A pair of tundra swans, in an elegant descent, flew just over our heads today to settle into one of the salt marsh ponds to the right of us. I can't recall ever seeing a swan in flight and the sight of the powerful white wingspans and the slender, outstretched necks left me awestruck for a moment. The whiteness of the birds gleamed in the unobstructed sunlight of the summer-like day, the black of their beaks glistened with the lustre of onyx. The Parker River National Wildlife Refuge lies along most of Plum Island north of Boston composed of salt marshes, sand dunes and beaches as well as the wildlife and vegetation such an environment supports. People poured into the outdoors today to bask in the warm temperatures that spread across the country and reached most of New England this morning. Many flocked to the refuge as bicyclists, birdwatchers and beach combers, like us.
The mute swans gliding through the water in the Boston Public Gardens, though beautiful, are as ornamental as their namesake paddle boats. Because we knew
Make Way for Ducklings long before we came to Boston, the gardens feel like a theme park in homage to the illustrations of the beloved children's book especially amid the squeals of children as they discover the bronze mother duck and her line of babies near the garden's edge. The story, while sweet, is my least favorite of Robert McCloskey's books.
Blueberries for Sal,
One Morning in Maine and
Time of Wonder stand as gems among the endless number of books read aloud to my children. Additionally, they hold the prestige of being the requests of all three during the period of repetition.
My own Sal, Lise, didn't wander off along Blueberry Hill but instead found the fullest, ripest bush in Graveyard Fields and plopped herself down, the green and white sundress covering her sturdy sandals while she picked and ate the small, sweet berries within reach of her pudgy, toddler hands. Miren liked to re-enact scenes from the book during our breaks and Rem walked the footpaths around the bushes singing, "kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk".
With each new discovery on the beach today, from a mermaid's purse to a growing pile of "beautiful" sea shells, Rem's joy brought to mind the explorations of McCloskey's characters in and around Buck's Harbor. How wonderfully his words resonate with both children and parents as we navigate the wonder of childhood and the bittersweet passing of time. Miren and Lise seem to have accelerated childhood's passing, especially this last week with high school acceptance letters. Sentimentality feels appropriate.
"Take a farewell look
at the waves and sky.
Take a farewell sniff
of the salty sea.
A little bit sad
about the place you are leaving,
a little bit sad about the place you are going.
It is a time of quiet wonder-
for wondering, for instance:
'Where do hummingbirds go
in a hurricane?'"
- Robert McCloskey from
A Time of Wonder
