John’s birthday was celebrated formally on July 18th,  but he began the festivities a bit early with a delightful day in Boston.

Matthew planned a special day which included a trip to Georges Island. It is part of the Boston Harbor Islands and the ship departed from the Long Wharf North, near the New England Aquarium.

Waiting for our ship to come in...

The ride out to the island was smooth and filled with nice breezes and pleasant companions — Matt, Nell, John and yours truly.

The island contains Fort Warren, which housed prisoners of war during the Civil War.

Outside wall of the fort.

John always looks at things with a keen eye.

The masonry needs a bit of work

It has lots of open space and beautiful views.

Looking out at the clear, blue sea

Visitors also were offered a peek into history with actors and old-time games.

We almost got off the island with ease… BUT

Behind Bars

And she was not the only one to be put in the slammer…

Two wise guys

We did make it back to Boston and enjoyed a fabulous Italian meal in the North End.

The Berkshire Scenic Railway is another gem in western Massachusetts.

We visited it recently and recommend it to all who like trains, adventure, history or hot dogs!

A snack before boarding!

A visit with the hot dog man is an adventure, too!

Our ride began at the Lenox station.  We were in the parlor car, which offers cloth seats and a free beverage and snack.

Ready to roll

The trip is narrated by delightful volunteers who describe the surrounding area and offer a bit of history. The railway also has a newlsetter with descriptions for the mile posts along the way.

There also is a museum which brings one back in time. Actually, the whole experience makes one think fondly of the past.

Inside the museum

Learning train hand signals...

We met the train engineer who described all the training necessary to motor our way down the track. He, too, had a Lionel train as a youngster!

Chatting about choo choos.

We even got to see our engineer in action when he backed up the engine.

The railway also offers you a chance to stand at the back of the train and have a unique view. It made us think of FDR and other politicians who campaigned from the back of a train.

A view from the rear of the train.

One of our conductors was from Brooklyn and had many stories to tell…

The train takes you through Lee and onto Stockbridge, where you can visit the station. The Fitzpatrick family (of the Red Lion Inn) own the station and let the railway use it.

Stockbridge station

You really feel as if you have traveled back in time.

He's got a ticket to ride!

And it is always good to travel in style…especially with a hat box!

The railway also offers special rides for fall foliage, pumpkin picking, a murder mystery and even one that is themed on the Polar Express. (Tickets for that go on sale July 25th!)

This trip was a delight and one that brought a lot of smiles.

For more information about the Berkshire Scenic Railway, log onto www.BerkshireSceenicRailroad.org.

It has been nearly a week since I gave up coffee for Lent.

I must admit that I was very tired and a bit cranky on Ash Wednesday. I did not have the horrific headache that many people told me I might get. My head was a bit fuzzy and I took two aspirin but otherwise showed no real effects.

I think it was not so painful, physically, because I drank mostly de-caf coffee. Still, I must admit that I miss my coffee. My husband, John, and I were driving with our daughter, Elizabeth one day when she was home for spring break.  We passed a Dunkin Donuts store and I literally waved at it and sighed. (Yes, a bit dramatic.)

On Sunday morning I wanted my coffee with my newspaper so much. However, I made it.  One of the things that keeps me from caving in and having a cup is that I have told so many people about this Lenten effort. I don’t want to say, “I only made it two days!”  And, I am stubborn and would be ashamed if I couldn’t put God before coffee for just a few weeks.

Still, it is not easy. I came into work and could smell coffee brewing. I felt sluggish from the change to Daylight Savings Time. I then went out on an assignment and the person we were interviewing had made coffee and banana bread. Temptation is everywhere.

However, I am trying to stick this out. I am like the little engine that could…I think I can, I think I can.

Of course, I also look at the tragedy in Japan and tell myself to get over myself and buck up. A few weeks without coffee is nothing compared the pain of so many others.

So how is your Lent going?

We watched it pile up on our deck.

Not the best day for a picnic.

It is fun, when you don’t have to shovel snow, to watch the flakes pile up against the patio doors.

Sweet snow drifts

Signs of spring?

The six-foot mountain at the corner of our street

Our lawn and home, frosted and smooth

A roof collapse on our swingset

Half of our flag pokes out of the snow

Well, Horace Greeley did not give that advice.  However, if anyone is  looking for a nice place to visit for a day or two then heading north is a good idea.

We recently traveled up Route 91 through beautiful Vermont and headed to the White Mountain region around Mount Washington.

Certainly, there is much to see and do there, but we focused on two main things.

The first was soaking up the scenery and relaxing atmosphere at the Mount Washington Hotel.

The back porch of the hotel

The place is a grand and elegant hotel where the World Bank began in 1944 and which reminds many of a stately cruise ship.

We sat on some Adirondack chairs and looked out at the White Mountain National Forest.

super scenery

A clear day to see the peaks

And this place was made for relaxing.  There are large verandas and comfy chairs everywhere.

A great place to put your feet up...

The lobby is elegant and features so many interesting architectural details.

Toward the ballroom

A great place for guests

You can play board games in this beautiful place or work on a puzzle  or just sit and read or think.

There are acres of grounds for exploring and many nature paths.

A nature hike

We also took the Cog Railway to the top of Mount Washington. John  made sure to get us scheduled on the steam engine.

Chugging Along

It was a really steep climb and the grade was between 25 and 39 percent.

I think I can

We made it to the top!

At the summit

 I could fill this blog with lots more scenic photos. There are many natural swimming areas that we saw along the road.

"Splash Mountain"

However, the best way to see the beauty and fun is to go there.

Enjoy… but watch out for these

Moose on the loose

Our 32nd president, Franklin D. Roosevelt

If you are looking for a fun and educational trip this summer then hop in your car and head west — then south.

Nestled in Hyde Park, N.Y. are two great places to visit. The first is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

The trip just takes about two and a half hours from Springfield. Take the Mass. Pike west to the Taconic Parkway and then head south. (Be careful on the Taconic — the speed limit is 55 m.p.h. and there were a lot of people pulled over on this stretch.)

This library is the first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. FDR designed it himself and it opened in 1941.

You don’t have to be a history fan or even a Democrat to appreciate the wealth of information contained in this place.

The house where FDR was born

You also can tour the home where FDR was born. He spent much of his boyhood here and it is great to hear the stories provided by the tour guide about the home. For example, the King and Queen of England were some of the notable guests there.

FDR's and Eleanor Roosevelt's grave

You see where FDR began and his end. It is a moving visit to recall how this man led the country through the Great Depression and World War II. And it is sweet to watch Eleanor, his wife, grow and become a champion for civil and human rights.

FDR and his First Lady

After a visit to Hyde Park you feel as if you are better acquainted with the pair…

Our new friends

And the scenery in the Hudson River Valley is gorgeous. This is the view from the back of FDR’s home.

Blue skies smiling at us

Allow several hours to soak in everything at the museum. And even if you have to get up early, try to get to the museum shortly after it opens at 9 a.m. Those tours are not crowded. We had only eight people on our tour at 9:45, while a noon tour seemed to have about 40.

After learning so much and knowing that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, we took a break for a late lunch and ate at a very nice diner on Route 9.

Burgers, shakes and fries!

And we had time to catch the last tour at the Vanderbilt Mansion which is just a few miles north of FDR’S place.

The back porch of the mansion

 Again, a well-trained tour guide from the federal parks department does a great job of informing and entertaining.  The house is filled with Italian antiques and has a huge foyer. However, truly it is the ground with its gardens and view of the Hudson that are awesome. You can walk the ground for free.

The view from Vanderbilt's house along the Hudson

There are four levels of gorgeous gardens, too.

There are many other great places to see along this historic corridor.

You can do these two in a day or stay overnight and head to Cooperstown or West Point (free band concerts on summer Sunday evenings).

Whatever you do this summer, try and fit in a day to learn a little more and appreciate those who came before us to give us the good, free life we have.

Happy 4th of July!

Easter Sunday meant that churches were full and so was Fenway Park!

I was lucky enough to go there with my son, Matthew, and daughter, Elizabeth.

It was a very enjoyable time but I did have a few spiritual thoughts out in the bleachers.

That was the view from our seats!!

We cheered when Pedro Martinez threw out the first pitch. And Elizabeth and I cowered a little in our seats when the F16 jets did a fly over. They are loud and fast. I yelled very loudly for Neil Diamond when he sang “Sweet Caroline.” I didn’t care that much when Steven Tyler of Aerosmith sang “God Bless America.” I showed my age there!

It was fantastic that the Sox won. And it was fun to be with some of my family. I even meant another person from WesternMass. who was there for the 25th straight opening day with his son!!

Elizabeth was able to come to the game because Matthew gave up his seat for her. And he got a chance, through Harvard, to help with Fenway Park’s recycling efforts. He said that collecting plastic bottles was hard work but he enjoyed it. He laughed when one man said, “Hey Nature Guy come over here.”

Yet as I watched the thousands of excited and screaming fans I wondered how we as a church could get people to be as faithful and enthusiastic.

Baseball is a slow game — still people come.

Baseball is passed on from parent to child  — just like our faith should be passed along.

Fenway is hard to get to.  There is no good parking. The prices are high. But still people come to this cathedral of the game.

There is something special there. I felt it in the pre-game excitement as I watched Nomar work for ESPN.

The Red Sox do not have the message of Salvation. They have beaten a “curse” , but they have not triumphed over death.

We as a church have to figure out how to get people to wear our gear and be proud and excited to be Catholics.

I sensed that feeling when I went to Yankee Stadium to see Pope Benedict XVI two years ago. However, it would be great that we could be as aware of our membership in a universal and 2,000-year-old-church as we are as members of Red Sox Nation!

Writing the column got me thinking about some of my favorite places to pray. Here they are. Now,  of course, I can’t go to all of them all the time. However, they are memorable. I welcome your suggestions.

I looked through my pictures from my trip to Rome last year and would have filled this blog with shots of churches, historic sites, pretty piazzas and scenic views. There is something so spiritual about Rome and the Vatican.

Fenway Park!!

They call it a baseball cathedral and I agree. I find somthing very spiritual there — even when I am praying for  a hit or a strikeout or perfection during Jon Lester’s no-hitter. It is a place of beauty and joy.

Shrines and Chapels

I love visiting shrines and chapel — like this one near St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton. I like outdoors stations of the cross. St. Anne Shrine in Fiskdale has a nice one. The view at the Marian Shrine in Stockbridge is incredible. And…

La Salette Christmas Lights

Yes, Christmas lights, anywhere, inspire prayer. However, the ones at La Salette in Attleboro are awesome.

But one does not need extraordinary!!

I like praying in my car — seriously! It is one of my top five places to pray.

I love returning to Holy Name Parish in Springfield and looking at the windows and thinking of my parents.

I love sitting in the adoration chapel at Holy Cross Parish in Springfield.

And I hope to pop into the Fatima Shrine at St. Mary Parish in Hampden soon.

And whenever I step on the campus of Providence College I am drawn to their lovely chapel — St. Dominic Chapel. It has a special memorial for the young women who died in a fire there in 1977. I like to go in there and remember them and just think about the school and all the good people there who have made my faith and my family’s faith grow.

The liturgy there is awesome — great music and super preaching.

And it is a beautiful place.

St. Dominic Chapel

So take a second today to think about where and when you pray.

It’s a good way to observe Lent and maybe browse through some old photos or memories.

Those are two things I really have to work on in my life. Oh and being patient and not worrying are two others I can add to the list.

I was inspired by the talk by Immaculée Ilibagiza at Cathedral High School in Springfield on a cold January night. Her story is compelling and can be read in her bestseller book Left to Tell.

A MUST READ

Her book is about forgiveness and kindness. And in light of all the recent stories about bullying I think her message is needed more now than ever.

And the whole business of cyber bullying is addressed beautifully for young people and adults in Mary Casanova’s second American Girl book, Chrissa Stands Strong.

THOUGHT-PROVOKING FOR ALL AGES

Of course the whole idea of intolerance is not new. My husband, John, daughters, Kerry and Elizabeth, and I were lucky enought to see “South Pacific” in New York City. It contains some powerful messages about love and acceptance.

Elizabeth, John and Kerry before the show

In the Lobby and On the Town

Our theatre was right near the Metropolitan Opera House and I took a shot of it at sundown.

It also was a  joy to journey to Queens and see Kerry in her new apartment. She made the most delicious pancakes. And in Manhattan, we  got to meet many of her awesome co-workers at “America” magazine.

Great Magazine

We even got to attend a Mass with some very welcoming Jesuits.

They clearly had learned the lesson of kindness.

If you are interested in learning even more about bullying here are some resources.

Check out “Real to Reel” for a great report by Teri Breguet on bullying. She also will be “blogging” on our diocesan blog www.wmasscatholicvoices.wordpress.com. Also  www.diospringfield.org has a link to additional assistance.

And if you are on Facebook you can become a fan of Catholic Communications.

And finally, check out www.catholictv.com  and go to  the “Blink” show. There you will find a video called “A Prayer for Haiti”  another called “Church” and one entitled “Pray.” They all have been produced by my son, Matthew. And even if I weren’t his mother I would recommend them.

THE OLD GREENCOLOR GETTING PREPPED FOR PAINTING

And three coats of paint later — all done lovingly by John — the walls were transformed

Of course, you might notice the window treatments!! Yes, those are pieces of cardboard in the window.

It’s still a work in progress but so many good things have come from this initial “mess.”

We cleaned our closets and donated bags of clothes. John and our daughter Elizabeth built new shelves for the closet.

LEARNING THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE

I especially appreciate John’s eye for detail and how he uses his skills and creativity to bring things together. And all the while he is having fun –

THE PLAID MIGHT COME BACK IN STYLE

even when finding an old jacket from high school.

We haven’t quite finished but new carpeting and the rearranging of our furniture have given new life to an old room. I love the results and know that the mess was worth it.

NICE CLEAN NEW CARPET

IT FEELS LIKE A HOTEL SUITE