Have a beautiful Easter……

The beautiful season of spring has arrived in Georgia and with it comes the pansy, the peach and cherry blossom, iris, the daffodils, tulips and the hydrangea.  Winter has been cold and in many parts of America snow has thickly blanketed the landscape for many months on end.  For me, after the bitter blast of winter, spring signals the country survived the arctic blast……but perhaps only just this year.

I love this time of year in Georgia.  After months of cold and damp it is almost as though the whole world is coming back to life.   The birds, squirrels and chipmunks (yes, I have managed to attract the shy and elusive little chipmunks into my garden) are returning,  the birds are nesting (a beautiful red breasted robin has built a nest under the eave of the porch) and the bulbs I planted one spring ago are showing themselves in full splendor.  Dandelions have sprung up everywhere in the lawn too but for some reason I don’t mind them.  I like the shot of color they give my still frost burnt brown lawn.

The days are longer now, it is light and bright and warm and the appearance of sunshine seems to have made people a little happier.  Oh, and my shoes are off which is absolute bliss!

The last three days have been very happily spend outdoors in the garden.  I have been pruning, weeding, deadheading, digging, planting and mulching.  And quite frankly, nothing has made me happier.

Sweet but shy little chipmunk……

Peach blossom…..

 

As Autumn begins in Australia, I will be enjoying lovely spring in the south because as Winnie the Pooh said, “Sometimes the smallest things take up the most space in your heart”….  xx

What an incredibly beautiful day.   I was very privileged to receive an invitation  to attend a ‘Brit Milah’ Ceremony at the Jewish Synagogue in Macon Georgia.

The ‘Brit Milah’ is a Jewish religious male circumcision ceremony performed by the Mohel on the eighth day after the child’s birth.  The baby’s name is also revealed to the world at the end of the ceremony and he was named Etan –  which in English is Ethan.

What made Etan’s  birth even more special is that he was born on the day the Jewish faith celebrate ‘Purim’, a holiday of miracle and joy.   The ceremony was extremely beautiful and very moving and once concluded it was followed by a festive meal.

I completely understand and respect this isn’t for everyone.  Opinions, beliefs and attitudes are varied on this very sacred tradition.   I for one however, found the entire ceremony beautifully fascinating.  It is steeped in observances and from beginning to end I was captivated.

I am honored and very humbled to have been asked to attend.  I am certainly feeling blessed xx

Poor ‘Champ’.  Grand Champion Steer at the Fort Worth Steer Show in 1960.  Met with rather an undignified end by being mounted on the wall at the Cattlemen’s Steak House in Fort Worth Texas!  One day a winner the next………….

And also while in Texas we happened upon something quite extraordinary.  Huge flocks of birds.  More to the point…..huge flocks of birds everywhere!!

The birds in question are Grackles.  Grackles are a migratory bird who leave Canada and North America during the cold and head south for a warmer sunnier winter.  Given there have been massive snow and ice storms and below freezing temperatures up north who can blame them.  Their numbers are huge and it is fascinating to see them however I can understand how their presence annoys the local folk of the towns and cities these birds inhabit as their numbers do leave quite a ‘mess’!!  These birds are also protected by a law called the ‘Migratory Bird Treaty Act’, so once in your town there is little to be done to fend them off.

Very ‘Hitchcock’ like!!

Aaaaaand……..back to Texas ‘la tercera parte’ (part three).

Random photographs from the Texas trip……….

Good bye big beautiful Texas………xx

Fenway Ballpark:  a place to ponder the mysterious Red Sox fan and one of Americas best loved ballparks.  The park is over 100 years old and there was nothing more enjoyable on a cold winters day than to be skulking around this sacred turf with a guide who had one of the best Boston accents I have ever heard.  During this tour you get to sit in the oldest seats in all of major league baseball, sit in the press box, hear great stories and they encourage you to take literally a gazillion photos.  This year-round tour is a must if you ever find yourself in Boston…..and you don’t even have to be Red Sox fan to enjoy it.

Bleacher Bar:  So named because this bar is located right under centerfield wall which happens to be right under the bleachers. This is a great little bar and a definite must stop on the way from sight seeing Fenway.

The New England Holocaust Memorial Boston: A very beautiful and thought provoking memorial along the Freedom Trail of Boston.  The memorial has six illuminated glass towers symbolically etched with six million numbers representing the six million Jews killed in the holocaust.  It is a walk-through memorial where the inner walls are inscribed with quotes from survivors of each camp. Steam rises up from between the grates of the dark floor where tiny lights twinkle.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market:  Right in the heart of downtown Boston Quincy Market is a treasure trove of food stalls, restaurants and shops.  I also like to think Quincy Market is named after one of my favorite actors Jack Klugman.  Steve did not find my history lesson on the naming of the hall credible however he was not, by his own admission, a fan of ‘The Odd Couple’ or ‘Quincy’!  Faneuil Hall, constructed in 1742, also holds small market like shops and a museum and armory of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.

Freedom Trail:  this is one of the best introductions to Boston’s fascinating history.  Follow the red brick path that winds through Boston for 2.5 miles past sites such as the Boston Massacre, Boston Common, Old North Church and Paul Reveres House.

Cannoli’s:  I do love a little decadence served in a little white box tied with string……these are a few of my favorite things.  Boston’s bakeries, especially true of those in the North End, are know for their long lines and cannoli!  After eating some pretty serious food in Boston you may not think it is humanly possible to squeeze a cannoli (okay three) in.  For this one act alone however, you will be richly rewarded.

More random photographs of Boston….

 The frozen ‘Charles River’ in Boston….see, I told you it was cold!!  Does frost bite build character??

Beautiful Boston.  Located on the northeast Atlantic coast on Massachusetts Bay, Boston is one of the oldest cities in the US.  Walk the cobblestone lanes and you will find beautiful neighborhoods, colonial architecture , wonderful restaurants and a rich and fascinating history.

This is the city of:  The Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere’s midnight ride, Cheers, cannoli’s, markets, amazing seafood, the Freedom Trail, great micro-breweries and Sam Adams beer, lobster rolls, the Red Sox, Fenway Ballpark, clam chowder, Harvard, lobster bisque,  infamously confusing streets, swan boats, Dunkin Donuts and Boston Cream Pies.  Boston is not however, known for the Boston Bun (which is a natty little Australian invention).

Boston has a bit of a familiar feel to it.  I’m not sure, but perhaps that familiarity came from watching years of Cheers.

We visited Boston over the past long weekend and it was COLD!!  Bitterly, icy cold.  It had snowed prior to our arrival so there was frost, ice and slippery conditions afoot and the bay was frozen!!  I don’t think I have ever been so cold in all of my life however the experience of  being in this uber wonderful city, which smells of oysters and fresh lemons, more than made up for it.  It would also be safe to say that if you don’t like seafood, especially oysters or really anything that comes in a shell, then Boston perhaps may not be the place for you.  Boston is chock full of oyster houses and seafood restaurants.  We had some wonderful meals in Boston and my top three, from the many we dined at, I will very happily recommend.  In no particular order:

‘Yankee Lobster Eatery’.   A fab but non-flashy little place located at 300 Northern Avenue.  Boston is famous for their lobster rolls so be prepared to eat the best one right here.  Their fish and chips and fish stew were also excellent.

  ‘Walrus & Carpenter Oyster Bar’ – located right in the heart of Boston at Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  If you are lucky enough, grab a seat at their little bar.  Chow down on some of the best clam chowder, the freshest oysters and do also try the littlenecks (clams) steamed in Saki!!  Delish!!  Local beer also on tap.

Another excellent place, referred to us by a Canadian friend, is ‘Legal Seafoods’.   Overlooking the beautiful bay, this is a great place to sit, indulge in a cocktail and enjoy great seafood.

Ipswich Oysters!!!  Perhaps not from Queensland though……

‘Union Oyster House’ – the oldest restaurant in continual use and service in  America and established in 1826

It is easy to see why Boston has over 12 million visitors annually to its shores.  It is a beautiful city.   The stunning modern architecture has been beautifully mixed with older buildings, most constructed over a period of almost three centuries.  Blend that with the incredible history of the area and Boston makes for the perfect travel destination.

Boston you had me at lobster roll xx

Part II to follow………..