Transitions
August 16. My son Charlie and his wife Kelsey are in a transition. The due date of their first child was yesterday; they are waiting anxiously for their world to change.
Josh and I came back from Nantucket to be with them during this transition. It is also a transition for us, to be back in the city after living so close to nature in Nantucket. This will be our first local grandchild!
It is also a transition in the season, with the goldenrod now blooming and winds coming from the north, rather than the summer southwesterlies, more often. (My Nantucket blogs are at www.wildnantucket.blogspot.com.)
The blooms are large and profuse in Cambridge after what has been considered the wettest July on record. I have sought out my local nature spots, and am planning to explore new ones. Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing five green herons at Black’s Nook at Fresh Pond. They are notoriously secretive, but there are two family groups and the youngsters are flitting about. My daily dose of awe!
Today I explored the Minuteman Bike Trail and road out to Bedford. But the most beautiful spot was the Alewife Reservation, just beyond the massive Alewife MBTA Station. What glorious hibiscus, JoePye weed, sunflowers, ironweed and vervain!
On Sunday, Josh and I walked around Deer Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands which is connected to Winthrop. It is home to a massive sewage treatment plant, but also a mountain of Queen Anne’s Lace. I love the contrasts of urban nature, and the transitions from unwanted to beauty.
