To a new shore by bike: Extending the reach of the house

While the BHFH community is based around the house itself and the people who live in it, its real reach is much broader. This could be seen clearly this past weekend. Two residents went hiking in the White Mountains and another group of us (staff, residents, an alum, and a friend from Beacon Hill Friends Meeting) went on a bike trip to Plum Island.

I’d never been to that part of the shore before, and I found it to be remarkably beautiful, especially on a sunny spring day with a nice breeze and the beach plums, from which the island gets its name, in bloom. Under the guidance of BHFH

alum and bike trip organizer extraordinaire Sumner Caughey, the group of five of us took the commuter rail from North Station (just down the hill from the house) to Newburyport, then rode the twelve miles to the tip of the island for a picnic lunch.

The more adventurous–or perhaps foolhardy–did a bit of wading along the shore, getting a bit more wet than we had bargained for thanks to the incoming tide. After some lazing in the sun, we headed back to catch the train back to the city, though not without making a quick stop for ice cream along the way.

As we rode and walked along the water, we reminisced about past house trips, shared news of what various residents and alumni were up to, and hatched a plan for another bike trip for the Fourth of July weekend. In doing so, I realized how much I care about these people I share the BHFH community with, and how fortunate I am to have landed here and gotten the chance to get to know them, not just as housemates, but as friends.