November 7
In which the paparazzi return...
Amidst parades of Harley riders and with trumpets blaring, the photographers have been allowed back into the inner circle. Sometimes. And only when asking permission first. (If only those hounding Princess Diana had been so courteous...)
Owen has decided that it is occasionally OK for himself to again be photographed. Unfortunately, we were still signing contracts when Grandpa and Grandma Gloria came to visit for Grandpa's Birthday on October 23rd. Apart from a few serupticiously taken shots, there are few posed ones with the Puppet Master of their visit. Despite the lack of photos, Donn & I were able to show them some of New England on their visit:
Head of the Charles Boat Race
Salem (host of the XXrd Annual Salem Harley Ride)
Plymouth Rock
Bunker Hill
and the place we know they'll remember most fondly, Bunghole Liquors.
Never let it be said that we are not a class act here on the East Coast!
Their visit began with a Birthday celebration dinner for Grandpa with Aunt Mary, cousin Lisa, her husband Ron and their son, Matthew. It was a fun celebration as all of the East Coast Henshaws gathered for the first time. You can see a picture of Owen and Matthew on the right.
The following day we took off for sunny Salem, visiting Nathaniel Hawthorn's House of the Seven Gables and Museum. Donn & Robin found an old friend in Salem as well. Lucky for us, that same day Salem was hosting their annual Harley parade with something like 10,000 motorcycles roaring down the street. Surprisingly, Owen didn't seem to mind the noise (unlike the classical music concert we attempted to attend last Saturday where his teacher, Mrs. Josee' was playing cello...).
Another day trip was taken to the town of Plymouth where we saw the Mayflower II and "the rock". It was a perfect fall day here on the drive down, and the seaside was beautiful.
Grandpa & Grandma Gloria ended their visit with a trip to Bunker Hill (really Breed's Hill, but you can Google that yourself), where Dad and I climbed the 294 steps to the top of the monument, arriving less out of breath than the hundred high school students climbing up behind us.
Owen is really enjoying his new school. They have a lot of expectations of their little people, but Owen enjoys being such a "big boy" now and doing many things for himself. Halloween was a BIG hit this year, as they dressed up at school, parading around and singing some songs for the other classes. He even allowed us to video his performance here at home that night. If we ever put it on YouTube we'll be sure to let you know! We went trick-or-treating at the shops in town and then up and down the block in the neighborhood.
Owen's new favorite video is "Ladies Choice" from the musical Hairspray. It's a cute song, both when sung by a 3-year-old and by Zac Efron. Yes, we're hoping John Waters will continue to be a big influencer for our son. Owen told me on the way to school yesterday that he wanted to grow up and play the microphone like the guy in the video. Good thing he's gotten used to the paparazzi again.
