A Painted fish and A Politician

If there isn't a selfie, did it really happen?

   Sunday, a day of rest and relaxation, was actually a day full of fun for me! After meeting at the office we ventured out into the crowd of the seafood festival to try and entertain some of the patrons. After placing a crab trap towards the front of the pier I made my way to the children's tent where I would spend the majority of my day. We painted sea shells with different designs and painted a flounder and a striped bass for some fish prints! Maeve and I even tried to trade some old fish prints for a donation. Let's just say neither of us has a future in retail. Painting seashells was easily my favorite part of the day. I made two with turtles painted on it and one with the "Save the Harbor" logo. It was fun to mix nature and art and see the kids' creative abilities.

The Plan For the Park

   Monday was just as fun as Sunday. Early in the morning we boarded a boat and made our way out to Luvells Island. After a few minutes of hiking which included eating some berries we'd found and slapping away bugs, we found the beach. Before the tide had come in we did some tide pooling. We found rock crabs, green crabs, and Asian shore crabs. As well as many other interesting tings. On the edge of the water and rocks the BCM and Black's Creek team had a brief reunion and joined together in singing their favorite songs from the movie "Moana".
   Though Sunday and Monday were good days, Wednesday was even better. What I thought was going to be another day of crabbing, fishing, and coloring turned out to be a day I'll never forget. Martin's Park, a park dedicated to Martin Richard and intended to bring the community together via an all inclusive park, held its ground breaking ceremony today. While there I got to hear from the so many pillars of our community and contributors of the park. It was such an enlightening experience and I can't wait to play in the park myself. After hearing the words of so many individuals I got to meet two of the most important individuals in our community; the mayor and the governor. They even let us take a quick selfie! Not everyday is what it seems, sometimes you get a big surprise!

Play On!
Sam

Staff Day!!!!

Hey guys, Monday was staff day for the Save the Harbor/ Save the Bay crew. It was a pretty lit day. In the morning there was confusion on what island we were going to go to. But eventually we really did end up going to Spectacle Island. The boat ride was fun, as we had apples and cheese and danish to eat for breakfast, courtesy of Bruce and Patty. When we got to Spectacle, the staff was split between people who wanted to play football and the other half that wanted to toss a Frisbee around. I never thought that I would ever say this, but it was an intense game of Frisbee that we had going. There were people diving for the Frisbee, sliding around, running to catch it. It was pretty crazy.

This was a nasty dive I took, but I saved the Frisbee from hitting the ground.  After, we went down for lunch. There were great sandwiches from J. Paces. After lunch, we went down to the water to take a dip. Again some how we ended up all tossing that Frisbee around in the water. Staff day was pretty successful. 

'Til next time

-Ary 

Staff Day at Spectacle

Story time

This years staff day was one like none other. We started off with an initial plan that took a change in direction first thing in the morning. Then we attempted to try our back up and we still had to use an alternative plan. Thankfully our boss, Bruce, knows a thing or two about strategy.

Good play boys

We had some of our best laughs, experiences, and summer fulfillment together as a cohesive staff on Spectacle this past Monday. On our harbor trip in the morning we shared some amazing stories. Edward told us about his thrilling kayaking trip with the children at his site, Jahari shared his highs of his summer, and I shared the infamous "Save the Harbor/Save the Boxers" story. I felt like a bit of David, our harbor historian, rubbed off on me the way I'm able to share stories with groups now. I guess thats what a few years of AABH will do to one.

Photographer "A" at your service

Our annual All Access vs. No Access kickball game didn't happen but we still played football and frisbee amongst other activities. It was not a traditional staff day, but, we made the best of it. I also learned that I'm a decent photographer. Joe P. lent me a camera which I used to catch some photos throughout the day. I told him about my recent interest in photography and purchase of a Canon T5i DSLR camera. He gave me some pointers as I hope to start a new hobby, photography!

At the end of the day I walked away with nothing but smiles and a watermelon.

It was a good day.

-Ahmed

Staff Day at Spectacle Island

Hi everyone,

Today was my first time out at Spectacle Island for staff day! In the morning, we all met at the pier and boarded the ferry to get out to the Harbor Islands. From there, we disembarked at Spectacle Island. I had learned a few things about the island before I arrived, like that it used to be a landfill and that the trash on the island burned for ten years before Spectacle was transformed into a park. I have to say, after seeing how beautiful the island was on that day, it's hard to believe that it was once covered in trash!

The staff on the pier before we got on the boat

After we arrived, I went on a hike with Jessie, another SHE, around the island. It was great to see all the spectacular views of Boston and the other islands during the hike. When we returned from the hike, we had the chance to go kayaking in the ocean off the island. I had never been sea kayaking before, and it was a lot of fun! The water looked fairly calm from the shore, but there were actually more waves than I expected once we got out there. I was slightly afraid of flipping over, but I ended up staying afloat! After kayaking, we went back to eat lunch and stick our feet in the refreshing water. Overall, it was a fun day, and I hope I get to go back to Spectacle Island again soon!

A great view of Boston from our hike around the island

Until next time,
Grace

A beautiful day to explore

Hi everyone!

Yesterday we all had the pleasure of taking a break from our normal routine, and participating in the annual Staff Day. We ventured out to Spectacle Island, which is merely a short hop skip and jump away from Boston. The island itself has been through a lot throughout the years (see: Spectacle Island history via Google), but its past has made it into the beautiful treasure it is today. There are two large hills (called North and South Drumlin), connected by a skinnier portion. 

I had visited the island once before, but I hadn't gotten the chance to explore much. So, my coworker, Grace, and I set of to see as much of the island as we could before lunch. We wandered around the winding path that goes around the base of the North Drumlin, and came to the flatter area that connects the two drumlins. Being on a time crunch, we decided to venture to the South Drumlin summit, which was at a slightly smaller elevation than the North Drumlin. After capturing a few pictures, we ended our time exploring, and moved on to a new activity. 

Grace and I had been lucky enough to snag the last two spots available for a free kayaking venture. I had been kayaking before, but never in a sit-in kayak, and never with a view as beautiful as the one we had. 

After kayaking, we enjoyed some lunch and stuck our feet in the sand for a quick minute before catching the ferry back to Long Wharf. It was a beautiful day full of new experiences, and I was thrilled to have taken part.

Until next time,

Jessie G.

Spectacular Staff Day at Spectacle

Hello again fellow adventurers!

All of the hard work we've been putting into making this summer the best summer ever was finally rewarded with everyone's favorite day of relaxation, staff day! After quite the morning debacle, a broken down boat, a last minute ferry ride, and a quick island hop, we eventually landed on Spectacle Island. With all of the essentials packed, lunches, sports gear, and of course bathing suits, we were ready for a beautiful day to ourselves.

The before.....

In my element

We began the day with some friendly (but competitive) sports. Some staffers got a football game, while myself and a few others tossed the frisbee around. I never waste an opportunity to toss the frisbee, so it makes me extra excited when there's a group of people down to toss it around! After about an hour of sports, we had all worked up an appetite to devour the mass amount of food we brought along to the island. With our bellies full of J. Pace sandwiches and cookies, it was time to go swimming! (after waiting 30 minutes of course).

Like tossing the frisbee, I take every opportunity I can get to go swimming. Since I was little I've been swimming in lakes, ponds, and the ocean all over the South Shore and New England. It may not have been like the warm waters of Bermuda, but on a hot day the water was extremely refreshing and a great way to keep cool. Reluctantly, the day had to come to an end, and we waded out of the water to catch the ferry home. All in all I'd say it was another successful staff day, and just what we needed to get everyone through the last few hot weeks of August.

Until next time, keep on exploring!
-Luke C.

....and the after!

Staff Day

Hi all,

Staff day was so much fun! This was definitely one of my best experiences with Save the Harbor. We started out with a wonderful ferry ride where I got to see my favorite view in the entire city: Boston receding into the distance as a boat carries me away to an island. I've taken a fair amount of trips to the Harbor Islands, and the beauty of that view is never lost on me. I savor it because during most of my week, or my month I don't get to see it.

Once we arrived, we had cheese and crackers on Bruce's boat. He and Patty were very gracious. They not only provided a morning snack, they gave us lunch too. More than that though, were their words. They thanked us for doing such a great job this summer and told us how much it has meant to them. Bruce invited everyone there back for next summer, and asked us all to attend events during the year. He went so far as to offer us both professional and personal help whenever we need it. I have never had superiors like Bruce and Patty. When they speak to us, I'm reminded continually why our jobs are so important, and that we're not just working for a non-profit, we're working for Boston Harbor; we're working for those wonderful islands and that beautiful view; we're serving the city of Boston. They remind us that this is our mission.

In the morning, I took a hike with a few other people. Carolyn showed Ian how to find four leaf clovers and me and Nikita soaked in the sun (a mistake on my part). I really enjoy their personalities, and I'm glad I could spend time with them before leaving Save the Harbor.

The day closed with lunch on Bruce's boat and swimming on the beach. It was the second time I had swum in the Harbor all summer, and it was marvelous. How lucky are we, Boston, to have a harbor to cool us on these hot days. We went home tired from a good day, sunbaked and relaxed.

-Mike

Staff Day

Hey guys!

I was born and raised in Boston but I've always joked around about how I'm a tourist in my own city so it's no surprise that Monday was the first time I went to Spectacle Island. As a group the entire Save the Harbor Save the Bay staff took a staff day to the harbor island and enjoyed a day off. The day began with a relaxing ferry ride to the island, and we began games of football and kickball. We were then treated to lunch. After being in the sun all morning hotdogs tasted so good! Most ended the day by going for a swim but I ended it by hanging out with some coworkers I never had the opportunity to speak to. The staff day was a definite success and if given the opportunity I would make the trip back to Spectacle or any of the Harbor Islands. 

Staff Dayyyyyyyyyy

Hey guys,
So Monday was STAFF DAY!!!!!!!!! It started with a nice cheese and cracker brunch at the dock of Bruce and Patty's Boat. Yum. Then, as we headed up the field of Spectacle, the boys started a game of football and the girls set up for a game of kickball. As the guys finished their football game, all staff went in on the kickball game. It was All Access Staff Vs. None All Access Staff.

As the game of kickball proceeded, things got intense. There were some tumbles, so elbowing, and some miss footing from the ball. Through it all we pushed through and all access won, but you know it was just a great day having just us staff getting that game and having fun with each other. As the day ended we had some lunch thanks to Bruce and Patty and Staff Day was just the best day for us.

-Ary

Staff Day at Spectacle

The Day we have all been working tirelessly towards is finally here, STAFF DAY! A day of stress-free relaxing, swimming, and of course a little friendly competition in the form of All Access v. No Access kickball.

Even the boats in Boston have a Boston accent

The day began with the Save the Harbor staff meeting Bruce Berman and his Wife/ President of Save the Harbor Patty Foley on their boat, the Verandah. Parked on the dock of beautiful Spectacle Island, we crowded around the Verandah and enjoyed a quick appetizer spread of cheese, crackers, and grapes that were fit for a Roman feast! Combating the intense heat with layers of sunscreen and as much coverage as possible, we tracked up the hill to the battlefield... the kickball field. It is a yearly tradition that the staff members from All Access Boston Harbor challenge the members from the remaining summer program sites to a "friendly" game of kickball. I put friendly in quotations because this game is taken as seriously as a professional sport. 

Action shot courtesy of Kelly Randall  

Friendships were put to the test, harsh words were exchanged, and unfortunately for me, those who are not so coordinated are put on display for everyone to heckle. This year the No Access team, led by myself, came to play. For what seemed like hours (but in reality was about 30 minutes) our teams dueled it out under the intense summer heat. Fighting off exhaustion and sunburns, we played our hearts out, but sadly came up just two runs short in the last inning. I couldn't have asked more of my team in such grueling conditions, and all I can say is the All Access team better watch their backs next summer!

After that intense kickball game we made a mad rush for the showers to cool off before lunch. Armed with a single grill, Bruce was able to prepare enough hot dogs to feed an army, or in this case, a hungry group of camp counselors. After downing a few hot dogs and some cookies, I was ready to spend the rest of the day relaxing and of course swimming on Spectacle's spectacular beach (pun intended). 

Lunch with a view!

Although it was almost unbearably hot out, I could not have asked for a more beautiful day. Finally getting a day to not worry about kids or programming was a well earned relief. Since we are all distributed through the different sites all summer, it was fun to be able to have everyone at the same place at the same time. Now we're in the home stretch of summer programming, and its a bittersweet end. I'm going to make the most of the next week and a half we have left, and squeeze every last drop of fun and excitement out of what has already been an amazing summer. 

Until next time, keep on exploring!

-Luke

Staff Day 2014

     Every single summer at the beginning of August all of the Save the Harbor staff head out to Spectacle Island for an excellent day of sports, food, and of course, swimming. Other than the Fan Pier fishing tournament, Staff Day is my most favorite event of the summer. It is a day where all of the staff can get to know one another better and bond more. The day started out early at 9, where everyone was expected to meet at the marina next to the Aquarium. As soon as the boat reached Spectacle Island, everyone congregated on the dock where Bruce and Patty's boat the Verandah was docked. Following a brief yet inspiring speech by the pair the staff headed off to the meadow for a massive kickball game!

Kickball

     Determining the teams for the kickball game was easy; the teams were simply the All Access crew against the No Access crew (the staff that work on sites). Despite the best efforts of my No Access kickball team, we were dominated by the All Access team by a margin of at least 8. The disparity of the score became so one sided that we simply stopped keeping track of the score. After the game the majority of the staff proceeded to play an intense volleyball game. My team which included Sam, Maxwell, Thi, and Iris handily beat the opposing team. When all was said and done we went back down to the dock to have a delicious lunch of hot dogs, cookies, chips, and refreshing watermelon. Staff Day 2014 was a success!

-Vinh Tran
Lead Harbor Explorer

Staff Day MVP

Staff day started of really well because everyone was at the pier on time and no one was left behind, so that was awesome! We all made it to the island safely and then we had a chance to hear a few words from Bruce and Patty about our amazing summer- then we were of to the games. The no access team came in with a lot of excitement and hope that we were going to win but it turned out that we got creamed in kickball even though I was the MVP. The all access crew was on their A game and it was unfortunate that we lost the dodgeball game, but all that mattered is that we had fun.

The Squad

After the game we headed down to Bruce's boat where we ate some hot dogs, cookies, chips, cheese and some water to wash everything down. After we ate, we had the rest of the day to ourselves to do any activity we wanted to take part in. I took a walk on the beach then I had time to catch up with some JPA's that had been moved to other sites. I also had the opportunity to get to know some of the other JPA's better. Overall it was an amazing day and I really can't thank Bruce, Bridget and Patty and everyone else enough for an awesome day.


Jazeel Mendes- Chao

George For...Ahmed ?

Occassionally, you would not trust a person like me on a grill. To be honest, I thought I was going to burn myself, and honestly it was one of the best experiences of my life. I need to fix up my act, and understand that black is not cooked, BUT, it was a good time. To feed champs, like, our staff, we need cooked not tossed food!

Despite the sudden rampage in this blog, I really enjoyed our day out on spectacle. Most would ask, Ahmed aren't you on All Access? Spectacle shouldn't be that special. But, that's what a "No Access" as we call them say. It was great having the opportunity to spend time with more than just my daily crew on the harbor islands. The kickball game was good. I left a few minutes early, but my team, Team All Access, Won! We knew the outcome before we faced our opponents, but it was all love and everyone showed up and played well.


Before I log off, I would like to give my superiors, Bruce, Patty, and Bridgett alongside all the SHE's a shoutout. You guys are really amazing, and a special shoutout to Iris Ayala, simply because, YOU LOST! It was a great day guys and you will all be hearing from me more, this week, until a later day in the week, peace!

-Ahmed Hassan

Save the Harbor Staff Day on Spectacle Island

I thought you might enjoy these two photographs from Save the Harbor/Save the Bays annual Staff Day on Spectacle Island as much as we enjoyed the hotdogs, veggie burgers, watermelon and grilled striped bass served dockside on the Verandah.

 

 Thanks to all the outstanding educators, lead Boston Harbor Explorers, junior program assistants and of course our senior staff and interns for their help in sharing Boston Harbor with thousands of youth and teens this summer.  See you on the Harbor!

All is fair in kick ball!

Staff day today at Spectacle Island was tons of fun. I had an all star team, couldn't been any happier with the results and the blood and sweat my team put in. The cook out was amazing, I don't think I have eaten that many hot dogs in one day before and am pretty sure I destroyed most of the chips.

The kick ball game we had at Spectacle island was probably the best kick ball game ever played on that island. I mean we did have the best kick ball team that was ever made. It was me , Andy, Bridget, Chris, Will, Ahmad , Karrisha and of course the v.i.p of the day my guy Hung!

You can just see the names and know the team was nasty. With only 8 people in our team we manged to win 14 to 21 , no big deal but yeah that's the numbers. And oh yeah, there were like 30 people on the losing side of the team which was no big deal too. No respect for the losing team, that's the kinda thing that happens when you get a contract  for $2 mil  and you can afford your own Lamborghini and stuff - you just forget the losers. 

The All star team

The cook out Bruce and Patty did was great. I had a lot of fun eating and enjoying day with my fellow workers/friends.      
                                         

cook out

       The losing team , they were nice, but they lost 14 to 21. Well better luck next year.

The Weak team : They know who they are.

Staff Day 2013

Bye Boston...Hello Spectacle Island!

On the ferry leaving Boston

Staff Day is always a day full of laughter, jokes, and smiles! Each year varies depending on the group of staff that we have, but one thing always remains the same. And that is, LUNCH! Bruce and Patty, gracefully always caters us with hot dogs, chips, grapes, cheese, and cookies!

2013 Staff

This year we did not do our traditional Capture the Flag game, instead we played woffel ball and kick ball. My team surprisingly came up short in woffel ball, but definitely redeemed ourselves during Kick Ball!

The winning kickball team

It was an awesome day, and we were all prepared to leave on a 2:55 ferry, as Bridget planned, but were bummed to find out that there was no 2:55 ferry! We missed the 2:30 ferry, and the next one wouldn't be until 3:55! Thank you, Bridget!

See you next year!

Karrisha Gillespie

I Think We Are Going To Need a Bigger Boat...

Save the Harbor wouldn't be what it is without it's wonderful staff members and this years celebration to honor them with a fun day out in Boston Harbor was a total success! This year was a continuous day of fun as we set sail at 10:15am for Spectacle Island.   As soon as we made landfall, several of the more athletic staffers walked up the hill and organized a game of kickball. The rest of us hit the beach and took a refreshing swim in the wonderfully clean Boston Harbor. We all worked up quite an appetite for the lunch, which is more like a feast, that Patty Foley and Bruce Berman prepared.  After lunch the fun continued at the beach and there was another very competitive kickball game, thankfully with no serious injuries.

Every year, Bruce and Patty organize a delightful afternoon on Spectacle Island complete with food, fun, and smiles. When Bruce and Patty first started doing "Staff Day" in 2000, there were only 14 staff members who could all fit on Bruce and Patty's boat, Veranda. Now, there's 42 staffers who all have to come out on a much larger boat, courtesy of Boston Harbor Cruises.  I'm sure we will need to have a much larger boat by next year, as Save the Harbor is a growing non-profit and will be a part of more persons' lives.

A Day with Just the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay Crew

Mini party on the dock at Spectacle Island

Week 5:

Nothing's better than waking up on a Monday work day knowing that you will be on an island, relaxing and just having fun. That's how we at the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay crew spent our Monday this week. We played a competitive game of kickball! It wasn't too hot when we arrived so it was perfect weather to play. After that we went on the dock and, for the first time, I got to see Bruce and Patty's boat. They grilled up some hot dogs, passed out fresh and sweet grapes, some chips, and also drinks. We were having a mini party on the dock. The seagulls looked jealous while landing to watch us eat.

Best Monday ever! I definitely had fun and it looked like everyone else did too. This was a very nice treat and break for us. Hard work really does pay off. I left Spectacle Island feeling great, and that's weird because I'm never this happy on a Monday.

Wow, I can't believe that it has already been five weeks since I started working with Save the Harbor. Time really does fly by fast!

A good game of kickball

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

A Staff Day Spectacle

Believe it or not, but we’re already more than halfway through the summer! All the summer staffers have been busy working hard and time has flown by. As a little break from our regular work schedules, Patty Foley and Bruce Berman were kind enough to treat the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay employees to a lovely “Staff Day" on Spectacle Island.

We were all told to meet at the Harbor Island Ferry at 9:45am – that meant the chance to sleep in (already a great start to the day)!!!! Once we arrived on Spectacle Island, we started a game of wiffle ball, which, due to the wind, quickly deteriorated, and we decided to play kickball instead. It’s been awhile since I’ve played kickball, but it’s definitely just as awesome as I remember it being in elementary school. After a fun game, we broke for a hot dog lunch prepared by Patty and Bruce on their boat. It was very relaxing lounging on the sunny dock enjoying good food and good company. After lunch, myself and few other summer staffers joined a kayaking class and spent the rest of the afternoon paddling and swimming in the (slightly chilly) waters around Spectacle Island.

Senior Marine Educators enjoying a sunny Staff Day! 

It was my first time on Spectacle and I had a great time. I enjoyed the opportunity to explore a new Harbor Island and it was the perfect place to relax and have fun with fellow staffers (and the beautiful weather didn’t hurt either).

-Sarah C