Nearby: Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and Sandy Point

Last July, a few weeks before I visited Ohiopyle, I explored the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge and Sandy Point State Reservation on Plum Island. The island is about an hour's drive north of Boston just beside the quaint town of Newburyport, one of my favorite towns on the North Shore.  On my first visit to Newburyport, I passed the sign to Plum Island only because I did not have sufficient time to explore it properly. So I returned a couple months in the height of the summer, when it was flocked by not only birds, but beach-goers and the like. Situated along the Atlantic Flyway, the Parker River Wildlife Refuge's most important visitor is the migratory bird, of whom this refuge was established for in the 1940s.  It's a place of multiple habitats including salt marsh, forest and sandy beach. The latter was by far the most popular destination when my mother and I visited, but it was the paths we found in Sandy Point Reservation, found on the tip of the island, that were the most enjoyable for us. The good weather prompted by abundant sunshine allowed us to enjoy the island to the utmost as a nearby escape from Boston. Though I imagine both sites offer a different type of allure on a damp day when its features are hidden by fog. This morning Boston endured the presence of snow yet again, and I think we will take any type of weather at this point, besides the cold. Fog and rain would be infinitely better, though we'll hope for blue skies like the ones from last summer found on Plum Island. 

Nearby: Crane Beach

 Today I drove northeast to Crane Beach, a perfect destination for the nicest day New England has seen since the new year began. Lucky for me, I had the day off and wheels to boot. So off I drove in the mid-morning, with the luxury of the windows down and the ocean on my mind. I had no expectations -I was guided only by a website run by The Trustees of Reservations and an urge to see water (I miss living on an island)-truly anything would have done. But Crane Beach was nothing short of heavenly. The sun and clouds played their equal parts, but I was mesmerized by the sand dunes and comforted by the sea. I virtually had the place to myself-a gift I surely won't expect when I return in the summertime. The estate known as Castle Hill beckoned me on from the distance, but I shall save that for a future trip as well. I could not have been more satisfied. 

Nearby: Old Manse

Today I ventured to nearby Concord, a place I have visited only once before. 

That visit occurred about ten years past and my memories of the visit are quite fragmented. As such, I arrived to Concord this morning with fresh eyes and a hope to hop from one place to the next-first, I stopped at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery followed by Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House (which I will write about in subsequent posts) and then I headed to Old Manse, pictured above. Concord is such an exhilarating place to visit because of it's significance in both 18th century colonial history and 19th century literary tradition. It's like a playground for history lovers! 

Old Manse is a National Historic Landmark, and for good reason. Ralph Waldo Emerson AND Nathaniel Hawthorne both resided here for a short time. In fact, today I stood in the very room where Emerson's famous essay "Nature" was penned.  A small, simple room but one full of light, as you might expect. Later, when Nathaniel and his wife Sophia lived there, they etched messages on the windows that you can still read today-entertaining, sweet messages.  I wonder if they imagined they would last. But that was not the sum of Hawthorne's production in the house-he did in fact write a short story collection entitled Mosses from an Old Manse that serves as a tribute to the home. 

 The house was originally built in 1770 for a minister and is in a typical Georgian style of the period. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed within the interior of the house, but I actually found the grounds and surrounding area more interesting-mainly because the location of the shot heard around the world is only just a 5 minute walk away, if that. So it was here, in April of 1775, that the American Revolution officially began. How wonderful it must have been for Emerson and Hawthorne to have a view of the very spot as they wrote in Old Manse. 

The Somerville Community Path

 The walk to Davis Square is a mile long, past rows of Victorian houses, convenience stores, and various offices. Half of the journey takes place along this trail, known as the Somerville Community Path, which I stumbled upon during the first day in the neighborhood. Our section of the path begins at Cedar Street and leads straight to the Davis Square T. Every day, the path is filled with pedestrians, cyclists and dogs alike. It is fairly well lit and seems well occupied throughout most of the evening. What a pleasant discovery it was to make! When I studied abroad in Berlin, there was nothing more enjoyable than all of the city's parks and meandering pathways. Not to mention I have just come from Mount Desert Island, where every day I lived amidst Acadia's natural splendor. Thus, the Somerville Community Path is a much appreciated addition to the daily commute!