Make Way for Mosimans in Boston

Sydney's favorite part of this picture is the
guy yucking it up in the background.

 I have been to Boston with Savannah as a chaperone. I accompanied Sydney to Boston as a teacher. I have thrown up on whale watch boats more times than I am comfortable admitting although plenty of student videos archived the event for posterity. I have never visited Boston with my husband and for good reason. He (mistakenly) believed that, since I had toured Beantown so frequently, I was the quintessential guide. WRONG! I spent most of my time on the tour buses (a) yelling at children, (b) playing euchre (backwards in my seat...not a good idea), or (c) keeping my eyes tightly shut in terror when faced with Boston traffic. Brad began to suspect my geographical limitations as soon as we entered the city when I mistook Boston's famous Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge with New York's Tappan Zee. Please note the occurrence of "z"s" in both names...I'm sure it's a common error. I did manage to redeem myself historically when I could later recall events from the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. You know...the truly important stuff.

Faneuil Hall (Home of the "copper hopper"

I had three goals for my trip to Boston: "chowda" bread bowl at Quincy Market, stroll through Boston Common, and attend a game at Fenway Park. All three very magical experiences. Having previously experienced Boston's passion for baseball, I was a little nervous to parade around all day outfitted in Kansas City Royals gear but we were treated with gentle good humor. "Kansas City fans pay double to ride the Harbor Cruise," we were informed by the ticket agent (insert your own accent, please)."Where're you folks from," our bus driver asked as we boarded.  "Say Iowa," I hissed at my husband who refused to shy away from the truth that could be our ruin. "Upstate or city," growled the driver. "Western New York," Brad's voice echoed in the suddenly silent bus. "Well...okay, then." Whew. Later in the day, Brad would have to gently pull me away as a nice man offered to pay for my face painting fee (with a Red Sox logo).

Sydney was the only passenger thrilled when
we passed The Tipton Hotel, the setting of
"The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."

After years of passing Boston Common with a mob of middle schoolers, I was looking forward to actually walking through it. For the last decade, I have housed a statue of a mother duck and her babies in my classroom that Brad Mosiman graciously allowed me to purchase in honor of Robert McCloskey's Make Way for Ducklings. And now I would be in Boston Common to see the real statues dedicated to his famous children's book! Except those poor ducks were besieged with parasites. Like fleas on a dog, children swarmed my little flock. Patience was NOT the remedy in this particular situation. I waded into the fray and began removing ticks. I have to admit, though, it was refreshing to see, in this fact-paced world of technology and adrenaline-pulsing 4D attractions, that McCloskey's simple story still resonates. Those little ducks serve as the Saint Patrick of Boston Common and the kids are the snakes. And I'm the exterminator. Just like I told you...magical.