When we got up today, it was raining lightly. The streets were dark with the rain, and low clouds hovered between our hotel window and Wantastiquet Mountain across the river. We wanted to go back to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts today, so we got up and got ready quickly. I was across the Connecticut River and a mile into New Hampshire before I realized that I wanted to take Interstate 91 south. So, I turned around, drove back through Brattleboro, and lost little time getting back on the right road.
     When we got into Greenfield, we turned east onto state route 2, which leads all the way to Cambridge. After about a hundred miles, we arrived in Cambridge, and drove to Wayne and Darryl’s house to drop off the Boston area two-for-one coupon book that we’d no longer need. Before we did, we ate at a Burger King on Massachusetts Avenue and phoned Wayne and Darryl. Since they didn’t answer the phone, we assumed that they weren’t there, but when we arrived to drop off the book, they had just gotten home from church.
     Over the course of our two weeks in New England, we’d picked up a lot of brochures and newspapers, as well as 5 board games, and we hadn’t yet found boxes to get them back home in. Wayne just happened to mention that he’d been throwing away magazines that he’d kept in Banker’s Boxes and now had to get rid of the boxes. What we had collected fit perfectly in two boxes and Wayne even had tape to seal them shut for the journey home. What luck!
     We bid adieu to Wayne, Darryl, and their cat, Meow, and headed off towards the airport. Our plan was to drop the car off, check in our baggage, leave our carry-on luggage in a locker, and take the subway to the museum. When we got halfway to the airport, we realized there was no need to jump through all these hoops. Instead, we’d just drive to the museum. Our original intent was to avoid last-minute traffic on the way to the airport, but the logistics of what we’d planned had so many delays that it made little difference which we did.
     We parked the car in the Museum’s parking garage (which was to cost nearly $10!) and walked across the street to the museum. Entrance to the museum was $8, but we had saved one last two-for-one coupon just for this. Without delay, Pam and I headed towards the Nubian and Egyptian exhibits that we’d missed on the first floor. Despite looking significantly smaller on the map, the number of antiquities in the first floor collection was easily two-thirds that of the collection on the second floor. We saw some canopic jars and a large collection of jewelry.
     We finally made our way to the mummy room, which was both fantastic and disappointing. The beauty of the mummiform cases was outstanding, yet we had hoped to see unwrapped mummies as well. Oddly, we had seen one once before – in a planetarium in Tucson! We took some time to see more of the Greek and Etruscan exhibits, and also went to the upstairs museum shop, where I bought some pewter Egyptian miniatures. That day happened to be the last day of the John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) exhibit, so we visited the Gund Gallery to see his paintings. Copley was the most significant portraitist in colonial America, and painted such famous figures as Jeremiah Lee, Thomas Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Paul Revere. Copley’s works are beautiful and detailed, and the museum displayed them in a very attractive fashion. Although the special exhibit is now over, many of Copley’s paintings are still kept in the Evans Wing of the museum, and I highly recommend visiting it.
     We met George near the exit just after 4 p.m., and we headed towards the airport. As we had suspected, traffic was miserable, and it took us a considerable time to drive the last two miles. I dropped Pam and George off at the Northwest terminal, and then drove to the National Car Rental office to take care of the car. I then rode the shuttle back to the Northwest Terminal, met up with George and Pam, and barely snuck onto the plane in time.
     I was so tired from several sleep-short nights and having gotten up early today, that I was asleep by the time the plane took off. I have no memory at all of leaving the ground in Boston. Shortly before we arrived in Minneapolis/St. Paul I woke again. The gate we landed at was on the other end of the terminal from where we’d be leaving from, so we rode the moving sidewalks all the way. Once we got to our gate and found we had plenty of time until our flight, George and I headed back to play some video games we’d passed. The first one, RoadBlasters, wouldn’t steer, and the pinball game we played, Class of 1812 (with a horror theme), had a flipper that didn’t work.
     George and I barely made it on the plane in time (we were the last two on), and off we went to Phoenix. I tried desperately to sleep on the way home, but some older woman in front of us had too much liquor in her and talked non-stop, and “Kicky the Clown” was sitting behind me. I was very happy to finally step off the plane in Phoenix and be home again. Our friend, Charles (Hi, Charles!), had come to the airport to pick us up. So, we loaded our stuff in his Bronco, and he took us home. Although we’re looking forward to sleeping in our own beds tonight, we sure will miss those Spring Air Backguard III’s in Providence... Only two more years and we’ll be there again for NecronomiCon: Third Edition!