the 53 project : week 8

I ventured "over the bridge" yesterday, off of Cape Cod and into the world of southeastern Massachusetts.  Before we moved to the Cape we lived in this area, and I was a Library Director in the little town of Rochester.  Southeastern Massachusetts is an interesting mix of small towns, old farmland giving way to urban sprawl, old manufacturing cities like New Bedford and Fall River, and a sort of urban/rural decay that exists in stark contract to lovely back roads and coastal beauty.  If you're never read the wonderful book Swimming at Suppertime: Seasons of Delight on the Wrong Side of Buzzards Bay, by Carol Wasserman, you should rush out to your local library or book shop and pick up a copy.  It is a poignant and compelling read.

I drove through the very villages that Wasserman writes about so intimately.  These roads were once the gateway to Cape Cod, where tourists traveled to get to the promised land.  Now they are run down and neglected, but beautiful to my photographer's eye.

The red Xs on the buildings are sad reminders that some of these buildings may soon be torn down.  I have a call in to the local Town Hall to see if I might be able to take some more photos of some of these buildings before they're gone forever.

Happy Valentine's Day, friends and family!  I hope your day was filled with love.

one word project

One of the photos I took this spring was chosen for the Shutter Sister's One Word Project. This month's word was "wish." To see the whole series, click here. Mine, shown here over on the left, is the one for December 29th.

As I wrote when I took this photo: these words were carved in the top of a picnic table in New Salem, Massachusetts, on a hillside overlooking the Quabbin Reservoir. I didn't realize when I took the picture that my name is also carved there, along with the slogan. Hannah pointed it out to me when she saw the photo, and I knew then that this photo was meant to be. So this is my mantra and my daily wish, and I hope it can be for you, too, when you need it. Have courage!

life is interesting -- even at kmart

See other new photos here.

westward ho! the last chapter

OK -- so after reading my last two postings (for you slowpokes, read Part 1 here and Part 2 here) I bet you were wondering where the quirky pictures and signs were, right? I saved the best for last.

If you've never traveled in western Mass, it's an ever changing scene -- you go through lovely picturesque villages, stately college towns, and areas of poverty and decay. Old farm fields now are home to Walmart and Dunkin' Donuts. Beautiful hills surround old car dumps and crumbling factories. Being a history buff, it was all fascinating to me, but depressing in spots, too.

So here's the last leg of the trip. First, a tree, some ferns, and a few flowers.

The hills have eyes, outside the Williams College Museum of Art

Not quite sure why corrosion is a problem in Northampton,
but they need a department to control it

Do not allow your dog to sit here?

OK, so follow along with me here. This is a public water supply with nice clean water.
No swimming, no boating, no wading. No nothing. So then....

...I go to the ladies room in this cool rustic stone building overlooking all that clean water...

... and see beautiful old marble stalls, presumably from a local marble quarry...

... and this was written about 12 times, all over the walls... STJ was one very proud person!...

...and this was the sign over the sink. Curious.

There were a couple of other interesting sinks in other rustic bathrooms along the way.

And then there was this place.
A sign-lover's paradise, not to mention instant nirvana for the junk collector,
art lover, or connoisseur of quirky things.

These guys live on Long Hollow Bison Farm in Hadley, MA.
Across the street is a Walmart plaza and a McDonald's.

Some buildings in New Salem, MA, a tiny little village with a lot of historic charm. Population 929.

Trying to hitch a ride.

Hardwick Knitted Fabrics, Inc.

This little tree was growing right on the ledge under the eaves.

My favorite photo of the whole trip.
This slogan was carved on a picnic table in New Salem,
overlooking the Quabbin as seen in the next photo.
I didn't notice until just now that my name is also carved on the table.
Click on the photo for a closeup view.