Somewhere on the NJ Turnpike, the humidity was so high the camera lenses fogged up. The heat was oppressive and unbearable.   On the drive up I read to Valerie from Parasite Rex by Carl Zimmer. We learned all about Guinea Worms. Val's undergraduate work was on insects, specifically bees, but she appreciates a good Guinea Worm story.

Friday night, upon arrival, Sarah and B.D. and Val and I went to see Nicki Jaine at the Sky bar. We had a wonderful time. the place was packed. Everybody crawled out of the woodwork to see Nicki.

Valerie rapidly realized that I had no matching towels. We went to Filene's Basement in Boston to correct this. Acres of clothes and ... sunglasses! I bought a bunch of bath towels and many sunglasses.

Then we went shopping for cool kitchen stuff after driving across the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill bridge.

We brought dinner over to Valerie's parents.

Valerie's family is made up of photographers several generations deep. One of her photo projects was making 16x20 enlargements of some of her grandfather's 4x5 negatives. My arrival prompted everyone to want to look at embarrassing photos of Val during her high school years. All the photographers photographed one another while this happened. Discussions of metaphotography ensued, of course.

Valerie and her father, Steven Mathews.

B.D. has a Viking stove which rocks.
He also has a Pulitzer. That rocks too.

Our room at Sarah & B.D.'s.

Saturday night, hanging out with Nicki Jaine.

Breakfast Sunday morning.

Then off to the flea markets....

Where there were bunnies....

 I'd always wanted to swim in Walden pond. A co-worker called it "a noble American pilgrimage". Despite the fact that it was very chilly out, the water was like a bathtub. The summer sun had been baking it for three months just for us. I didn't want to get out.

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