I write this week’s column from the banks of the Merced River, in California’s Yosemite National Park. The park itself is a place of wonder: 1,170 square miles — […]
On Time, Tide and Looking Beneath the Surface
A tide pool near the mouth of the North River. If you’re like me, when you go to the beach — whether to walk, to swim, or just to sit […]
Ordinary Beauty
The North River at Two Mile. When asked why he spent six weeks this spring climbing Denali (Mt. McKinley), the highest peak in the U.S., my friend Ted had this […]
Rapid Rivers and Summer Storms
A few weeks ago, a friend and I were walking along Foster Ave. in Ocean Bluff. We were headed toward the beach, and as we walked, we could hear waves […]
Summer Begins in River Baptism
The old rope swing at Fox Hill Shipyard in Norwell. It was ten o’clock on a Saturday morning, the first day of summer. I had just finished teaching a yoga […]
Blue Mussels
Blue mussels, also known as edible mussels, were once so bountiful in the South River that people would come from Boston and points beyond to harvest them for commercial use. […]
Everybody Has An Ocean
The author (on the right) with her parents and sister circa 1975. “I go beach.” As my parents tell it, this was the first complete sentence I ever spoke. (They […]
The Greening of the Marsh
The greening of the marsh at Damon’s Point. This is my favorite time of year on the North River. At least this year — it’s come earlier in the past. […]
Night of the Coyote
The end of the day at Daniel Webster Sanctuary. For years I have read one account after another about those mysterious coyotes that skulk around town stealing cats and dragging […]
How I Learned to Love the Water (a.k.a. Canoeing & Kayaking on the South Shore)
The canoe launch at Union Street Bridge in Marshfield, on the North River. Born in Rockland and raised in Marshfield, I grew up on the South Shore. I liked it […]