River Portraits > When I think about the Charles River

By Janet Walkingriver Amphlett

When I think about the Charles River, I realize it is central to my sense of location. I don’t so much live in the Boston area as I live near the enveloping banks of the Charles.

My awareness of the river came early, as our first apartment in Boston had the magic of a river view: a slender strip of illuminated silver between two buildings that seemed to connect my inner life and deepest self, to the reality of boats, weather and the reflected sky. After all, (or before all, perhaps I should say), I sprouted and grew in water and was subsequently nurtured by its rhythms long before I could record its presence.

For years, I took pleasure in painting scenes of the river and walking its shores. Moving out of Boston became difficult to imagine because of the reviving presence of the Charles and its parkland. But after 13 years in our river view apartment, it became necessary. Search, search, search until finally (yes!) we found a place near the river. No view, but blessed proximity. Around the same time as our move, I decided to take my husbands name. Because all my other names had all been given to me, I decided to slip in a self created moniker. I christened myself “Walkingriver”, which is now my legal middle name. It’s a name I honor almost every day.