It isn't the place itself, but the people that make someplace special.  Boston is a pretty special place.  We have been having so much fun hanging out with a great group of friends here.  Hope, Deborah, and Zanell  all came up from the DC area to celebrate my birthday with us. Dave and Eileen, Cody and Dana, Amy and Duncan, Gaby and Jamie, and Jean all live in the area and have been such a treat to hang out with.  I went to high school in Rome 20+ years ago with Dave Delaney.  I am continuously amazed at how easy it is to stay in touch with this group of high school friends - from Italy, for crying out loud!  Jean is Francois' brother. We are so thrilled to count another Dunoyer among our group of friends!  Amy and Duncan and Gaby and Jamie we know through our friend Craig Homenko.  We met Craig through Jenny Pell, who I knew from Moscow in the early 80s.  Of course, I also met Hope through Jenny.  At any rate, it is mind boggling to think of all the connections that brought us together, but we had an outrageous time with them all. 

We are perfectly situated, right across the Charles River from the North End of Boston.  We haven't cooked on the boat since we got here.  Although we miss the girls terribly, we know they are having a blast with Gran and Gramps, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim, and of course, cousin Kayla, in Seattle and Bellingham. 

Joe and I have been exploring the city by foot and by trolley.  We found a great Italian Trattoria for a birthday dinner, within walking distance of the boat.  We all gathered at the marina in the afternoon and took off on foot for a 7:30 dinner reservation at Joe Tecce's.  Pizza, pasta, and a few bottles of wine later, we found ourselves back on Zia, cranking the tunes and dancing on the decks.  I got to be Queen for the day, with loyal subjects bowing to me on a regular basis (thank you, Hope!). 

Our spot at the marina is at the end of "G" dock, right next door to the USS Constitution. 

I know I already talked about the canon going off at sunset and 8am, but our party guests didn't quite believe us. The 8am canon shot was a bit of a rude awakening for them this morning!  We got to watch the sailors furl the sails on it the first morning we were here.  There must have been 15 of them up there, hanging on the boom, reaching down to gather the sail.  "Port side ready.....?Starboard side ready.....?  Heave!"  They would all haul up a section of sail, and then drape themselves over the boom again as far as they could to reach down and gather another section of sail.  Roller furling is so much easier!

We did get to do a little bit of exploring with the girls before they left.

We have another evening here in Boston and then are planning to take off on Monday to head north, weather permitting.  Although I still don't like the idea of all the fog and lobster pots, we are thinking Maine. 

We will keep you posted! 

Christy, Joe, Cassie, and Juliana

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