Signing Off

I am signing off temporarily and hope to get back with more photos soon.

Another Black and White

The aftermath of my friend's yard sale. These chairs didn't sell. She left them out on the lawn and a neighbor added a lamp. They gradually deteriorated.
Shortly after this picture, she disposed of them. I think her neighbors were grateful.

Black and White Challenge

This is one of my favorite b&w photos. An old tobacco shed on a hazy spring morning. I'm trying to enter the challenge on Musings from the Texas Hill Country. The internet is refusing to cooperate with me.

Making Hay

The local farmer has started haying. His hay wagon goes by the house full to the top. I love to watch the process. After cutting and when it's dry, he uses a tedder to put the hay into rows. Then, in one operation, the tractor passes over the rows with a baler and it all goes into the wagon, ready for sale. I used to watch my grandfather haying when I was a kid. He had his team of horses that he used to cut, rake, and pile it into rows. They had tractors, but he did his share of the work with his horses. I remember their names "Maggie" and "Nellie". The hay was picked up by men throwing forkfuls up onto the wagon, drawn by a tractor. After that, it had to be put into the hay mow, again by the forkful. It was hot, sweaty, dirty work.

I walked by the back lot on Sunday. There was a pretty good breeze. Looking down on the yet to be cut field, the wind blowing waves over the hay, you could imagine that you were looking at a green beach with the tide coming in.

Kodak Brownie No.2

This was Mother's camera, given to her, I think, in 1910. She was 16 years old. She began to record life on the farm. All pictures and negatives were carefully saved. She continued taking photos until Kodak stopped producing film in that size. A roll had eight pictures. The negative size was maybe 2 3/4 inches by 41/2. I guess most pictures were printed as contact prints. My sister's and my childhoods are all there. Our hair styles changed as we got older. My sister never cut her hair and still hasn't to this day. I was given what was called a "shingle" which was not a pretty style. Here we are in, ( I guess I'm dating myself here), 1930 and 1931. Picture taking rules for us were: Sunny days only. Stand facing the camera and looking into the sun. Smile. My sister and I fought constantly but you'd never know it. We usually stood holding hands. The farm photos have been passed on, along with the camera to a cousin still living on the farm.

Uninvited Guest

He (or she) came in the late afternoon. We often see raccoons, but they are usually not this bold. It let me get quite close and at one point, it started walking toward me. I think this fellow is one of the locals that are fed regularly by at least two neighbors. Probably grew up eating dinner next door. I'm not sure why people like to feed raccoons, I suppose for the same reason that I feed squirrels. Wanting to discourage him, I tried spraying him with the hose. He climbed to the very top of a tree and waited til I went away, came down, and continued foraging. I'm not too happy to see this creature since it does not seem to be afraid of us. Rabies is a serious problem. This guy looked healthy enough, but I prefer he stay away from me and I will stay away from him. I did get a lot of photos, but not any really good ones.

The Back Lot

Through the gate and up the hill through the wooded area and you will come to the back lot. After my climb, I need to stop and catch my breath so I stop here by the hayfield. The hay is lush and bright green from all the rain this spring. Sometimes there are deer browsing along the edge. Once I saw a doe and her fawn nibbling the brush. One spring we saw a dozen deer in the field, grazing on the new grass. There is usually a hawks nest there across the field. They sit and wait for some poor critter. You can watch them soaring overhead . If you cross over to the other side, there is a pond that is covered with waterlillies with yellow blossoms. You can hear bullfrogs there and see the Painted Turtles that have climbed out on a tree that has fallen into the water. I"ve seen a few kinds of herons here.
On this side, developers have started building. I turn back into the woods and
continue my walk. The woods are not spectacular, some part of it used to be a
tobacco field. It is now owned by a local land trust so at least this area won't
be disturbed, but it is being disturbed, after all, by a youngster on a dirt bike.

He does "wheelies" on the walking path, managing to dig up roots and making ruts.
My little camera can do panoramas but I have never successfully done a
good one. This is my latest attempt. I"ll keep working on it.
I tried to correct the spacing of these lines, but nothing works! Darn!

On the Path

I took a walk this morning. Not a big deal, but I haven't been walking for months. This little bush was in full bloom. It's a common one, but I'm not sure of its' name, possibly "Shadblow"? There was no sun so the photo reflects that. The hayfield is lush and green thanks to our rainy spring. Sunday mornings are quiet back in the woods. On week days you can hear the distant motors and overhead jets. There are wheel marks in the path made by a dirt bike. That insures that the wild turkeys and the herd of deer won't be around.
I see that I haven't posted anything for a month. Hope to not do that again.

My Park

I got to thinking about Harkness State Park in Waterford, CT the other day. It always felt like "my" park. It is well maintained by the state, some of the workers living on the property. At some point quite a few years ago, during a fiscal crisis, the then governor (Lowell Weiker) shut it down, saying it was used only by a few locals. Apparently, he had never been there on a Sunday when the large parking lots were so full that people were parking on the grass. Large groups of folks came early to lay claim to one of the many picnic tables. Kids everywhere. Music from every direction. Sunshine and sea breezes! It was (and still is) a perfect spot for kite flying. A huge number of fantastic kites are usually in the air . This was the summer "cottage" (in the Newport tradition) of the Harkness family. It was used on week-ends and summers only. The stone mansion has been restored and is open on week-ends. The state rents it out for weddings. There is an outdoor chapel of sorts for ceremonies. Although the gardens had been neglected, they have been restored and there is also a cutting garden. The last time I was there, the greenhouses were in ruins. There is a nesting area for the terns that is closed in spring. If you're lucky, you might see an osprey nesting on one of the platforms. It was a few minutes from my home when I lived in Waterford, so I went there winter and summer, took my walk around the perimeter, with a short rest to contemplate the water. Well, I do believe I'll take a drive down there soon!

Crocus

Is the plural croci?? Not too much green around here, yet. The grey lawn seem to go along with grey days. We have had some nice sunny days and the sun came out long enough to get this shot yesterday. Crocus come up all over. My sister says the squirrels dig them up and rebury them in another spot. The long shaggy grass is left over from last fall when I should have done one last mowing. I think crocus are the bravest of the early spring blossoms. Our resident woodchuck, called Mildred, is out every day, inspecting the rosa mundi bed to get the first green leaf buds. Of course, it may not be the same chuck every year or even a female, but they're all Mildreds to me.

The National Seashore

This photo is from a trip to the National Seashore in 1990. The quote is from the National
Parks web site. The windswept grass and the dunes are what you find on the north shore. To the left is the restored life saving station that I posted about last year. The park is a very popular tourist destination. A great place for families with kids. School tours come here in early September. Golden agers come on bus tours. Guess you could say there's something for everyone. I first visited in the 60s, before the park was established. We came in late September when the breeze was cool and the sun warm. Shops in town were closing and you could find sales on just about everything. Restaurants were not crowded and were glad to have your business. A few places that the locals frequented stayed open all year. The Portugese bakery made the best sweetbread ever. We walked and biked and generally enjoyed the best part of the year. I don't go up there anymore. Too much has changed, including me.

Dory

I had great plans to print out old negatives when I got the new printer. It seems that a lot of them have faded to the point that they are unusable. I did this one of an old dory on exhibit at the National Seashore . I was going to delete it, but got fascinated by its' strangeness. My original thought for this blog has been regular postings, but I have lost enthusiasm and energy, or,rather, that energy has been taken by medical problems that I hope to get under control soon.

The National Seashore is a favorite place of mine. It was the first landing of the Pilgrims before they moved on to Plymouth. I have walked all the trails many times and bicycled them, too. I believe President Kennedy gets credit for establishing it. He saved it from commercial development, if I have my facts right. Best time for visiting is when kids are back in school (unless, of course, you have kids in which case it's a wonderful trip for them). There is a roped trail for the blind with braille signs and
plants to identify by smell and texture. There are historical places such as the site of the
spring where the Pilgrims got fresh water. If you are lucky, you can see whales off
the ocean side, but you might need binoculars. Visit, if you can.

A Whole Different World

"Under The Welkin" is one of my favorite blogs. I look in every once in a while. The location is a farm in Australia. They have just come through a very dry summer and headed into Fall. Lots of interesting pictures and observations on the farm life there. This is photo from this blog. Apparently this farm is in an isolated area. This shot is an Emu at the watering trough for their cattle.

1931

This a photo from 1931 of my sister and myself, taken by our mother with her Brownie box camera. I have no actual memory of this day. Hat, scarves and mittens were all handmade, I'm sure. I think this was when we lived in Hamden, Massachusetts. I am including this as a farewell to winter. We had one last(?) snowfall last week which was actually quite deep. I call it a 60 dollar storm since that is what our snowplow man charged to clear the driveway. At any rate within 48 hours, it had all melted. Everyone is weary of the cold and, I'm sure, willing to forgo any more snow til next winter. As for me, I'm going to see if I can see any crocus poking through.

Truro

Her call name was "Truro". An odd name for a dog, I think. It's a name associated with Nova Scotia, Cape Cod, Mass., and(in Rhode Island), the oldest synagogue in the U.S.. Her registered name was fancier, Cloverdale's something or other. She was an energetic puppy, given to chewing almost anything. I soon learned to patch walls, since one of her favorite things was to lick and chew holes in the walls and the corner trim by the kitchen door. On one of her first outings to the beach she was just a couple months old, she picked up and carried an empty beer bottle. She was the sweetest dog I ever knew and probably the smartest. I inherited her, sad to say and also glad to say. She was alone on my working days, except for the cat Petey, but I don't think she developed any kind of relationship with that cat. After work, we would take long walks. Part of our route had a stone wall which she would jump on top of and walk whole length of it. Don't know how she decided to do that. Once out of puppyhood,( it was a long one), she settled down, her chewing days were over except for a Nylabone or two. She had a great personality which I think shows in this photo. Going through some old negatives, I found this one. She was a dog you never forget.

Green-up Time!

We'll soon be easing into spring. We've been having rain and mixed precipitation for a couple of days with daytime temps above freezing. Those piles of snow that were so beautiful are now a gritty, muddy heap. There are more wintry days ahead, I know, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Some of the first green will be the ferns. I found this old slide and was able to print it out. I think I should not have sharpened the picture so much. The flocks of birds that spent so much time in the back yard are going about their little lives elsewhere. They show up now and then. The cardinals still come at dusk. I won't put my winter coat and boots away!.

My Desktop Photo

I keep this picture as my desktop now that we are in winter. Next summer, I'll put up a snow scene. This is from a couple of years ago, and, looking at the slant of the shadows, it was a sunny, warm afternoon. The shed is not yet filled with drying tobacco. There used to be a few tobacco farmers in the area and now it's just one. The woods where I walk was once tobacco fields,and it is now grown over with pine, beech and oak. The few cedars are struggling to survive the deer foraging in deep winter. There isn't much for them this year with another poor acorn crop.

I checked into Google Maps the other day and was able to find this old shed on their satellite map. It has a new metal roof that shows up nicely. I could trace my walking route from our house, through the woods, around the hay field and home, on their map. Hope to get back to this spot on a nice summer day, soon.

What??? Another Deer Picture?

This blog certainly didn't start out to be devoted to deer, but here is another picture. It seems we are visited regularly by what is now a herd of them. We had yet another snowfall yesterday and, when I went out to do my bird seed duty this morning, the whole back yard had deer prints. This was taken from the bathroom window on Sunday. When I opened the window, this doe perked up her ears and posed for the shot. After a series of bad days, these creatures are providing us with a bright spot. Hurry up, Spring!

Kite Flying at the Beach

More snow last night and then again this morning. Now it has turned to freezing rain.I found this slide from the late 70s and was able to print it up. This was taken in the fall of my friend flying a kite at Waterford Beach. It's a favorite spot of mine and my favorite time of year and after today's weather, how I wish I were there! Beyond the rocks there on the right is New London's Ocean Beach Park. The water is Long Island Sound...There used to be an amusement park at Ocean Beach but it is no more. Sometimes, you could see a submarine making it's way up the sound on its' way to the Sub Base at Groton. Ferries cross from New London to Fisher's Island, Block Island, and Long Island.
I really miss this place.

Marauder

A peaceful Sunday, but, strangely, there were few birds feeding. Then we discovered why. There, at the lower end of the back yard, was a hawk feeding on his (her?) Sunday dinner. I later found out it was feeding on one of the Mourning Doves from a large flock that we see every day. I couldn't tell what kind of hawk, since it was sitting in a tangle of vines. I"m no good at hawk identification, anyway. My "good" camera was without batteries, so I used the point-and-shoot. I was too far away to get a good shot, so this is not a good picture at all. I later thought, from looking at the photos, that it was maybe a Sharp Shinned Hawk. We keep an eye out for the feral cats that the neighbors feed, but it looks like now we'll have to watch the tree tops for this fellow. There is a pair that nest over in the trees at the edge of the hay field. I know they have to eat, I just wish they'd do it away from my yard.

Icy Morning

It was an especially cold morning today. Zero degrees (that's Farenheit) on my sister's weather station at 5 a.m. and dropping to 2 below before the sun rose over the hill behind the house. We've been spared more snow this past week, but more predicted later this week. I took this picture a few years ago after a freezing rain. Everything had what I estimated to be a quarter inch of ice. Nature's icy decoration, and prettier than store-bought Christmas trimmings.

"Hens and Chickens"

Mother had a large variety of these succulents. I took some of the "chicks" down to the cove where I lived. They must have liked it there because they thrived. I don't know if they are still there. Mother's little rock garden is still here, but I don't think there as many different ones there. This photo is from an old Ektachrome slide.

Doe, a Deer, a Female Deer

"Reservations? What reservations? I'm just here for the buffet!"
She came at mid-day and polished off the bird seed, which I replenished. And then she returned for dessert. She looks remarkably well fed. Probably making the rounds of the neighbor's feeders.

"Lucy"

I call this deer Lucy. This shot is from last year. She has a deformed front leg that doesn't seem to hold her back. I used to see her now and then and hope that she would be all right. These days, with the temperatures down in the single numbers, it has to be rough going for all creatures. I saw deer prints in the snow this morning and and thought about Lucy. I knew deer had come in the back yard to find whatever seeds the birds have left. Actually, we did not have as many birds as usual yesterday, so they might have had more to eat than they usually find. The temperature is expected to stay very cold for the next few days, with more snow on the way.

Rose Hips

The all-in-one printer that I had been coveting went on sale this week . I got it yesterday. The reason I wanted it was the ability to print slides and negatives of which I have three ring binders full. They date back to the 80s and almost all of the Ektachrome slides have never been printed out.
I was pleased with this one of rose hips taken at our town beach. Folks gathered them for making rose hip jelly.
And this shot takes me to fall trips to Cape Cod. We drove by a roadside stand on the way, where you could buy all sorts of home made jams and jellies. It was run by a little old lady whose name might have been Victoria, although that might not be right. My favorite was her rose hip jelly and then her ginger pear. She would remark on the traffic going by and wonder where they were all going, just to get there and turn back. Finally, on one trip, the stand was no longer there. And I never found another source of rose hip jelly.

The Morning After

Mother had a Night Blooming Cereus which blossomed every summer. The blossoms open at night. You can almost see them move as the petals unfold, and the air is filled with a heavy sweet perfume. Each blossom lasts only one night and closes with daylight as you can see here. This is a bloom from a slip of my mother's plant. I have a few pictures of the open blossom, but they are not very good. We always made an occasion of the event every year. My old plant still blooms, but I'm an early to bed person so I only get to see the morning after these days.

At The Marsh

A very old photo, taken with my old 35 film camera. When I lived on the shoreline, I walked here every day. You could see a variety of ducks and other birds. It was a great place to wind down from my work day . When I had the Golden, I could let her off lead, which she loved. Always in the water, one day she found an old tennis ball. She made up a game of dropping it in the water, watching it float back in, and then repeating it over and over.
This looks like it might have been a misty day.

Squirrels

This fellow, munching on a peanut, must be a grandfather by now ( or a grandmother). The photo is from a some time ago. I splurge on peanuts and seeds every year. Developers have destroyed some woods near here so foraging for food must be difficult.. Deer are scarcer now, although there were four in the yard one morning this week. They come to see what seeds are left behind. I'm interfering with nature, I suppose, with the extra food I put out. It's a selfish attitude. I guess, since it's no doubt for my own enjoyment. This morning we had fifteen squirrels, mourning doves, juncos, and a cardinal or two. I'm never sure when it's the right time to stop feeding in the spring.

Cardinals

The cardinals certainly brighten up a winter day. They like to feed early in the day and you can see them in the late afternoon when the daylight is fading. When you can see them on a sunny afternoon, the males are brilliant. There are a few that live nearby. I think they nest in the cedar near the north side of the house, although I haven't been able to see the nest. Right now there appear to be two pair that come here.

The bluejays are also colorful. They are the pirates of the bird world and will devour as much as they can as fast as they can. I haven't seen any for a week or more. They must have found better rations elsewhere.

Rosa Mundi and the Woodchuck

Rosa Mundi is an old rose, or, I guess you could call it a heritage rose. There are a few plants in the back yard. The flowers are beautiful, white with pink stripes, or the other way around. Our resident woodchuck loves the new green leaves and nearly destroyed the bed. Now, we have two woodchucks, (currently hibernating) probably the older one is a female. Nothing seemed to discourage the creature from eating the foliage. Finally, it found other green stuff, the wild violets, for one., and the roses grew new leaves and blossomed again. It's a battle of wits to keep ahead of our furry friend. I'll try again this summer after she weans her babies, to discourage their residency and move on.

This rose goes back to the 1500s, so I think it is worth an effort to protect it. It's easy to grow and doesn't need a lot of care beyond the critters who try to demolish it.

"Panda" aka "Special K"

Panda came to the vet's office where I was working. He was a homeless six week old kitty. I called this cat Special Kitty. He had a great personality even at that age. In the 70s, it was a general rule not to spay and neuter until the dog or cat was at least five months old. This led to unwanted litters. My boss thought that kittens and pups could be spayed or neutered as early as six weeks. So he took in unwanted kittens (usually females) to spay and place out in homes where we could keep track of the results of this early surgery. Panda was one of the few males he castrated. The boss's daughter saw this little cat and adopted him, giving him his new name. He had a great life with her, and became a great hunter of mice and, sorry to say, birds. He did not show negative effects of his early neutering, except that he was a rather small fellow with an almost "kittenish" look.

This snapshot showed him in his stalking pose.

Winter's First Snow

Not quite winter by the calendar, but this is what we see from the back step. It's not an unusual snowfall, but, it seems, the weathermen (and women) work themselves into a frenzy. They're out with measuring sticks for hourly reports on the depth. They stand by highways commenting on the traffic or lack thereof and reporting on fender-benders as if they were catastrophes of enormous proportions. People rush to the store for bread and milk when, in all probability, the roads will be open in a matter of an hour or so. Why not just stop and see the beauty of it all?
This isn't a photo that will bring back a memory, but I couldn't resist taking it, even though I have a dozen like it from past years.

The Stone Wall

When I moved in to the house on Jordan Cove, half the back yard was overrun with bittersweet. It took a backhoe to rip it out. Under all those vines was an old stone wall. I think this is what they called a "rubble" wall, but I'm not sure of that. I love yellow flowers and there were a lot of Black-eyed Susans along the side of the lane leading to the house. I kept gathering seeds and scattering them along the wall. Eventually, they took hold and apparently liked being there. In a year, they blossomed and I got this snapshot. I don't know if they are still there, or if the bittersweet came back. That's bittersweet you can see just the other side of the stones. It took some effort to get grass growing here because it was a constant battle to keep it from sprouting up in my newly claimed lawn.

There is a wonderful web site by a very talented photographer. It is StoneWallJack.com. He has beautiful photographs of New England stone walls. A cousin told me about this fellow's work and I take a look every so often.

Praise The Lord Service

This photo is from a few years ago, on the way to Cape Cod. There was a smaller sign telling the time that He would be pumping gas for you.
I don't think this business was there very long, because I wanted to take a better picture on a later trip, and it had closed.

Waterfront, Cape Cod

This is an old photo taken with my old 35 film camera. It was a cloudy day in late September. This might have been in the late 60s. I always loved the Cape in the fall back then. In the 60s and 70s,most vacationers had gone and the town was all but deserted. Shops were closing for the season and you could stock up on sweatshirts for $5 each, among other things. Restaurants were still open and you could have a lovely and quiet dinner. Nowadays, the season extends well into the fall. A main attraction is the National Seashore which is one of my favorite places in the world. I do miss it.

Birthplace

I was born here in this house in an upstairs bedroom. The farm was owned by my mother's parents, both emigrated from England with their families to work at factory jobs until they were able to buy this property. This photo is from the early 1900s, taken by my mother.

My paternal grandmother attended my birth as mid-wife. As a child I was told that I was born on my Aunt Mary's pillow. The property is still in the family, belonging now to a cousin. This photo was taken by my mother who, as a teen-ager, was given a Kodak Brownie box camera as a birthday present. I think that in those days that camera cost less than five dollars. She recorded life on the farm. Original photos were kept and we have returned them to the farm in the care of our cousin. He will pass them on to one of his sons, we hope. The home has been improved, of course, over the years, now having the name of "Brookside Farm", I think.

The town, like so many, is no longer a farming community, although farms still exist there. It has become a rather up-scale place to live.

Back Yard, First Snow

No matter how old I get, I will always love the first snow of winter. Before the sun melts the snow or a breeze shakes the snow off the trees and bushes, everything is transformed from bleak browns and greys. By midwinter, we are counting the weeks til spring. Before too long on this day, three years ago, I had cleared a path around the yard for the dog. She loved the snow, but didn't like to get her feet wet.

Rosie

Rosie was a dog of uncertain age. Found wandering the streets of our town, she was picked up by the dog warden and taken to the pound. The Humane Society had ceased taking strays, but she was given a reprieve by an H.S. worker and brought to their shelter. We were looking for a bit older dog, so when she sat and "smiled" at me, she seemed right for us.We were told she was four years old, but when we got to know her, it was obvious that she was older, maybe eight. She was so well mannered that it seemed unlikely that she was a run-away or just discarded. She was a homebody but loved to go for a ride. She loved snow and cool weather, liked to go for walks, but preferred sidewalks to woods and hated to get her feet wet. She was brushed daily and was often complimented on how beautiful she was. She died of a stroke a year ago. We think she was a teen-ager. We often speculated on her previous owners and wonder how they didn't make an effort to find her.

Mockingbird

On the bank of the cove where I lived, were bittersweet vines. They were very invasive because birds scattered seeds and they would take root where ever they landed. Of course, the birds loved the berries, especially this mockingbird that enjoyed the feast every year. He rewarded us with his song.

Sunset at Harkness Park

This shot was taken in the spring of 1988. Sunsets were always beautiful here. The clouds were just right that evening and I was not the only one trying to capture the scene. This was taken with my old 35 film camera.

Maine's Rocky Coast

We took a trip to Maine in September 1997. The weather was beautiful with bright warm sun and cool breezes. All went well til we decided to go on a whale watch. Rough seas kept most of the boats from going out except one, a catamaran. We were told it was a very steady boat and would be quite comfortable. I don't usually get seasick, but this "steady" boat did me in that day. We did see whales, anyway. I do enjoy Maine and have been there a few times, once even seeing a wild moose. One winter, a lifetime ago, two friends and I took a trip to Maine in a "new" used car. We broke down on the road at night and were rescued by a pleasant fellow in a semi. He got us to an inn in Old Town, where we learned he had a reputation for dangerous driving and was known as "Suicide Bill". It was Dec 30th and no way to get the car repaired til after New Years Day. We spent New Years Eve at the inn where the main attraction was a stripper. I was asked to be coat check person and made forty dollars in tips! The next day the stripper came with us on a shopping trip so she could shop for her kids.

Deer

We used to see more deer before the developers started building. I watched a young buck one year as he grew his antlers, He was with a couple of young does. Then, he disappeared and I never did see him again. I used to walk very early in the morning, with a flashlight to get me through the woods where there often were deer browsing. They are so curious. I could shine my flashlight at them and they would stand still as I approached them. I did not get too close, it's not a Disney world out there. These two does were part of a herd from one of the last open spaces left in the area.

Late Summer

This photo is from a few years ago, taken at the town park. The town leased part of the park to a summer theatre. There was a barn theatre and large house where the actors ,etc., stayed. For a few years, there was also a theatre of the deaf. There was a large field that was used for recreation. At times, you could see the actors in the middle of that field rehearsing their lines, sometimes in a very loud voice. Lots of goldenrod around the edge of the field which attracted the Monarch butterflies. There were crabapple trees and beach roses that had large rosehips in the fall. A path took you to the dunes and a great beach. It was crowded in summer, but a great place to walk, take the dog, fly kites, or fish in off season. Sometimes, (not often), you could see submarines traveling up to the Groton sub base. Our dog was a Golden Retriever and you could not keep her out of the water, resulting in a wet and sandy car on the way home.

Red !

We hired a painter to paint the house. He was a good worker and did a great job with lots of prep work. He asked what color to put on the hatchway. It had been a barn red, which I suggested would be my choice. Maybe he doesn't know "barn red", but this is what he did. It's a shiny, bright, red and can be seen from a great distance. It grows on you!

Sumac

The little Sumac had its moment of glory before it was cut down. The farmer repaired the barn boards and it had to go. It was the only Sumac in the area and not a beauty by any means, until a sunny day in autumn, when splayed out against the old wood, I couldn't pass it by without taking a photo. I had hoped it would re-generate, but it didn't.

Sunset

Taken a few years ago, this is the Pilgrim Monument at sundown from North Truro, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.

Icy Morning

Some years ago, after a freezing rain, I went out with my camera before dawn. Everything had a coating of ice. The sun came up and there were hundreds of rainbows on the bushes. I snapped away, thinking what great photos I had. Of course, the rainbows didn't show up in the pictures. What I did end up with was this one of the sun behind the ice covered trees. When the sun rose, it all melted very fast.

Chipmunks

Cute critters! They come for the seeds I put out for the squirrels. Today one climbed into the small red maple and scavenged for maple seeds still clinging to the branches. We have red squirrels, too, but the grey squirrels chase them so we don't see them very often.

First Light

Sometimes, at first light, fog covers the field.
As the day lightens, it rises. I like this photo of the old shed.

Last of the Autumn Colors

After he cuts his hay, the farmer reseeds for next years crop. The new grass is like a green carpet. This view is from the field where I walk, to another field across the road. It is now a heavily traveled road, narrow and winding. Drivers speed through here during commuter times.
Trees lining these fields are mostly "Swamp Maples" and put on a good show in the fall.
A couple of years ago, the farmer went around the perimeter of the property and cut down a lot of nice young trees, including a big beautiful white birch and several cedars.There appeared to be no reason to destroy them because they did not shade his crop nor did it widen the area. He had a "field day" with his chainsaw. In very early spring, deer come to munch on the grass here. I thought they only ate brush, etc.. Once there were a dozen.

Morning Walk

I took my early morning walk in the woods today. There is a hill behind the house to get to the trail, so the sun doesn't reach the back yard right away. I walked through the woods and around the hayfield and started back along the edge of the trees. Suddenly, the sun rose over the horizon and through the trees. It created a wonderful glow as it lit up the golden beech leaves through the grayness of the now bare oaks. I could not do it justice in this photo, but it will remind me of my morning walk. It's November now. Autumn never lasts long enough for me. I love everything about it. The colors, crisp air, warm sun, leaves to shuffle through. I was an October baby so maybe that's why.

Ropes

At the Seaport Museum, there is an old whaling ship, the Morgan, that has been restored and is open to the public. The Seaport is a popular tourist spot. It is a village replicating the historical era of whaling ships. Lots to see here. I used to bring visitors here when they spent time at my house. It is in Mystic, Connecticut. There is an aquarium in Mystic, too. They had beluga whales and dolphins, etc..I think they had a walrus, too. I took this photo on my last visit to the museum a few years ago.

Joe Pye Weed in Bloom

At the state park in Waterford, CT. where I used to live there is a short nature trail. In the summer, "Joe Pye Weed" in bloom lines the entrance. You can see deer here, if you're lucky. Once a partridge rushed her chicks off the path into the brush as I walked. The path takes you down to Long Island Sound where there are egrets fishing. There are nesting platforms for Ospreys. Some years, there are not very many nesting however. You can usually see herons, too. This water is the entrance to the Thames River and to New London Harbor (here Thames is pronounced just as it is written and not the English, "Tems"). It's a popular park in summer and peaceful and quiet off season. I used to come here after work to unwind. I miss it.

Old Harbor Station, Cape Cod, Massachusetts

This is the old life saving station. It was originally in Chatham and moved, by barge, across to the tip of Cape Cod. I was able to see the restoration progress when I vacationed on the Cape every fall. It is finished now and opened to the public. The Life-Saving Service started with the Massachusetts Humane Society in 1786. The lives they saved were those of seamen on shipwrecks off the Northeast Coast. It has a fascinating history,
A book on this has been written by Richard G. Ryder and published by Ram Island Press.

Curing Tobacco

At the end of October, the tobacco is ready to be taken down. A crew of workers remove the leaves from the stems and bale them up. If they are lucky, the weather is mild. Sometimes, it is very cold and no heat is available. A lot of the crew come from Jamaica. They come up to do farm work, harvesting apples, and working in tobacco, etc.. They have their own farms at home, I think. I often see them in town, sending money by wire or money order back home.

Compass Grass

The winds in the dunes create these circles. The dunes are ever changing, shifting the sand. It's hard to imagine how these grasses survive in this environment.

Blue Skies, Red Tractor

The hayfield and a tobacco shed have been leased by our neighbor to a local
farmer. He grows and sells vegetables, greenhouse flowers, bedding straw and hay
at his stand, and grows several acres of tobacco at various locations. The
haying operation is an interesting one. After the hay is cut and dried, it is
raked into rows and is then baled, tied and stacked onto the haywagon in one
pass over the field. When I was a child, my mother's father, Grandpa Eastwood, worked the fields with a team of horses. He did it all. After cutting, he would turn it with a tedder and put it into rows. the haywagon would be driven by and a crew of two or three men would toss forkfuls up to a man on the wagon. Hay was brought to the barn and put into the haymow by the forkful. Grandpa was an Englishman and loved his tea. Mother would make tea for him as he worked the field and send barefoot me over the newly cut field for his afternoon tea break. I took shoes off on the first day of school vacation and by September the soles of my feet were really toughened up.
The smell of new mown hay brings back that time in my life, and the pain of running over the sharp stubble.

Goldenrod

The old tobacco shed was falling apart. The doors were secured shut until kids found this place for a hangout. Doors were repaired and the shed put to use. In late summer, goldenrod abounds here and on the borders of the hayfield. I wanted to get black-eyed-susans to take hold. Like Johnny Appleseed, I scattered seed every year. I was rewarded with only one small brave plant that produced one little blossom. Nature knows what it wants and it was not black-eyed-susans!

Backlighting

I took a photography class when I got my 35. This was quite a few years ago. We were supposed to use backlighting. At the edge of a marsh, in a local state park, I took this shot. It was fall, I remember and the sun was warm with a cool breeze. My kind of weather.

X's and Y's

The inside of an old tobacco drying shed. Soon, tobacco filled it to the rafters. The side slats were closed during rainy weather. The green tobacco leaves started to turn color, first golden and eventually brown. When I walked by as it cured, the smell was very intense. It was taken down in late fall and baled. Tobacco grown in these parts is "binder" tobacco, I believe. " Wrapper" is grown in the Connecticut River valley and is called "shade grown" because it is grown under fabric tents. I worked as a kid in a tobacco shed sorting leaves that had been re-hydrated with steam. The smell permeated my clothes and hair. I think most of the workers were older women. The smell from this shed brings back that memory.

Milkweed

Milkweed pods always give us a treat when they open and the seeds float away. They do attract Monarch butterflies, although I did not see any this year. This is an old photo taken with my old 35.

Snow and Shadows

My favorite subject. I like this photo a lot. This is not a very scenic area, but over the course of four seasons, this old tobacco shed provides a lot of opportunity for a variety of shots.

Sue's Poodles

This is a collage I created from photos of my friend's dogs. Rocky is the silver one, a large toy poodle. He had a short dog show career, but apparently grew over the standard height. He is very bright and lovable. The beautiful black boy is Sydney, who came down from Nova Scotia. He is also very smart and fun to be with. These two have "replaced" a pair of dogs that Sue lost. Both were senior citizens and led a wonderful long life, but they have left an empty place in Sue's life. They were actually irreplaceable and Sue still grieves over their loss.

Ferns

My mother had a collection of ferns. They still grow here. Some of the large ones line the north side of the house. These Maidenhair ferns are on a slope on the south side shaded by some evergreens. They were especially beautiful this year.

Ginko Trees

There are two in the back yard here. They are not spectacular, but are interesting. Their leaves are fan shaped and green. In fall they turn yellow and are very pretty. At the first cold days, they drop their leaves. Sometimes in a matter of a few minutes the whole tree will shed them. I always watch for that. Sometimes they will lose them overnight.....not one leaf left. Ginkos are a link to our prehistoric past. In existance for 200 million years! I just looked this up on Wikipedia. They survived the Hiroshima bomb, having been found at the epicenter of the blast, they lived without malformations. One of ours produces fruit, although not anything you would eat. The seed is enjoyed by our squirrels. Apparently, there are male and female trees so I guess we have one of each. Their leaf design has been used in a lot of fabrics.

Squirrels

One year there were no acorns. In the early summer, the oaks had dropped the tiny undeveloped acorns. Also, the nut trees were barren and pine cones were few. I read that this was "nature's way" of controling the squirrel population. Thinking that did seem cruel on nature's part, I got raw peanuts at the feed store and, along with sunflower seeds, fed our squirrels through the coldest part. Somehow, it has become an obligation on my part and I have continued doing it ever since. I don't think it was the wisest thing to do since they, and the chipmunks and wild birds, now depend on me. We also have increased their numbers. Now, we have six to eight every day looking for their hand-outevery day. Actually, after a snow storm a couple of years ago there were thirty plus!
Every year I think I will stop in late spring and just not put anything out, but they still come. They are fun to watch.

Sassafras

I love the shape of these leaves and the way they turn bronze in the fall. There are several sassafras trees in the woods where I walk.

QUILTS

My sister is an "old school" quilter. She will machine piece the blocks,
but always hand quilt to finish. No machine quilting for her! I cannot imagine how many quilts she has made over the years. Actually, quilting is a family tradition from back when quilts were utilitarian and never did they buy fabric for them, using what was available in the home. Our Aunt Lily worked for a time in a corset factory and brought home scraps of fabric to use for quilts. Real blankets were rare. We just layered on more quilts as the winter got colder. No central heating back then.

Photo one is my sister in her easy chair That's our dog "Rosie" at her feet. She used to make a "Reunion Quilt" to be given to one lucky family at the annual family get-together, which was held in either Vermont or Connecticut . The value of such a quilt would be in the hundreds of dollars. I doubt if the winners knew that it took the better part of a year to plan and complete one of these. The second photo is a flower one won by Cousin Harriet. One year there were only kids quilts. Three, I think, divided into age groups. Those children who did not win got a pillow with a quilted top. The second picture is one of those quilts with Cousin Tiny and her husband, David holding it up.

The third picture is not a reunion one, but a gift made for our cousin, Ann. It is called "Who Let The Cows Out". Ann is a dairy farmer so it seemed appropriate for her. The fourth quilt is "Family Ties". Every one was asked to donate a tie to be used in the Reunion Quilt. This was a beautiful one and went to Texas when it was won by our cousin Charlie's daughter. One year, all families were asked to design a block representing their family. Some did interesting ones and others sent photos for us to design for them. We did the best we could, using a farm theme for Cousin Ann and a Vermont one for Cousin Harriet, etc.. This one went to our cousin Harold's son here in Connecticut. He designed the flag block. There were a lot of photos in this one. We had learned how to print on specially prepared cloth . These quilts were meant as keepsakes to be handed down to the next generations. Hopefully, some will be used that way.

More often than not, the reunions were held in Vermont. A couple of times, they were held in the Senior Center which used to be a one room school house. We always enjoyed the chance to go up to Vermont to visit with our cousins.

Mallows

These pink Mallows grew by the water on Jordan Cove. I looked for them every spring. There were white ones on the other side of the cove. I entered this photo in the photography contest at work.If you look closely, you can see dew on the petals. I must have shot this in the early morning.

On My Walk

In summer you would walk right by this sapling and not notice it, but, in autumn it is absolutely beautiful. A better photographer could have taken a better shot.

Journey's End

This old car is abandoned in the woods where I walk. I like to think of its' history. How many errands it went on or taking kids to school. Did it take a family on vacation or to a funeral? How did it end up here? There's a saying that it's not the destination but the journey. Or is it the other way around? I seem to have reached my destination and wouldn't give up the journey ever.

Autumn Walk

This path is part of my walk through the woods in back of our house. It is now called "Barlow Park, named for the man who donated this property to the local land trust. He wanted to develop it for what he called a "complex" (what the heck is that?), but needed a right of way to it , but no one bordering it would sell him. He eventually gave up and donated most of this section to the trust. I call this path "Tobacco Road" because some of this used to be open fields used to grow tobacco and this was a road to the street. I have named other parts of my walk. There are "Fern Gully", (which of course is a low area with ferns, where deer often are) and "Skunk Alley East" and "Skunk Alley West" where you could see skunks in the early morning heading back to their dens at the edge of the field.
I think Barlow has retained part of his property with the idea of development. A good selling point, I suppose, is the so-called park. Anyway, when I see this photo, I can hear rustling leaves under my feet.

Jordan Cove

I lived here for years in a small cape house at the end of a lane. It was owned by my employer. It is my most favorite place in the world (although I haven't seen much of the world). The large rock to the right I called "Bird
Rock" because of the cormorants that perched there. In the winter, it froze over and kids from across the cove would play hockey. When the tide came in under the ice, you could hear the ice cracking all down the cove. We had ospreys, hawks, egrets, many kinds of ducks and nesting swans. The game warden would addle the swan eggs to prevent more cygnets hatching. Actually, they weren't very friendly and would attack boaters to protect their young.
I entered this autumn panorama in a photography contest at work and got the Best-in-Show ribbon!

Hunger

Some art from the cape. Couldn't pass this up. I hope this ended in some one's collection. Love it!

Invitation

I like "Eat" signs for some reason. Don't see many any more. This is one from Cape Cod.
Don't know if we ate there or not.

This Hat............

We went to Key West, more than 20 years ago. It was an extremely cold day in Ct..
I had an eye injury and was supposed to stay out of bright light. We arrived in Florida to warmth and sunshine, although the Key Westers apologized for the cool weather.
I bought this hat there to keep sun out of my eyes and off my brain. I still have it.
Not sure it was very flattering to me!

The Red Shed

One of the first shots I took with a digital camera (Kodak Easy Share). After an overnight snowfall. Only a couple of inches on the ground, but it looked like more.
The red shed is no longer there, replaced by a vinal covered one. It was once a kennel when I fancied myself becoming a dog breeder. I did get involved in the "dog world", but not as a breeder. This shot was taken from the bathroom window. Later, I got the snow blower out and cleared the driveway and made paths for our dog, Rosie.

Spring-Early Morning

The tobacco shed on one of my early morning walks. I used Photoshop to convert from color. It is one of my favorite shed photos.

Snow Fence

This is an old photo taken with my old 35. I'm not sure what rule of composition it follows, maybe none. I just liked the converging lines. It would probably not win a composition, but I keep coming back to it and find it an interesting shot. Taken at Waterford Town Beach.

Petey

Petey was a good cat, easy to live with and lived to a ripe old age. She was a teen-ager when she died. I was living alone and putting in long hours at work, so the animals did not get an excessive amount of attention. She became sick and I got her to a vet, it was a new place. Petey became extremely ill in a very short time. It was very close to Christmas. The vet took blood and said she would send it off to the lab. The bill was very high, I remember. A couple of days later, I got home from work to find Petey had collapsed in the cat pan. I called the vet, who waited for me and she administered euthanasia solution. She said she had not sent the blood off yet (!!!) so there would be no charge! I think it was around two hundred dollars for the tests.
I'd prefer not to dwell on the end of Petey's life, because she was a dear little cat and was a wonderful personality. She might be waiting by the Rainbow Bridge for me....I hope so!

Tobacco Shed

This is an old tobacco shed. When I take my walks I go through a small patch of woods to an open field, now used to grow hay, but at one time was used to grow tobacco. The shed is there at one end. It was repaired with new side boards. The old ones had rotted away or, I'm told, were ripped off when old barn boards began to be used for what I can only imagine. The new boards weathered and the new metal roof looks o.k. in photos if you have the right light. I chose the shed for a subject to see how many different pictures I could take. I now have dozens. This one of the first. I like it, even though the subject is centered, which is not exactly going along with the "rule of thirds". But they say rules are made to be broken. A little sunlight would improve this shot. I don't do much post processing so this is pretty much as it was.

The walk I take is 25 to 40 minutes, depending on whether I walk the perimeter of the field. There's a pond over there in another small patch of woods, where you could see wild turkeys. In the morning, in spring, at first light, you could hear the tom turkey "gobbleing". I imagined him trying to get his flock up and out of the trees to get his day started. Sorry to say, the small area is being developed. Trees cut down and a road put through so the turkeys have moved away. There are still some, but it is rare to see them. You could see deer quite often, but not so much any more. Folks love to see wild life and are sold on the idea of living in such an area, but, their very presence destroys that selling point. We had a fishercat for a while, but haven't seen it for a long while. I'm glad for that since they do clean out the area of small prey. Other than that we have the usual skunks, racoons, possums and woodchucks. Rabbits have disappeared. Saw only one young one a couple of years ago. No bunny prints in the snow! There are hawks, too. They sit in the tops of the tall trees at the edge of the field. I try to identify what sort of hawk, but so far, am not certain. Love to hear them as they soar overhead. We did have three fawns on the front lawn. They were just losing their spots and were very confused. I was afraid they would run into the road. Cars here go very fast and seem to have little regard for safety. Thankfully, they headed back toward the woods. Have not seen them since.

Yellow Bicycle

I like this shot a lot. It tells a story and the composition (IMHO) is O.K.. It is from a couple of years ago.
Taken at Harkness State Park in Waterford, CT, a nice place to unwind. There's a beach, but no swimming allowed. In the background here, you can see the nesting area for terns. It is roped off in spring so as not to disturb the birds. There's a nature walk, too, although a short one. It's a good place for bird watching. There are Ospreys nesting in spring that you can watch if you have binoculars. Off season, you can enjoy quiet walks. Fishermen (and women) are usually there fishing off the rocks. I have fished there quite often a few years ago.We caught mostly Blackfish which were good eating. Once got an eel which I'm sorry to say, I killed. There are deer here, too, and, of course deer ticks.
This park was the summer home of the Harkness family. The huge stone mansion is open (on week-ends?) for touring. The gardens were in disarray, but have been restored by the state and are quite lovely. The state also did a lot of restoration on the house. It's available for weddings and receptions. There is an outdoor "chapel"area for weddings,too. Other buildings include a so-called garage which stored lots of vehicles.
Mrs. Harkness left her estate to the state with the provision that a section would be used exclusively by the disabled. In the summer, it is opened up as a camp with sleeping quarters. Weekends it is crowded with campers and families enjoying the sun and a roped-off section of the beach for wading and swimming.
I came here every chance I could. Brought the dog (or dogs) when I had one. Came in winter and summer.
It became a tradition for us to walk here on New Years Day. I miss it.

This picture was taken in the 80s of a pine tree in the dunes in the National Seashore.
I think it was buried under the shifting sands. I looked for it last time I was therebut it had disappeared.
I had chosen it as the place I wanted my ashes to be put, but had to choose another spot.

My Grandmother

My grandmother,
taken in the 40s. She dressed in black and that shawl is a family heirloom now given to a cousin.
You can see a hint of her Indian blood, I think, although she never mentioned it. She grew up in upstate New York and we think she was part Seneca. An unsuccessful crop left me peeking into the camera. Picture taken by my mother.