I Learned To Walk On Georges Island

Last Tuesday, on what was the first official day of summer, there were free ferry's from Long Wharf in Boston out to Georges Island and Spectacle Island, which are small islands in the Boston Harbor. It was sort of a kick off to the summer-type deal. Dad thought this would be a great time to get Xander his first taste of the ocean, and selected Georges Island as the destination.

Xander, his Sittoo (Arabic for grandmother), his great aunt and dad set out for Long Wharf a little later than expected, thanks to his mom's car breaking down on her way to work. Nevertheless, the trip got underway with the drive into Boston. Dad had not been to Long Wharf since back in 2003, when he went to meet his cousin at the Marriott. As a result, he forgot that the New England Aquarium was right there at the wharf. Dad was tempted to take Xander into the aquarium, but held off, since his mom had already called dibs on that excursion.

After parking in the garage, the group set out to find the free ferry tickets. They were of course on the opposite side of the hotel, and at 10:55, the frenzied group (well, Xander was calm) scurried over to grab the ferry's last set of tickets. The group was the last to board before the ferry pushed off.

Once on board, seats were scouted out. Dad found a bench next to a nice lady and her fraternal twins, who were a couple of years older than Xan. As is his wont, he immediately flirted with her, batting his long eyelashes at her. The girl was smitten, and when dad got up to show Xan the water, the girl insisted to her mom that we sit back down next to them. It was very cute.

One of the nice things about the ferry was that it was a double-decker, which meant that the bottom level was shaded. As a result, that's where all the kids were, and there were quite a few young ones making the trek. On the way over, Xander was initially excited about the water, but he lost interest as the half-hour ride progressed. Each new buoy, boat or island passed sparked his interest, but otherwise he went back to his favorite meal, Daddy Shoulder Sandwich. Hold the mayo.

George's Island is a remarkably tiny island, but it does have an old, but still very much intact, army fort -- Fort Warren. When the ferry reached the island, the visitor center was swarmed, so the group set out straight for the fort. There weren't a lot of rooms that you could enter, but the design of the fort was fairly interesting, and the group explored the grounds. But from inside the fort one could not see the ocean. But the roof of the fort offered a spectacular 360 degree view of the surrounding areas -- the city, the islands and what is the gateway to the Atlantic Ocean. The view was priceless, especially on the postcard-picture perfect day. Xander realized the beauty of the view, and stopped fidgeting in daddy's arms long enough to drink it all in.

After a walk around the rest of the island and a quick break, Xander's sittoo and great aunt wanted to stop and hang out at the island's snack shack. Daddy had other ideas. The beach on the island was a bit rocky, so Xander couldn't go crawling around on it, but daddy took him down to the beach and held him over the water, so he could touch ocean water for the first time. Xan, who these days loves all things cold and/or wet, was excited, and tried to squirm free from daddy and into the water, but daddy was not having it.

The return ferry was set to leave at 1:30, so there was just enough time for daddy and Xan to run back to the snack shack and grab lunch. Then everyone jumped in line. But after being pushed around in his stroller all day, Xander was full of pent-up energy. So dad decided to try and walk with him. He had tried once or twice before, but Xan had refused to this point. Not today. First dad and Xan walked 10 feet from the line to the flagpole and back. Dad was ecstatic at this development, but like any good overbearing parent, wanted more. So he tried again, and this time Xander walked a good thirty feet away from the line. Seemingly tired of walking, he shook free from dad's grip, but instead of just plopping down on the ground, he went into a crouch. And then stood back up. And then back down into a crouch. And then stood back up. He did this for two solid minutes before finally plopping down in the grass. This was a sort-of-first. Xander had stood on his own before, and had crouched down while holding on to something, but never both together, and never for that space of time. Combine that with the walking (he then walked back to the line) and it felt like real progress. Dad joked that he should run into the visitors center to see if they sold "I learned to walk on Georges Island" bumper stickers, but then the ferry was there. He never got a chance to look.

All in all, it was a fun, free (well, except for the $35 at the parking garage. Yey Boston!) excursion, but while the intent was to show Xander the ocean, Xander ended up showing us that he was starting to get down with the whole walking thing. That's what dad calls a win-win.