For the first weekend in June it was just the kids and me (Delayna was visiting Dallas for work). We decided to make the most of the perfect weather and do a whole host of activities. In addition, Miriam helped me lay out our stairwell photos so I could hang them and make progress on another home settling project.

Strawberry Picking at Touga’s

We got up early enough Saturday morning to be at Touga’s by 8:45. This helped us precede the crowds and have access to a lot of berries, as well as beat the mid-day heat and sun.

Straw was laid down all around the berries. I thought maybe this has some sort of etymological significance, but it’s apparently just a coincidence – it helps keep them dry, since strawberries easily damage in wet conditions, and it provides a very nice padding to kneel on when picking them.

We all really enjoyed the activity, including Miriam, who doesn’t so much care to eat them herself. Aaron was free to indulge as he picked, which he took full advantage of…

In the end, we accrued 3 boxes weighing in at about 3 lbs each.

As is typical any time we go to Touga’s, after the picking we went to their store where we are usually tempted by the seasonal offerings they have. This time it was fresh (still warm) strawberry donuts, some strawberry butter Aaron has enjoyed on toast every day this past week, a pumpkin coffee cake, and some amaretto coffee beans. All excellent choices, IMO.

When Delayna got home the following Saturday, we prepared a gluten-free strawberry cake with maple whipped cream and freshly cut berries on top.

EWE 🐐: Boulevard Diner

After we brought our picking home and Aaron has his weekly piano lesson, we headed over to Worcester to try an old-fashioned diner called Boulevard. It’s mostly 24-hours, except for the early days in the week, and has a suitably eclectic menu.

The kids each got burgers, which I think was the right play. They both raved about them. I got the Italian breakfast, which while good, I feel like maybe wasn’t their specialty. I keep overthinking these diner meals. Hopefully third time is the charm…

While we were waiting for our food, I got a call back about a reservation I attempted to make at a horse-riding place. Miriam had the idea earlier that morning and I spent the time during Aaron’s piano lesson trying to find a place with availability. Being very last minute, everywhere around us was booked solid. When I strayed into Rhode Island, however, I found a place that was cheaper than others (cash only) and had availability for a 3pm slot. It’s amazing to live in a place where driving to a neighboring state takes no more than an hour (and sometimes less).

After lunch, we made a quick stop at a thrift store called Grime before heading home to kick back for 45 minutes. The store was nothing special, but it did have a real copy of Dr. Mario for the NES on an old CRT TV. We couldn’t leave until Aaron completed a level of it.

Rhode Island Horseback Riding

The drive to RI was about 50 minutes, during which time both kids indulged in a short power nap to refresh.

I was unfortunately told I couldn’t take my backpack and film camera with us on the ride and pictures while atop the horse were forbidden (for “safety reasons” – it’s too bad previous idiots have triggered such policies). I stashed it in the check-in building and placed my phone in an advantageous position. Since I was at the back of the procession, I was able to surreptitiously get it out and snap a couple of pictures when the guide was out of line of sight. It was a lovely ride through a forest – we were all in awe of just how beautiful this part of the country is, and how temperate the weather was. Apparently they offer it year-round, so you can go in the autumn leaves and even when everything is covered in snow. We will definitely be doing this later this year.

After this excursion and the drive back home, the kids both voted to push our planned mini-golf trip to Sunday – they were simply exhausted. We went home and baked a couple of ready-made pizzas and watched a movie.

Mulligan’s Mini-Golf

Sunday afternoon, post-sunscreen time, we drove up to the little hamlet of Sterling to try a new-ish mini-golf place called Mulligan’s.

They only have a single course but it was challenging and well-laid out. In addition, on every other hole they had an additional bonus challenge you could choose to attempt. You spun a wheel with a few different options and had to perform the random act on your first shot. They were things like rolling the ball with your hand, hitting it with the handle of your club, or attempting to complete the hole within 10 seconds of your first stroke. This last one led to the kids just about losing it as they scrambled after the ball to strike it the moment it came to rest. No one was ultimately able to get it within the time limit, but it added a dimension to mini-golf to make it more interesting and fun.

A couple of times the kids hit too hard and sent their balls into water obstacles or hedges. The family in front of us was good natured and laughed the couple of times they had to return Miriam’s ball after she was a little too enthusiastic.

The weekend was super fun from pretty much start to finish, and we agreed we needed to do all these things again when Delayna could join us.