I realized recently that one of the biggest differences between my life in Jersey and my life in Boston is the time I spend outside. That is: in Jersey my days consisted of moving from house to car to building to another building to car to house. Since I arrived Boston-side back in 1996, my hours in a private moving vehicle dropped dramatically and my time spent walking (quite fast from class to class, fighting through the wind on Boylston and Tremont Streets) spiked.

For a long time, when visiting Jersey as a fully grown (so they say) but car-less adult, I couldn’t decide what was missing in my day.  Then, finally, it hit me: not enough time outside. Now, when I’m spending a day or two at my mother’s place, I’ve added sitting out on her back deck to my morning ritual. Just like Boston, no matter the weather.

The photos below, snapped by my partner, are favorites from last weekend’s visit with friends in Purchase, New York. As you can see, we weren’t deterred by a little drop in temperature!