Distractions at the dinner table.
Today I’m afraid that I’m going for brevity… because I’ve been completely, utterly, hopelessly absorbed in the app QuizUp. I’m on there as alphaprep if you’d like to challenge.
Public Art: Lights
For a city better known for sports rivalries, accents, and the mafia, Boston is making great strides in public art these days! Walking through town you can see murals, light installations, public pianos, sculptures, concrete barriers and electric boxes that have been lovingly painted, wacky public seating (Street Seats), and more. Many of the pieces have been located on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, a stretch of green parks that loop around the city, but lately it seems like art is popping up around every corner.
In the past few years there’s been a movement in Boston to illuminate historic monuments, buildings and landmarks at night, and one of the newest additions is the old Northern Avenue Bridge, the pedestrian bridge connecting the Seaport District to the main part of the city. The artist, John Powell, worked with the city’s Public Works department, the non-profit LightBoston, and Phillips Color Kinetics to create a stunning LED light show. It’s an interesting case study on public and private sector working together to make change in the neighborhood.
I’ve been walking over this bridge almost every night for the past year, and this colorful installation (which was turned on last month) completely changes the entire experience. I can’t quite explain it, but it feels positively joyful – the lights make the bridge beautiful, and not only do you want to be there, but it feels safer, too. This is definitely a welcome addition to my evening commute!
Persimmon Hunting
On Sunday, we went on a quick excursion to Perkins School for the Blind. The small, beautiful campus is located in Watertown, Massachusetts, right behind an aging mall, and near the banks of the Charles river. The school, founded in the early 1800’s, is where Helen Keller was educated, and for generations has provided truly excellent education for blind students, as well as those with not just blindness but significant disabilities. It’s quite a special place.
The current campus was built at the turn of the 20th century, and although has expanded, still maintains much of it’s old New England charm. Grand brick buildings are surrounded by stately trees, a pond, and paths you can wander down – it’s a lovely place to visit. I had heard through the grapevine of Instagram, that a tree on the southwest side of the lake was full of little persimmons that were ripe and ready to go, and that the birds and squirrels were feasting – if I wanted to partake, I should come quick with a basket and a hockey stick. I didn’t even realize that persimmons grew at this latitude – so I went with a bag, and a tall man to shake the trees, just to see what little bounty we could harvest.
By the time we arrived, the tree was nearly decimated – there was no fruit left on the ground, and I managed to come away with just a small handful of these little orange orbs that were ready enough to gently shake off the tree. Some of them seemed ripe enough to try, and I popped a few, before getting a dud of a third one – still far too astringent, which is to say, not bitter or sour, but containing so much tannin that your mouth immediately dries up, and the sensation is not particularly pleasant.
I was hoping to have enough to make a little jam, to top some steel cut oats that I had made in the morning. Instead, I opted for milk and a dollop of chestnut paste, and the handful of fruit will go in a bowl to sit, perhaps until I’m foolish enough to try another one.
