Bogging

We spent the weekend with our dear friends Alison and John and their daughters Charlotte and Lillian, who live outside of Boston.  Alison's family grows cranberries, and this weekend happened to include the first day of harvest.  Their family was kind enough to invite us to watch and even get our feet wet (or dry in waders).

In a few days, the berries will be collected and driven to this Ocean Spray facility, where they're weighed, sorted, and sent on their way to become Craisins and juice.  

Oh, and speaking of juice, if you pick up a bottle anytime soon, look for the one with our friends' picture on the back label.  How cool is that?

We spent all day at the bogs, watching as the pickers drove through flooded bogs, releasing the berries from the underwater vines.  The girls played chase, rode bikes, and explored the grass.  Tye went barefoot all day long.  We even ate our fair share of cranberries straight out of the bogs.  

I needed this trip desperately.  I needed to get away from the city to place with open views of the sky, pockets of dense green woods, truly fresh air, and open space.  This weekend, I felt like I could actually breathe again.  I also needed to connect face-to-face with a close mama friend, and Alison is just that.  To top it all off, Alison and John watched our girls for us so we could attend a wedding reception Saturday night- our first time out together not just since Etta was born, but since we moved to New York almost  year ago (and my first time in heels in even longer).  Seriously, words just don't express how much I needed that!  

Coming home, I feel refreshed in a way I thought would have required a weeklong vacation.  My city-induced claustrophobia has been eased by acres of open space and my loneliness soothed with hugs and mama therapy.   Amazing what a weekend can do.