See ya Later, Piers Park

Hello Everyone!

The Campers on the Last Day Chasing One of the Save the Harbor Staff

This summer has gone by so fast for me! It feels like just yesterday I went to Piers Park for the first time and seeing where I was going to be stationed at for most of the summer. Now it's been almost two months after going there for the first time and celebrating the last day of Piers Park Harbor Explorers with an epic snack party. Each week, the camps at Piers Park have a snack party to celebrate an epic week, but since it was the last day of camp for the year, they held a huge snack party for the Harbor Explorers. Almost everyone brought something in for the party. Some people brought in chips and some brought in cookies and drinks.  I even got a cake for the party. We ate everything like we were having a picnic. We let the kids run around, play their games and have as much fun as possible. At one point, they started to chase staff members around the park. It was so great to play with the kids, meet some of the great staff members at Piers Park and become a part of the Piers Park community and I sure hope that I can come back to Piers Park as soon as possible.

Campers Looking at a Skate that was caught in the lobster traps 

Campers Looking at the Eclipse

Outside the Piers Park Tent

Time Goes By When You're Having Fun

Hello Everyone!

The first fish I ever caught 

It's almost the end of summer everyone. Most of the Save the Harbor Staff and I are about to head back to school and I just want to think about all the things I did this summer. Well, first of all, before this summer, I didn't know how to do most of the things that I know how to do now. At the beginning of the summer, I didn't know how to fish and now I can teach what I learned to my family and friends who also don't know how to fish. I can also tell the difference between a female and a male crab by just looking at their stomachs. Now lets talk about the sites I worked at. At the beginning of the summer, I wanted to be put at the Children's Museum so bad, but when I got assigned to Piers, I was a little sour about it. Now I think Piers is one of the best sites to work at. It was so fun working there with the kids and the staff and when I was assigned to work at a different site for a day, I would have had as much fun as I would at Piers. This is my first summer working at with Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay and I learned so much and met some great people through the way and I hope to return next year to learn something new and even meet some more great people. So to end my last blog post of the year, I would like to say thank you for the most exciting and probably the best summer I have ever had.

The Piers Park Bear Crawl Race

On Basil's Boat for the fishing tournament 

Exploring Lovell's Island on Staff Day

Views from the 617

VIEWS.

What a beautiful day in the neighborhood! It was a lovely Monday morning in Boston along the Charles River. Quiet and bright, the perfect day to go paddle boarding. Upon our 8:30am arrival we received good news from our partner, Molly, over at Community Boating that we could go paddle boarding today. We headed downstairs to sign waivers, get our guest passes, and headed out on the dock. Molly gave us a short demo on how to get into the water, onto the board, and how to paddle then she helped us pick out the proper board to go out on the river with.

VIEWS.

I chose a red board and our senior harbor educator Max kindly helped carry it down to the water for me where I steadily kneeled onto it and gently pushed away. We paddled out towards the river sticking fairly close to the shore. The view exiting the lagoon was so amazing I could have cried. The skyline was breath taking; the sky clear blue without a cloud in sight; the water as calm as ever as if it were untouched; and the ripples from my paddling cylindrical and hypnotizing. I soaked up the sun rays and captured every image in my memories. The views we got from there were everything to me.

I am so grateful to be apart of the All Access team and to be able to travel to different sites such as Community Boating Inc., this is a great job. It was my first time paddle boarding on the Charles and I'm sure it wont be my last, the opportunities are endless here at Save the Harbor and the learning is hands on. I listened as Molly explained what kind of fish and animals you can find in the Charles to some of the CBI students. Along our little journey in the river and the lagoon we saw ducks, geese, loons, and different types of flowers. At some point I am pretty sure the loon was following me. It would dive under for 15 seconds and reappear closer and closer to me and my paddle board, scaring me away rather than I scaring it off. The experience was unforgettable. Wait! Did I mention Max took an unexpected dip in the river? Because that happened!

To more adventures & more breath taking moments

-Khar

Last Day on All Access

Thursday was a beautiful day with bad news, All Access came to an end for the summer. My summer was made by the hundreds of kids that come out to Spectacle island with us everyday. The kids swimming, fishing, and playing sports is truly an amazing thing to watch and take in. At first when you look around, it looks like summer madness. But when you look around again, everyone is happy and enjoying themselves. All the kids have smiles on their faces. All the adults have smiles on their faces and phones in their hands trying to capture the moment. Throughout the heat, everyone managed to keep that big grin that they had when they arrived on the island. I had a chance to learn more about everyone who worked with me this year on All Access. I thank all the kids and all my coworkers for making my summer great! This summer was amazing with All Access, I hope for more summers just like this one in the future! Until next time All Access, and keep on exploring, Preston.

The Final Day

Showing off the muscles with the boys

Today was sadly my last day at Blacks Creek with some of the most adventurous, enthusiastic, outgoing children I have ever met.  The fact that I will no longer get to see them until next year is sad but also exciting because in that year they will grow, mature, and get even smarter than they are now.  Our last day together was spent playing kickball, foursquare and searching the creek for creatures.  You could tell the children were sad that it was the last day and all of them said they loved the program which was  great to here and made me happy knowing I played a positive role in someones summer.



Although some of the kids thanked me for a good summer I was truly the one who owed them thanks.  When you spend a lot of time with children they remind you how fun and simple life can be and give you a break from the reality of a stressful busy college setting.  They reminded me how the little things in life are reason enough to be happy and stress free

Hardcore games of foursquare

- Maxwell Kennedy-Reid

Last Day at the New Home

Fun With the Crabs

Hey Guys and Gals,

Blacks Creek Crabs

I was moved back to All Access for my last week of work, but as most readers know, All Access only runs from Tuesday to Thursday. So I enjoyed my last day at Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View to the fullest. The kids at Blacks Creek were full of energy on that day so I was glad I had enough caffeine to keep up with them.  We played kickball and caught about 30 crabs, 20 minnows and 2 eels; over all a pretty good collection. Since we use the crabs as bait for Camp Harbor View kids, we left them in the bucket but the minnows and eels were released back into the creek. The crabs didn't have such a happy ending. No one wanted to be put on a hook and dangled in the water for possible fish to munch on. Unfortunately no one caught any fish, the lobster trap was lacking a lobster but there were crabs in the traps and a starfish that all the kids got to touch. We named him/her Shelby. After fishing club concluded we went on two beach walks. Lucky for us by the second beach walk the tide had gone down a considerable amount so there was more beach to explore. The kids found small green crabs, dead crabs, a spoon, sea glass and many pretty shells. Exploring Blacks Creek and Camp Harbor View have been a blast but I don't think I'll get to return to the sites this summer. School is starting in a week and Blacks Creek is finished for the summer. I wish the kids at Camp Harbor View the best of luck with their fishing. On a happier note, I am at All Access for my last week of work which is exciting.

Fishing Club

Still then,
Ruth S.

The Summer of 2010

This has been a summer of firsts.

This was my first summer on my own, my first summer without my family to lean on, without my house and my hometown, my first summer in Boston, my first time having to supermarket shop for myself, my first time on Spectacle Island, my first time seeing a crab, my first time seeing the Boston Harbor, my first time on a real boat, my first press release, my first internship.

(my first time meeting Tiger)

Though this summer has been filled with ups and downs, for example, one of the downs trying to "cart" a full shop at Star Market on a bike and ending with a crushed glass container of salsa everywhere and a very crushed me. But, it also has been filled with many ups. I've gotten to meet a group of amazing peers from around Boston that have taught me more then they probably know. I've learned the geography of Boston, the neighborhoods, the Harbor Islands, and the beach front communities. I've met a staff that many I'll keep in touch for years. I've learned so much about communications and got my first glances into the world of marketing.

Though limited, the kids I've worked with for AABH have been so much fun and I'll be sure to go back and visit the Treasures of Spectacle Island again and again. Save the Harbor/Save the Bay has giving me one of the toughest summers of my life, being away from what I've known all my life, but also has given me one of the best summers of my life. I feel that they have given me a new family - a family that is close by - much closer then New Jersey.

I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity that Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the staff have given me. I've had an amazing experience and I hope that we all stay in touch!

Cassandra

Last Day :(

Today was my last day of work which I spent at Courageous Sailing Center Dorchester.
I spent most of my time playing football with the kids. The only part that wasn't really any fun was getting the ball thrown into the water, but it was eventually retrieved.
I had a great time throughout the summer at many different sites, and I appreciated the help some more experienced staff gave to me. I learned not only about the harbor, but about the kids, which to me is the most important part. Even on my first day I had no trouble fitting in with the staff. Today was my last day of this summer, but I hope I will have the chance to have many more Save the Harbor days!

-Tim Grogan

Saying Goodbye to a Great Summer

Friday was my last day of working with kids for the summer. The day turned excited just as we were wrapping up at Piers Park. We caught two fish! The first was a small cunner, but the second was a bass! I couldn't have asked for a better last day. I am off to school at Clemson in just a few days!

Working at Save the Harbor this summer has been amazing. I have had so much fun! Plus I had the privilege of working with a great group of people. I love this job for so many reasons. One of which is how I always seem to end up smiling and laughing most of the days. We have had the perfect blend of employees this summer: from seasoned veterans like Jen and myself, to goofs like Conor and BJ, and rookies like Timmy the Kid. I really have enjoyed working with everyone. I am definitely excited to go back to school but I will also miss everyone. It has been such a successful summer! We have caught so many marine creatures! Thank you to all.

Yours truly,

Tom Regan