As a new month begins, I have reflected on past blogs about my summer thus far. I have noticed my blogs consist of the typical descriptions of my week: my location, the events I worked, the species of marine animal we caught fishing or in the crab trap, and so on. I have began to realize that I often go through each day remembering interactions and straightforward, logistical information, hoping that my blogs give a glimpse into a week in the life of a Senior Harbor Educator for Save the Harbor. What I often fail to be mindful of during the day, remember, and record for you is the feelings I have and the senses I use.
Living in the city is a fast-paced lifestyle. You learn to ignore the details of the thousands of cars that drive by, the constant hum of traffic, the many faces you see and the smells you inhale. My summer on Boston Harbor has opened my senses to a new side of the city of Boston.
My mornings in the Seaport start on the Fish Pier collecting all of the equipment with my coworkers for our day at either Spectacle or George's Island. Walking down the Fish Pier each morning floods me with smells of seafood, freshly caught from the Harbor and beyond. I see the charter fishing boats idle in the harbor, resting from their trips. I see the employees in the fish houses tirelessly working day in and day out.
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| Enjoying the view on our way to George's Island. |
We then make our way to the Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion to greet the hundreds of smiling faces each day. The pavilion is swarmed with neon green, pink, and orange shirts, all following the lead of their counselors and supervisors for the day. I am bombarded (in the best way possible) about the size of the boat, whether or not there are enough lifejackets, and if there are icebergs in the water. I'd like to thank the The Titanic for providing unlikely expectations for all boat experiences since 1997! Once David Coffin gives his speech, consisting of the audience's giggles and "oohs" and "ahs", we walk down to the Provincetown II to set sail to our Boston Harbor adventure.
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| Enjoying the green grass of Spectacle Island |
I walk off the Provincetown II and am overwhelmed by the sound of the tide and the smell of ocean and trees. I see birds fluttering over the fort at George's, sea glass sparking on the shore of Spectacle, and the park rangers to greet us. The sun often beating down on me, sunblock smeared on my skin, my hat just covering over my eyes, and my blue Save the Harbor t-shirt separating our employees from the rest of the crowd.
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| Rare sea glass at Spectacle! |
I leave whichever island I had the privilege of exploring that day, tired, but with a smile on my face. I feel lucky that I am able to indulge and challenge my senses daily with the sweet smells of the ocean and the rank smells of our squid bait; I hear the laughs of the children on the top deck of the ferry and the unmistakable clanging of the docking equipment; I touch the hard shells of Green Crabs and feel their defensive pinch if held incorrectly, and I see the beauties of the Boston Harbor from unique standpoint.
Feeling lucky to have this opportunity, as always!
☮ Kathleen
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