Long Weekend, Father's Day, Franklin Park

Well... My long weekend is coming to an end. Last week was one where I spent little to no time at work because Tuesday and Wednesday I was taking a course, and Thursday and Friday I had taken off. I was going to try to head to the ocean on Thursday, however the weather didn't cooperate. It was cloudy when I woke up around 9:00 am, so i decided to sleep in another couple of hours. The day was spent primarily conducting errands. I burnt some cds for family, and a couple, per request for John. I visited John Thursday night, and John, Michelle, and I went to Rosie's for a few drinks. I spent the night in Portland and awoke to the sound of a pile-driver building some low-rises in the Bayside area where Michelle & John's apartment is. On Friday and John introduced me to a small lunch time favorite for downtown employees called Henry the VIII's. They specialize in roast beef sandwiches, in fact, it may be the only main course on their menu. I had one called "The Tower of London" which was comprised of roast beef (of course) chopped rather than sliced, with Russian dressing, and coleslaw. We ate outside and watched the lunchtime bustle. This included Sea Dog's baseball players signing autographs, mothers with strollers, preoccupied business-folk, and an overweight middle aged man with a guitar who was playing "Hey you" by Pink Floyd.... until he lost his pick inside the guitar and danced around with guitar above his head as he peered into the sound hole. I wasn't sure which was more entertaining... some 50 year old guy playing Pink Floyd while wearing a Red Sox jersey and hat, or watching his frustration unfold after he messed up. In addition to this there were vendors giving out free samples of flavored water. John pointed out a homeless guy that was going around collecting the water, and then dumping it out so he could collect the return money on the bottles.

After leaving Portland I went up to Sabattus, which was a very nice half hour drive up to Freeport, and then through Lisbon Falls. The weather was gorgeous, flowers were blooming, and a breeze caused the leaves of the trees to shimmer in the pre-summer sun. I was high on the colors, the smells and the feel of this world overflowing with the nostalgia of my youth, and the crisp explosion of the moment.

When I arrived in Sabattus my Mother had only recently walked into the house from work. We both took some time to get ready, and eventually headed to South Portland to shop for a suit for myself. I had asked my Mother along previously as I wanted a second opinion and I knew she would enjoy the time together. It didn't take me long to pick out a charcoal gray suit which would work well for multiple occasions. As I have two wedding to attend this summer I'll definitely find some immediate use for it.

When my purchase was complete I stowed the suit in the car and we headed back inside the Maine Mall and wandered around a bit. After I picked up a Father's Day card and Mom had done some shopping for jeans, we got a quick bite to eat at the Ginger Pad. I ordered up some Asian lettuce-wraps and chicken fried rice which we shared.

Following this we returned back to the Lewiston & Auburn area and visited with my Aunt Virginia. Aunt Gigi (as I and my cousins call her) has been diagnosed with uterine cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. It was discovered a couple months back with a tumor that was removed. Her first chemotherapy treatment was this past week, and so far she seems to be handling it fairly well. It has undoubtedly been stressful mentally for her, but I believe this is to be expected.

Aunt Gigi was very close to me growing up. I didn't have a living grandmother, and my father worked a lot of hours when I was a child (12+ hour days, week days & weekends since he was a golf-pro). Where my nuclear family lacked in these elements, Aunt Gigi more than filled the void. Understandably I've been concerned, and it is good to see her doing her best to take on the challenge with the help of all of us who love her.

For Father's Day (which I celebrated Saturday) I took Mom and Dad out for lunch at Lonestar steakhouse. We all had various steaks which were quite kind to the palate. After eating we visited with Aunt Gigi again before I headed back to Melrose.

I met Kate at my apartment at 7:00 pm and we headed to Wakefield for some Sicilian Pizza which I must admit was some of the best pizza I've had in the area. I definitely will be a return customer of the shop. The woman working the counter was beaming as we ate because she knew we were enamored with her family's culinary masterpiece.

After the pizza we walked down the street to "Cravings" which has fast become a favorite Ice Cream Parlor after "Christine's" in Inman Square. It has an old fashioned soda-jerk atmosphere complete with ornate tin ceilings, a bar with benches, varnished old fashioned booths, and tons of penny candy and desert delights. When you walk in the air is sweet with sucrose. The bright white and pastels of the decor just send you into giddy anticipation of the dairy delicacies in which you are about to indulge.

Kate and I ordered a hot fudge sundae with Dutch Chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, and chocolate candies covered in those little tiny sugar pellets for a topping (think of candy put out in dishes for the holidays).

On Sunday Kate and I headed to Franklin Park to the zoo. Kate had managed to score two free passes that people were handing out on the street. So around 11:00 am we took the Orange line from one end to the other to Forest Hills. From there we followed the traffic signs towards the zoo and walked along the street by ball fields, picnic areas, and a golf course. Finally we made it to the zoo after a bit of a hike, Kate was speed walking, and I was having a tough time keeping up with my Birkenstocks on.

After seeing the first couple of exhibits we weren't particularly impressed with the zoo. We saw an indoor bird exhibit, and then an outdoor cage for the Andean Condor, where in theory it was supposed to be able to fly (in theory). The volunteer manning the condor exhibit wasn't very articulate. I'm assuming she may have been new to the exhibit. For example she said that none of the animals were taken from "captivity"... Kate repeated "Captivity?" and I said "You mean the wild right?". She volunteered information however, and definitely made a concerted effort to engage those who came by, so I have to give her credit. If she continued to do that all day, I'm sure she'll get more polished.

We stopped and got a snack at the park "grill". The offerings weren't very impressive. I ordered what was advertised as a "Fenway Frank" and I was given a tiny run off the mill Oscar Meyer hot dog with a squashed over steamed bun. The diet coke that accompanied it did however provide me with much needed refreshment. Following a half-hour veg-out session on a picnic table we continued onto the Butterfly Exhibit. This particular exhibit just opened this weekend, and allows vistors to walk in a large enclosed netted tent where butterflies are hatched from their pupa and allowed to fly amongst the visitors. The zoo's attractions improved from here on out, and it actually turned out to be a very nice day. The best exhibits may have been the gorillas (we saw 6 by my count), and a large indoor exhibit housing different birds, primates, fish, and reptiles. It is kind of a shame the zoo is located on the out-skirts of the city, as I'm sure increased proximity to downtown would really improve the visitation. I can't help but feel it could be managed a little better, and promoted better. I felt it was a relatively nice zoo but that it has the potential to be a lot more than it is.

The rest of my evening was spent hanging out with Kate in Boston and Brookline until 7:30 when I trekked back to Melrose.

I stopped into see Jason who had blown a fuse in his apartment minutes prior to me knocking on his door. Apparently Jason had too many electronic appliances running at once in his room (I'll try and contain my "shock and awe").

Anyway.... Monday is looming, and I need to go to bed. I don't want to... but I need to, so conclude, I will.