Nearby: Plimoth Plantation

Until recently, the history of seventeenth-century America has never quite intrigued me. I privileged the stories of our patriots over those of our pilgrims, and dismissed Puritanism, along with other realities of seventeenth-century life in the colonies, as wholly uninteresting. But to live in Massachusetts is to be regularly reminded of our country's roots, and to explore its old environs is to be left wanting to know more. In the remnants of our villages, the small can suddenly become significant and an interest is sparked. I'm slowly cultivating my own interest, and chose Patriot's Day to visit Plimoth Plantation. Though the admission fee is a tad pricey, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, most especially to the English Village.  There was a beauty to the rusticity that left me feeling enchanted, no doubt helped on by the bright azure sky and sea. There was also an honesty about the reenactors that was refreshing, even if there were few of them present to share their stories. 

Those who were present were happy to talk about how their current spring was progressing-the spring of 1627-and what brought them to the New World, either on the Mayflower in 1620 or on a later voyage. I would have enjoyed even more exchanges, as the ones I had were both amusing and enlightening. But what I appreciated most of all was exploring the simple interiors of their homes, which had a quiet elegance all of their own. 

The Waterworks Museum

 These days, it seems like we are in the age of the technological small. What was once large yet effective, is now clunky and cumbersome. The public wants their machines to be not only powerful but elegant, and elegance arrives in slender designs that fit into the palms of our hands. At the Waterworks Museum in Chestnut Hill, however, I was reminded that the titan machines of our industrial past hold a beauty of their own. The museum shares the history of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and the pumping station that became an integral part of the city's water system. Built in the 1880s when Boston's population was rapidly growing, this Richardsonian Romanesque structure with its incredible machinery would help supply the city's new and old inhabitants with clean water. In fact, this site was one of the first in the country to regularly test the quality of the water.  For an entire century the waterworks served the citizens of Boston. Now, it embraces it's new purpose of telling the tales of our industrial roots by preserving these big and beautiful pieces of progress. 

April in Boston

A Bostonian April flits between winter and spring. One never quite knows if the day will resemble the bleakness of January or the pleasantness of May. Today, at least, the skies looked ahead and claimed spring as their own. The Public Garden and Common were full of happy tourists and even happier locals, who have endured a long and difficult winter. But what a difference the hue of the skies can make! 

We've waited for the blue of today for a long time.