Castle Island

With all there is to do, sometimes it's fairly overwhelming to live in this area.

I'd imagine I'd feel this way in other places too. For instance, I've never traveled extensively on the west coast. I feel like I would have a million spots on my wish list in Arizona or New Mexico. But right here in New England, after two full years of settling in, I have yet to visit whole states like Rhode Island, or anywhere in Connecticut that I haven't been to just for work. Add to that much of Western Massachusetts and Northern Maine, and there's just way too much to see.

But Castle Island, S and my first stop as we are beginning to explore the Boston Harbor Islands, was a fantastic Labor Day trip.

Castle Island, with its causeway swooping around Pleasure Bay, is close to the airport and, of course, the harbor. As we strolled around, I got excited every time a plane took off and moments later, we'd see it overhead. I've spent so many flights looking down at the land and water on my way to Baltimore or somewhere for work, and today, I got to see those trips in reverse.

There was also a large freight station right on the island with which I became pretty obsessed. I kind of react like a preschooler when I see things in life that are new to me still, like these huge cranes in vibrant colors that they had docked there.

Castle island is also home to Fort Independence, which was once a British stronghold prior to the revolution as was also the Boston Public Health Service's hospital starting in 1799.

We had a pretty great time just people watching, and boat watching, and people-on-boat watching. It was fun for me to participate in a civic holiday, being traditional as I am about commemorating special dates and having adventures when adventures are due. It couldn't have been prettier outside either - with a mix of sunny and overcast skies and lots of big wind gusts.

Soaking up the sun, perhaps one last time before it's fall, was a gift fit for these two laborers.

Hope you had a nice holiday weekend!