occasional: rivers and trains

k. met me a logan, and we took the t into boston proper and got off a havahd squayah. it's been a long time sine i last visited boston, and i'd forgotten how lovely it is; lumpy brick sidewalks, old stone and brick buildings, and trees everywhere.

k. lives in somerville, less than a mile form harvard, and she's doing her internship at cambridge hospital, a 10-minute walk from here house. it's really nice neighborhood, lots of little streets with small houses on them, and a couple of different shopping/restaurant districts within easy walking distance.

we hung out on saturday night, went out to dinner and walked around a bit, and then packed it in. the next morning k. had to work, and after she left i went for a run. i figured out how to get to the charles river from her house, and did an easy 90 minutes along it's banks. the weather was almost perfect; overcast with a little breeze, and the run was great. there were boats and buildings to look at, and a nice dirt trail that paralleled the river.

k. was supposed to get off at 12:30, but because she's a lowly intern she was required to cover for someone until 7:00, so i borrowed her bike, rode around a little bit, picked up some beer and a book, went back to her house and sat in the really lovely garden in the back, drank the beer and read the book. it was great.

after she got off work we went out to dinner again, and then to bed.

i woke up early to see her off to work and say goodbye, and since i had a bunch of time before i had to catch my train to springfield i decided to go for another run.

i went back down to the river, but ran upstream this time. there was a light rain falling, not enough to soak me, but enough to offset the humidity and keep me from melting. there were guys in racing shells training on the river, a couple of old men sitting patiently in the rain waiting for fish to bite, and lots of canada geese.

when i got back i stopped in harvard square for a muffin and latte, went back to the house to pack, and grabbed the t to train station to catch the train to springfield to meet my dad.

trains, as inconvenient as they are in this country, are still great, and are probably my favorite way to travel; there's stuff to look at, plenty of room to stretch out in, and the comforting sway as they roll along the tracks.

add a good book and ben watt laying down some seriously deep grooves and you have an all-around great travel experience.