But this was not our only restaurant. We always frequent the Back Eddy at least more than once; located where the East and West Branches of the river come together, it has a great view of the harbor and delicious food and an interesting clientele. Their Bombay Sapphire martinis should not be drunk by old geezers, although one night I did have one with my fresh-caught swordfish. Ruth had fish and chips, and Deana, taking a break from lobster rolls, had lobster mac and cheese! The Back Eddy clientele varies from anglers to aristocrats.
We had a great laugh one rainy night when we were standing under the awning after dinner, waiting for our car. Some fancy city folks came out and one of the ladies looked down at Ruth’s sandals – if you know Ruth, you know that she wears sandals all the time, all year round, rain or shine. One woman looked down at Ruth’s sandals and said, “My, those sandals are lovely. Who are they?” It took us a minute to realize that she meant “what designer made them.” Our car arrived just in time for Ruth to say, “Thank you” and didn’t have to explain, “I got them at Payless for $14!”
We didn’t eat out all the time. Our favorite market in the world is Lee’s. It caters to people like us who don’t care what it costs if it is easy to fix and delicious. Their chicken salad can’t be beat; it’s the only place we know to get Adamsville Cheddar, and their Portuguese Sweetbread toast is a great way to start the day. They have a great selection of wines also, from our house wine, La Vieille Ferme White, to very elegant reds.
As for things to do, over the years we have seen so many of the sights that we often stayed home this year and watched the tide come and go. Deana had been so busy the week before we left Livingston that she was quite content to slow down and take care of the parents … as she said on her Facebook log, “Chaperoning parents is hard work!” The Aggies were in the baseball tournament in College Station so one must-do for her was watching the ball games … Deana had planned ahead and figured out how to get the Aggie channel.
Other than watching the Aggie games, Deana was devoted to doing whatever we wanted. One thing I wanted to do was have lunch with an old friend and his wife who had moved back to the Boston area after retiring from life as history professors at the University of Iowa. When Mac and I planned our annual lunch this year, we both realized we had aged out of meeting halfway at Harry’s Bar and Grill. When I told Mac that Deana was with us, he suggested that we should all come for lunch with him and Sarah at their new home, senior living place, Linden Ponds. We could “reunion” and they would get to meet Deana. Much to my surprise, Deana was not only willing, but eager to make the trip (possibly she was thinking “aging parents, senior living”). She asked, “How long have you known Mack and how do you know him?”
“I’ve known him for over 60 years. One Sunday night in 1957 when we were first-year graduate students at the University of Wisconsin, by chance we both went to the Wesley Foundation seeking a free meal and hoping to meet girls. As it turned out, we did get a free meal but met no girls. Instead, we met each other and have been friends ever since.”
The trip to Linden Ponds turned out to be a truly festive reunion and a chance to see a luxurious senior living facility. Linden Ponds exceeded our expectations. With 1,300+ residents, it has five or six restaurants, a branch of the Bank of Boston, a dentist office, a medical center, and just about everything that seniors, at whatever age and stage, would need. Mac said that after owning houses for years, he felt like he had laid his burden down. Their apartment was lovely, spacious, providing room for both of them to have a working space, kitchen, et.al. As we said goodbye, we admitted that we were impressed, but not yet ready for senior living.
The week couldn’t pass without Deana and Ruth having one “mother/ daughter bonding day.” They lunched at yet another of our favorites, and did some shopping, and even found something to buy at a Westport boutique.
Week 1 came to an end as we sadly put Deana in a car to the airport for her trip home. It was lonely without Deana, but by midafternoon our Week 2 chaperones arrived from Dallas. No surprise, they were hungry, so back to the Bayside and lobster rolls again!
What did we do in Week 2? There is something about watching the tide come in and go out that is hard to leave. An occasional swan, maybe a flock of geese or osprey, and on the weekend maybe a sailboat or a rowing scull. When Paula and Ruth went shopping, Bruddy and I could fish. With a kayak outside the house, I could fish every day, thanks to an 18-footer borrowed from my friend and retired guide whom I had fished with since 1993. When David retired, he put me onto another great guide, Parker Mauck, who took me out in his boat several days. One day Bruddy and I went with Parker to the West Branch where we found a pod of nice stripers. Bruddy had the hot hand and must have landed a dozen.
On Friday, the grandkids arrived, and Savannah and Jeremy drove in from New York, eager for a lobster roll and a trip to Nantucket. They like to get up late and “live large,” so we knew just tide watching was over. (How large? One day they arrived home with seven pints of ice cream from our favorite creamery, Handy Hill). Going to Nantucket was a trip we had done several years, but this year everyone agreed that the cobblestones of Nantucket were not for old people. Ruth and I gracefully opted out, and Bruddy and Paula and Savannah and Jeremy took off for a couple of days on the Island, a two-hour ride on the ferry from New Bedford. They had two days doing island things like a bicycle tour of the island, shopping and eating. We were sorry to see them go without us, but to tell you the truth, Ruth and I are not used to being chaperoned 24/7. We enjoyed our time watching the tide and were glad to see them when they came back. Savannah and Jeremy soon took off for their three and a half-hour drive back to New York … a weekend drive that turned out to be seven hours!
What did we do those last few days? Not much but watch the tide, went over to Tiverton, Rhode Island for lunch (yep, more lobster rolls), and on the way back stopped at Handy Hill to replenish our stock. That place is a disaster for ice cream lovers.
But, all good things come to an end. Our last day, Bruddy and Paula took us to Boston where they put us on our flight to Houston before they took theirs to Dallas.
So, how was the vacation this summer? One of our best vacations ever. How did you like having a chaperone? We loved it … no decisions, no worries! What was the most fun? The whole thing was delightful, but the really special thing was living every parent’s dream – spending a week with each of the kids, and even a couple of days with grandkids. With the schedules that everybody has today, a whole week with each kid is really tough to arrange.
What about next year? Nobody knows what a year will bring. I figure Carpe Diem. Maybe by then we will have aged out of our summer home. Maybe the world will end? Who knows? If you catch that 7:45 a.m. to Boston on May 27, 2025 … God willing and the creeks don’t rise, look for us … in first class with our chaperone! You might as well go first class too … your heirs will! ■
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