Across from Trinity Church at 200 Clarendon St. stands the new John Hancock building. At 60 floors it is the tallest building in Boston. What causes the John Hancock to stand out from its neighbors is its mirrored exterior. Reflections in the windowed glass are so faithful that it is difficult to tell a reflection from a picture of the real item. For example, the picture of Trinity Church in this blog is actually a picture of a reflection of the church. As I composed the photo in the camera, I realized the reflection was so true, there would be no way to know for sure if you were looking at a photo of a building or a reflection of one. Fortunately, as I was getting ready to shoot, a bus with words on the side drove into the picture. If you look closely at the picture, you'll see the letters of the words are mirrored.

The building reflected in my photos of the John Hancock is the old John Hancock building. The old building was completed in 1947 and is 26 stories tall. In 1964 rival insurance company Prudential built the 52 story tall Prudential Tower. Just down the street from the John Hancock, it dwarfed the original building. The Prudential Tower stood as the tallest building in Boston until the new John Hancock building was completed in 1976

To learn more about the Boston Skyline or city skylines in general, visit: http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/

Petaluma is such a photogenic town. From its historic buildings to wildlife along the river, from sunrise to sunset, I can't imagine ever running out of interesting subjects to photograph in Petaluma. Some of my favorite subjects "live" here. Some of my favorite subjects appear unexpectedly out of nowhere and then disappear, never to be seen in Petaluma again.

I found an unexpected group of visitors two weeks ago at the turning basin: a small fleet of seven Nordic Tugs. I've seen lots of boats moored at the turning basin over the years but never a group like this. I hope you enjoy the photos.

From its very beginnings, Petaluma has depended on our River for transportation, recreation and commerce. Petaluma's past and present can be seen rusting and flourishing along the banks of the Petaluma River and its branching sloughs. Take a trip down river from the Marina to Gray's Field and you'll float by today's thriving commerce and rusting reminders of yesterday's.

Did you know that barges are built on the banks of our River? Have you ever seen the floating garbage scow or the not so trusty, rusty Rusty? When was the last time you saw a large ship on land? Have you watched a tug boat pushing a barge up the Petaluma River? You can see all of these and more on our very own Petaluma River!

I was fortunate to be able to spend one day last week lazily motoring down the Petaluma River. Dave Yearsley of Friends of the Petaluma River took two Spartina Project biologists to various locations on the River and some of its main branches to check for evidence of the invasive aquatic weed Spartina and I was invited on the trip. Fortunately, the team didn't find much Spartina. To learn more about Spartina and how it affects waterways all over the Bay Area visit http://www.spartina.org/

The Petaluma River is so much more than the turning basin or the Marina. While the team was looking for Spartina, I was sitting at the front of the boat enjoying views of the River that most people, sadly, never have the pleasure to see.

There is a certain monotony to viewing the River from river level. The carpet of marsh rolls on and on with very little variation in color, height or density of the plants. At the same time, that the marsh goes on for as far as it does is an indication of how special the Petaluma River and its associated marsh are. The Petaluma Marsh is one of the largest intact marshes in Northern California and it's right here in our own back yard.

Dave Yearsley takes individuals and small groups on guided tours of the River. If you'd like to take a tour, you can send Dave an email: dave@friendsofthePetalumaRiver.org. Friends of the Petaluma River plans to offer guided tours later this year. To learn more about the tours, visit the Friends' Web site: friendsofthePetalumaRiver.org

To see more pictures of the River, visit my Web site: pbase.com/rcaruso.