Natural Wonder of Weymouth

Sunday was a perfect Indian summer day here in Weymouth. The weather was sunny with little breeze. The temperature was warm enough that I was comfortable outside without a coat. The weather won’t be better before spring. Jennifer decided that instead of her going to the gym the whole family would take a hike. I couldn’t have agreed more. Because I was late getting home from church because I had meetings to attend after services we decided to stay close to home. We decided to take our hike in Great Esker Park, which stretches along the Weymouth shore of the Weymouth Back River.

We had a lovely hike. The leaves left on the trees were in their fall colors of yellow and russet and the trails were carpeted with the leaves that had already fallen. We hiked over the esker, the long sinuous hill deposited by a long ago glacier that gives the park its name. Then we made our way down to the shore of the tidal Back River. Walking along the gravel beach that separates the open river from the salt marsh behind we got great views of the birds that feed there. Out in the river a flock of diving ducks were feeding, each diving one after another to feed in the depths of the river. A moment later they popped up to the surface, still in line. Behind them a great blue heron fed in the shallow water by an exposed sand bar. Overhead a marsh hawk flew.

Jennifer gave Maura the task of finding all the colors of the rainbow on our hike. She found them in order—red, orange and yellow leaves, green cedar trees, blue sky and purple berries still uneaten on the cat briar.

Great Esker Park is a jewel that the people of Weymouth should be proud of. The esker itself is a rarity. Many eskers have long since been mined away for gravel or leveled for building. The long stretch of undeveloped shoreline is equally rare in a populated area, especially so since the opposite shore in Hingham is also a park. Great Esker has many of the problems of urban parks. It is both neglected and heavily traveled. The paved trails are crumbling and graffiti covered; the unpaved trails are eroding. The busier parts of the park are strewn with trash. It is unfortunate that people don’t appreciate their park more. Perhaps then they would be inspired to keep it clean. Still enough of the natural beauty shines through to make Great Esker a natural oasis in a mostly man-made world.

Taking Maura to the Polls

Maura was out of school Tuesday for the election so when I went to vote I brought Maura with me. While my decision to bring Maura along was made for me by a lack of alternative child care arrangements, I am glad that she was with me when I went to cast my ballot. Though Maura won’t be old enough to vote for twelve years I believe it is important that she learn the importance of voting now. By seeing her parents vote and discussing with us the importance of voting I hope that Maura comes away with an appreciation of the fact that participation in elections is a basic duty of all citizens regardless of their political beliefs and affiliations.

I am not very politically active. In fact I detest politics and outside of the voting booth I would rather avoid it all together. I have never contributed to a political campaign or volunteered my time to a political cause. I don’t plan on doing so in the future. I do believe in the duty of all citizens to come to the polls and vote. The right to vote is the most basic political right in any representative government. In the ballot box all citizens are equal (or at least they should be) and each vote carries the same weight. Voting is the fundamental way that citizens influence the behavior of their government. To not vote is to resign yourself to living with a government that does not represent you. While I have often lacked enthusiasm for the candidates among whom I was called to choose, I have chosen to exercise my right to vote in general elections since I was first able to do so.

While I am sure that I will not instill any enthusiasm for politics in my daughter since I have none, I hope that when she is of age she goes to the polls at every election out of duty, if for no other reason. If, unlike me, she finds excitement in politics, then I wish her the joy of it.