For the 4th we made our way to Independence Hall to watch the reading of the Declaration of Independence. While that was going on someone in a high rise apartment started mooning the crowd from high above. Then at night we enjoyed fireworks along the Charles river in Boston. It was crowded and hot and the fireworks were numerous and bright and explosive…I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a more patriotic Fourth of July in my life. It was a fantastic experience. George’s cousin Ya Ya also made our Boston visit that much more sweeter by arranging a floral arrangement in our hotel room when we arrived…and she guided us around on the 4th and took us to great places to eat. It’s always nice to have someone more familiar with a city show you around…and we’ve been fortunate because every time we’ve been in Boston we’ve had someone lovingly give us guidance.
Maybe it’s just me but each time I’ve been to Boston now it feels like a completely different city. The only way I can articulate the feeling is it’s as if I’m approaching the place from a different angle and I get disoriented and nothing feels familiar. It’s definitely just me.
The day after the 4th Team Dodge and Team Yu split up for the day. The Yu’s visited Harvard to inspired their youngins and we decided to take the train to Salem. Salem’s history is fascinating…however the main area of Salem is nothing but a campy tourist trap. It has all the potential to be more…but it’s not. For a moment I got very excited because a costumed town crier was shouting that a ‘Witch Trial” was about to happen. When we walked to where the trial was we realized that to watch the trial you had to pay 25 bucks. NOPE.
While visiting the oldest grave site in the town I saw what I think crystallized how Salem is…there was a tour being led by a guy with a sloppy-assed pony-tail and holding an iced cappuccino. He was a smug, smarmy guy who was heavy on the snark but light on the facts. “And you’ll notice the symbol of the pregnant woman with the sword…it just goes to show you…don’t mess with a pregnant woman…ammiright?” For all it’s history, I felt that Salem was very much like this tool…light on substance.
After we trained back to Boston we hit the Converse headquarters, got the girls some new kicks…and then reconnected with Team Yu for a sweaty outdoor dinner at some wannabe New Orleans Restaurant that had pretty good fried chicken but a watermelon salad that was light on watermelon and heavy on the frisée.
And then today we came home.
This vacation was a bit weird for Tiffany and me, I suppose. It’s almost as if it had a ticking clock on it in regards to Charlie. Last year when we thought about Charlie going off to college we still could imagine it romantically, because it was more of an idea and less of an upcoming reality. But now…this vacation isdone…we know where she’s going…and the real countdown begins…
It’s funny because on our end our thoughts are a salt bath of anxiety and sentiment. We want Charlie happy. We are excited for her new adventures. The fantastic people she’ll meet. The things she will learn. But we worry about her safety. We worry about her happiness. We worry about her decisions. We worry…well, about her in total. Does she understand that? No. She can’t. Not for a long while, at least.
But on Charlie’s end…she’s ready for the adventure. I can see it in her eyes. She’s ready to figure out who she is and what she’s about. Or at least she thinks she’s ready- that’s youth. I, frankly, have concluded that in truth you are never truly ready for anything.
I think with the notion of Charlie leaving for college hanging over us, along with the amazing heatwave the east coast had while we were there, topped off by my back problems…well this trip actually had an element of a war to it. We had a lot of fun, but endurance was required on many levels.
This vacation also made me realize that my weight has made me borderline handicapped. I wouldn’t have thrown out my back if I wasn’t such a fat ass. And I realized this from all the walking we did. I am hobbled and slow. Gravity feels heavier for me. I don’t fit in most chairs. I need a seat belt extender on the airplane. I can’t sit on the ground in picnic situations. My family’s constantly asking me if I’m okay. I guess I wheeze so much that I’ve gotten used to it because apparently I wheeze all the time and worry them. I can’t buy clothes in stores when I’m on vacation. I think I’ve reached a point where I can’t forget how fuckin’ fat I am. I can’t push it out of my mind. I need to quite literally take action. Because it is so inconvenient and dumb being this vulnerable and needy…and I for the first time I realized that I tainted my family’s vacation because of my own glut.
Oof.
I guess I’m going to have to deal with that, now.
But enough dragging our mood down! Let’s talk about upside! We have a kid who is going to NYU! Which means TONS more visits to the greatest city in the World! And I have no choice now but to exercise! AND I think the steamy heat of this trip has convinced the vacation planners that the next one’s gonna be a lazy stay somewhere tropical! And I love my career! And Chase is starting HIGH SCHOOL! See? We have plenty to keep us busy!