Tyler and I have just finished a fantastic week in Boston! He was in the city to work and teach a class on Javascript at the Bocoup Loft, and I was lucky enough to tag along. The mini break could not have come at a better time. After months of snow, ice, endless grey skies, and thick, squelching mud, we were eager for a break from home. This is what we said goodbye to:
Spending some time in a city was a welcome change from our current lifestyle. There was no mud, there were no shit or sink-water buckets to deal with, and the sun even came out! And oh, there were clean sheets! And hot running water! And fantastic food at every turn!
I spent most of the week working on my next book and doing research for our house build. When I wasn't busy with that, I was exploring the city. One day, I meandered through Chinatown, eating steamed pork dumplings and scallion pancakes in a restaurant where everyone else was speaking a language I didn't understand. This is a sensation I adore, and one that I don't think I've experienced since we were in Korea.
I visited the North End frequently, and had a cappuccino and tiramisu in a cafe that looked like it was plucked straight from the streets of Sorrento. I tried Flour Bakery (overrated), had the best risotto of my life at Antico Forno, and enjoyed my first oyster on the half-shell with our new friends, Kevin and Joy. We also paid a short visit to our friend Jesse, who gifted us a stack of homemade ginger molasses cookies. Thank you, Jesse!
While I love living on our land, spending a week in Boston reminded me how much I thrive on visiting new places and trying new things. Traveling seems to realign some compass within me; it always leaves me feeling rejuvenated and energized, especially when I get lots of time alone to think and people-watch. It also helps quench my annual springtime wanderlust, and makes me appreciate my life and home more.
Now that our week in Boston is over, we've headed to Rhode Island for part two of our spring break. Tomorrow begins a weeklong straw bale workshop put on by Andrew Morrison. It should be a fantastic learning experience, and then we'll head back to Vermont, eager to get started on our house. I hope that when we return, the ice will have melted from the house slab, and some green, living things will have burst forth in our absence. We're thinking Spring!