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Friday, August 12, 2011

Where is Everyone? - Medford, Massachusetts, USA

On this PERFECT summer day in New England, low humidity, temperature 75 F, light breeze, mostly clear blue skies, very, very few kids could be seen outside enjoying the world. Beautiful natural spaces and outdoor sports facilities stand underused.  I'll bet the Ipod, or Wii, or Xbox, or whatever other popular electronic item folks have is being used indoors instead. 

Beginning five miles north of downtown Boston stands the Middlesex Fells Reservation. This 3000-acre property affords all folks the opportunity for outdoor enjoyment in a nature preserve. (By the way, "Fells" is an English word for rocky, windblown hills.)  From this promontory on Pine Hill at the southern edge of the Fells, part of the city of Medford stretches out in the foreground with the city of Boston on the horizon.

Although I doubt my son remembers, when he was five or so, while hiking one of these trails in spring, we came upon a roiling, boiling, swirling mass of garter snakes, lying in the warming sun adjacent to the trail. (It actually may have been a "mating ball" of  many male snakes and one female but I didn't know that at the time.) In any case, what an infrequent and wonderful sight for a young mind to enjoy.

Here's a good technique to build a picnic table that is extremely difficult to vandalize -  rock and mortar.

This Medford city park has a basketball court, a tennis court, a soccer field, and a playground - all seeing very little use on this beautiful day. (Although I did use the tennis court to practice my serve.)

Is a reflection the same as a shadow?  If a reflection is light bouncing back is a shadow light NOT bouncing back?  If a tree reflects light in a forest and no one is there to see it, does it really reflect light?  Such deep thoughts for a retired guy...........





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