Weekend Activities

I had a weekend FULL of activities, with good friends and lovely (although summery) weather. Because of this, I have neglected my blog and therefore must make it up with an extremely long post full of photos :).

Activity #1 Kayaking in Essex Bay

I work in one of the most beautiful places on Earth and love to share it with others. Luckily Joe visited over a great weekend, with the weather in the mid-70s and a bright sun shining over us. We set off from the boat dock at Crane and paddled around Round Island, between Long Island and Choate Island, and then back to the boat dock. Then we relaxed on the beach (with swimsuits!) and had lunch.

Activity #2 Fried Clams in Essex

As you may know, I don't like seafood. But fried clams are such a North Shore/New England experience that I had to take Joe to the "inventor" of the fried clam, Woodman's. Now they weren't bad, but I really don't need to eat fried clams too many more times in my life. They mostly tasted like the fried batter but did have a weird chewy texture (I layered on the tartar sauce).

Activity #3 Boston Local Food Festival

I attended the BLFF last year and had a great time until I tried to get into the Craft Beer, Wine and Mead Tasting. Then the festival took a turn for the worse when the Tasting was chock full of people and half the vendors had run out of alcohol. So this year, in an act of proactive-ness, I bought tickets in advance and chose the mid-afternoon session. It worked! The event was much more pleasant, I got to try each vendor's offerings, and there was a decent amount of elbow room. I highly recommend the BLFF - it's super fun, there are a ton of different foods to try and booths to check out, and then you can attend the beer, wine and mead tasting!

Activity #4 Harpoon Octoberfest

Last year I really wanted to attend Harpoon's Octoberfest but for some reason I had to miss it. About two months ago I joined the Friend of Harpoon program with the hope that I would get a sweet deal for the supposedly awesome beer festival. In the end, I got VIP access to the event but no other discount. Sorta lame if you ask me (although if you go on Friday you do get half off). Anyway, it turns out Harpoon Octoberfest is just a clusterf&*# of young people who are all waiting in line to get a beer. They fill an entire parking lot with people and provide mostly just beer, with a few musical acts mixed in. At least I got a cup!

Here is the swag I received from BLFF and Octoberfest:

Activity #5 Davis Square Octoberfest, Harvard Square Octoberfest, and the Honk Festival

Of course there had to be more drinking so on Sunday we went to the Davis Square Octoberfest, then moved on to the Harvard Square Octoberfest and while there we overheard some bands participating in the Honk Festival. We had a beer at Charlie's Kitchen, then listened in to some of the fun (yet slightly smelly) bands who are parading around Cambridge and Somerville this weekend.

And finally...

Activity #6 Breakfast

To begin each morning we made a delicious breakfast complete with bacon, pumpkin pancakes (with peach and apple butters), eggs, mini cinnamon buns, hash browns, coffee, and juice. On Saturday we had a large group for yummy food and on Sunday a more intimate gathering of three.  Breakfast really made the weekend for me :).

Overall, what a fantastic three days full of fun and good friends. I loved seeing everyone and hope to have another great weekend soon!  For now, I have to take the week to recover!