boston, gratitude, whaling history

i flew up to boston from DC for thanksgiving ... spent a few days recovering on my parents' couch and seeing where my sister works - right on the boston waterfront/harbor, with a wonderful view of the city. oh boston. you are so beautiful.









as per usual, i failed to take pictures of family events and most of the day's cooking preparations and celebrations. we began the day with a 5k turkey trot, which momma and i walked and dad and hermana ran. my dad won his division! more pies for us! (photos courtesy of hermana)



[turkey trotters]


[winner and his pie]


this year, my mom had invited a group of international teachers to join us in this oh-so-american holiday, including from ghana, china, india, kenya, bangladesh, serbia, tanzania. we chatted about the holiday, its history and what it means, as well as learning about each guest's culture and life back home. as per-tradition, we circled the room, saying what we were thankful for. and we are all thankful for family and the love and support they offer. even when our lives, cultures, experiences, etc are so very, very different, our gratitude is for the same.

on friday we drove to new bedford, a charming little new england fishing town which was also the setting and inspiration for moby dick. i have not actually read moby dick, but recently read ahab's wife or the star-gazer by sena jeter naslund and in the heart of the sea: the tragedy of the whaleship essex by nathaniel philbrick (both highly recommended), both about whaling. new bedford was the most important whaling port and is full of that rich history. now it is a fishing city, a bit industrial, struggling, with a rich history. we visited a great visitor's center, had a picnic lunch (outside in november! amazing!) and admired restored older buildings, cobblestone streets, etc.





[seamen's bethel]


we wandered down to the harbor and fishing port. interestingly enough, it looked and felt like peñasco to me, with the boats, the smell. while simultaneously quite new england. i love harbors, the shapes of the boats, the shadows, ropes, rust.



[old boat (being restored] and new(er) fishing boats]








and finally we went across the bay to fairhaven, an equally cute town. has some fabulous architecture - a beautiful town hall, church, and library (BC-esque). We wandered along the beach, saw the best sunset i have seen on the east coast (sorry, west coast still wins there), and had dinner. it was a too-short visit, but next year, i hope to get up to boston more often since i'll be closer.



[fairhaven city hall]


[fairhaven library]


[family and the hurricane seawall]


[leaving to go fishing]