BenSpark Family Adventures

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02552 Today was Allison's birthday. We celebrated by going to the Colonel Blackinton Inn for dinner. Dinner was taken care of by a Christmas gift card and another gift card that Allison received from school. We had an excellent meal. Andy got adventurous and then realized that they really did not like spinach. Allison got her favorite which was butternut squash ravioli. Eva went with chicken parm and I went with the Wedge salad and short ribs and asparagus. Both Allison and Andy also had French Onion soup. We were seated in one of the small rooms in the back and hard it mostly to ourselves. It was a lovely dinner with good conversation and a chance to celebrate Allison. When we came home we had some cake that was left over from Allison's birthday celebration last night with friend and also some cupcakes that Andy baked last night. It was a nice time.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02542 This afternoon and into tonight we went to the Salem Cross Inn for one of their Fireside feasts. This was the last one of the year and a celebration of the New Year.  We arrived and went to the basement of the building where they have this giant fireplace and there is an antique roasting jack, the only one still in use. There are 6 prime ribs roasting in the fire. They had started the roasting around 2pm. This location was the gathering place for everyone before going upstairs to enjoy the feast. There is a bit of theater to have before that. The kids were dressed warmly and nicely for the occasion.  We had to dress warm because we would be on a sleigh ride around the property.  I even pulled out my very heavy sweater for the occasion.  The horses that drew our sleigh were Jerry and Jim. We posed with them after the ride. They gave us either Mulled Cider or Mulled Wine to enjoy. They did the mulling with rods from the fire. It was cool to watch...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02541 Before I get into what I am printing on the 3D printer we are now on day two of passport scramble. At 12:45 we headed over to the post office for our appointment for Eva and Andy's passports. We got there and there was a line so I got in and when I got up to the line and the person ahead of me was done I let them know that I was there for my passport and was told that the people ahead of me had to go next. So why make an appointment? While in line we heard one of the post office people say that the form had to be done in black ink. We did ours in Blue at Triple AAA. We failed to read the top line of the form. So, I get two new forms and I fil out Andy's while Allison filled out Eva's. We get up tot eh line for our turn and it is a new person who immediately looks at the form and says that it is the wrong form. but we just got it there in the post office. The other person who had given me the forms gave me the 2020 forms not the 2025 forms. There are l...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02540 Ever since we learned, yesterday, that Eva and Allison are going on a trip with Mimi I've been scrambling to get things set up for Eva's passport. I know I should have done this the moment the orange tyrant took office but I did not. So now here we are. Triple AAA does the passport photos for free so we went there to get the photos and the applications needed to get the passports. We decided that we might as well get one for Andy, too.  I read everything online I could about what we needed for the applications. Eva has a MA ID so that is all she needed along with birth certificate. Andy would need birth certificate plus my license and Allison;s license. I read that they needed photocopies so I made them of everything. After Triple AAA we went over to the Attleboro post office to do the rest of the steps. While walking in I saw that you needed an appointment for a passport so I made one for later in the day and we went for lunch at Mac and Walt's. Lunc...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02538 Today we went on our annual family bowling trip to Mashpee Commons. We started doing this last year as an activity rather than sitting around the house all day. I did not take the photo so the photo from the even cannot be today's daily photo. But here is the group photo. Who knows, this may be next year's Christmas card photo but we may get a better one this Summer on the beach or something like that. Bowling was a good time. The kids all bowled together. Tara, Erik, Shelby and Tim had their own lane and Allison, Me, Grandfather and Mem also had our own lane. It was a nice time. Always fun family activity. We were treated to another beautiful sunset tonight. I like this photo of all of us the best but Moms eyes are shut. the think I like is that you can actually see Andy, not just their eyes. But as far as eyes, Kylie has a killer Side-eye going on here.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02524 Tonight Andy and I went to Boston for the Mix 104.1 Deck The Hall Ball. This was Andy's big birthday gift because the headliner was AJR. They were excellent to see in person. Their songs are fun and there was one point where they even broke down how they created the song "World's Smallest Violin". IT was super cool to watch.  There were two opening acts and they were pretty good. Andy was super enthusiastic when AJR came on. Clapping for each song and swaying to the music. Big smile on their face, too. We had pretty decent seats. The music was LOUD so I am glad that I had bought some LOOP ear protection before the show. They really helped me enjoy things so much more. It was a good time. Lots of fun with Andy.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02518 Today we went to see the Feehan production of Matilda. Eva was the costume lead for the show and her hard work was on display throughout the performance. Her major piece was a dress for Mrs. Wormwood. She worked so hard to make that dress. I really hope that her efforts are recognized in the MetG awards again. It would be amazing if she won. But I think that every time she creates something it is prize worthy.  The show as a lot of fun and the set was incredible. Myles, the stage manager, was also the set designer and used the original plans for the set from the original performance to create the set for Feehan. He even made a scale model of the set and that was on display after the show. It was so detailed and cool. Mom and Dad came along with Auntie Tara and Auntie Shelby. Aunt Donna was there along with Ellen Gustafson and Aunt Cindy, Uncle Wayne, Scott, Beth and Abby were also there. 

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02494 When Allison and I started discussing our 20th Anniversary and how to celebrate it we were looking at a few things but they were things we had done before. Then Allison sent me a link to the Providence Tour company. she had gone with Eva and her friend Aviva on the Providence Haunted Authors Tour and really enjoyed it. The company had a Dinner Stroll on Federal Hill so we booked it for tonight. The stroll took us to Cassarino’s, Trattoria Appia, Pane e Vino, and Anthony’s Authentic Italian Cuisine. We were on the tour with three other couples who were all friends. By the end of the night we had had good conversations with most everyone from the group. We were about 10 years younger than the rest of the group. We learned that our tour guide was from North Attleboro. She was very nice. Our adventure started at Cassarino's for an appetizer sampler of calamari, bruschetta, stuffed mushrooms and clams casino. Everything was excellent. We were allotted 35 minutes a...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02461 I took last night off so that means that today I was able to do a few things around here before taking a nap for work. Allison and I took advantage of that time to go walking at La Salette and also to visit the Farmer's Market. I have not been there yet this year and there is only one weekend left. We got some tasty treats as we walked around including a Jerusalem bagel and some pretzels for the kids. We also got some spicy thai sauce and Allison got a pumpkin spice cold brew coffee. Tonight Allison and Eva went to see the band the Oh Hellos in Boston. They had a great time at the show.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02458 Today Eva and I went to Boston University for a college tour. It was pouring int eh morning and through our drive but once we got there the rain ended and we had a very nice tour. I had never been on the campus of Boston University and didn't know much about it. I'm not one for the city but Eva enjoyed it and was excited by the place. While we did not get to see the fine arts college but at some point if she wants to continue to pursue this college we'll be back to see that area specifically. 

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02448 Today we went to see the Attleboro Community Theater performance of And Then There Were None. We were joined my our friends Frank and Heather. Frank and I had made plans back in July when we met up last time. It is a great thing that we can catch up every once and a while around a performance. We're making plans for The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge in December.  The kids went with us to see the show too. they both enjoyed it as well. After the show we dropped them off at home and then went to dinner with Frank and Heather at Wetherlaine's. When I was at Granite State Comicon I bought a book and print from one of the vendors. The book was of 20 80's movies and I knew that it would be the perfect book for Frank. The print is for the movie Better Off Dead, a favorite of mine and of Frank. The book is a good one but I knew I'd only read it once and I knew that Frank would appreciate it more than me so I gave it to him along with the print for his podcast...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02441 The second day of the convention is the relaxed day. Eva had a very simple cosplay today as Adaine from Fantasy High. As we walked around together there were three people that recognized the character. Eva had made three special bottle cap buttons and gave them to the three people.  after our breakfast at the bookstore down the street we came back tot he convention as it began. We decided to load upt he car and then went across the street to the SNHU center for the other part of the convention. There were things like the Big Dumb Robot convention where people displayed robots that they had fabricated with 3D printers and other materials. There were some amazing ones there, too. Down on the floor of the arena were additional vendors. Eva found a tea to try and I picked up a set of books signed by the author and we even found some figures that andy likes to put together. They are called Eugy figures and they are made from cardboard or wood pieces that you glue ...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02440 This morning Eva and I headed up to New Hampshire for the Granite State Comicon. This is an event that we attend together every year and each year we have more fun. This year Eva worked so hard on a cosplay costume that really spoke to her. She is cosplaying as a character from her favorite book, The spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White. Her character is that of Silas Bell. Eva spent months designing the costume from the ground up. From working on the pattern to making mock ups to embroidery to so many other details too numerous to mention. Eva did an outstanding job. This was the first time participating in the contest since 2018. This year Eva met a number of other cosplayers and made some new friends. Eva also got to catch up with several of friends that they made over the past few years. Eva's friends also participated in the contest. While none of them won any of the prizes they did have great experiences. Eva and I arrived close to 10am and too...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02422 Over the weekend I saw that Tougas Family Farm was having Jimmy Buffett days in honor of Buffett and Labor Day Weekend. I worked 8pm - 8am last night so I was a bit out of it when I finally got up and we headed there to hang out do some apple picking or whatever. I really had no plan, I guess I thought it would be a lot more chill than it was. The place was packed. So many people were out apple picking and listening to the live band covering Jimmy's tunes. We tried to go into the store but that was overwhelming so we got out and walked for a bit. We got some donuts and apple cider and then decided to do some apple picking. I'm glad that we did end up deciding to apple pick because we got a nice big ox of apples and this early in the season there were tons of great apples to pick. We got Honey Crisp and three other varieties that I cannot remember. We also picked a few yellow peaches. We rode on the wagon to the fields to pick. Allison and Andy on the wago...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02407 Tonight was the last Food Truck night of 2025. For some reason I must have hit the portrait mode and it auto focused on me. Sadly everyone else is out of focus. Whoops.  Tonight I got the Lobster Street Corn Nachos. This is the first cheat meal that I've had since being on Virta. I wanted to see how it would affect my blood sugar. I did not eat the whole thing but had a pretty good amount. About two hours later my blood sugar was at 255, that is the most it has been in months. It did come back down pretty quickly, too.  I figure if I am going to cheat I am going to need to pick something that I really enjoy to make it worth it. It won't be often but I will occasionally and in moderation pick something that is not Virta approved. 

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02399 Tonight Allison and I enjoyed the Christmas present that she gave me, tickets to see Nate Bargatze at TD Garden. We have been fans of Nate Bargatze for many years now and he’s been doing so well in the past few years. SNL appearances, a giant comedy tour and next month he’s hosting the Emmys. Before the show we went to a local Mexican restaurant, Los Antojitos, in North Attleboro. Between Taco Blanco on the Cape and this place I think the Birria taco is better at Los Antojitos. The consume is better there, too. We ate around here because it would be easier to have that out of the way instead of looking for a place to park in Boston. We had parking for the show so that was good, getting to it, though, that was not so good. But, we got to the Garden and had plenty of time to get to our seats because the show started about a half hour late. Despite that and the traffic it was a fantastic show. Nate was really funny and each of the opening acts were good. I laughed a...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02397 This morning Andy and I went paddle boarding over at the beach. Allison had asked the kids what things they wanted to do on their last week of the Summer on the Cape. Andy wanted to go to Eugene Henry’s and go paddleboarding. We’ll we already went to Eugene Henry’s so it was time to go paddle boarding. We pumped up the paddle boards yesterday so that they would be ready first thing this morning while the water was still. We had a wonderful morning on the water even though I continually scanned for dorsal fins because even though Falmouth has not had any major shark sightings I was still going to be vigilant. We remained shark free. In the afternoon I drove Allison and Andy to Middleboro to meet up with Colleen so that Allison could get the house ready for her parents. The drive had some moments of traffic but we were lucky to have left when we did because when I was returning I saw that a large accident had happened on the road that we had driven on earlier...

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02393 We spent the day in New Hampshire celebrating Dan and MArcia’s 50th Wedding Anniversary. In the morning I took the family over to the Golden Egg for breakfast. We enjoyed a nice breakfast together and then went back to the hotel to get ready for the day. We met up with Uncle Tom who performed a private Mass for us in his room. Then we headed over to Nate’s house again before heading to our lunch venue at Wentworth By The Sea. We enjoyed a meal at Salt and got to use their wine room. It was a nice room with a very large table. We had an excellent meal and bottles of wine. After our meal we went down to Dan and Marcia’s suite to enjoy a cake that we had brought. We got the cake from Awesome Sweets. Awesome Sweets is a bakery that my friend Sue runs. A great place with very good baked goods. I’d love it if Andy interned there some day. After our celebration we took a bunch of photos around the grounds and also on the porch of their suite. We headed to the Cape after...

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02392 We are up in New Hampshire today visiting Allison’s brother and his family as well as Allison’s parents and her uncle Tom. We’re there for Allison’s parents’ 50th wedding Anniversary. We drove up this morning and met everyone on Market Street in Portsmouth. There we wandered the shops. Andy found a very cool pocket watch that is actually a holder for tiny D&D dice. Eva and Allison also found a few things. after our adventure on Market Street we went to Nate’s house for a cookout. We enjoyed a very nice meal and the kids hung out with their cousins a bit. We had a nice time and Andy played with the dog a bit. Then we went to our hotel room for the night. We stayed at a local Courtyard and We split up the beds to have Eva with Allison and Andy with me. Andy repeatedly whacked me in the back as they flailed in the night. A very active sleeper.

  Photo-A-Day 2.0 #02380 Tonight we went over to The Meadows for some of their frozen custard. I saw that this place was opening soon when we were driving by on the way to my manager’s pool party on Saturday. Today I noticed that Chartley Country Store mentioned on their social media that their entire staff went over to the opening day to get some frozen custard. I figured that I’d take Allison and andy over to try it out. Andy got a Gelatti which is italian ice mixed with frozen custard. Andy got mango italian ice and vanilla custard. They seemed to enjoy it very much. Allison picked the turtle sundae and commented multiple times how many pecans were included in the sundae. She really enjoyed her treat. I did not try any, I wanted to but came home and had some of my Rebel ice cream instead. It is very tasty and doesn’t knock my sugar out of whack.