h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's all been suspiciously quiet on the union front lately. I was wondering about that. But now it's all livening up again. I'm running about like a blue-arsed fly once more, hurray!

Added to which, the "normal" state of things has gone out the window, compared to how things used to be, so I'm winging it most of the time. But it's not all bad. There's less faffing about, and less need to avoid treading on anyone's toes, so I can do things the straightforward way.

Other news, another family medical crisis over. That one had me exhausted for three days!

*Other* other news, I'm thinking about holidays again. I'm not going on any or booking any, just thinking about them.

I forget all the other things I was going to say now, because I'd written a whole big monologue here, and then the browser crashed and lost it. maybe it'll come back to me.

I've been taking mini-excursions. Boston has 22 conservation areas, called Urban Wilds. The biggest is 86 acres, and a few others are nothing to sneeze at. On a hot day, it's nice to hike in some cool, shady woods or sit on a log by a natural pond. Did I mention that it costs nothing to go to these oases?

I just realized that, once again, I have hijacked your journal, KB. Please forgive me! It was unconscious.

I meant instead of

Ah no worries Paul!

What are the conservation areas, or at least the most well-known ones? I'm wondering if I was in any of them...I'm sure I was, but I probably didn't realise it at the time.

The three big differences in wildlife that struck me at the time, as being different from home, were:
1. The number of - and the tameness of - the grey squirrels
2. The voracious raccoons!
And
3. Seeing a skunk amble along down the street like it hadn't a care in the world.

Allandale Woods, near Faulkner Hospital, is one of the biggest, with 86 acres. A nice pond in the middle.

Sherrin Street Woods in Hyde Park.

There's a strip of shoreline along the Charles River, at the foot of Millennium park in West Roxbury.

This coming Sunday I'll be visiting Bussey Brook in Jamaica Plain.

There are other parks that are under the auspices of other agencies. Hancock Woods, which I visited on New year's Day many years, is owned by Audubon Society.

Stony Brook
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-boston/stony-brook-reservation.html
has 475 acres of conservation land, and is apparently owned by th State of massachusetts.

The Arnold Arboretum
http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/
is owned by Harvard University, which is in Cambridge.

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy
http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/
manages a series of parks that were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, a pioneer in public green spaces who designed new York's Central Park, and many of the exhibits at Chicago's "White City" exposition in 1893. His Boston parks include Back Bay Fens, The Riverway, Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum, Franklin Park, and the tree-lined Parkways which were supposed to evoke the grandeur of the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

The Conservation Commission's roster of 22 mini-parks pales beside the others, but they sit right next to residential neighborhoods, so many people can walk out their doors and head into the woods for a nice stroll, forgetting they're in a big city.

And yes, I realize there might be a Guide Entry in that. It would take at least one Summer to visit all those pl;aces in person, though. Not that I would complain all that loudly about being in such nice surroundings.

Do one walk - that's what Sasha and Gnomon do.

My poor, impoverished imagination might not be able to find enough material in just one walk.

Just sayin'.

If I were as impoverished as your imagination, I wouldn't need to save up for airfare to the UK

You could always take notes and save 'em for NaJoPoMo

I visited the Allandale Woods with a friend. We were investigating whether the Conservation Commission was true to its mandate to do absolutely *nothing* to the place, in keeping with its mandate to let nature do its thing, unhindered by the hand of Man.

Yes, an Entry about an area doesn't need to be huge - here's an example of one with about 500 words A87874573

"the "normal" state of things has gone out the window, compared to how things used to be, so I'm winging it most of the time. But it's not all bad. There's less faffing about, and less need to avoid treading on anyone's toes, so I can do things the straightforward way."

I know what you mean about "normal" going out the window these days... Glad you're just about getting on OK with it all and not faffing about, anyway