Until last weekend, we hadn’t had any out-of-town guests (other than our children) stay with us since we returned to Cambridge last August.

Last Friday, a childhood friend made her first visit to Cambridge that wasn’t dedicated to a child’s graduation or a college reunion so she stayed with us. She had never seen the American Wing of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts so that was our first stop (in the pouring rain).

Saturday, in contrast, turned out to be a glorious Spring day.  We took the subway downtown and walked the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a 1.5 mile series of parks and gardens opened in 2008 after the “Big Dig” had moved the highway that divided the city from the Waterfront underground (at a cost of more than $24 billion).

The Greenway's thousands of plant species reflect the season. (A ranger told us that with the help of volunteers, they planted sixty thousand bulbs last fall.) It has a carousel, sculptures and other art exhibits, many seating areas and fountains, fitness classes, tours, and more.  It’s a stone’s throw away from the Harbor Walk and the North End, Boston’s “Little Italy”.

In mid-afternoon, we drove to Lincoln, a beautiful suburb west of Boston and home of the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Garden, where we joined visitors of all ages, grateful for a respite from what has been a very rainy spring.

Without our guest, I would have spent the day grocery shopping and doing laundry  or other tedious chores.

Anyone want to come for a visit?