Pa-ree lo’o ees!
Good Morning!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending time with my extended Armenian family in the Boston area. My local cousin, my sister and her spouse, and I joined with cousins for an Essegian/Mahakian reunion and a weekend of activities – and of course, eating!
We arrived Thursday afternoon and celebrated the much-anticipated weekend with some Armenian wine, compliments of cousin Lorraine.

Our cousin Ira volunteered to chauffer us around, since we plebian upstate NYS drivers dreaded driving around Boston.

First stop was the Genocide Memorial in downtown Boston – beautiful and peaceful:

After also wandering around Quincy Market and the wharf area, we headed to Ani’s in Belmont for its authentic Armenian food in a casual setting. It lived up to its reputation!

More than once in our wanderings we remarked on our gratitude that Ira was driving – not just in downtown Boston but the entire surrounding area!

Saturday we headed for the Armenian Museum in Watertown. I’ve included several photos from the museum in past posts. There were some items I either missed the first time or had been added, most notably this phenomenal needlework using silkworm cocoons! In old Armenia, many of the villages were along the famed Silk Road, heavily trafficked by merchants traveling between the Orient and the western countries. My family, from Kharpert, lived in one of the busiest trading areas.

From the museum we headed to the home of cousin Bobby and his delightful (and talented) children, Amy and Robert. Everyone brought a contribution for the dinner, but the bulk of the feast was created by Bob and his girlfriend, Allison. All I can say is, OINK – it was wonderful! But at least as wonderful was seeing cousins we hadn’t seen in years and some who hadn’t been born the last time we were all together. We failed at our intent to take a group photo, so I will just include a couple of memorable pics of our family elder and source of many family stories, John, with his beloved Alicia and Mike, and niece/nephew Amy and Michael. Amy, a classically trained soprano, graced us with a sampling of her favorite pieces. Breathtaking!

Late to the party were Ira’s wife, Diane with children (Lauren and husband Jorge) and grandchildren (Elizabeth and Ryan), who were at Ryan’s soccer game.

It was such a joy to connect with the cousins, who had been such a huge part of our early family life.

Har-kank-ne’-rus po-lo-reen!
My regards to all!