Sunday, July 22, 2007
COME ON IN THE WATER'S FINE
When I went to MIT, I took sailing lessons on the Charles River. That's the MIT dinghy fleet in the picture.
One of the major elements of our learning was the harsh discipline of the river itself. You did not want to swamp or overturn your boat because the water was so toxic.
No kidding.
And not only that. Just sailing along in the spray of a tack or a windy day was cause for an immediate shower even before leaving the boat house.
I lived only a hundred yards from the boat house so I went home and did the ablutions.
Now, things are different.
A Boston River Now (Mostly) Fit for Swimming
These guys in the article are swimming at just about the same area that we sailed only on the Boston side.
That's the Longfellow Bridge in the background. Salt and pepper shakers.
The river got worse before it got better. And I think that all the years we lived in Boston were taken up with news of various cleanup operations.
It would seem that they have paid off.
See? Some things do get better.
