i think i'm going to boston

since my last post i have mostly been pet sitting and gardening - that is feeding butterflies and preparing their habitats, letting them lay eggs and keeping track of the offspring as they hatch into caterpillars, and growing their host plat: hairy vetch. it's been pretty much an hour and a half of work with the rest of the day to sleep, read, and eat. i have been getting a lot of reading done though, so that's good. too bad i don't have harry potter with me because i always said i would read it when i had time, and now i finally have the time. i read a book by elizabeth gilbert (author of eat, pray, love - which is like my favorite book ever) and it was ok. it wasn't amazing, but it held my attention well enough. definitely not a page turner though. now i'm onto a mystery called simple genius by david baldacci. it's something i picked up in the airport because i was desperate for something to read while i waited for my delayed plane yesterday. it's turned out to be pretty good so far - very dan brown (davinci code) -esqu. i like it; in fact i'm almost halfway through already. it's a pretty quick read, which will soon present me with the problem of needing a new book. i have one that i'm trying to read in spanish, but that's much slower. their is also a copy of margaret atwood's the handmade's tale in our cabin, so maybe i will give that a try.

ward is back in palo alto right now taking care of his 94 year old mother who was not doing well, then had a stroke. the latest update is that she's under palliative care until she dies, which will probably be pretty soon. because she is so old and has been living with ward and carol for a few years, they are pretty prepared for this and have already said their goodbyes. it's still hard though. ward plans to be back thursday regardless of what happens. she wants her ashes interred in arlington with her husband, so that is something he can take care of after this summer. maybe the research assistants (lauren, heather, and i) can cook dinner for them one night this weekend.

in more exciting news, i had a great weekend! i got to go to boston to my aunt's wedding that included a family reunion for the entirety of my mom's family. it was great. the wedding was adorable and the reception was a ton of fun! it was really fancy with delicious food. and i got to trade in my hiking boots for a dress and some makeup, which was really fun for a change. i even got a manicure with my sisters! the next day we wandered the freedom trail of boston, brushing up on our us history with kat as our tour guide. we also had qdoba for lunch. i think that was the highlight of everyone's trip! it was so nice for me to just get to hang out with my family for a couple of days. i also got to get back to the real world for a second. i even got to watch the olympics. being in the city was fun, but it also reminded me why i like the mountains so much, so that was nice too.

if you ever get the stark contrast of isolated mountains one day and a big city the next, pay particular attention to the smells. i went from sniffing wildflowers and fresh air (albeit with a much lower partial pressure of oxygen) to smoke, smog, and fast food. good thing i got to come back!

i guess that's all i have for now. just 3.5 more weeks till i get to go home. i can't wait! but i will enjoy the rest of my time in the mountains too. pics from the wedding are on facebook at http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2140615&l=67070&id=220245