Promised Places

I started walking..and I can't believe how long ago..in a quest to lose weight, get back in shape. I was lucky enough to live within walking distance of a river with walking and bike paths that I had used and lived around all my life. I started my weight-loss quest with those.

I would spread myself out to other natural areas closeby , where the river ran outside of the City. My walks would get longer, sometimes deeper into the woods, a bit more challenging but not too much so. The walks along the river were just one level of paths, pretty much no up-and-down.

I knew of one place, The Fells within 25 -to-30 minutes of my home that was popular for hikers and mountain bikers. It covered 4-to-five towns, parts of Malden, Medford, Stoneham, Melrose and even a major highway; Route 93. When one drives on it the green is on both sides.

I'd lose myself in this location for hours, on weekdays when not so many people were there and the small many parking spaces around it were not filled up. I would always seek out water on these walks and I didn't know that once a arrived at a certain lovely pine-tree rowed path there was a large reservoir. I think I gasped when I saw it, not knowing of its existence, the first time I walked this trail. Town of Winchester Water Supply, the signs around it read, No Tresspassing', or something like that.

I found other trails in this park. some I'd revisit and get to know my way around, others I'd get lost, sometimes close to sunset , or hungry and tired, once or twice I called an Uber as I had exited from the wrong trail and I was parked 1/2 in another direction, I was too tired, hungry.

After visting The Fells and some other spots I was smitten. even obssessed. I'd see a waterway somewhere and think ' I wonder if there's trails around it' and would find myself drivign around looking for one or research on Google maps.

I'm not sure if this is how I discovered Auburndale Park in Newton, also a neighboring town to where I live(d). The River I referred to earlier, The Charles also flows into Newton and beyond. Every time I walk this park it's always a stunningly beautiful sunny day with the sun glinting off the water just so . I hear voices and not sure where they're coming from and then realize they're from the stand-up paddle boarders, kayakers out on the water. I think, how nice for them to be out on this calm, beautiful swath of water but I'm too much enjoying my walk.

That was until I spoke to a friend, a photographer and avid kayaker who took amazing photos of the wildlife he saw while out on the River.Deer, large water fowl and bald eagles!! Apparently there was a family of bald eagles who lived in the cemetery on the other side of the River. I actually had walked , there before, Mt Feake Cemetery . It is a lovely , hilly cemetery on the National Registry of Historic Places and of course, it overlooks the River. I have never been lucky enough seen the Bald eagles that reside there nor some of the other wildlife of my friends stunning photos. I surmised one has to be out on the water to view such sights.

This is the one thing that Ive ben disappointed with on my walks, the lack of 'unique' live creature or bird I haven't seen. The beginning of the last two Springs when it was warm enough for me to set out all I saw were an abundance of Robins. More recently I spied many a Blackbird, Grackle, Crow. Sometimes I'll see Blue Jays, Cardinals but these are 'common' birds I see in my own neighborhood. There was a Cardinal couple that lived in my backyard for a few seasons. I've seen a few Goldfinches here and there, Baltimore Oriole, Catbird, Falcon ( also abundant in my urban neighborhood) but not much else.

As for the non-flying creatures many a squirrel and chipmunk, maybe a field mouse or mole. I've rarely seen snakes, only one time on the Nashua River Rail Trail when I ventured North with a friend in search of foliage. There were numbers of Garter snakes along the River's edge. My parent used to take us out to Concord, Mass to Great Meadows Wildlife Refuge where I've also visited as an adult. I once saw a mother snake with babies on its back sunning themselves by the waterway, there.

I grew up in Belmont, Mass, also nearby, another suburb about 20 minutes outside of Boston. When I was a kid I knew of what we called 'Habitat' ( Mass Audubon's Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary) there and was once taken there by a friend who had a membership, there , which was what I thought was the only means of entry. For many years. After I moved out of Belmont I found this not to be true, they only requested a donation upon entry. I also discovered other natural areas nearby. Rock Meadow on Mill St was not just a meadow but home to a fantastic Victory garden, including chickens. I love to prowl through and view the healthy bright flowers only with envy since the flowers I plant are never half as healthy and brilliant.

That's not all Rock Meadow offered. I found it lead to, by bridge over a brook, into the 254 acre Waltham Beaverbrook a wooded area with many trails. I remember being close to ecstatic when I discovered this and that Waltham was a place of many wooded,

The City is also home to a few Estates whose grounds I've wandered and attended events. The Lyman estate has lovely gardens and a greenhouse I visited one Spring. The Gore Estate has farmland where it grows and sells vegetables and I attended a Holiday tea there. Last but surely not least is the Robert Treat Paine, Stonehurst estate. Not only a beautiful estate when you can hold youyr wedding and other events but whose grounds include a wooded area with trails. This was a also a very pleasant surprise for me to discover since it both provided the Estate and grounds with woods and trails.

I have been to numerous other locations in and around the Boston area and I can't enough say how grateful I am to live in an area where all these natural spaces are so close by , within a half hour of Boston and the neighborhood I live. On 'special occasions' like long weekends I like to venture out a bit further, maybe to the Northshore area of Mass , an area known for its waterfront and beaches, also the Southshore characterized by large state parks and also walkable waterfront parks

I return to my favorite spots often, I have too many and intend to discover more. I will never get enough of it, the scents, sounds, the quiet and beauty. It's nice to build up some physical endurance and lose a few pounds along the way