Boston Light

At the entrance to Boston Harbor is Boston Light. It's the oldest lighthouse location in North America. It would also be the oldest lighthouse if the British hadn't blown it up on their way back to England in 1776!

I've flown over Boston Light many times and I've cruised by it on boats, but I've never been on the island to check it out up close.

Today, Polly and I took the Hurricane, a Coast Guard boat, over to Little Brewster Island for a guided tour. I had gotten the tour at an auction for the Boston Harbor Society.

What a great day for a boat ride! Winds were light, the sky was blue, and the temperature out on the sea was about 70. We got to explore the island for about half an hour, checking out some tide pools, the boathouse, the cistern, the generator. Then we climbed to the top of the lighthouse to the signal room- what a view! It's amazing how great of shape the lighthouse is in. A lot of people must work a lot of hours keeping everything so clean and in working order.

A Day in Jamaica Plain

Today was a beautiful September day in Boston, so we took a drive out to Jamaica Plain (JP). We wanted to go to the Arnold Arboretum, but, of course, we got a little "turned around" on the way and almost went to the Zoo. But we missed the turn for the Zoo and just kept going. Then we saw a pretty cemetery and drove in to check it out. It turned out it was the Forest Hills cemetery, a grand old cemetery dating back to the early 1600's. We read a poem from a book of poetry left near ee cummings' grave.

The Forest Hills Trust

The Taylor House - Jamaica Plain
www.karling.net

NFL Season Kicks Off in New England

Finally! NFL Kickoff starts tonight at Foxboro Stadium. Mark and Sue Scroggins' daughter Erin is in the pre-game show. She will be holding a banner in front of Michelle Branch. The Patriots are playing the Raiders (can't remember if they are from Oakland or LA this year!) Polly is going the unpopular route of rooting against the Patriots. This is because, in her words, "The Patriots are always winning everything and should stop."

I like a lot of NFL teams, but the Raiders aren't one of them. Go Pats!

My NFL teams:
Patriots- I live in Boston
Packers- I've lived in Wisconsin
Giants - I've lived in NY
Buffalo- "
Kansas City- Polly was born there and my sister Linda lived there for awhile
Titans - Yeah, I'm from Tennessee!
Jets? - Sorry, I don't think I'm up for the challenge!

Getting back on the Road!

This is my 'Vette!
1979 Chevrolet Corvette
L-48 5.7 litre V8 w/ 195bhp (stock)
TurboHydromatic 350
T-tops and Canvas top
Delco AM/FM w/ 8-Track Stereo

I haven't had it on the road in over 3 years, so I'm looking forward to doin' some cruisin'! When I was in high school, I always dreamed about one day owning a Datsun 280Z. These days, the 240Z is probably the car to collect, since it was the original Z: manual windows and locks, hard seats, cramped cockpit...a real sports car. The Corvette has always been a slightly cushy sports car with lots of power gizmos, leather seats, A/C, good sound system. I just love the curvy shape of those 70's Vettes!

Movies to See

I liked the movie Sideways . I don't think I've ever seen Paul Giamatti in a movie before, but this part seems perfect for him. Thomas Hayden Church, the goofball mechanic from the TV series Wings, loses the overalls but keeps that same accent. What IS that accent?

I want to see Napoleon Dynamite , it's supposed to be a hoot!

Furniture Shopping

Taking advantage of the rainy weather, we did some furniture shopping this weekend. Boston has lots of places to shop for furniture. In order of preference, here are the stores we visited:

Boston Interiors
Jordan's Furniture
Macy's
Filene's
Bernie & Phyl's
Bob's Furniture

We bought a Bauhaus sofa and chair from Macy's, as well as a suede leather "tub chair". They will be nice additions to the Karling family of fine furniture "galleries".

Rain Rain Rain (!)

The weekend came
and it rained. A
Nor'Easter no less.
Spring came in like a Lion
and left on a raft.

TV Shows

Have you ever flown Southwest Airlines? You might think twice about it once you watch Airline on A&E Channel! Based on watching a couple of seasons, here are the Top 5 reasons to be denied boarding on Southwest Airlines:
#1. Show up at the gate 15 minutes after your plane leaves
#2. You're drunk and wearing a skirt with no underwear... and you're a man
#3. You travel with your pet skunk, and you need portable oxygen to live
#4. You arrive at the gate without ID, boarding pass, or credit cards
#5. You've never flown before and NO ONE told you where your gate is located!

Sound pathetic? It is. But so much fun to watch!

Showdog Mom's and Dad's on Bravo. I just watched this one and it's similar to Showbiz Mom's and Dad's, even produced by the same production company. If you liked the movie Best in Show, you will be naturally amused by this slice of reality.

Florida Trip

We went to Wekiva State Park for a picnic today. It's a great park centered around a large freshwater spring. Lots of people were swimming in and around the spring since the water is very cool as it comes from deep underground. We grilled out hotdogs and hamburgers with these fine guests: Lew and Dorothy Petzold, Roxanne, Alex, Lewk&Nancy, Shonda, Collan, Justin, Shelley&David, Cameron, Polly and me!

Boston Harbor Association

TBHA cleans and protects Boston Harbor. Last year alone, they collected 150 tons of debris from the harbor. Clean harbors mean safer boating, swimming, and fishing. On April 27, TBHA hosted their annual fundraiser at the Boston Harbor Hotel. There was a silent and live auction at the benefit and we scored BIG! Polly won the auction for a Boston waterfront walk with the City Planner, Rebecca Barnes. We also won a boat trip and tour of Boston Light, the beacon at the entrance of Boston Harbor, as well as an insider's trip and tour of the Newport, RI mansions! We ...and our MasterCard...rock!!!

Walking Along Wollaston Beach

What a nice day today! Highs were in the low 70's and tomorrow we should hit above 80! We walked the length of Wollaston Beach, from our condo to Furnace Brook and back. Wollaston Beach has a great view of the Boston skyline, as well as some peeks of open ocean. Wonderful smells of fried food wafted in from the beachfront clam shops and the cacophony of urban boom boxes mixed with the snarls of cruising cafe racers and choppers made everything feel just like...summer! By the way, what is the DEAL with horseshoe crabs? Every time you see one they are either freshly dead or on their last gasp. Millions and millions of years of evolution and there they lay on the edge of the beach, upside down, trying to flip themselves back over! Geez...

My wife Polly
www.karling.net

Last Friday was our 6 month Wedding Anniversary!

Time has flown since we got married! We are having a great time together. My HB is the best!

Spring is Here!

We hit 60 degrees today in Boston! Spring is here! Time to get the gardens going, so head on over to Miller Nurseries and White Flower Farm and get a head start on your neighbors!

The Blog Life: My New System

OK, I had a pretty good website that i made using image maps and photoshop. Took a while to build, but when it was done, I was very proud. Problem was, it took so much time and energy to create a website, there was now energy left to update it. Everyone got used to seeing the same old tired pages and stopped coming by to check things out.

But that's all changed now. I'm a blogger, and I can update my website easily and quickly...if I so choose!!!

Karlington

Karlington
what;s up???

Sunday's Addition of PollyWog's Blog

We're making meatloaf for dinner! I am an avid crockpot chef. Please forward me any of your favorite recipes you have for crockpot cooking. Thanks, Polly

One of my favorite pictures from our trip to Florence. This is near the gate of San Marco in the town of Siena. Mmmmm Italy!
www.karling.net

My wife, with her mentor, at a training camp near Tora Bora.
www.karling.net

The coolest thing since sliced hotdog buns...
www.karling.net

Rainy Weekend in Boston

It started raining on Friday night and hasn't let up until Sunday morning. I'm about to check today's weather at wunderground. If you haven't tried wunderground, you might like it. It's free, but if you pay them $5 a year, they will get rid of all ads for you. It's a lot easier to use and has no pop-ups like weather.com.