Around Town

Swan boats in the lagoon at Boston's
Public Garden

The spring is a time when, even in the city and the urban environs, we can see the subtle changes of the season.  This makes me more observant of the little details all around, as I walk around, to and from work, or going about the chores, or out on a bike ride.  Once in a while, I'm lucky to capture just some snippets of the visual feast all around.  This post is just a sample of them.

A view through the graceful drapings of the willows on the banks of the
lagoon at the Public Garden, just steps from my office. 

I just love this collection of flowers in a garden near my home in Cambridge.

My favorite footbridge is constructed with steel arches and cables
 supporting the wood deck.  This is the Blue Heron Bridge over the
Charles River between Newton (foreground) and Watertown, on a June
Sunday as I was biking the river paths out to Waltham.

I loved the lighting of early evening as the somber crowd leaves Fenway Park.
The "green monster" seats hang over Landsdowne Street.  Sox lost 3-2 to Cleveland.

Sunset over the Charles, framed by the Boston University Bridge.

Mills along the River

Many New Hampshire towns grew up along rivers, where mills took full advantage of the available water power. Milford retains a little bit of urban character with its little active business district near the river, including some attractive old mill buildings in restored condition built right on the banks of the river.

We stopped at the Red Arrow Diner in Milford after our climb of Pack Monadnack Mountain. Very good sweet potato fries and nice coconut cream pie.

Below: the nicely restored mill buildings line the river. The Red Arrow is just out of the view to the right.

Sunset Along the Charles River

The fading days of summer mean the sun sets earlier. While I'm sad that what little of a summer we had around Boston is coming to an end, the early sunsets mean some great photo opportunities on my bike ride home from work.

The best part of the trip is riding west (into the sunset) along the Esplande, the park made famous for Boston's 4th of July celebration at the Hatch Shell. Here's a few shots from last Wednesday's ride.

Below: Evening light peaks under a footbridge



Below: The pinkish light of sunet reflecting in the pool.






Below: Two views approaching the Harvard Bridge at Massachusetts Avenue.

Below: A full moon among the skyscrapers of the Back Bay skyline.

Waterscapes Along the Charles River

The Charles River provides a surprisingly great variety of waterscape backdrops to the urban fabric of palates of greater Boston. The classic view of the Charles Basin includes the Hatch Shell and the Boston skyline. Yet a short 10-mile bike ride along the riverbank pathway system rewards you with a variety of vistas.

Below: marshes line the north bank in this view from the Brighton section of Boston.

Above: a willow tree on the Esplanade near Back Bay is silhouetted by a Marsh sunset.

Below: a month later, a woman and child relax under a different willow tree on the south bank in Watertown.


Above: One of my favorites is a view into the sunset at Charles Station on the Longfellow Bridge. Taken only a few hundred yards from the Hatch Shell, this view is something you will never see on a post card. I just love the warm, yellow backlighting of the setting sun (eclipsed by the light pole).

Below: The falls at Watertown, framed by the wonderful spring palate of leafing trees on a warm Saturday in April.