Boston Harbor

Sunday saw the first sunny day in a week and so, our need for the sight and sound and smell of the ocean being great, we drove down to South Boston for the nearest fix. Very pleasant to walk around Castle Island and then along the breakwater that sticks out into Boston Harbor. The breakwater encloses part of Carson Beach so one can avoid the dreaded go-out-and-then-have-to-retrace-your-steps syndrome, in favor of a much more satisfying loop that returns you to your car without having to backtrack.

Pleasant enough, but not thrilling like a walk along Rockport Harbor or Ash Point or even Old Orchard Beach (in winter, of course - summer tends to be unspeakable there). The islands of Boston Harbor are pretty but lack granite and fir trees. The sand of Carson Beach has the slight gray tinge of industry and over-use about it. The rocky shoreline is indeed rocks, but they've clearly been put there and are black with old pollution. The water is clean, but doesn't really sparkle. One would be shocked to see wildlife. The places for rest are pieces of architecture as well, not what you'd find in plain Maine. ( I haven't been in Maine for 17 days - help!)

But not bad for a sanctuary in the middle of the city, even with the docks and containers marked Maersk and Hanjin crowding right up to the back of the fort, with the triple-deckers of Southie stacked like dominoes just beyond Columbia Road, with large and noisy jets taking off from Logan every couple of minutes. People (and lots of dogs) clearly were enjoying themselves, and our little one went into sensory overload, ranging from side to side and straining at the leash for the entire hour of the walk. Her scents per minute ratio must have been over the top - I can imagine popsicle and mustard and firecracker and beer and the latest news from countless canines. At least one of us likes the city better than the country.