No Sun but Plenty of Fun at Spectacle Island

      Last Saturday, I did something I've never done before and that was visit a harbor island outside of the summer. Although I was working, I still had never gone to Spectacle Island in the fall. It was nice to take a break from school and link up with some friends and take about 360 people out to the island.

      I went around to many tables asking if people had ever been to an island with us and many said yes. It was  nice to know that we left a good impression on them about the harbor, enough for them to want to take the trip with us again. A family I hung out with for most of the trip was the Cox family. She came out with her brother and 4 nephews. She was from Waltham and the rest of her family was from Roxbury. She had came a longer way to show her family a nice time in the islands. She had came with us before but she had visited George's Island and this would be her first time on Spectacle. They were very intrigued by treasure beach as they lasted almost half on hour searching for sea glass. Then they went to the top of the hill and took many pictures of the view. 

I enjoyed going to the top of the hill again since I hadn't been up there all summer and wanted to remember the feeling.

Thank you, 

Ivaniel Diaz

CHV Takes Over AABH

     On Tuesday I went to Peddocks island with the All Access Boston Harbor crew. It was fun to be back on All access for the day. It was also good that it was at Peddocks, which can be debated to be the best island we go to. When we first got to the island we had lunch on the nice chairs near the beach. Then we gathered some kids in order to play kickball. I was making my debut after my self-proclaimed Rookie of the Year season last year. 

     The game started off very hype, with friendly trash talking going on by both sides. I was on the opposite team as David Coffin. In my first at bat I hit a 3 run home run to give my team a 6-0 lead. The game went on for a few more innings before it was last ups for David Coffin's team, who were down 8-4. His team was able to load the bases with 2 outs and a camp counselor was up to bat. There was late inning drama and it made the game fun for us and, most importantly, the kids. The camp counselor proceeded to hit the ball hard and high but we were able to make the catch and secure the win. We then took all the kids and broke it down screaming "Save The Harbor" on 3. There were smiles on all kids faces whether they won or lost. As for David Coffin and Max they were just simply on the wrong team. Then we went to the freezing beach and cooled off from the blazing sun.

Sincerely,

Ivaniel Diaz

School of Mackerel

     On Thursday was the biweekly fishing trip event at Camp Harbor View. We take the fishing club who has been fishing with us for the past two weeks on a boat and take them into the harbor. We then proceed to fish and try to catch something in order for us to take it home. Before getting to Camp Harbor View we went to a spot where there was a school of mackerel and we caught at-least 20 mackerel. It was really cool because they were using these special hook that allowed them to be able to hook 2-5 at a time, instead of the usual one.

     When we finally got the kids we went straight out to the harbor to where the school of mackerels were. But instead we were able to catch two huge totaugs. The totaugs were giving a very big fight and it took a net to bring them in from the surface of the water. It was the biggest fish that I had actually witnessed being caught. It was fun to see how much of a fight big fishes give to a fisherman. We didn't really catch as many fish as the last fishing trip, but the kids still had fun going through the motions of being actual fishermen. I really wanted to catch something because I knew this could possibly be the last time that I would go on the fishing trip. Fishing is pretty relaxing and I'm glad that I have gotten the chance to do it twice on the trip already

Sincerely, 

Ivaniel Diaz

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Making a Difference at CHV

     The first few days at Camp Harbor View have actually gone very well. The first day getting to meet the kids on The Provincetown II on our way to Long Island, we saw how many kids there actually are. There are a bunch of kids that are ready to have fun and enjoy their summer. I happened to meet a kid and he was wearing a whole bunch of green. So, I asked him if his favorite color was green and he said yeah. I then asked why and he told me that it's the same color of money and cash. After laughing, he informed me that his name was Cash so that's why he likes cash and the color green. 

      This camp is different from what I remembered about it last year. Last year, we would first go to Blacks Creek until 12, then go to Camp Harbor View and get there around 1. But this year, we take a ferry to Long Island at 8:30 and stay there the whole day. We see three groups of kids everyday and they are all excited to fish, pull up crab traps and hold the crabs. We can also fish off of the dock, so we are not limited to just the pier, which gives us flexibility with all the kids. Although we still have not caught any fish, all the kids are familiar with how to use a fishing rod. Some have actually been able to catch crabs on their line and take pictures with them. They are so proud when they do that some actually tell everyone what they caught and they seem excited.

Sincerely,

Ivan

Ivaniel Diaz

Hi, my name is Ivaniel Diaz and this is my second year working for Save the Harbor / Save the Bay. I was born in Boston and currently reside in Roslindale, which is not too close to the Save the Harbor, but I believe it is worth the trip. I am an avid sports fan and my favorite sports are baseball, which I love to play, and football which I enjoy watching. I am going into my second year of college at Salem State University. I had a blast last year with Save the Harbor and want to repeat the fun this year as well.

There are many new faces that have joined us for the Summer of 2015, and a few people from last year who were unable to come back. But, even though the familiar faces are no longer here, I believe that I can still have just as much or even more fun than I did last summer. This summer's orientation was two days long instead of one day long like last year. The additional day was a good addition because it gave us another morning to get to know more people. The next day was easier because I was already familiar with my new coworkers, so conversation were easier to be made and there were less awkward moments.

I am looking forward to making more memories with everyone again. I'm excited to see new sites that are coming in like Carson Beach and a full day at Camp Harbor View.

Sincerely,
Ivan