Friday, May 30, 2008

Swan lake

Faye and I went on her class field trip to the swan boats in the Boston Public Garden. It was one of those days that makes me love living in Boston -- the Common, the Garden, even the T. Faye was happy because she didn't have to wear a life jacket (on the swan boat or the T).

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Iguana read you a story

Faye-Faye shares a book with Iggy, the class lizard.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Juxtaposition

East coast flowers: outside our front
door, Cambridge MA



West coast flowers: in the botanical garden, Dana Pt. CA

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Backyard royalty

On Memorial Day the backyard was full of princesses, including our good buddy Alex/Snow White.

In the garden with Gronnie



Let's hope Gronnie's green thumb wears off on Faye!

Friday, May 23, 2008

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Anna's apples

We stopped in a shop and Anna snapped this shot.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Farewell, CA

In front of the fountain on our last night in Dana Point. We're all smiles now, but at 3:30 am the next morning we'll wake the girls and begin the cross-country Odyssey back to Cambridge.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Hootie

Hootie and the Blowfish played a private concert for Metlife in the ballroom of the hotel. At first we were all, "Oh yeah, Hootie -- they have like one good tune." Then we went to the concert and we were all, "Man, those guys have like FIVE good tunes." But seriously, we had a blast and left with newfound respect for Hootie. Even if you're currently playing corporate gigs and the Cape Cod Melody Tent, it's very cool when an entire country knows your songs by heart (as evidenced by the raucous singing-along by the Metlife crowd.)

The female form


Monday, May 19, 2008

California girls

Waiting for the tram to take us through the golf course and down to the beach!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Pink

Someone got married at the hotel while we were there and they must like pink roses. These huge urns decorated the altar for the outdoor ceremony. And there were arrangements like these on all the tables at the reception. I can't imagine how many thousands of pink roses were used in all!

Is it real...

...or is it made out of Legos? We saw the NewYork skyline and the Eiffel Tower at Legoland in California!

The view from Monarch Beach


Saturday, May 17, 2008

Chicken with cactus


Taken in the Botanical Garden, St.Regis Monarch Bay, Dana Point, CA.

A pretty girl is like a melody


The stars are out tonight

Tonight's dinner had a Hollywood theme. There were stars everywhere, the plates were iridescent, the tables were lit from within, and the food was fantastic.


Legoland dyptich



Dichotomy.

Symmetry.

Duality.



Friday, May 16, 2008

White linen and hot dogs

Anna and Faye got a big kick out of ordering room service and eating while watching a movie!

Roar!


If you look closely, you can see Faye-Faye lurking just behind Anna's shoulder. Seconds after this picture was taken, Faye reached up and pulled Anna's hair and all hell broke loose. Thankfully, no pictures of the incident survived.

Royal treatment

I'm always amazed by the opulance and elegance of the events on the Metlife trips. For dinner on our first night, we walked out of the hotel and into a fairy-tale. Beautiful linens, flowers, candles, music and even a lemonade stand for the kids. And don't forget the backdrop of a made-to-order California sunset!

















Snoopy

Metlife's beloved mascot, Snoopy, was on hand to greet the gang in Dana Pt. Anna snuggled up, Faye kept her distance.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Dana Point, CA

Thanks to Daddy, we all attended the Metlife boondoggle in Dana Point, CA. Here are two views from our room.


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

My Mother's Day, al fresco

On Sunday, we visited neighbors who have a lovely backyard garden. Faye arrived fully clothed but soon disrobed and turned their bird bath into her personal sitz bath.

As for Anna, here's an excerpt from the hand-written Mother's Day card she gave me, "My mother (and father, of course) are the best parents in the world. One, because they made me born and if it was not for them I would not have been alive or anything like that. Second, they are always being nice to me and are always wasting money on stuff I don't need."

Monday, May 12, 2008

Walking home with Anna



Here are some pictures Anna and I took on the way home from school. Anna took the bottom photo of both of us. I took the top photo of Anna (just kidding, Anna).

Happy girl

A pirate's life for me!


Here's that scurvy dog Faye-Faye, playing pirates with her friend at school .

Sunday, May 11, 2008