower... but enough wondering. So I made a list of 10 people--that's the limit--from the Hill Trekkers group. And some of you lucky few have now received a notification! I guessed at who would or wouldn't want one and might've gotten it wrong. So PLEASE let me know if you don't want one. Personally, not sure I'd want one! Or if you didn't get one and do want it, let me know -- I can always take Howard off the list, he's close enough to yell across the room.

Egret

On to more interesting things....I guess you're wondering what the blue origami crane is doing up there. Or not. Well, we saw a tall, sleek bird at Muddy River this morning. I thought it was an Egret because, well, that's the only tall sleek bird I know! Lynn said it was a Crane. (I'd forgotten about those.) Last time I tried to photograph the fella he ran off so I didn't even try today. I searched Google images for cranes and couldn't find any that looked like ours but their necks seemed too curvy. Lynn, Louise, what do you think, except for the color, is this what we saw today? I think even this neck is too curvy. I just Googled "tall sleek bird" and here are some examples of what I found:


        
I think it may be time to take my leave now!! 
Have a great week,
Ellen






;)

How do we get home from here???

Yes, I got lost. It happens. This is a confusing city, the streets were built on cow paths. What do those cows know anyway?

I think we did more walking at yard sales today than for exercise. We lost Larry on Wait Street when we spotted a Tag Sale. Sorry Larry. The other two "L"s (Louise and Lynn) and I are addicts. It was worth it though, I got a microwave for Advah for her new apartment! (She also needs a toaster oven, so if you hear of any leads, do let me know.) Larry, please forgive us for choosing a bargain over you, it was certainly not personal ;) Louise chose a lovely ceramic piece that had apparently been a gift given by the great-grandfather of the house to his sweetheart wife on Valentine's Day many years ago! Awwww. And what a nice family holding the sale. Thanks Rebecca and Colin and all the rest!  

Here's something we all learned about today: lemon cucumbers. Larry discovered them in Alabama recently. They apparently look like lemons on the outside and inside they are like cukes with a mild lemon taste. Have I got that right Larry? He's going to try to get us some seeds. Though there may be a reason we don't know about them up north, perhaps our climate isn't conducive to their growth. Gee, could it be the cold? We'll see. 

I'm going to sign off now. I was distracted by some heavy phone calls between the cow and now and it's just time for me to move on. I hope everyone enjoyed the cooler day!     
~Ellen                                                                             

;)

What a Beautiful Day!!

 We so need and deserve it!!  Granted it was warm in the sun but the shade was magnific!  The only problem for me was my aching back...  Louise was great though, she had no qualms about sitting on a shady bench for a good half hour instead of walking and getting more exercise.  What a sacrifice, what a pal :)   

Tough shot, building was bathed in light. Between camera
settings and Photoshop, came out half decent.

We sat in a lovely spot with a perfect view of the new building of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum.  Louise was full of info about the new building which I haven't been inside yet.  Then we were joined by a lovely older couple from the south shore waiting for the museum to open.  We were also joined by a gaggle or two of geese. At one point we realized we were totally surrounded!  They were coming from every direction, seemingly toward us but alas, they were just looking for their lunch in the grass.

We noticed that many of them were tagged and were wondering if anyone knows where that might have happened....here in Boston or up north somewhere?  One poor goose had a huge yellow tag around its neck.  It looked painful.  I don't remember the letters and numbers on it and my photo is blurry.


 
Anyone know how many geese in a gaggle.  There must've been 60 of them.

Okay, I just Gaggled it....I mean Googled it—hehehe! 

Apparently there's no specific number, it's just a flock or group over five. 

I better quit while I'm ahead.  See you all next week.
~Ellen


;) 

Man, it's hot....

Well, that's summer for you.  Last summer, if I recall, we didn't walk together at all.  I think I'd lost the spirit for a while after vacation.

Afraid I have no photos today. We got so wrapped up in conversation I totally forgot.  Joining me today were Lynn, Harriet, and Louise, back from vacation. I don't know what the two Ls talked about because I spent most of the time with Harriet talking about college, of course. Both our kids are going to BUs, one in MA and the other in NY. She pointed out that the first bills will be coming soon and YIKES! she's right.  Just checked the website. Better get moving on those loan applications.

Muddy River was our direction today, nice and shady, then back along the Riverway. Thanks to Lynn's trusty pedometer we walked 1 and 7/8 of a mile. Then I walked down the street to Lynn's house for some ice water and a little catch-up, and back home.  I figure I completed the second mile by then.  Now we're off to a BBQ at Ilene and Greg's to eat red meat and cancel out all the good I did!  So glad I walked, I rarely eat steak, this is a real treat. 

Gotta make a salad and get ready.  Since there were no photos, here are three from our weekend in NH for the 4th of July.  That's me and Betsy on rafts on the right. 

 Jealous?!



;)