This morning my son Peter & I went to watch the James Joyce Ramble 10 K road race in Dedham, MA. I’m not much for spectating road races in general but this perked my interest because:
- I’ve been meaning to visit the town of Dedham for some time.
- The website for the James Joyce Ramble said there would be performers reading from Joyce’s works along the route.
- I just finished reading Ulysses.
- And, most importantly, we really needed to get out of the house.
We took the bus from Forest Hills right into Dedham Square. Soon after our arrival a parade of antique cars passed by on Washington Street, destination unknown because I never saw them again. We had a good breakfast at the bagel shop on the corner of Washington & High. Then the runners started coming down the street. We followed for a bit and saw the landmarks of Dedham. It’s really a charming town, at least the area around Dedham Square. Down by Dedham Mall its more suburban dystopia, but I liked the old New England village feel of the town proper.
All in all it was a good event. Peter enjoyed running around. The performers reading Joyce in early 20th-century costumes is a nice touch, albeit they’re hard to hear. And those bagels are really tasty, I need to go back to that shop