3rd Annual Kids' Beach Bash and Splash EXCITEMENT

Happy Monday Harbor Explorers!  In my last blog post I mentioned that Thursday there was no All Access trip -- normally this would be sad, but instead of journeying to Spectacle Island the entire Save the Harbor/Save the Bay staff convened on M Street Beach in South Boston for the always-exciting KIDS' BEACH BASH AND SPLASH!

The calm before the storm

 By the end of the day, over 700 children and counselors from the Greater Boston area had made it to the BCYF Curley Center for face painting, fishing, swimming and a hot dog lunch.  I was on the welcome committee out front, checking people in and helping groups  that might have gotten a little lost on the way to the beach.  It was really cool to so many groups that have come out on All Access back again for the Bash, and I know the kids all had an amazing time.

Braintree After School Enrichment lining up to splash into M Street Beach

Before rushing into the cool water and making an enormous splash, David Coffin led all the children and staffers in a rousing rendition of "Haul Away Joe" (even though his voice was a little off) and Will Clark joined in with his famous Save the Harbor rap -- I'm sure all the kids were singing it on the bus rides home.

Fresh Prince of Boston Harbor Will Clark on the mic

Another great thing about the Bash is that all of the Save the Harbor staff come together to make this event a success -- the office staff, interns, Senior Marine Educators and the high school summer staff.  With so many sites around Boston, it can be hectic with kids running from one program to another.  I'm always glad that we have one day during the summer to have a big party for ourselves and the children that we serve around Boston, and this year was no exception!  I'm so happy I got to work with these crazy kids!

Lookin' good

-- Carolyn

 

 

Sea Glass Hunting on Spectacle

Another week has come and gone on the Harbor, and the All Access crew made the trip to Spectacle for the last time this season -- though there are still two weeks of trips to Georges and Peddocks Islands before we officially wrap up the summer!  The weather on Wednesday was perfect for a day at Spectacle Island's beach but we did have to deal with choppy water and lots of waves!

Great view of Boston from the beach

Waves aside, the groups that came out with us had a great time playing wiffleball and looking for sea glass.  I stuck to the beach and found some great pieces of glass.  This is the first year that I've found so much pink and purple glass on the beach.  Finding all these great pieces gave me the chance to use my new sea glass identification cards to learn more about the glass:  when certain colors were produced, what they were mostly used for and how rare a given color is.  Both pink and purple are rare; light pink's peak production period was during the Great Depression through World War II, while purple's peak production was between the end of the 1800s to World War I.  For those intrepid sea glass hunters out there, the most rare colors you can find are orange and red!

One of my sea glass finds!

 Paige Academy was probably the first group to jump in the water at the beach, and after I had found as many pieces of sea glass as my heart desired, I joined them in the waves.  Paige Academy comes out with us a few times every summer, and their children are so much fun to have around!  It's been a blast getting to know them and their counselors over the past summers I've worked with Save the Harbor.  This year has been no exception -- the kids were great and everyone had a good time jumping waves and splashing David Coffin and Thi silly.

Some hula hooping fun after swimming

Last week's All Access trips were fairly light -- Tuesday's trip was cancelled due to rain and Thursday was the Kids' Beach Bash and Splash.  I mentioned earlier that there are still two weeks of trips to Georges and Peddocks Islands.  This is very exciting because we've added an extra week of trips, and to a completely new location!  Peddocks Island has old-fashioned summer cottages, fishing off the dock and walking/hiking trails and lots more to explore.

I, unfortunately, will not be able to go on the last few All Access trips because I have to leave for school this coming week.  So this was my last All Access trip -- so sad!  But keep your eyes peeled for my blog posts on the Bash and Splash, as well as my farewell post later on this week!

Until then,

--  Carolyn

Staff Day, Barbeque and Hula Hoops OH MY

Hello Harbor Explorers!  This week has been fantastic and jam-packed:  Monday was staff day, then Tuesday and Wednesday I got to explore Georges Island with tons of kids and to wrap up the week, I have tomorrow off!

The week started off with Staff Day, which includes an annual trip to Spectacle Island for some fun in the sun and lunch on Bruce and Patty's boat.  While some staffers headed up to the fields to play (what I heard was) an intense game of kickball, I stayed right on the beach.  A nice swim followed by a ranger-led kayaking excursion with Thi, Sarah, Iris and Jennifer was lots of fun, especially since it was the first time I had gone kayaking this year!  Thi and I got a little competitive but I proved myself the fastest kayaker this side of the Charles River by the end of the day.

Me, Thi and Vinh enjoying the waves

Tuesday and Wednesday I was on Georges Island with All Access.  We had an exceptionally great week -- we took out over 700 kids between the two days!  I also got to see something unusual on Tuesday:  leader extraordinaire David Coffin invoked his barbeque rule while we were out on the island.  According to David, if he can smell barbeque, he can have some barbeque.  While I had never heard of this rule before, the other visitors to the island must have been familiar with it, since they gladly offered him his choice of what was grilling.  David even manned the grill for a little while, but was removed from duty for bad behavior.

David made some friends!

Wednesday we were lucky enough to have the 2013 summer interns for Blue Cross Blue Shield join us on Georges for their day of service.  They helped clean up trash from the beach and trails around the island -- a big thank you to all the kids for their hard work, especially the Save the Harbor staffers that are from Blue Cross!

Hard at work...or hardly working

All in all, a great week out on the harbor islands, and a long weekend for me to enjoy!  Next week the whole staff will be gearing up for our 3rd annual Beach Bash and Splash on Thursday, so more cool pictures and stories to come!

-- Carolyn

Swim and Paddle 2013: What a Blast!

This past Saturday instead of sleeping in or watching another re-run of Saved by the Bell, I was up bright and early to help out at Save the Harbor's Swim and Paddle Board for Boston Harbor.  This swim and paddle board race was held at the Curley Community Center in South Boston, and we had a GREAT turnout.  This was the first year that a stand-up paddle board competition was part of the event, and I thought it was pretty cool.  I first tried paddle boarding on a family vacation and although I was nervous that I would topple over, I thought it was easy once you get out on the water.  This year the paddle boarders were very impressive, racing out to the buoys and back again before I could even believe it!

Noses at the starting line

I and several other summer staffers teamed up with the office staff to man the registration table and distribute food tickets for Tasty Burger after working up a sweat in the races.  There was also paddle boarding lessons at the end of the race, Vita Coco water tastings (but no Dustin Pedroia sightings unfortunately) and SurfRider apparel for the boarder in your life.

Despite the overcast skies, everyone had a good time and raised a ton of money -- good job to everyone involved!  Make sure to have next year's swim and paddle on your calendar!

-- Carolyn

Save the Harbor Connections

Happy Friday Harbor Explorers!

This has been an unusual week for me, because I wasn't able to go on All Access at all!  The Tuesday trip was unfortunately cancelled due to the stormy weather, and I was on vacation for Tuesday and Thursday in DC.  The vacation was a lot of fun, though I missed looking for the Lady in Black at Fort Warren!

While in D.C., my sister and I visited Alexandria, Virginia for half a day and had a great time exploring the city -- neither of us had ever been before!  While there, we stumbled upon the Alexandria Archaeology Museum in Old Town.  There are digs in the area to find Indian and Revolutionary era pottery; one cool activity that was set up in the museum was basically a puzzle with discovered pottery from over 200 years ago.  Anyone could try to reassemble plates or mugs -- intended for kids but just as fun for kids at heart (like myself!).

Pottery in Virginia...

What struck me about this museum was that it is actually pretty similar to what Save the Harbor does during the Treasures of Spectacle Island on All Access.  Because Spectacle was used as Boston's dumping ground for decades, there are all kinds of pottery and china pieces that children find while walking along the beach.  I always encourage kids to look for pieces of sea glass or china that might go together -- it's fun to "play detective" and think about what sea glass used to be.

...and pottery in Boston Harbor

So even though I thought was on vacation from work, looks like work found me in Virginia!  I'm excited to get back to Spectacle this week -- hopefully there'll be better weather with lots of sun so I can spend some quality time at the beach!

-- Carolyn

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

I think this picture sums up how much fun Spectacle Island was this week -- happy kids, happy staffers and a wonderfully cool Boston Harbor in which to swim.  With temperatures in the 90s, the water was the best place to be this week.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of the summer, it's easy to get tired or frustrated after days spent in the hot sun with lots of kids.  Sometimes we need a simple, fun day to remember that's what All Access is all about:  kids having fun and doing something new!  I'd never had 5 little girls use me as their personal flotation device, but they loved it and I was happy to be a small part of a day they hopefully won't forget anytime soon.

Here's to another great week on the Harbor!

-- Carolyn

PS:  Here's a picture to brighten up your weekend!  Photo cred:  Bridget J. Foley.

Splashed at Spectacle

As thursday rolled around again, I was so excited because on this day every week I am given the opportunity to get out of the office and join Save the Harbor staffers on an All Access Boston Harbor trip.  This is truly the best part of my week.  I get to spend my whole day outside, enjoying the sun, fresh air, and some really great people.  Because I do not currently live in the city, this opportunity to spend the day on Boston Harbor is very unique and exciting.

A great game of catch between the staff

This week All Access is taking each of their trips to Spectacle Island.  Spectacle Island does not only provide its visitors with a scenic view of Boston Harbor, it allows them to learn about the rich history of the island, explore the beautiful landscape, partake in an archaeological expedition of the “Treasures of Spectacle Island” along the beach, hike to the top of the North Drumlin to fly kites and see a 360 ­degree view of the harbor, or swim at the island’s beach.

David constantly used the football to splash me

Even though the island offers so many great options, the only thing I could think about all day was jumping in the water.  It was so hot out that day in Boston that I couldn’t wait to cool off and swim at Spectacle’s beach.  The staff and I started up a game of catch with each other and the kids.  There was one little girl named Amina that was just a little too short to participate on her own, so I decided to give her a little help.  Anytime she got the ball, we would work as a team to complete the perfect pass, with me lifting her up to get her to the right height to throw to another kid.  She has some great football potential!

Some of the children were a little apprehensive about swimming so Thi and Carolyn offered their help and gave them piggybacks in the water.  However, the demand for these piggyback rides grew quickly, and Carolyn was soon overloaded with children climbing on her backs.  Many of us experienced similar experiences.  When I taught the kids how to use the frisbee to splash and pour water on David, it was soon used against me.  Next thing I knew, two kids were climbing onto me, and I was sinking. Even though I got through that without going completely underwater, once I saw David coming in the water, I knew my streak of keeping my hair dry was over. As soon as David saw that I was still dry, he made it his goal to dunk me underwater. He quickly succeeded. Despite the outrageously hot weather, it ended up being a perfect day at Spectacle Island.
-Bridget

Fun In the Sun At Frisbeach

This week with temperatures hitting the 90s it made for a great week to head over to Spectacle Island. I have never been to Spectacle Island so I was looking forward to a great week of fun in the sun and of course Frisbeach. On Tuesday, alongside Carolyn, Bridget, Manny DeJesus, and Kiauna, I decided to play a game of kickball with Paige Academy. After only about fifteen minutes or so, we decided we had enough of the heat and it was time to head to the water and join the rest of our staff.  That was the right decision because it surely cooled us off.

The All Access crew escaping the heat and cooling off in the water

Today after hearing it was supposed to be the hottest day of the week, I decided to take Frisbeach to the water. When we arrived at Spectacle Island,  we ate our lunch and then headed off to the water to play some frisbees. I started off Frisbeach with help from Thi, Carolyn, Hung, and Karrisha.

Teaching a girl from the Jordan's Boys and Girls club how to throw a frisbee.

We started playing with the new Save the Harbor frisbees with Winthrop Park and Recreation, Jordan's Boys and Girls Club, and with East Boston YMCA. We provided each group with Save the Harbor frisbees. Now Frisbeach will go with them back to their summer programs. Looking forward to more
fun in the sun at Frisbeach!

A girl works on her frisbee throw

So Long from Frisbeach

Frisbee Guy - - aka Davis

Hey! Who turned on the heat?

Well if there has to be a heat wave let it be the week we go to Spectacle Island, thank you very much. Before we left for the island this morning we met with all the kids under the Bank of America Pavilion tent and I asked how many people thought the harbor was really dirty? About 150 kids and staff raised their hand. After I told the story about the clean up of the harbor I asked the question again and about 5 people raised their hand. Everyone agreed they were going swimming today. How could you not -- it's 145 degrees. Okay. I might be exaggerating a little. I do that sometimes but it was wicked hot. How hot was it? It was so hot Thi fell out of her shoes.

The aforementioned Miss Tran AKA Thi Money

On the boat ride out to the island we handed out two cases of plums which were juicy and delicious. One girl looked like she needed something to do on the boat so I sent her off to count all the doors on the boat. There were 25. She got the answer right so she got to drive the boat for a few minutes. Fortunately she didn't hit any islands.

Once everyone had lunch and brought their trash back to the boat so the bay-gulls wouldn't get it, groups went off in different directions. Some went to play kickball or frisbeach with Davis the master frisbee man. Other groups went straight to the beach to swim. And one group came with me to look for the treasures of Spectacle Island.

We found some amazing beach glass (yes we put it all back) on the non-swimming beach. We found a light green knob off the top of a glass tureen which was absolutely stunning. I've never seen that color beach glass before. But the sun made a lot of the glass too hot to handle so the simple solution was to head over to the swimming beach and toss ourselves into the drink. No argument there. 

David Coffin

PS:  Happy birthday Carolyn!

PPS:  Bridget is hilarious, and I'm sorry I splashed her on Thursday.

It's a Heat Wave!

What a scorcher today was Harbor Explorers!  It reached close to 90 degrees out on Spectacle Island today, and the rest of the week looks like it's going to be even hotter.  It's days like these where we have to be extra aware of what our bodies are telling us -- dehydration and too much sun isn't all that fun for kids or staffers!

Cooling off after a long day

The first All Access trip to Spectacle Island saw several Save the Harbor staffers leading a group of determined youngsters up to the meadow for a game of kickball.  The competition was fierce and the runs were coming in, but the heat forced us to call the game early.  Before marching down to the beach, we made sure all the children got a few minutes to rest in the shade to catch their breath or have a sip of water.  The rest of the afternoon was spent at the beach, staying cool and splashing around!

Happy staffers

Staying cool, wearing sunscreen and drinking lots of water is a great way to stay safe during the dog days of summer while still having fun.  Safety first Harbor Explorers!

-- Carolyn

The Home Run Slugger Takes on Georges Island

What a busy week it's been!  After all the preparation and meetings, the 2013 youth programs officially started on Monday -- and what a great first week it was!

Monday was spent in the office, making sure that everything was ready to go on Tuesday for the first day of All Access.  The first week was spent at Georges Island, the infamous home of the Lady in Black.  The dark tunnel was a very popular destination, as it is every year, but this year the team has added some new attractions for our groups.  Senior Marine Educator Davis has brought wiffleball and kickball to the Islands and has had great success so far -- the Junior Program assistants have proven their skills on the wiffleball diamond and the kickball field has already seen some nail-biting finishes to games.

Home run!

Another new addition to AABH is fishing from the docks -- seasoned staffer Thi Tran led children from different groups to explore the waters around Georges and hopefully reel in a big fish!  No luck this week, but we still have the rest of the summer to catch something.

The beginning of the summer programs is always a little hectic, but I think that overall it went great!  I've always been a little partial to Spectacle Island because of the great sea glass, but this week at Georges was awesome.  I'm proud to report that my wiffleball skills have improved since middle school and Ahmed dubbed me Carolyn "Home Run Slugger" Burkett.  Hopefully I'll continue to live up to my new nickname!

See you out on the water Harbor Explorers!

-- Carolyn

Back in Blue at Save the Harbor!

Summer 2013 has officially begun!  This week marks the beginning of Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's youth programs, with training around Boston Harbor for both new and returning staffers.

My name is Carolyn Burkett and this will be my fourth summer here at STH/STB -- after an eventful school year, I'm so excited to be back in Boston and am ready for lots of fish, Frisbees and fun!  For newcomers to this blog, I have lived in Swampscott, Massachusetts my whole life but have been traveling back and forth between Beantown and Winston-Salem, North Carolina for the past few years to go to school.  This fall I will start my senior year at Wake Forest University (Go Deacs!).  This past fall semester I was even farther away from home -- I spent four months living and working in Paris for my study abroad and it was incredible!  I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Not a bad view on the way to work every day!

My goal for this summer is to have an absolute blast on All Access.  I'm super excited about working with the crew of the Provincetown II for a second year in a row and can't wait to get out to the Islands again.  Our first trip to Georges Island is July 9th -- hopefully we'll have some more sightings of the Lady in Black while exploring Fort Warren.  Maybe we'll even be able to get a picture...

This summer a new part of my job at Save the Harbor is in the office instead of on one of our eight sites.  I've been helping to book trips for All Access and communicating with the different groups that we partner with to provide thousands of children with a day on the Harbor Islands they will never forget.  It's been really interesting to work with groups before they arrive at the Bank of America Pavilion for their trip, and hopefully we'll be taking even more Boston kids out on the Harbor with us this year!

Looks like summer fun with Save the Harbor and the East Boston YMCA!

Stay tuned to hear more about our great programs and the fantastic kids we'll be exploring the Harbor with this summer!

-- Carolyn

The End of Another Summer

It's that time of year again -- All Access is done for the summer, the summer sites are wrapping up for the summer, and it's time for the staff to say their goodbyes.  Every summer goes by so much faster than I think it's going to, and it's because of all of the cool people I get to work with on a daily basis.

I won't be forgetting this year's staff anytime soon.  All of the interns, plus the high schoolers from Blue Cross Blue Shield and the MLK Program, have been great to work with on the boat and make my day much more fun.  Since this is my third year on All Access, I recognize a lot of the groups that come out to the islands with us.  Seeing the kids experience the harbor and all that it has to offer makes me appreciate what a great job I have:  being a part of a memorable day for thousands of children from across the city.  And for those of you who are wondering, All Access took 5,056 kids to Spectacle and Georges' Island this summer!

Every summer Save the Harbor is part of some pretty cool events.  This year was the first time that I saw the Tall Ships that docked in Boston the first week of July.  Talking to the Colombian sailors and seeing the beautiful ships up close was such a unique experience, that I would never have been a part of if not for Save the Harbor.  Another of my favorite events is the Revere Sand Sculpting Festival -- every year the artists come up with crazier and crazier designs!

Every year, we learn about how much the harbor has changed for the better in the past 26 years.  Beaches that used to be filthy are now clean and home to fun programs for children and adults alike.  Working closely with community groups all over Boston, I've seen first hand how a clean harbor can positively influence someone's life; I feel lucky to have been a part of an organization that looks to protect the ocean and islands for the next generation of harbor explorers.

 -- Carolyn

Beach Bash 2012!

Save the Harbor's second annual Beach Bash was last Friday at M Street Beach -- over 600 children from across Boston came to South Boston to have a day of sports, sand, and swimming!  We had a beautiful day, and some great entertainment!

After a jam-packed morning of playing on the beach the kids got to here some great songs from our very own David "D-Money" Coffin and Will "Big Willy" Clark.  Kids and counselors alike sang and clapped along to the old-fashioned sea shanties and raps.  Bruce Berman, Director of Strategy, also had a few words for the kids about how much Save the Harbor has done to clean up the harbor and beaches.  At noon, everyone "splashed" into the water at once -- over 700 Save the Harbor staff and youth groups!!

I was on hot dog duty, so after the splash I was overwhelmed with children and counselors looking to grab a hot dog, cold drink, and some fruit after a morning spent running around the beach.  Not to toot my own horn, but I made some mean hot dogs...and lots of them.

Having so many kids on the beach at the same time is definitely overwhelming, but in a good way.  It was especially nice that so many of the groups had come out on All Access at least once this summer, so I saw lots of familiar faces -- I even took the bus down to M Street beach with Paige Academy, one of the our favorite groups at All Access!

Spending the day at the beach made for a great Friday, and a great end to most of our summer programing.  And I fully expect the third annual Beach Bash to be even more amazing than this one!

-- Carolyn

PS:  Another one of my favorite pictures from the Bash!

Saying Goodbye to Spectacle

Happy Monday Harbor Explorers!  This is the last week of All Access for the 2012 summer -- as always, the weeks just fly by!  Last week was spent on Spectacle Island, and we had a nice change from our usual routine on Tuesday when the entire STH/STB staff joined us for staff day!

Tuesday was the perfect day for a trip to Spectacle -- and as a special treat, lunch was provided by leaders Patty Foley and Bruce Berman on board their boat.  It's so nice for all of the summer staff to hang out together at lunch -- thank you to Bruce and Patty for putting together a great day!

After filling up on hot dogs and chips, Thi and I made our way along the beach looking for sea glass, and ended the day with a quick swim -- and some monstrous waves!

The rest of the week went by too quickly for my liking -- before I knew it, we had come to our last day on the island.  Spectacle truly is one of the most beautiful islands in the harbor, and I love that I get to spend my times introducing thousands of kids to the treasure that is in their own backyards.  Many thanks to curator Alan, rangers Kevin, Justin, and Dennis, and Spectacle mascot Max for being such great resources and sources of entertainment throughout the summer!

Until next time, Spectacle!

-- Carolyn

Lady in Black Sightings at Georges' Island

Hello Harbor Explorers!  All Access Boston Harbor spent last week at Georges' Island, home of the historic Fort Warren and the infamous Lady in Black.  Construction at the dock at Georges' had kept us from visiting the island earlier in the summer, but construction is now officially finished!

Taking groups through Fort Warren is my favorite part of going to Georges' Island.  The children are always on the look out for the Lady in Black, the vengeful ghost of a Confederate soldier's wife who was hung on the island after attempting to free her husband from the fort.  During my years roaming the Fort, I have suspected that I've been in the presence of the widow, but I haven't secured any photographic evidence as of yet.

The Revere Public Schools Summer Camp was wicked excited about heading to Georges' Island, and were especially eager to experience the Dark Tunnel for themselves.  The kids braved the inky blackness without flashlights or cell phones; emerging from the tunnel, several claimed to have heard or felt an unknown entity...but once again the Lady eluded capture.

After staff day tomorrow, All Access will be back at Spectacle Island for the last time this summer -- can't wait to see some old friends and new faces there!

Thi and I waving on our way to see the Lady in  Black!

-- Carolyn

Kayaking on a pair of Spectacles

Usually at Spectacle Island swimming and flying kites are points of interest for most people. I chose to go kayaking with my fellow workers Carolyn, Thi, and Andrew the Beast. This was something that I had done before at Community Boating but taken to a new extreme. When we went kayaking we went over safety procedures and precautions of to do and what no to do. The kids were all scared to go kayaking because the weather wasn't the best and they were scared. So the staff tried it for the first time. Our instructors Kevin and Dennis were laughing when we got on the water. Beast and I flipped more than twice there were many problems such as bugs, water in the kayak and waves. I flipped battling waves and was forced to swim back to shore.

Thi and I were the only two who were devastated when we saw Beetles, and other insects on us. I freak when there is something on me and I can't see it but I can feel it. These were some of the things that caused me to tilt and lose my center of gravity. The kids that went the day before explained to me some of the things that we should do and I didn't comply to what they were telling me and the worse happened. It was a blast and something that was really fun. Kevin the instructor asked for some of us to go back out with him again next time with a group of kids which I am looking forward too.


-Ahmed Hassan

Spectacle Island -- Week 3!

Another week has come and gone at Spectacle Island -- luckily without any thunderstorms to put a damper on the All Access trips!

We've had some great groups come out with us this past week, including several from the Boston Center for Youth and Families.  There are BCYF community centers all over the city, and groups from all the different centers come out to the Harbor Islands with us every week!  Vine Street Community Center is one of these groups; they've come out with us in previous years and will be coming to the Islands with us a few times this summer!

As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, we managed to avoid rain and thunderstorms the entire week, even though most mornings looked gray and gross as groups got dropped off at the Bank of America Pavilion.  What's great about the Pavilion is that we are allowed to use the VIP tent area as a fun zone for campers to relax in the morning.  Kids can color big murals of sea creatures that you can find in the Harbor before gathering together to listen to David Coffin's history of the whichever island we'll be visiting that day plus rules and FAQ (frequently asked questions).

I'm super pumped that I got to see one of my favorite people on Spectacle -- Max the dog!  Alan, the caretaker of Spectacle Island, has an awesome dog named Max who is his constant companion.  Besides being strikingly handsome, Max is very relaxed and friendly; everyone on the boat loves it when he sits at the end of the dock so they can give him a scratch behind the ears as they embark/disembark.

Start of another great week tomorrow harbor explorers!!

-- Carolyn

The Start of Better Beaches 2012

Every year at STH/STB, staffers participate in various "Better Beaches" events throughout the city and surrounding towns.  Better Beaches events are chances for the community to experience the wonders of the ocean and harbor by watching a sand sculpting festival, reading books with young children, or simply just hanging out with friends and family on a beautiful Boston evening.

One of my favorite Better Beaches event to attend is the Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival, which was two weekends ago.  My mother grew up in Revere, and I really enjoy going back to the beaches where she played as a child, especially when I'm there to help Save the Harbor teach tons of kids about how cool the marine environment in the ocean is!

Our five-pound lobster, named Thi, was very popular among children and adults on the beach.  The kids tended to be nervous about touching this clawed creature that one girl thought looked like a giant bug; but most were very brave and picked up our friend Thi.  The adults were more interested in what we'd be doing with Thi at the end of the day; I think a lot of them had visions of lobster rolls dancing in their heads...

No matter how big the lobster, every year the sand sculptures upstage our crustacean.  My favorite this year, by far, was the centerpiece of the event:  Fenway Park!

  
In honor of the 100th anniversary of Fenway, all the artists who competed in the festival worked together to create this masterpiece -- and Save the Harbor, one of the event's sponsors, made it onto the finished work!

There are lots more Better Beaches events coming up this summer -- stay tuned to hear more about the great things you can do around the harbor on these lazy, hazy, summer nights.

-- Carolyn

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot...on Spectacle Island

Another week at Spectacle Island has flown by!  Even though construction on the dock at Georges' Island kept the STH/STB staff from exploring Fort Warren and hearing the legend of the Black Lady, we soldiered on to a week of swimming and sea glass hunting with the more than 1,000 kids that came out on the harbor with us!

Tuesday was wicked, wicked hot, and I was pretty bummed that I had not brought my bathing suit (since I had planned on going to Georges' Island).  Luckily new staffer Andrew, a.k.a. The Beast, was kind enough to drag both Thi and myself into the water, clothes and all.  After our initial shock wore off, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon splashing around with the kids from the East Boston YMCA.

One of the funniest groups that came out with us this week has to be the Salesian Boys and Girls Club.  Not only were their kids well-behaved and super excited to explore the island, their staff was friendly and got all the kids on the boat pumped up for the trip.  Hopefully we'll get to see them again before the summer ends!

This week is going to be our 3rd in a row on Spectacle Island -- how did we get so lucky?!?  Can't wait for more harbor adventures to come!

-- Carolyn