As it says in the riddle of the sphinx, one passes through many stages during life. I have been tracking these changes with Chandler-Hovey Park. My son would call it my 'happy place', but I don't go there in my mind, I go there with my body.
It started when Steve Krebs introduced me to the rocks. We climbed on all fours, proving just how agile and brave we were. Not a care in the world, not a helmet, no kneepads and no fences.
After I entered my trade, I would come back every so often with my camera. I would HAVE to get that difficult picture that required going down on the rocks. This required walking the rocks like a tightrope holding the camera up in the air, moving my arms for balance, never once did I slip.
When the wives came along, both of them got the tour, sometimes even with their parents. Looking out over the harbor, and seeing the simplicity of the small town that Marblehead in, smelling the salt air, and feeling the wind overwhelm my ears, was exhilarating.
Soon, I was not daring to leave the grassy part.
Now, after a debilitating illness, a trip from the car to the bench will be a true mitzvah. I am looking forward to it.
