Monday, March 23, 2009

Back Home Again

Arrived back home about midnight on Sunday. Here are some shots I got at the National Zoo...

The Prairie Dog was wondering if he would be paid for posing.


The Panda would not look at the camera!



The Lion was just chillin out.


The Tiger wondered if I had any food,


He got a drink and then kept looking ..



For something to eat...


More pictures...tomorrow!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Washington DC Photos



The Washington Monument above with the sun setting behind it was one of the last pictures I took on Friday. We really tried to get as much in as we could on what proved to be a beautiful day in D.C.



The Jefferson Memorial



The Capitol Building




The Museum Of Natural History




The Lincoln Memorial





The Korean War Memorial




The museum of American History, I think I look a little Presidential.



One thing I noticed when we started out on the National Mall was that it really could use some turf builder, that proposal to spend a couple million on some grass seed might not have been too far off the mark.


Did you notice , I still got some moves !!

Well, I'm tired and going to bed, if you click on the pictures and they are extremely large, I'm sorry..I don't have my usual editing program .

Friday, March 20, 2009

We Made it

Team Hideaway has made it to the Washington DC area!! Thanks to the wonders of portable GPS, we made it with little or no traffic, NYCwas the exception' but no worse than anything I've come up against in Boston.

Last night I delivered some Schmitts Chocolate Truffles to my cousin that lives down here and picked up a parking pass that we will use to park close to Washington's Metro System, their subway.

We then grabbed a late bite to eat for dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, a chain but not bad food, a couple beers and then went back to the hotel

Today we are headed to the National Mall where I will get some pictures to post. The Smithsonian Institute is right there to and I heard from someone that knows that it would take a person an average of 17 YEARS to read about everything on display or archived in any 1 of the 19 Museums they have !!

We will try to get in as much as we can !

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Road Trip: Boston to Washington DC

The Tom's Hideaway Team is setting off for Washington DC this morning.

Hopefully I'll be posting via a laptop some pictures from our nations capitol and surrounding areas over the next few days. I will also try to add reviews of places we stop for food and drinks.

Things I'd like eat when I get there:

Maryland Lump Crab, but that might not be in season (-:

Captain Crunch Waffles

Shrimp and Grits

A Hot Dog from DC's favorite Ben's Chili Bowl which has served up Hot Dogs for 50 years and now boasts that it is 100% wind powered, as long as their Hot Dogs haven't gone green I am sure I'll be satisfied!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day

An Irishmen had a bit too much to drink and was driving home from the pub when a policeman pulled him over...

"So" says the cop to the driver, "Where are you coming from?"

"Why, I've just come from the pub!" Slurs the driver.

"Well," the cop says, "Looks like you have had quite a few drinks."

"I did all right!!" the drunken irishman said with a smile.

"Did you know" The cop says; standing straight and crossing his arms across his chest, "that your wife fell out of the car a few blocks back."

"OH!, Than Heavens" says the drunk, "I thought I was goin deaf!!"


and another..

Six retired Irismen are playing poker in Jimmy O'Leary's apartment when Paddy Flanagan loses $500 in one hand, he stands, clutches his chest and then drops dead at the table. Showing respect for their fallen friend, the other five men continue playing standing up.

Michael O'Connor looks around and says, "Well boys someone is going to have to tell Paddy's wife. Who will it be??"

They drew straws and Billy Donnelly picked the short one. The men told him to be discreet.

"Discreet, I am the most discreet Irishman you will ever meet" "Just leave it to me, discretion is my middle name."

Donnelly goes over to Flanagan's house and knocks on the door and Mrs Flanagan answers and asks what he wants.

Donnelly tells her, "Paddy just lost $500 dollars in a poker game and is afraid to come home."

Mrs. Flanagan's face flushed red with anger and said " You tell him to drop dead!!"

"I'll go tell him." Donnelly said.




Saturday, March 14, 2009

Skateboard-Sailing Anyone??



It wasn't a dream, right there in the beach parking lot we drove by a guy with his skateboard sailing apparatus. I wasn't even surprised!!!

People don skis and a para-sail nowadays,



why not Skateboard-Sailing..and then there is .....



ZORBING, created in New Zealand, seems pretty original and not quite as deadly as some other extreme sports....


Unless you try and use your zorb another way like this...





And of course give someone an idea and some of the sports pictured the next video slide show, may actually become real sporting activities....



Extreme Moto Cross Jousting, why not ???

The guy with Skateboard Sail, seems pretty normal really.

Monday, March 09, 2009

Did I say Spring???

Yesterday it was in the air...



Blue Sky, even the grass was beginning to look green in places




Walking on the shoreline in T-Shirts...




Even Love was in the air.......


Then I woke this morning and looked out the back door....




More snow !!

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Spring coming !!


Breeds Pond - Lynn, Massachusetts

The lakes and ponds are melting. Spring arrives here on March 20th !!

The temperatures around here are rising and before you know it trees will be budding, the birds and the bees will be back!!


Screens will come down and windows will be opened...Fresh Air and Sunshine !!

I cannot wait.

My oldest son lives in San Diego where the sunshine and mild temps are pretty much year round and aside from an occasional wild fire, earthquake or mudslide it's a paradise!!

Here in New England we would not be surprised to see mild temps all through March and then be buried in a snowstorm in April.....It has happened !! (No Fooling on April 1st, 1997 a record 25 1/2' inches fell at Logan Airport in Boston)


Yeah, if you don't like the weather here, wait a minute, it will probably change.

I like the 4 seasons we get here.


I think there are times when every season throws it's worst at you.

Winter it's the frigid temps that are worse than the snow.

Spring we have had some flooding.

Summer it's not the heat, but the humidity that can really suck.

Autumn, well raking leaves can really get old fast.


But I love a good snowstorm and then right after we get buried, how the neighborhood kinda comes together, everyone helping each other dig out.

Spring, it's amazing, one day you notice buds coming out and the next it seems you are surrounded by a sea of green. Life everywhere.

Summer, the beach, a perfect blue sky, the smell of the Barbecue Grill and the taste of an Ice Cold Beer on a hot summer day...Awesome.

Autumn in New England, it's the colors, I mean people set there vacation plans around coming here to view the foliage, sorry guys I LIVE here..and I love it.

Sometimes life gets humdrum and boring, at least we in New England can count on the crazy weather here to change things up from time to time !