Boston 2024

 

Boston

January 2024

 

We start our travels in the new year with several days in Boston, courtesy of the generosity of Marjorie’s sister Mary and hubbie Jeff. They treat us to a Marriott stay on their Vacation Club points. We’ve enjoyed similar outings with them here & Branson MO. A nice break. Been a pretty easy winter so far, not much snow. But Old Man Winter has been sending some reminders. Mary & Jeff are flying from KC where the NFL playoff game the previous night started at -4° with -27° windchill, the 3^rd coldest NFL game ever! [What's the coldest?: The "Ice Bowl" in Green Bay (vs. Dallas) 1967, -13 with -48 windchill!] Plus the game in Buffalo is postponed a day due to Winter Storm Heather bringing 2+ feet of snow. [And a shout-out to my brother Doug, whose Lions win their 1st playoff game in 32 years!] We have a brief but ferocious “squall” & whiteout conditions at home.

 

Monday, 1/15: “From Blood to Boston”

           A few things to take care of before driving to Boston. I'm off on what turns out to be an unusually long Red Cross delivery route, 7 hours, 270 miles: 4 hospitals from Kingston to Poughkeepsie to Putnam County, and then the small airfield at Walkill for "Air Methods" helicopter service. Some difficulty – the code I have doesn't open the door, no answers on phone #s I have -- but then a copter lands to "rescue" me. A pretty drive, sunny & brisk (teens to start), criss-crossing the Hudson, Catskill views, past imposing Fishkill prison and a favorite storefront outside Poughkeepsie that reads "ubreakifix." Marjorie finishes up some other things, we hit the road at 5pm. An easy drive until a GPS kerfuffle sends us headed back west! We correct things, get to the hotel about 9pm.