Staying in touch with our roots

Last Saturday was clear and sunny and cool. Perfect spring canoeing weather. The wee lads and I walked our trusty, red, Old Town Camper down Sawin street to a rather muddy put in on the recently raging torrent known as the Alewife Brook. We got aboard with only a bit of the bank as extra cargo and headed downstream. Shortly after passing under the bridge at Broadway in Arlington (Broad Way for those of you on the other side of the line.) we watched a great blue heron take wing and glide smoothly down the valley ahead of us. There were plenty of turtles propping themselves up on reeds and sticks who were surely loath to slide back into the cold water avoid the chance that our able crew of small boys might need to poke at them. A river otter was spotted bobbing along the bank headed for the clear waters of the Mystic River. We turned left at the confluence of the Mystic and headed upstream into the lower Mystic Lake. After we rounded the point and got settled into the short chop of the wider lake, we watched a large hawk circle, fold and dive to bring up a fish from the lake. Better luck than we have had in the same waters. At the head of the lake we got a good look at the construction of the new fish ladder and dam spillway that involved enough cranes and earth movers and assorted implements to keep the under ten crown pleased for a long while. Then it was a quick snack and back in the boat for the easy trip home with the wind at our backs the whole way down the river. It’s pretty nice when you can find this much adventure by walking down your own driveway.