Coyne Operated

After battling some Cape traffic last Saturday, we made our way to New York for the annual block party on my grandparents' street. We didn't let the extreme heat and humidity ruin our day!

We got to spend a couple of days down on Cape Cod. Each year my cousin Billy organizes a family memorial golf tournament that helps raise money for The Jimmy Fund. I missed last year because of treatments and was excited to be playing again. I told Lauren, "It's always better to be playing in the tourney rather than being part of the title."
While I played, Lauren rested up. She sat poolside with my sisters, Susan and Maryellen, and enjoyed a few drinks in the sunshine. We later hit the beach for the after-golf party and more catching up with relatives.
We were told about a restaurant with a great view and later sat on the deck overlooking the Bass River while eating dinner. It was a great night for fresco dining, and we recommend "Sundancers" if you are ever in South Dennis, MA.
Lauren will post the second part of our weekend vacation, but for now, I submit to you some pictures from old Cape Cod.

I would like to thank everyone who e-mailed me asking me how my doctor's visit turned out.
My PET/CT scans were all clear and my bloodwork levels were all in the normal ranges. What a difference a year makes!
We are still keeping an eye on my liver. Those tests are still slightly elevated and we are pretty sure now it is a reaction to the additional stem cells I received last October. So, I am still on the "no booze" rule. I guess I should blog about that sometime!

Also, the answer to our last poll, "What is the significance of the red seat amongst the green out in Fenway's bleacher seats?" It marks the spot of the longest home run in Fenway's history. It was hit by Ted Williams.

"Did you know that the RED seat in the right-field bleachers at Fenway Park marks the spot where longest home run ever hit inside Fenway Park landed? On June 9, 1946, Ted Williams hit a 502-foot home run off Fred Hutchinson of the Detroit Tigers. Sitting in Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21 was Joe Boucher — a 56-year old construction worker from Albany, New York. The ball hit Boucher on the head dislocating his straw hat and causing him to tell the media, "After it hit my head I was no longer interested (in obtaining the souvenir)." -- Baseball Almanac

I stretch out after the hour-long train ride into Boston's South Station. Hundreds of people walk with me along the platform, most headed to start their workdays. I'm headed to Mass General Hospital for my doctor's visit. It's 7:50 AM.
The main terminal is abuzz with all types of activity. There are students, white collar workers, the homeless, the well-dressed, security dogs, vendors, newspaper hawkers and shoe-shine guys. I navigate through it all and make my way to the down escalator.
Under the station is just as lively as people hurry to make their subway train. I pass the gates and make my way out and up the escalator to street level. It's a handy shortcut to bypass crossing the very busy Atlantic Avenue.
It's not long before I hit the first major crosswalk on my journey and the drivers in this area are always out for blood. There will be no mercy if you try to cross when they have the green light. It just is not worth it at 7:55 AM.
A short distance up the road is where Downtown Crossing starts. I wait to cross a busy street while mixed amongst the crowd waiting to get into a Starbucks. On the other side waits an equally huge crowd outside a Dunkin' Donuts. I often envision the battle scene from "Braveheart" -- the "English" at Starbucks finally having to cross the street to take charge at the "Scotts" outside Dunk's.
Starbucks is starting to match Dunkin' Donuts with storefronts in Boston. I can hear the DD crowd yell, "They may take our city, but they will never take our coffee!!!"
OK, maybe not.
Just past the Dunk's crowd stands "Kentucky Ed," as I named him. He is missing half his teeth but does not seem to care. He shakes his old cup at you for change. If you fail to pay the toll, he usually has a comment for you. He once asked me if I felt like a tough guy with my goatee.
The main area of Downtown Crossing is quiet at 8:02 AM. The food vendors are setting up and the folks heading to work all now have that "Oh crap, I'm late" look on their faces. It gives me some time to smile and think that at least for the next few hours, I'm free.
Up to Boylston Street now. It's always busy and nothing is guaranteed even when you have the "walk" light. It's the entrance into the famous "Boston Common."
It's an interesting side of the park. You just don't know if there are more bums than pigeons, or vice versa. The street folk are all starting their day and talking up a storm with each other. They rarely even seem to notice everyone else cutting through.
The Freedom Trail tours are starting to gather at 8:07. Tour guide, Frank Galleto, is gathering his first pack of tourists for the day. He's been dressing up as Paul Revere for three years now and loves his job. Frank was a history teacher in Haverhill, Mass., for 10 years and decided he had enough. Tour guide was his summer job, but now he is full time and plans to run the whole show one day.
I wave to Frank and he smiles and waves back to me asking how I am feeling. I let him know things are good and I am going to have medical science to back that statement up today.
He wishes me luck and goes quickly back into character.
I reach mid-park now, near the Frog Pond, and see the tai chi classes gathering. The joggers, bikers and walkers all seem to circle past them. Some kids have made it out early to use the new playground equipment. How can they have that much energy right now?
I know I am near the end of the Common when I start seeing the nannies pushing strollers. I am on the Beacon Hill side and it is a totally different world from where the bums sleep.
I cross Beacon Street and take the corner onto Charles Street. This is where the "other half" lives. I pass the first of two Starbucks on this street. It's more subdued than the first one I passed. It's more for the yuppie moms of Beacon and Charles.
DeLuca's Market is setting up for the day. They are the classic neighborhood market. Fresh fruit, produce, canned and dried goods are all there. It's a family business and I'm sure there are several generations working at any given time.
The best part about DeLuca's is their deli. They serve huge sandwiches for just $5. Not bad for an uppity part of Boston.
I pass poodle-walkers, joggers and baby-buggy pushers. I see the rich, the workers and the police. High-rent apartments, trendy breakfast places and trendy boutiques.
It's a private world of diversity for those with money and the restaurant scene seems to grow daily. I pass one named Artu's. I am told that it is one of the best "unknown" restaurants in town. All I do know is I probably won't be sampling the fare there any time soon.
The surreal world of Charles Street dissipates into the craziness of Cambridge Street. If ever there was an area that inspired the video game "Frogger," this has to be it. You have to cross over three busy sections of road, using a series of islands before reaching the Mass General campus. The horns blare at nobody in particular and the subway roars into the station above.
Finally safe on the hospital campus at 8:30, I feel a sense of relief. I am going to be on time for my appointment and I had no close calls with any cars or buses that would get Lauren all upset. Well, at least none Lauren will know about.
I make my way up to the main entrance and wish Senora Ramirez, "Buenos dias." She has been an MGH greeter for 23 years now and has seen many come and go. She has raised six kids on her paycheck and you can see the pride on her face as she tells you that. Her only vice is her large coffee with steamed milk. She will tell you that with a huge smile and a wink.
I reach my destination and breathe easy. Walking in Boston can be interesting, intriguing and infuriating all within the same 40 minutes. I guess I would pick a different route and destination if I could, but I am sure that I would never have the same experiences to share.
Walking through Boston.

Yesterday we visited my cousin Meredith and new baby Sophia Louise. What an adorable baby!

Practice, practice!

Meredith and Sophia

Lauren and I volunteered to help out with Fantasy Day at Fenway Park this past Saturday, June 28th. It is one of the many events the Jimmy Fund holds annually to raise money for cancer research at the Dana-Farber Clinic in Boston. People can pay around $1,200 for 15 hits on the Fenway diamond. If they hit the Green Monster in the air, The John Hancock Corporation donates $50. If they hit a home run, John Hancock donates $2,000.
There are also many events that take place within the stadium during the day, some to raise money and others to raise awareness. Lauren and I got to help run the photo stations up on top of the Monster seats in left field. It turned out to be one of the best spots that day.
The best part of the day was after our shift when Lauren stepped up to a different plate and signed up to be on the international bone marrow donor list. We know first-hand how important finding the right donor is when it comes to fighting leukemia/lymphoma and I am extremely proud of her.
The Jimmy Fund was started in 1948 with a radio broadcast from a young patient's bedside to help raise money to buy him a T.V. so he could watch the Boston Braves games. They named him "Jimmy" to protect his identity. The Braves originally supported the cause until they moved out of Boston in 1953.
The Red Sox adopted the cause and it was Ted Williams who really helped bring the Jimmy Fund into the forefront of Red Sox Nation. I have added a link so you can read more about this great organization. By the way, "Jimmy" lived to be 61 years old. He died in 2001 from a stroke, and not at the hand of cancer.

http://www.jimmyfund.org/abo/default.html