There’s never a dull moment at the Shumways! Our four days were packed with kids and fun and great conversations! Even though we had just seen them in NYC, it’s always great to be with them on their own turf!
Most of we Eyrelamers are crazy about the arts. Art and music are such life-enrichers! With the Shumways we always get a plentiful dose of both! We were lucky enough to hit the once-a-year “Art in Bloom” exhibit at the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts in Boston). Luckily we had a first-rate Museum Guide who got up at 6 a.m. to prepare a tour of her faovorite pieces of art in the museum just for us….Hazel. Saydi’s precocious 11-year-old is a phenominal art lover (trained well by her mother).
Here she is, front and center getting ready to teach us what she knows.
Hazel and the other Shumway kids have been taken to museums regularly since they were babies and they are pros, but Hazel is positively brilliant! There she is on the right getting ready to educate us!
She was quick to point out that the huge pots on each side of this painting are the exact ones in the painting. Not sure we would have noticed that!
And she was pretty excited about this beauty below: a plethora of glass jars with mirrors that made it look as though you are looking into infinity:
Wish I had taken pictures at every one of Hazel’s stops on the tour but alas! I didn’t! Nevertheless, she was amazing!
Art in blooom is such a delight! Floral artists think of amazingly creative ways to recreate a beautiful piece of art in flowers. Here are a few examples. Go back and forth a few times on this first one and see what you think. Pretty amazing! Wish I knew how to put them side to side (where are the grandkids when you need them?)
Here’s another “go back and forth” one:
Look at this creativity in replicating a chair in flowers! I think it’s awesome! Rick thinks it is a little weird!
Let’s take a closer look. See how the artist even replicated the handles of the chair. Cool!
Love this one. The space representing the cave opening and the little people down there in flowers makes it fascinating!
This was my fav….see the Dega ballerina’s skirt and even the tilt of her body in the flowers?
From the museum we went straight to a Boston Red Sox game. Jeff, who had been gone on business all week met us at the stadium straight from the airport. This young Charlie is probably the most knowlegeable nine-year-old in the entire world about baseball! He and his granfather could go on for hours about players, scores, games and stradegy. Jeff is a baseball genius too. It was so fun to share a game with them. Notwithstanding that it was COLD! Worth it though. One of the best games I’ve ever seen (although I have to admit that I haven’t seen many).
What a grand old park! We weren’t far from “The Green Monster” (just a heads-up for you Red Sox fans)!
We were early! Had to catch every minute of it with these baseball mega fans you know!
How lucky are we that the next day, Charlie was due to play his first game in the Little League season. He is an excellent player and this was his first time in the “big leagues”! He batted a thousand with hits both times at bat and had some awesome plays. It was so great to be able to be there for that!
I got to play “restaurant” with Em and had fun making lego houses with Peter, Hazel and Em in the Shumways’ magical attic. Can’t believe I didn’t take pictures of that! Hazel also revealed her incredible “eraser game”. Way too hard to explain but this girl has an imagination like no other! She’s pretty much a genius at everyething she does. Did I mention that before?
Of course Grandfather and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing mini recitals from the kids. Peter (5) is reading notes and is so proud that he can play the piano. Hazel has made remarkable progress since we heard her play last. She gets up to practice the piano at 5 a.m. every morning as well as to finish her homework. To me, that is incredible!
But the star of the weekend was Charlie who not only plays baseball but also is becoming an excellent cello player! His teacher came to play duets with him on each of his memorized pieces from Suzuki Book 1. The recital was amazing. He has a wonderful ear and is going to be a terrific cello player!
Twenty four friends and family as well as former teachers and the Doula who actually scooped Charilie up from his water birth came to support this great kid! Awesome concert!
Our dear Adam and Eva and their three precocious kids came to the concert from their home about an hour away and stayed afterward for dinner. We don’t get to see them often enough but they inspire us everytime we see do! They are a rare and unique family with incredible educational and athletic skills. Their kids are homeschooled and excel beyond belief!
The girls had a fantastic time in their imaginary world and the boys flew paper airplanes while we adults caught up! It was a pure delight!
Selfie on the Timothy’s way out the door:
Saydi was up with us at 5 a.m. the next morning to take us to the airport before she left for her daily run….on this day, in the rain, but she also runs in the snow and during ice storms. Pretty amazing woman that Saydria! She just got a graduation announcement from a beautiful young woman named Saydria. This young woman was named after Saydi when she was born while Saydi she served the first part of her mission in Pocatello, Idaho and baptised her father.
In addition to all that, Rick’s brother Chris and his wife Hedy just happened to be in Boston from Californina, visitng their daughter and her family while we were there. Neither of us knew the other was there, but Saydi quickly organized a lovely dinner and a little reunion with that family whom we haven’t seen for a long time. We squeezed in about every possible delight while we were there!
And then it was home again, home again jiggety jig….but not for long….
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