The Wonders of Running Along the Charles

I really feel lucky to be living where I live and to run along the Charles. I remember in vet school when I started to fall in love with Boston and on the third or fourth flight back home from abroad I felt like I was coming home as I flew over the Charles in to Logan, and now I live less then a mile form the Charles.

Running along the river is quite enjoyable, I hope they keep the paths cleared in winter because if they do I will continue to run along them in my winter running gear. I find myself entranced when I run along the river several days of the week...despite being in the city there is still a decent amount of wildlife to appreciate.
There are small flocks of geese every 2-3 miles that know how to stay just enough out of reach but close enough that I can get a good look at their faces as I pass. There is even a flock of local white domestic geese that lives under the BU bridge in a sort of "Common garden" where the community comes to take care of them.
I often find myself watching a diving cormorant with interest, waiting to see when and where it resurfaces, or if it will have a fish in its mouth when it does.
Today was quite funny, I was jogging along when I spotted an adult red tail on a fence at face level about 6 feet from the road. There were tons of runners going by and NO ONE seemed to notice him but me, I got to watch him closely as I approached and as I passed him he turned and looked right into my eyes, he was just as close as the ones I care for at the wildlife clinic. And what did I do? Stupid me just says as I pass "Aren't you a handsome fella?" even though the bird has no idea what I am saying, and as I say it a young male runner passes me from behind and says "Why thank you" as he passed on the other side of me. I couldn't stop laughing. Luckily he was quite a bit faster then me and passed me quickly so I didn't have to explain myself, but I almost had to stop I was laughing so hard.
I also enjoy watching a regular black lab at one of the docks along the esplanade...she is there with her owner probably 2-3 times a week when I run, he tosses her frisbee off the end and she takes a blind flying leap in to the air to catch it and land in the water 10 feet below.
The tiny sailboats are fun as well, on windy days in particular when there are 20-30 of them in a big conglomeration, I love watching them nearly tip over and just when they look like they are going to capsize the sailor throws his body against the opposite side of the boat, to the point where he might go overboard too, and the boat balances out and rights itself. It is a beautiful site.