With the hope that you will forgive a purely gratuitous post (or at least it was until the update above), I couldn't let a day spent on the wide open seas in search of humpback whales go unnoted on WDW. And besides, in a way, the whole experience reminded me of my Jaking adventures over the years. If Jake Gyllenhaal emitted a six foot tall plume of mist every time he breathed then maybe we'd have more chance of finding him. But just as Jake has his Intelligentsia and Cafe Luxxe, the humpbacks have Stellwagen Bank. I don't think there's a choice between full fat or skinny krill though.
Another similarity I noted is that it is almost impossible to take a good picture of a humpback whale - Jacques Cousteau I aint. Nevertheless, I hope you can tell from the pictures that these are whales and not just flecks of dirt on the camera lens.
We saw three or four small groups of adults and young. While our game was trying to work out the exact moment to take The Tail Shot, the whales were having an animated discussion by smacking their flippers on the water's surface.
I have learned some lessons today that will come in handy the next time that I have a red carpet experience with Jake - seasickness pills and a good jacket are vital. Winding down afterwards with a blue margarita complete with a candy/sweet shark floating in its depths is also recommended.
I should mention that the New England Aquarium is well worth a visit, not least because it is currently showing Star Trek at its IMAX!
Cheers!
Gratuitous pictures by WDW. This post is dedicated to BBMISwear :-)
Lovely pictures! Glad you saw the whales. The piccies made me think of Heath.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am delighted Jake was willing to pose for a picture with the Pinkberry employee, I SO would have like to see one of him "twirling" or "swirling" into the establishment, as I don't think he has done that in any other yogurt or ice cream store to my recollection.
Hi WDW!
ReplyDeleteYes, we can definitely see the beautiful humpback whales in your pics. It's such a great experience to see them. I'm so glad you and BBMISwear had such a great time visiting New England, even got a taste of our wild at times weather! Also that you got to see Ted. I love their account of their meeting Jake.
Jake's looking great, love the hat, and the pic of him at Pinkberry.
My word is Britants. :)
Bertie
Morning everyone! The sun is back in full force today :)
ReplyDeleteHi Anon! OMG, I'd love to see Jake twirl and swirl into a store. That lucky gal :D
I'm so glad that the pics reminded you of Heath - how lovely :)
Hi Bertie! I've been very lucky that your wild weather has just grazed me on occasion, but I'm wondering how you all cope in the winter. Ooh, good word - mine is crisp...
Have a great day everyone. I'm exploring Boston itself today.
I had no idea Cheers was a real place!
ReplyDeleteMe neither, Ding Aling! But it turns out that the bar here did inspire the TV series but the bar itself wasn't used, just the front. Now there's another replica Cheers down at the harbour front (I can recommend its fish and chips) :D
ReplyDeleteDid you take your whale spotting trip out of Boston? I got SO seasick on my whale spotting trip out of Montauk, LI, spent all the time throwing up over the rail -
ReplyDeleteBut you are now INITIATED - I live just around the corner from Herman Melville's place in the Berkshires and will send you one of these days a Call Me Ishmael bumper sticker.
does any of Boston remind you of home - since we like to think it's
after all New ENGLAND -
Doncha want to just STAY HERE? Just settle in and go to Harvard, or somethin'?
Have you had any great clam chowder, in your travels?
A sunny autumn day! Happy September First, everypeeps!
I like the whale-watching pictures, WDW. I went on a whale-watching boat when I was in Provincetown some years ago. Is that where you did it, or was this expedition from Boston Harbor?
ReplyDeleteThey don't have Pinkberry in Boston. We have Brigham's and Friendly's and the occasional Baskin-Robbins. In Hyde Park and dedham, we also have Steve's Natural ice cream, which is very nice and more than holds its own.
There's a very nice chain of ice-cream places on martha's Vineyard (I don't remember the exact name, but I think it has Martha in it somewhere), so maybe Jake has had ice cream there.
WDW, your pictures of whale-watching look harrowing. Were you very far away from land? I mean, could you see land? I would not be able to go if land wasn't at least in sight. I've lived on the Atlantic Coast for generations ,and fear the ocean. Go figure. To think You did "The Whales of August"! How cool.
ReplyDeletePlease, as you traverse the Boston area, try to understand about The Old North Church,Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill (AKA Breed's Hill.) Plus, remember,your ancestors really put a serious hurt on us at Long Island in New York, and we love you all the same.:) (Family quarrels can be very vexing.)
Lucky girl in the ice-cream store! I want to kind of want to tweet (LOL)/tweeze his eyebrows though! *g*
ReplyDeletelovely pics of the baby whales, I've never seen a whale in natural environment. quite something!
urgh. I couldn't stop typing exclamating mark! excited for you all!
Hello there! One day left now - I fly home tomorrow night and semi-normal service will be resumed. Today has been AMAZING!!! More in new post. One thing I don't like about Boston is that it makes me eat too much - how dare you!
ReplyDeleteHi Pia! Love your comment - where to start. Well, I thought I might get seasick so I took the pills. The distance to the sandbank is 30 miles which is further than the England to France crossing. But I think only small kids were sick (did feel sorry for the parents). It was amazing!
Moby Dick is one of my top 5 fave books of all time!! How did you know that? :D I've loved it for years and now it feels closer to me.
Boston and New England really does remind me of home - the place names, the accent and the English heritage. Things might have got a little bad tempered between the Brits and the locals but the relationship is everywhere. I've been doing some history tours today and in the old cemeteries you can't tell who's English and who's American. It feels very close to home. And this is the only place in the US that I've been to where the history is comparable to UK history.
My disappointment was Harvard which I visited today but that's partly because I know Oxford University too well.
I do wanna stay here! I am definitely coming back, and bringing Mr WDW with me. Love it here. But no chowder, ugh, I hate chowder! But plenty of shrimpp and clams and lots of other fishes. I but a soft toy as a momento on every trip and this time it's a cuddly lobster. Gonna call it Rolly.
It's been great visiting NE, Pia *)
Hi Paul! I did the tour from Boston Harboour. Quite a trip. But well worth it. I am a huge ice cream addict and I like to try it everywhere but I''d not heard of Jake3's interview brand :)
Hey Collym! It was a little harrowing, I won't lie. That's a long sea trip and no land in any direction.
I LOVE the history and I've been learning more about it today. Tomorrow I'm going up to Bunker Hill to soak up that incredible story. I went round the Granary cemetery today and I fo9und it very moving - the five victims of the massacre are there along with Samuel Adams and Paul Revere and Otis. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like here as people fought for independence and the English left, blowing up the old lighthouse as they left. Incredible. I wish I had more time to explore. Some of my family settled in Gloucester and Boston and so I feel particularly tied to the place.
I'm ashamed to say that I know nothing about Long Island. I'm glad we've hugged and made up :)
Hi Winterbird! Seeing whales in their natural environment is truly humbling and I said 'Wow!' outloud repeatedly. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!
The vision of Jake setting off a six foot plume of water is one that will have me giggling all day. Offensive or defensive behaviour, do you think?
ReplyDeleteStar Trek in the IMAX sounds like fun. And you should have sat in the Norm Chair at Cheers!