Break Out Your Boots!

We decided to go to Country Fest out here this year. Which is not quite like the WeFests, Country Jams, and Country Fests I am used to back home, but it was fun nonetheless. It is just a one day gig held at Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots). The line up for the concert was Easton Corbin, Sara Evans, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, and Brad Paisley. Brad Paisley pretty much sold me on the deal. ;o) The concert started at 5pm, but you could get into the parking lot at 2pm for tailgating before the show.

We went with Tara, Chris, Chrissy and her roommate Grace. This was Tara and Chris’ last weekend in Boston before they leave for Japan for 9 months… so we had to do it big. We left the house at noon giving ourselves 2 hours to complete a 45 minute drive… pretty typical for Boston traffic. One problem: this was far from typical. There is one road into Foxboro and it was a complete gridlock. We had plenty of fun on the drive though between jamming to some country and watching all the horrible Boston drivers. You would not believe the drivers out here… people driving in the breakdown lane to pass people… people driving in the grass outside the breakdown lane to pass people… honking, yelling… it was all quite entertaining! After 4 hours in the Jeep we finally settled into our parking spot and prepared for tailgating.

We managed to squeeze the Bags in the car with us, so we could play that while we waited for the concert to start. We only had one comment about the TC logo while in Red Sox territory… and they thought we were from Cincinnati! Haha We had our camping chairs, a cooler of beer, sandwiches and spinach dip, along with plenty of people watching. It was great - I could have tailgated for hours! We headed into the stadium around 6pm, so we missed the first show. I also missed most of Darius Rucker waiting in line for the bathroom, but I definitely heard him bust out some Hootie and the Blowfish songs!

We wandered around the stadium a bit for the first few shows, but we went down to our seats for the last two. We had floor seat tickets, so our seats were on the field! That was pretty cool. And we were actually really close to the stage. We snuck Tara and Chris up with us just in time to enjoy Brad Paisley. He put on a really good show! I loved it!

Afterwards we made it back to the car and sat in the parking lot/traffic for a few more hours. It was a fun, but exhausting day. Again, this is the reason WeFest is so great… no driving or traffic… pure concert and camping action for 4 days!! Maybe I will have to come home for WeFest next year instead! Yeehaw! ;o)

A Day at the Cape

This past weekend we took a day trip down to the Cape with Mike and Julie. We spent the day relaxing at Cahoon Hollow Beach in Wellfleet - home of the Beachcomber, a restaurant and bar on the beach that plays live music starting at sunset. We got to the beach at 10am when the parking lot opened and by 10:30 the lot was full! And for good reason. This beach is stunning! By far the best I've been to on the Cape so far.

Upon arriving to the beach you are staring at the Atlantic Ocean from atop a 90-ft cliff, as there are towering sand dunes that line the backside of the beach. Two long, steep paths lead down the slightly eroded dune to a beautiful stretch of pristine white-sand beach. As you look down the beach, the views are breathtaking... the massive 90-ft sand dune on one side and the deep blue Atlantic on the other. It was easy to find a secluded spot by walking just a few hundred feet down from the paths where most people were hanging out.









It was another hot day, so we went for a dip in the ocean to cool off. That is until we saw a bunch seals in the water about 20-yds offshore. They were entertaining to watch! One even caught a big fish and brought it up above the water to show off to crowds gawking on the beach. But as you may know, where there are seals there are most likely sharks...feeding! Great White sightings have been all over the news around here lately, so I stayed out of the water after that. Adam wasn't too bothered by it and played in the waves a few more times throughout the day. We climbed up and down the sand dunes a few times to enjoy the view, grabbed lunch at the Beachcomber, and tosses a ball around. At hide tide later in the day, the waves got really big. It was fun to watch the huge splash as they were crashing onto the shoreline. Just before sunset, we headed back to the city. It was a great day in the sun (maybe a little too much sun for some of us)!

Tee It Up!

We have been on a major golfing kick lately. They announced at work that we will be having golf outing in September. So who knows, maybe deep down we are practicing up for that! Last weekend was perfect weather to enjoy a day out on the links. We played 18 holes at Windham Country Club in NH last Saturday. They have a good twilight rate with a cart. I have been spoiled most of my life between playing in middle school/high school/college and working at a golf course for 7 years… I am so used to free golf! Now, we have to shop around for the best deals. Windham is a nice course though. It’s very challenging with lots of hills, water, and narrow fairways. You need to hit it straight on this course! I did not shoot under 90 on this round, so it looks like I need some more practice. After golfing we met Mike and Julie at Shorty’s for some good Mexican food in Nashua. Then we went to Chunky’s Cinema to see Inception (the new Leonardo DiCaprio movie) – super good! Chunky’s is our new favorite place to watch movies (the two times a year we actually leave the house to see a movie). They have big leather chairs set up around tables that you can lounge in and waiters that come around and serve you food, drinks, dessert, etc. It’s great! Your butt will never fall asleep at the theater again... but you may have to go to the bathroom more often!









We've been going to the driving range in Middleton a few times after work to perfect the old swing, as well. My favorite part about that is Richardson’s homemade ice cream is right on the premises. Nothing beats a double scoop of Moose Tracks after hitting a large bucket of balls on a hot summer night. Talk about a perfect way to wind down after a long day on the job.












This weekend we played at Fresh Pond Golf Course in Cambridge with Mike. It’s a little 9 hole track. First come, first served… so on a Saturday afternoon it was quite backed up! It took us about 3 hours to play 9 holes. Wow! I don't remember the last time that's happened. (JV golf meet maybe?!) The course was in good shape though. Not too challenging, but some fun holes nonetheless. Sunday we got 9 more holes in with Darcy at the Woburn Country Club, another 9 hole course. Golf two days in a row... life is good. Unfortunately, I still can't break 40 even with all the practice we've been getting. At least I can still beat Adam though - that's all that really matters. ;o)

O | A | R

On Friday night we went to see O.A.R. at the Bank of America Pavilion. The Pavilion is in the seaport district right on the harbor. I must say, there is something incredible about going to the Boston waterfront to see a concert outside on a perfect summer night. It is my favorite place to see a show in Boston so far!

After work, we took the T into the city and grabbed dinner and some quick drinks on the patio at Whiskey Priest. Then we headed to the Pavilion to settle into the VIP tent before the show started. In the VIP tent they had 24oz beers... both in a can and on tap. It was so scenic with the water and the sun setting over the skyline.
















O.A.R. was truly amazing! They put on such an awesome show, as usual! I've seen them 3 times now and every time it's different with all the improv they do. This time around they played a lot of their old songs and we got to hear a few new songs as well. It was great! I can't wait for the new album to come out! I got to hear most all the songs that I was hoping for... all except Hey Girl!! They played a show on Thursday night too, where they played a whole other set of songs. Looks like I will have to go to BOTH shows next years to hear all my songs! =)