Entering the Blog World with Trepidation

Hello to those in Blog Land! This is Grandma Susan reporting from Fresno. The following is a report of our recent trip to the Boston Marathon. Pictured below is my husband of 6-1/2 months, Richard. Those who know me have read the epistle below already, but this is a test to see if I can join the information highway with aplomb.




My husband's daughter and her husband are teaching me how to do this!!!

April 14, 2008

Dear Kids, Sibs, Family and Friends,

We just returned from an awesome vacation in Boston and wanted to share it with you all.

We learned that we don’t want to take a “red-eye” flight ever again. Neither of us was able to sleep on the plane (unheard of for Richard).

Saturday, after a rest, we ventured onto the super subway system, called “The T” in Boston to go to the downtown Copley area where the Boston Marathon ends. We got a few pictures which I’m going to try to attach to this epistle. (I’m going to a class tonight to see if I can learn how to do it!) The architecture of the buildings is so interesting. What a charming city! One of the modern skyscrapers is made of all mirrored squares and it is fascinating to see all the historical buildings around reflected in it.

We went to the Exhibition Center with all the other 25,000 people interested in the marathon. I got 2 tee shirts and a sweatshirt! While there, Richard ran into one of his running partners, Meya. It was a fun reunion.

On our subway ride back to the motel we saw a lone missionary and spoke to him. He and his companion had helped a blind person onto the subway and the door closed before he could get on it. They were trying to meet up with each other. He was from Layton, Utah. We met his companion at church.

Sunday we went to church near Harvard across the street from Longfellow’s House. Juan Sobenes, another running friend of Richards, went with us. After Sacrament Meeting was over the visitors were asked to introduce themselves—there were about 35 of us mostly there for the marathon. We met a girl there from Clovis, Mary Webster. She went back there for graduate school in music and loved it so much she stayed.

More sight seeing. The Freedom Walk prompted our patriotic feelings of the small “great” beginnings of our country. Quincy Market was so fun and we went twice in order to see it all. The street entertainment was just that, and so many shops! Boston Commons is the first public park in America and is awesome. It was fun to “people watch” also. We had more interesting subway adventures. I was so impressed with Richard’s extensive knowledge of how to get around and which color line we were to take—the green line, the red line, the orange line, and/or the blue line. Sometimes we took all colors of lines! Each day we came home exhausted.

Monday we watched the marathon on TV until we knew people would be crossing the finish line. Then, we went downtown with the 30,000+ other on-lookers. It was so exciting! We talked to many who ran and each story was fascinating. Of course I told everyone Richard ran it 17 times! We could tell the “runners” on the subway or just walking downtown or on tours—they were limping! It was SO FUN!

Tuesday we went on a “Duck Tour” which was on a U-Boat-type vehicle from WWII. On land it was a truck and in the water it was a boat. Really a great tour and we enjoyed it so much and saw all the things we hadn’t seen before.

We also went to the Mary Baker Eddy Christian Science headquarters. There were many interesting buildings, but the one we liked best was the “Globerian.” It is a huge globe of the world made of stained glass panels and you get to be inside of it--really fascinating.

There is a Mall in downtown Boston in the Prudential Building that is the Mother of All Malls! So fancy and humongous!

We did experience jet lag—adjusting to the time difference when we got home. We completely missed having a Thursday! One night after we got home I was saying our nightly prayers and usually after we finish praying we kiss. I said Amen and turned my head to receive/give a kiss and he was completely asleep! Wish I’d had the presence of mind to take a picture. I asked him the other day if he and Gaynor had always planned to have a big family. He said, “No, it was because she was hard of hearing.” “Hard of hearing?” said I. “Yes, I’d say do you want to sleep or what?” and she’d say, “What?” He keeps me laughing all the time!!!

Today Richard bought me a new 2008 Honda Accord inasmuch as he gave my “Engagement Car” to his daughter Heidi before we left on our trip. I’m thrilled for her and think it’s so neat that he’s able to do this for her. I can hardly process/comprehend how I feel! It is a beautiful white with tan/brown interior. Very, very nice.

Hoping the length of this epistle hasn’t discouraged any to stop reading it; I apologize and send my love to all.

Love, Susan and Richard