Tuesday night – Boston

After work, Gabe and I got in the car and drove soen to Boston. He has an appointnment at the German embassy to get his work visa for his postdoc. It’s been quite an ordeal getting this appointment.. there’s so much beurocracy .. some of it Kafkaesque.. ie you need a work contract to get a visa and you need a visa to get a work contract.. go figure. .

we got a sweet deal on a hotel in Copley square.. just 400 feet from the ‘emaabssy’ (which turns out toe be like a booth In a shopping mall >>

We checked in and agreed to meet Gabes old housemate Justin and his GF/ FIancee for dinner >>

We wnet to a lobster place.. super tasty .. but expensive for the amount of food !

we then headed to an irish bar that was having and open mike night.. great guiness on tap.. Hannah showed up there.. she’s so nice !! she’s a mechanical engineer for Whoop.. the folks that make the whoop strap !.. I love that company . Justins a biochist for a very cool drug research company. Enjoyed hearing about both of their work,

Justin and Hannah are getting married this summer and Gabe is coming back for that !

great day..
tomorrow the embassy then hoe

nite all, nite sam
-me

Monday night – 6/7

Our thoughts today are on Billy and his family. He continues to make great progress, I’ll give more details on that later.

With that I do still remember that Today is my birthday.. My 67th birthday actually .. and though our future selves wont remember this at all.. last year there was a major mem out there called 6/7.. where you said 6/7 and pumped your open hands up and down. .. Seems as good a way as any to mark an important birthday..

it was a “brisk” morning.. 15 below zero Fahrenheit when I woke up which is more than 30 below celcius (I think) .. and there was a brisk wind..

A perfect day to climb a mountain and sled down !

we bundled up, gathered our stuff nd strapped our butt sleds to our packs and headed to Huntington to hike camels hump. This is our second attempt to sled it since Gabe’s been home.. and we’re hoping its more packed down so we don’t post hole in the many feet of snow up there.

what a beautiful bluebird day !

then it was time to hit the summit !.. ew really had to bundle up.. it was probably 15 below still and a 25 mph wind.. it was friggign freezing.. and sooooo sooo beautiful

I didn’t get any pictures of us sledding down..since I to keep my hands warm.. but it was super fun. The conditions were amazing.. and we basically got to slide down the whole mountain. It was crazy fast and crazy fun..

we got down to the bottom as the sun was beginning to set.. and headed home to warm up

Diane made homade pierogies using some of the mashed potatoes left oer from tgabe]s german party. They were so grea.t.

then came my favorite part.. diane had backed me an apple cake.. its my favorite cake.. it like half. Oil which makes it so rich and tasty

Gabe played me happy birthday

and max and becky called to wish em a happy birthday.. so great to talk to them !

they helped me blow out the candles.. which were pretty cool, they were all connected by flash paper.. on match and they instantly all lit !

note the cozy penguin pants !

Great birthday.. I appreciate all the love..

send love to Billy and family today too

nite all, nite sam
_me

Saturday night – Deutschefest

Tonight was a big night.. I mean that in two ways.. one that we didn’t know until late in the evening. .. That’s a story I will save until tomorrow

Gabe was determined to get as many days in the great sn

ow as he could so he met up with Devin and Nate (I think) up at Bolton for the whole day

while Gabe was out, Diane was super busy making food for tonight. Habre esnted one more gathering with his friends before heasing out to Germany. He[d asked us to have a German fest..

Diane takes challenges lsike that very seriously. .In the course of the day she made home made pretzles (!) .. or Bretzen.. as they are called I Bavaria. She made homemade German noodles (Spaetzle), Sauges and sauer kraut ( Bratwurst mit Kraut) , Bavarian cheese spread (Obazda) .. German red cabbage (Rot Krout) , muled wine (Glühwein) and Appel strudel (Apfelstrudel) Diane shows her love for all of us in many ways.. and one of the is in the kitchen

Diane a, Nova and I did get out for some sunshine and snow

People started showng up at 5:30 .
I dressed for the occasion by wearing my ederhosen from when I was `9 and my green white cheked (grunweiskariert) shirt and rd vest I got as a going away present from my team in Munich.. I’m justh happy I can fit into my 19 year old clothes

Gabe treates us to some of the Sausage sayings he’s picked up on his look-see visit to Würzburg.

and we played a rorally innapropriate word card game wirh Kasey, Brad and Char
it was a great gathering ., lots of friends we hadn’t seen whe Gabe was hoe. And many of them we had seen..

we went to bed so happy

and then.. …..

nite all. Nite sam
-me

This afternoon our good friend Sumner came over to see  gabe. And to go check out the snow in mad river. Sumner has been one of our good friends foreever. I used to run with his dad.. also Sumner .. who was an amazing runner. Sumner died in the early 2000’s .. We made a pinky prise ( I remember that expression) from Sumners mom and our good friend Susan .. to keep younger sumner in our lives.. Every time I see him I remember that promise. |. Sunner and Sam we’re good friends.. and when sam died, sumner made a huge effort to step in for Gabe. <br><br>hes such a great person..

Sumner and his GF G are getting married soon.. shes awesome too.. I’m very glad they are in our lives. Diane and I got in a late afternoon doggie walk by the Rivershore.. the huntington and the Winooski are completely frozen over.. it’s been several years since I remember seeing that

nite all, nite sam

-me