My wife Susan chimes in, "Yes, we still call it Shady Beach, but didn't think glenn wouldn't know that." Her parents grew up in the 1940s-1950s on just up the street from there.  

We've been sailing off that beach, and there are a few trees that her dad chains his rowboat to.

Haven't seen referenced photos, but I grew up there in the 50's and 60's and lived midway between Orchard and Nickerson. In the summer, we determined where to swim by guessing at the level of raw sewerage driven inshore from the Moon Island "vats". BTW, Natives always referred to Orchard as "Shady Beach" despite the fact that there were few trees (none now) and very little shade

Oh, thanks! I've updated that caption. Orchard Beach, not Nickerson. We saw the name of Nickerson on a sign, but didn't know what Orchard was called. Bethany and I were just wandering around exploring places that we don't know at all even though they're really close to us. Orchard Beach could definitely use a cleanup, and I have some questions I want to ask of the person who put a cigarette out on the back of a dead ray...

Hi glenn, were those photos at Orchard Beach or Nickerson Beach? (Orchard Beach is on Quincy Bay; Nickerson Beach is on Boston Harbor, on the north side).  

My wife, who is from Squantum, observes that they don't usually use the phrase Squantum Neck - that was mostly used in the 1600s and 1700s. It's a peninsula of Quincy first settled around 1648.  

Were you doing a beach cleanup?