We first discovered IKEA in New Haven CT in 2014 on our way back from visiting Autumn and Jim in New Jersey. If we were still living in our house in Missouri, I probably wouldn’t be so in love with this store. But being an apartment dweller has reframed my perspective. For one, boxes are easier to take up stairs than assembled furniture. I also love the way they demonstrate how to get the most storage and utility out of small living spaces. Since that first visit in CT, we’ve purchased items for ourselves and our children, who also live in small spaces, from IKEAs in New Jersey, Kansas, and  Massachusetts.  For me, it’s more than just a building your own furniture store, it’s a model of how I can arrange my apartment for maximum efficiency. OK, I should get paid for that advertisement.

We decided we needed to go to IKEA for the heck of it. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and we needed to get out of the apartment. The only store in New England north of New Haven is in Stoughton, MA about an hour south of us. We made our way through the maze and found the items we thought we needed and checked out. As I approached the cloverleaf to go north on the highway, I said to Janet, “I wonder what’s that way” and continued east rather than getting on the highway. It was a beautiful day for a drive and we had no other plans so we decided to see where the road would take us.

If you’re traveling east in Massachusetts you will eventually encounter water, and that we did. After driving through Holbrook, Rockland, and Norwell we happened on the little coastal town of Scituate. The road brought us in alongside a small harbor with many fishing boats and pleasure craft tied to the docks. In the distance we could see a lighthouse that I believed needed closer inspection. My in-laws love lighthouses, as do many people here in New England. Each one appears to be different.  This one was a beautiful white tower crowned with a black cupola containing the light. At the base was a real working house. I don’t think anyone lives there permanently but you could see that it is used.  The Scituate light house sits at the end of a road that is crammed with older beach houses that line the small beach area. I’m sure this is nice in the summer time as the water here is in the northern part of Cape Cod bay and the waves aren’t crashing.

We continued our drive up the shoreline through Hingham, Weymouth, and into Quincy. Ken and Alicia, Janet’s brother and wife, used to live in Weymouth so it was great to get some perspective. My superintendent used to work in Quincy so again I appreciated being able to visualize where he’d come from. Quincy was much bigger and nicer than I’d anticipated. It may bear a repeat visit sometime.

We’d made our way back to South Boston and time for the adventure to end. Janet has always loved the way I plan adventures out to the last detail, however she loves it even more when I go rogue and let spontaneity be my compass. I think there’s room for both, and you can probably buy a compass like that at IKEA…..just kidding.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” – Helen Keller