Thanksgiving 2012 - Part I

We were able to fly to Boston for Thanksgiving week. Fortunately, Esther had the entire week off from school. Angelyn and Brian and co. joined us for a few days, too. What a great break! Lots and lots of good food and good company are my favorite way to spend a vacation.

Trying to decide what to eat at Pizzeria Regina. Too many options!

Nathan peeking behind one of our yummy pizzas. This one was loaded! Onions, peppers, basil, meats, etc. Oh, it was fabulous!

The usual crowd at Mike's Pastry. Actually, it wasn't that bad that day. Usually it's far more crowded than this!

We didn't spend a ton of time in Boston. Just ate at Pizzeria Regina, got a cannoli at Mike's Pastry, and went to Mom and Dad's. But even a short walk around near The Old North Church on a chilly afternoon was heavenly!

For Esther, this was a much anticipated visit to Plimoth Plantation. She'd been learning about Pilgrims at school and was so excited to see history in action. Standing outside a "wee-two," a Wampanoag home.

Esther and Nathan trying out the not quite finished canoe.

Inside the "wee-two" listening to the guides discuss Wampanoag culture. We really had quite an interesting discussion with them.

Nathan and Esther were fascinated yet freaked out by all the roaming wildlife (aka chickens)!

Esther making a new friend. All the workers while at the Plantation live, work, and eat here. They also have the vocabulary and accents of the day and act as if they are living in 1627.

They cook their authentic meals over the fire. Many were making some sort of cream sausages that day that smelled fabulous.

We try to have an outing with Julie, Esther's fairy godmother, every time we go to Massachusetts. The kids adore her and Steven.

Mayflower II - a replica of the original. It was so small! I guess the Pilgrims and the livestock stayed on the same deck. Two women gave birth on board. And a couple little boys almost blew the ship up playing with fire on top of the gunpowder kegs. Sounds like it was quite the trip!

These two sailors were great. They knew their history! They were asking where we were from and they just could not wrap their minds around where Texas would be. The kicker was when we told them we used to live near Jamestown, Virginia. Without missing a beat, they both said, "So sorry to hear it." (If you remember, Jamestown was founded in 1607 and there was much starvation and death those first few years.)