Long Overdue Update and Bambi's Plight (July 1998)

Apologies for the Jolee drought. Let's catch up!

On July 2nd, Jolee and I boarded a small plane and headed to Boston to
meet up with Melanie who was working in the area. After picking us up
from Logan Airport, we went to downtown Boston, Melanie went off to work
and Jolee and I were joined by cousin Elizabeth Cohen. After a Mulan
Happy Meal, we wandered through Boston Common and went to Boston Garden
(I think) and took a ride on the world-famous Swan paddle boats. 'Twas a
beautiful summer day and Jolee, who has a slight affection for "quacks"
a.k.a. ducks, was totally thrilled by the plethora of fowl in the
vicinity. It was only a brief visit, but the three Cohen cousins had a
wonderful walk and a grand time.

Later on, after sleeping through a trip to Trader Joe's, we met up with
Noelle Pyszka. After Jolee had the run of the house, we headed off to
the Wharf district where, after visiting the somber Shoah sculpture
(which is phenomenal and a must-see in Boston) we ate, oh, the name
escapes me, but it was historic and served fish. Of course, I had the
Yankee Pot Roast. Then Jolee got bored with dinner and watched a street
musician playing classical guitar. Then she went to the Disney store,
shouting Sim-BAH! Sim-BAH! over and over. Then we headed toward the
waterfront to see some fireworks.
Guess what? Jolee still hates loud noises, especially when accompanied
by bright, colorful explosions. I think Noelle is still feeling guilty
about that one. Don't worry, Noelle, we'll send the therapy bills to
your new address in California.
After returning to our hotel in Waltham, Mass., which was currently
besieged by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan (don't ask, it wasn't
pretty), we retired for the night.
In the morning, we drove up to Nashua, N.H. and met Melanie's friend
Diane and her husband Jim at the local mall. Diane and Jim live nearby,
it wasn't a random choice. We perused some learning stores, one in which
Jolee traipsed around with a Barney doll and said "Bah-nee!" repeatedly.
Melanie was not happy. After a nice quiet lunch (Jolee slept through
it), we drove North, and then cut East into Maine and then headed up to
the little village of Weld, on Webb Lake where Jolee's Great Aunt Lee
and Great Uncle Joe have a house at Birch Point.
Aunt Lee learned quickly what an unleashed toddler can do to a houseful
of antiques. Fortunately, nothing was broken (as far as I know),
although there was a moment when Jolee pushed a 4 ft high wooden "Bambi"
over, threatening its antlers. Jolee had a blast playing with the
Bujolds 2 Japanese Chin showdogs, Casio and Yoko Ono, as well as chasing
the occasional Catscan. Jolee's most wise moment came when she pointed
to the mounted deer head above the fireplace and said, "Bambi stuck."
We had a nice birthday dinner for me, with cousin Marc, wife Jill, and
Aunt Maddy (Joe's sister) who all have cabins a bit down the lake.
Marc's best friend Tony was also visiting from Boston.
On Saturday, the 4th, we woke up in the "Loon Room" (the guest bedroom
done up in "quacks") and mosied down to Marc and Jill's where Jolee took
a nap while I helped Marc and Tony stack firewood. When Jolee awoke, I
carried her out into the lake and she sat on the sea-doo (a.k.a. jetski)
for about 20 minutes. Don't worry, it wasn't on, just floating. When I
finally brought Jolee back in and Tony went out out out onto the lake,
Jolee cried hysterically. Tony had stolen her "boat."
That night, there was a raging party at Birch Point and Jolee had a
blast. She danced with Jill, she danced while people played with
sparklers, she ate a lot of chips, and she had a grand old time.
Then,the fireworks started across the lake. No matter that these were
puny compared to Boston, she didn't like them one bit.
And yesterday (Sunday) we said our goodbyes to the woods of Maine and
drove back to Boston and caught a plane back to JFK where Granddaddy
Barry picked us up and drove us back to Bay Ridge. A wonderful,
fun-filled holiday weekend. But, alas, poor Bambi is still stuck.