Henry was officially welcomed to Massachusetts yesterday morning, and now he’s unpacked from the trek from Denver, settling into life in Cambridge. We haven’t had a chance to see if he can digitally wiggle into a Harvard Square parking space yet or find his way to Whole Foods on River Street. But he seems content, if a little out of place with the Colorado tags.
It’s gorgeous weather here – mainly sunny, fresh air instead of muggy, and green the way green is supposed to look. I remember my first visit to Casper, Wyoming, 30 years ago for a job interview, when the woman giving me a tour of the area exclaimed, “It’s so GREEN this year.” That was in May, and to her eyes the prairie was bursting with color. To me it looked tan. I grew to love the subtle changes in color in Wyoming and the west, but out here color knows how to claim its place in nature, no fooling around. It may have inspired Darlene to think color inside the house, as well. I see tell-tale swatches taped to various walls, a sure sign that she is plotting a change. In our apartment in Denver, there are about 40 different colors, and few walls even in the same room are the same hue. I thought it would drive me crazy when she did the job a decade ago, but instead it’s enlivened the space and energizes us when whenever we’re there.
My plan is to mix biking and rowing here in Cambridge until our migration to Maine in August. I discovered this morning that if you leave Harvard Square at 5:30 a.m. for the Minuteman Bike Trail there is hardly any traffic on Brattle Street, Huron, and the Fresh Pond rotaries. This makes it easy to get to the trail at the Alewife T station, and then it’s clear sailing all the way to Bedford. My morning rides take me just past Arlington Center. I love it. It will take some gumption to head over to the Cambridge Boat Club after a long absence and see if I remember how to get a club single into the Charles. But there’s nothing like slicing along in calm water in a shell. Aerobic exercise, check. Joy of being alive, check.
So that’s the end of our Travels with Henry. It’s a long drive from Denver to Harvard Square. I’m glad we’re here.
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Glad you made it safely!