Travel Week: Boston Public Garden

Let me first say a little something here.  One of the many things I did when on this getaway to Boston with DH was to meet a dear friend of mine; a friend I have known for 17+ years now.  A friend I met online in an Alzheimer’s support group.  It was the year that my parents had both entered nursing homes and I was frantic, scared and desperate for help.  I don’t recall how I found the online support group but I am so thankful that I did because they helped me through those terrible early years when I was lost and confused.  Three of us gravitated towards one another; me, Anna Marie and Sue.  We lived in separate states and were at various stages of caregiving at the time.  Anna Marie’s parents were both gone but she still felt the urgings to help others, Sue was still caring for her father who had Alzheimer’s and then there was me with mom.  We formed a strong bond even with our living in Missouri, Massachusetts and Florida.

Eventually I met Anna Marie in Florida when I went on a vacay but up until just a few days ago had never met Sue.  She hadn’t been in Boston in almost a decade so she asked a friend of hers to drive her in to meet us for lunch.  We had a grand time chatting away like crazy about our lives and children and grandchildren.  When we walked to the garden and sat down to watch the world go by and reminiscence about this and that, DH removed himself to another bench and let us have our “girl” time.  We waved at him one time to let him know we hadn’t forgotten he was there.  Sue and I have been through a lot of things long distance that some close friends don’t even go through.

We were “there” for each other when our parents passed away.  We shared our children growing up and pictures of when the grands arrived.  I “held” her hand when she became a widow and she “held” mine when I got divorced.  When the bombings occurred at the Boston Marathon I panicked for her as I knew she had a son who ran in it every year.  Thank God he and his wife and kids who were waiting for him at the finish line were not hurt.  We’ve gone through ups, downs and sideways with never having met until just now.  Now that we’ve met it’s only put live faces and hugs to an enduring friendship.

I won’t post the picture of us together as I’m never terribly fond of my pictures and she is private like that, so instead here are some pictures of the Public Garden where we all sat and visited for awhile.  If you are ever in Boston, this is a must see!  Beautiful flowers and trees, statues, ducks, swans, swan boats, children playing, the occasional wedding, street performers…the list goes on but it is all wonderful to see.  One of the famous sites to see in the garden are the statues of Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.  They are from the famous children’s book – Make Way for Ducklings – which features the garden and the surrounding areas in Boston.  I tried to get a shot of the ducks minus children but the statues draw them like ducks to peanuts 😉

There was so much more to the garden; here are just a few images to share with you.

One of the entry gates. Public garden founded 1837.

Statue of Washington

Swan boats propelled by the one worker in the back pedaling.

Swan Boat

Feeding the swans and ducks. Sometimes arguments broke out between the species.