Sunshine on a Rainy Day?

It's been rainy and grey and cold the last few days in Boston, so I thought I'd take a look back at last week, when it was warm and sunny and absolutely glorious!

It's Red Again

This one is from the beginning of the month, when Starbucks still had their red holiday cups....it's just taken me a while to get around to Photoshopping it how I wanted to!

Hockey Fans Hit the Ice

I didn't realize that it's been cold enough for the Boston Public Gardens' pond to be frozen enough for ice hockey! I photographed these brave souls hitting the ice this past Friday (I know, I know, I've been slow to actually post it online!).

Bostonia

Sorry for the delay in posting, folks! This time of year tends to get a little crazy and we've fallen behind on posting. The above picture is a wintry shot of the Boston Gardens.

Frog Pond's Icy Treat

The Zamboni smoothed the ice on the Frog Pond in the Boston Common yesterday while hoards of children waited patiently on the sidelines. I've never skated on an outdoor pond...perhaps if I'd had the opportunity to try it as a child, it wouldn't seem so nerve-wracking now as an adult!

Chillingly Colorful

As the leaves on the trees diminish in numbers, the temperature continues to drop. There's definitely a chill in the air and predictions of snow in the coming week. Brrrrrr!

Ablaze with Color

Having grown-up in Western Australia--where autumn lasts about a day and there are very few deciduous trees--I'd never experienced a New England-style fall with leaves every color of the rainbow. I love seeing all the shades of colors and how they vary from leaf to leaf and tree to tree, and the beauty of it all helps me forget that winter is just around the corner.

Fall of the Leaves...

...in Boston Common.

Run it, walk it, love it!

The 31st Annual Tufts Health Plan 10k for Women took place in Boston yesterday. Being both a public holiday (Columbus Day) and rainy and wet, the city seemed exceptionally quiet except for the runners making their way through the city.

Fun in the Sun

I was hanging out on the Common yesterday (with half of the cities population) taking advantage of the beautiful weather. This couple was with a friend and hanging out - first taking pictures, then dancing to music from a laptop, then talking on the phone. I don't think there was a moment where these two were not touching - hugging, holding hands, leaning against each other. It was very sweet as opposed to being disgustingly inappropriate, and I couldn't help but take their photo.

They Call Me Mellow Yellow

Another street performer who only moves when you give them money....

Public Garden stories

A little bit of personal history with this one...three years ago today, I went on the first date with my boyfriend, Pete. We got dinner and saw Supersize Me (as you can see, we're very romantic - we watched xXx, starring Vin Diesel, on our second date!). For our third date, we saw another movie and then wandered through the Public Gardens. The bench in the center of this picture is where I waited and waited and waited for him to kiss me, and then finally gave up and just kissed him! He says I was talking too much, but I distinctly remember sitting there NOT TALKING just so he wold kiss me already. The result was that we missed the last trains, and ended up taking a cab to my house so I could drive him home!

Happy anniversary, babes! I love you mucho!

Fishweirs

Recently I was walking through Boston Common and was surprised to see this...fence? made of branches. I missed the small sign explaining it the first time, but it turns out it's not a fence, it's a fishweir:

5000 years ago, in what is now Boston’s Back Bay, Native people built fishweirs in tidal flats to catch alewife, smelt and salmon. These four-foot high, fence-like structures were woven of alder, willow saplings and brush wattling and were made of over 65,000 wood stakes.

Archaeological evidence discovered during subway excavation and building construction over the last one hundred years indicates that fishweirs were built over a 1500-year period in tidal marsh now located 28 to 40 feet below the Boston Common and the Back Bay.

Froggle Rock

The Frog Pond, located on the Boston Common, is an ol' favorite for kids of all ages. These two frogs keep an eye on the pond's fun activities--in the winter there's ice skating and in the summer it turns into a wading pool.

Perfect Spring Day

Today's picturesque moment was the product of an early morning walk through the Boston Public Garden.

G'day George

An early morning view of the Boston Public Garden with a statue of George Washington surveying the scene in the foreground and Boston's city skyline in the background.

Make way!

There was a lot going on on the Common today. Heaps of people all over! I took a walk through the Common and the Public Gardens and back, and this was by far my favorite shot of the day! It's hard not to love Make Way For Ducklings!

World Water Day

Today is World Water Day...but there's no water here! No swan boat rides in the Public Gardens today! I don't know if this was intentionally drained, or if the water has evaporated. Just weeks ago it was frozen over and there were people ice skating on it. In just a few more weeks, tourist will be lining up on the green dock to the right of the photo, waiting to ride around the pond on the pedal-powered boats!