Get ready for photo overload. Seriously, you probably want to stop reading if you aren't a Mason.
In May my mom, dad and grandma came up for a week to visit Cedric and see Boston. Mom came up first and our trip pretty much included eating and shopping.
We also went to the aquarium, which was more successful than our last visit. Cedric loved watching the fish and turtles from the top of the large Caribbean reef tank.
Dad and Grandma flew in later and we wasted no time starting in with Grandma's "firsts". You see, my grandma has only started traveling recently and she had never been East of the Mississippi or to any ocean. Boston is the largest city she's been to, so far. We started with her first subway ride.
You will see that face a lot. It is the classic "what are we doing, this is nuts, you are crazy, she's taking my picture again" Grandma face :). I make that face myself quite often. Wednesday we went on the Duck Boat tour of Boston and really enjoyed ourselves.
Grandma wasn't too thrilled about the idea of the bus acting as a boat on the water but once we were on the water she was having a good time. Now Dad has "the face" - it might be a Mason thing.
Dad even got a chance to drive the Duck Boat. These boats were commissioned by the government for WWII, so it was driving a piece of history! Cedric was given the chance to drive but was too nervous so we just took a selfie.
Thursday we went to Grandma's first Major League Baseball game, the Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. It was almost rained out but Dad had bought covered seats and the rain stopped just in time for the first pitch.
Cedric spent the first few innings actually watching the game from my dad's lap while I parked the car and then hid on the other side of my family. I was surprised how well he sat on our laps.
We stayed through the 5th inning then headed to Boston Beer Works for dinner. We made Grandma try beer with lemons and blueberries (which no one liked but me).
Friday we braved the colder weather and headed to the beach. We went to Revere Beach to show Grandma the beach and Atlantic Ocean (she had seen it from the airplane coming in).
Mom introduced Grandma to one of her favorite beach pastimes - hunting for shells. They found some good ones too, which made for nice souvenirs.
Sometimes on the trip Grandma wasn't as impressed, like with the cold at the beach.
But don't worry, Cedric was right there being unimpressed with her.
I was so glad I hit record on my camera for Grandma's first time in the ocean. We told her she could go up to the water and touch it with her hand. We forgot to warn her about the waves :).
After nap time (everyone in our family participated) we headed to Back Bay to the Top of the Hub restaurant on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Building. This was Grandma's first time in a skyscraper.
And first time seeing a cruise ship in person (hey, it may be something small but it counts!).
We had a nice time having drinks and enjoying the view!
We did do more than sightsee and drink beer, if you were wondering. We ate seafood about every day and teased Grandma with some of the more adventurous dishes.
You might be thinking something like "Wow Christina, you guys went all over. Didn't I see on Facebook that your Grandma is 86?". Why yes she is, dear reader. And does that mean we let up on her, let her take it easy on her vacation?
According to us, we did - we Mason's are good at packing in the action. We all walked around and ended the trip with an afternoon at Quincy Market (Bob's office building is in the background), North Boston and the Seaport.
The best part of the trip for me? Having Grandma here, in my home to spend time with her great-grandson Cedric. Cedric remembered everyone from FaceTime and Skype, taking to everyone very quickly. He got very close to saying "grandma" and had fun playing with her. He even teased her with the Jayhawk a bit, which was really not planned at all - he loves that puppet!
So a big thanks to my grandma for braving two flights and a lot of first to come out for a visit. Bigger thanks to my dad for orchestrating the whole trip and convincing Grandma to come and to my mom for her help and support during the visit. It was great but I think we need to buy a house for next time :).
