Back in my days at Mass Art in Boston I lived in Jamaica Plain. I worked at Arborway Market, singing and dancing, behind the check out counter, while painting and photographing and creating Performance Art as a SIM major. The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University was my heaven! I would go to walk around and see the trees, sit in the grass to read and draw. One big huge tree, at the top of the hill on the JP side, was my favorite, I would visit it at least weekly, summer through winter!
We moved back to Boston and lived in Roslindale when I was pregnant. Caleb Julius was born in Boston. Again the Arboretum was my sanctuary. Before he was born, I would walk my big pregnant self, all the way from the Roslindale side through to Jamaica Plain for my midwife appointments. Once Caleb was born, we walked the paths daily, baby Caleb all swaddled in his wool clothing snuggled against me in his sling. We saw other new parents and made friends. We moved away (again!) when he was 8 months old… only to return to Roslindale (Again!) this time with two littles in tow! Caleb (3 now) and Meadow Rain (1.8 years old). Now the Arboretum was a daily play ground, an evening stroll with kids in the wagon, and many exhilarating runs down Peters Hill. We met kids and LOTS of dogs, saw many spirited games of roll bowling, watched the sun set, climbed rocks. Through the 3 times I have lived in JP and Roslindale, I can say that this little slice of nature was my rock, my personal sanctuary, my sanity! It truly is a beautiful piece of heaven on the edge of Boston.
This past Sunday we visited the park again for the big touristy Lilac Sunday. We brought along some sweet long-time friends who had never been. (we have known them since we moved to CT with 8 month old baby Caleb! Sadly Caleb and Hero missed this trip, but we will go again!) It was a beautiful day for a first time visit for sure! The Arboretum was full of happy people enjoying a lovely spring May Day in Boston. They could have been anywhere, but they chose to connect with friends and family and nature. I was so glad to see the park bursting with babies, children, dogs, moms, dads, grandparents… all so happy! (Surprise… I took photos! All images were created using a Nikon 750 and a Lensbaby Velvet 56 lens)
Spring has finally sprung in New England!
Rainbow shirts and heart sunglasses 4eva
The Bonsai trees are amazing, some were started in the 1700’s! I wonder who first tended them?… I can only imagine how happy they would be to know people still stop to look with wonder at their growing beauty in 2018!
“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”
― Henry David Thoreau
This film image is of my favorite tree in the Arboretium… we didn’t make it there this past trip, but, I promise Tino…. Next time! (Mircrocord Camera 2014)
You can see a map of the Arboretum here, it is a special place, go visit, you will never be the same!