The winter chill is holding on strong, just the opposite of last year's summer-like temperatures in March. It's good for sugaring, but since we're not sugaring, it's a kind of torture to feel trapped inside at this time of year. When the wind is howling and it's under 30 degrees, we look for indoor activities on the weekends. The problem is we have over-exhausted all the usual suspects: splash park, Montshire Museum, planetarium... even the kids are sick of them. This weekend we made a last minute decision to mix it up, and headed to Boston for dim-sum and the children's museum on Saturday. Thankfully, Micah and Becky & kids were happy to join us, even with the late notice, and we made a really fun day of it.
I first encountered dim sum in Vancouver, thanks to housemate Linda Lau, and it was love at first bite. I love all the different savory dumplings; I love the sticky rice with mystery meats steamed in a lotus leaf; I love the fried taro puffs and the fluffy BBQ pork buns. Love, love, love! It's an experience to be in a crowded dim sum restaurant with all the waiters pushing carts heaped high with steamer baskets and small plates, grabbing what you like off of each as they roll by your table. Aiden loves this sort of cultural eating experience, so I had an immediate ally in him. I don't think he liked more than 20% of the different items he tried, but he was mesmerized by the atmosphere and how it all works. He's been bugging us about going back ever since we left, so we may have to pay a visit to Chinatown in NYC this summer as well. 
The Boston Children's Museum was a short walk from Chinatown, and all the kids, from Fisher to Aiden, had a great time exploring the different exhibits. Aiden will probably be old for this museum in a year or two, but last weekend it was perfect for all. On Sunday we visited Tucker Mountain Maple's sugarhouse, run by a co-worker of mine, Eric, and the farmer who runs the CSA we used to belong to, Kat. Haley was a bit afraid to go into the steaming sugarhouse (I guess she though it was on fire?) but once we convinced her she was munching up maple candy and sampling syrup with the rest of us. Sugar on snow made the kids nice and sticky for our afternoon activity, skiing at Ragged Mountain. We hadn't been to Ragged before, besides Andy for a golf outing, and had a fun half day on the sunny slopes with a bunch of our friends. Aiden and Andy hit the terrain parks with the older kids, and Haley and I did the slopes under the smallest chairlift. Haley is getting better and better, and we're looking forward to getting her harness-free next season, as soon as she can hold an extended wedge and control her turning a little better. We keep thinking each week will be our last skiing of the season, but if winter's grip continues, who knows?
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