Boston Wedding

     It appears that our running theme when traveling is to attend weddings.  No friends, we do not crash these weddings; we are legally (or properly) invited....AND we even RSPV.  On our Boston trip, we happened to be invited to the wedding of some dear friends who lived in Virginia when we did.  They are originally from Boston, sporting their Red Sox and Patriots gear, but we don't hold it against them.  Their wedding was beautiful, even if it did have to be moved indoors due to the rainy weather.  Congrats you two!!

We were a bit worried as to where this bus was taking us...Thankfully we ended up at the wedding.

The beautiful couple.

Looking dapper.

We clean up well.

A true lady's man.

And this dead sexy couple.

"Strutting" into their reception.

Mi amigos.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but was this first dance to the Backstreet Boys?  It's been too long to be sure.

Playing around with my camera when it literally lost its focus due to this hooligan.

So give me some chocolate.

Pdub lost his jacket, so he could bust a move better on the dance floor.

No worries.  Plates weren't shattered.

Part pyramid.

Ladies.

If I would've gotten their whole bodies, you'd see they were completing a serious kick line.

I entitle it: Holding 'em up.

This man didn't leave the dance floor.  We are talking Full-out. Hands down. Sweatiest man alive by the end.

Seeing them off!

High 5!

And one more...

And on to Camp Grossman.

A pinky-up kind of drink.

And they lived happily ever after....

JFK, Sam Adams, and a Tea Party

     Based on my title, you are probably wondering how in the world I scored a tea party with President John F. Kennedy and Revolutionary Samuel Adams.  Well, I feel that I must be completely honest with you; I didn't really share tea and crumpets with these two amigos.  I did, however, visit the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, throw fake tea cargo overboard a ship, and learn about hops and barley at the Samuel Adams Brewery tour, all of which took place in the fabulous city of Bah-ston (translation: Boston).

Here's the dirt:

     JFK was the United States' 35th president and sadly, his reign was abruptly ended by a man with a gun.  However, during his presidency, President Kennedy managed to initiate the race to space, called for new civil rights action during the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and prevented a nuclear war between Russia, Cuba and the U.S.  During his inauguration speech, Kennedy says one of my favorite quotes: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."  So stop being so selfish, and let's walk on the moon together, drink out of the same water fountains, and never smoke a Cuban cigar in the U.S. (legally).

Believe it or not, this is a selfie.  Wait, what justifies a selfie?  Selfie: A photograph that one has taken of oneself.  Well that pretty much defines this pic.  Glad we settled that.

A glass room overlooking the city of Boston.

YOU'RE A GRAND OLE FLAG!!!

*Fashion Victim* sighting near the campus of Ha-vahd (translation: Harvard).  I have the same outfit in pink.

     On the night of December 16, 1773, the Sons of Liberty boarded a cargo ship in the Boston Harbor and proceeded to destroy 342 chests of tea.  Fun fact: that many chests would make 24,000,000 cups of tea....kind of a big deal.  Another fun fact: the harbor water level at the time was extremely low, so some of the individuals had to stomp on the chests down in the water to ensure full destruction.  The reason for this big statement?  The British had just placed an import duty in the Tea Act.  Seeing this new tax as completely outlandish, the people retaliated; we don't need that tea!  The result: a revolutionary war and the making of a new country, our country, the United States.  Stand proud people, stand proud.
Thankfully, 300 years later, the businessmen of Boston decided to offer the tourists an adventure on a re-created cargo ship.  No worries, as a tourist and a woman of business (lies), I took this tour!  Stand proud!

We were the only ones without kids following us around....did we still have fun?  Foshizzle!

To disguise themselves, the revolutionaries placed feathers in the brims of their hats to make it appear they were Indians.  Blame it all on the Indians.

Game. Face.

HUZAAHHH!!

All work, no play.

And he scores!!!

On the deck of the cargo ship, exhausted from throwing those chests of tea overboard.  Time for drinks!

     Samuel Adams was a revolutionary; as a matter of fact, he was on that ship tossing tea crates into the harbor.  Although he had nothing to do with the actual Samuel Adams Brewing Company, the makers still chose his name to stamp on their beers.  Side note: they were one of the first craft breweries to start in the United States and have passed their recipes down for several generations.  Straight from their website: He chose that name because Samuel Adams was a Boston firebrand, a revolutionary thinker who fought for independence. Most importantly, Samuel Adams, was also a brewer who had inherited a brewing tradition from his father.  A beer-lover does not visit Boston without visiting this historical (at least for beer) place.

Samuel Adams: A revolutionary and a beer maker.  (He may not be aware of the latter).

Learning is fun!  Especially when it's about beer.

Here's a secret: The man sleeping has his wedding the very next day.

Juice glass.

Line 'em up!

Newport, RI

     Last summer, PDub and I took a trip to Boston and the surrounding area.  Being the slacker that I am, I left you in Salem, MA last time I wrote, but we did go elsewhere.  Our next stop was Newport, RI, home to gigantic summer mansions, yummy (maybe not for me) seafood, and gorgeous ocean views.  This place was comparable to the Hampton's in its time.  The Vanderbilt's among other wealthy families had summer homes here.

The Breakers, named after the sound of the ocean breaking on the coastline, was home to the Vanderbilt's during their summers.

My theory is.....the bigger the gate, the more welcoming.  Or not.  Have to block out those people who can jump really high.

Drumroll please.......the mansion.

A beautiful view from the second floor terrace.

That's me lurking in the dark (should've used a flash....amateur).

I typically walk around with 1990's headphones on.  It makes me look distinguished.

The mansion from the water.  Oooo lala.

And from the side....

After The Breakers tour, we headed for the well-aclaimed Cliff Walk, a 7 mile pathway that runs along the coastline and in front of other mansions.

Yes, it was a paved path.  Yes, there were guardrails.  BUT.....if you are stupid, then you are at a high risk of injury.  Use caution, stupid people.

Let's play a game.  Man-made or natural?

Now that's one pretty view!  (Cue construction-worker whistling)

This was probably the most dangerous part of the pathway, walking (or skipping) on large, flat stones.

After a heated debate between the one with 15-foot ceilings or 20-foot, we ended up purchasing the white one.  It came with the Rembrandt.

After our walk, we drove the 22-mile Ocean Dr.

This seemed like a nice place to sit and enjoy the view.

Spotlight on Sailing.

I let him dress himself that day.  Regrets?  Nah.

Blowin' in the breeze.

The perfect place to have a lemonade stand; we caved and bought one.  Totally worth it.

The Marble House.  Yet another mansion in Newport.  It is made completely out of marble.  My summer home (which is currently being built) will be made out of stones.  Not just any stones.....gemstones.  We are talking a sparkle fest!  Diamond walls, ruby doors, sapphire toilets, etc.

There is always a time to sleep.  We laid our heads down at this wonderful B&B.