Swampscott, Sun Rise and Spencer

What's in a name? Well, I'll tell you what's not in a name... and that's anything remotely telling about the name Swampscott. First of all, and maybe this is just me, but if I want people to know how beautiful and quaint a town is, chances are anything with the word "swamp" in it isn't gonna make the final cut. I mean, c'mon... Swampscott?? Is this the best someone could come up with for their beloved city's name? Sounds more like a member of a shady crew you'd wanna shy away from down at the docks to me.

[cut to headline]
"Swampscott, Shotgungary and Beerbobby arrested on charges of tax evasion at local boat house."
[end headline]

Naming considerations aside I spent the night at the house of my cousin Aaron, his wife Jen, and their 17 month-old little big man, Spencer, Friday night just outside of Boston in this cozy, coastal getaway. Such cool established neighborhoods with towering trees, hills and miles of coastline made this little suburb amazingly peaceful and serene.


Umm, what time are we getting up again?
So, Aaron asked me Friday night (after midnight actually) if I wanted to try and catch a few images of sunrise down by the water at a little after 6 in the morning. To say I'm not a morning person is like saying Bostonians hate the Yankees... it's a given. I must have been high on fall color, though, 'cause I agreed to giving it a try, but secretly hoped he'd A) forget about it, B) sleep through his alarm, or C) wake up, realize it was only 30-some degrees outside and decide to skip it. No luck, though... being a trader on Wall Street and living in/near Boston, this guy's used to frigid, early mornings. So, off we went and I'm so glad he dragged me along. I haven't seen a sunrise since, well, I don't even know, and it was amazing. Check out the cool beach images.

THE Game
After we got back to the house and my body recovered from the shell-shock of being up so early, it was time to settle in for THE game all Buckeye fans live for every year against Michigan. So, we all put on our OSU gear, grazed on tons of awesome food the entire afternoon and celebrated what's become a customary whipping of the Wolverines. Good times were had by all. Well, maybe not so much by Aaron and Jen's friends that also came over. They're unfortunately fans of the maize and blue variety, and as you can tell by the look on their adorable little daughter, Makena's face, her Big Blue eyes can't believe the Wolverines got pummeled again.

Thanks, Aaron, Jen and Spencer for being such gracious hosts and opening your home to me. It was great seeing you again, and can't wait to return the favor in Dallas sometime soon.