Musings

We stopped at a rest area with well-tended flower beds, and I took over a dozen shots. Looking through them, I realized all were of yellow or yellow-orange specimens, except for two rather desiccated white daisies. Am I part bee?

When we crossed the bridge, ever a hugely important landmark when connecting two immense peninsulas, the sky looked strange. I figured there were smoke particles in the mix with humid air, but never smelled it…which I’m happy about.

I took a lake-bath about 8pm, to sluice off the sweat and bring my temperature down after doing assorted cottage-opening chores in the heat and humidity. Now the temp’s dropped to 72° and it feels heavenly. The humidity is down to 82, but it’ll be picking up through the night, to decrease again when the sun arrives. After tomorrow’s heat (outrageous high of 90°F predicted), the highs are supposed to moderate. I sure hope so.

Posted at 10:03 PM | No Comments »

Architecture is angles.

Well, not only angles, but it seems like it is in this view.

And that’s a broken window…perhaps a spontaneous failure from comments I overheard between a pair of engineering types, standing beneath it.

Posted at 8:50 PM | No Comments »

Flipping through streams, I saw an offering: “Murder in…(English Subtitles).” Seemed darned funny to me.

BTW, picture is from March…lotsa woodgrain, like a relatively soft wood…I’m guessing fast-growing pine, perhaps Southern pine.

Posted at 10:05 PM | No Comments »

We found the darkest purple lilacs I remember ever seeing, which we found on the Seul Choix lighthouse grounds.

There’s the light, with the keeper’s home to the left. [Apologies for the exaggerated keystoning.]

It’s on a point that projects out in the M of HOMES.

Contrast that with “our” lake. That’s a round rock (perhaps/probably rounded by humans, and thus an artifact) atop a binnacle. Because of this weighty binnacle that was on/near our beach, that word was part of the vocabulary of the kids who grew up in my generation on this property, and probably would not otherwise have been familiar with the term. Now, why there was a binnacle of this scale here, I do not know, because it’s way too large for a ship/boat on this lake, but not for one a HOMES lake.

Posted at 9:27 PM | Comments Off on Only choice, plus binnacle

Proof of bridge crossing. Also proof that traffic flowed at 45 mph in two lanes each way, as normal. [Ignore bug smears on windshield and assistant photographer’s quirky focus.]

Ah, we’ve returned to the land of rhubarb. I was taught to pull the stem gently yet forcefully (no tugging) away from the crown (the direction varies from “up”), and I didn’t intend to select a leaf that was nurturing a wee leafette—oops. BTW, the sauce was the strongest pink of the year, almost luminous.

Proof that the lupin remain gorgeous, although somewhat disguised since the grass has shot up to full height, sometimes higher than the lupin.

Posted at 9:35 PM | Comments Off on Arrival

We went to an art show opening on the main floor of this building, a former overall factory. This is upstairs where the studios, teaching spaces, etc. are. This is one of the latter. The floors are all wood, and creak with such vigor they seem to be expressing something.

Posted at 8:47 PM | Comments Off on New England through windows

How do you make your state capitol building, here a state house, look more impressive when it has only two stories: put it part way up a hill with a cascade of steps below the main entrance.

Complex tiling patterns in the entry of the public library, Randolph.

Dam and falls in Bethel; mill buildings are to the right.

Exposed interior structure, Howe Covered Bridge.

Orange County Court House, Chelsea.

Oddly, Chelsea has two commons separated by a rushing creek. I spotted this chicken on the bridge connecting the two commons, which of course provoked the question: why did the chicken cross the road? Data based on this chicken is null as it did not cross while I was watching.

We visited several covered bridges along this section of the White River, and this one, Moxley, had an actively used ford just below the bridge, while none of the others did. I figure it’s used by farmers and so on with large equipment.

Cilley Covered Bridge: although the bridge dates to 1883, these boards are from perhaps the last few months.

I’ll spare you any more covered bridge photos; how ’bout some ornamental, um, apples? Guessing…that’s way too dense a flowering pattern not to be an ornamental variety, and I think it’s apple, but I’m no botanist.

Posted at 10:05 PM | Comments Off on VT architecture miscellany and other miscellany

Flowering plum (?) on dunes.

1917 approach, Provincetown memorial.

New plaque, installed around 2010.

The historic main street in Provincetown, dating back to such olden times, is narrow, and now one-way. This section is residential, but most is partly commercial, and no doubt a horror for deliveries.

Tidal flats, very overcast and tide neither in nor out. Saw small crab remains, about 3cm in diameter.

Also, we’ve seen turkeys, one per day the last three days.

Apologies for the late post. I picked the photos, then fell asleep early, trying to fight off the cold (sniff, blow) that came over me Sunday night.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on On Cape Cod

We went through the core business district of Newport, saw looming masts, shops of various sorts, and many tourists. Then, we looped around among the fancy houses, and I mean fancy. However, this is the only photo I took during that entire circuit, and I don’t know who it is…just driving by, ya’know.

I read up a bit on Rhode Island as we drove along, and wondered where that island was, as the state is mostly not-island. Turns out this island, now more commonly called Aquidneck Island, is historically tagged as the island called Rhode, Ile of Rods, or Rhod-Island. BTW, if you can see dots out in the surf, they’re surfers. They only get short rides, but then they don’t have to paddle much to set up again.

Today’s drink I’m sure I never had: a coffee Fribble at Friendly’s (one of the dwindling few still in business). Egads, it was sweet. And huge.

I enjoyed this large knotical display 🤣 🤣 🤣 but you only get to see a few examples.

Technically, the border is more complicated, but this canal is commonly considered to separate Cape Cod from the mainland, which is where I’m standing and the cormorant is posing.

Our late-day adventure was a visit to Nauset Lighthouse, at the beach where The Guru and his fam used to hang. It was relocated in 1996 because coast erosion threatened to topple it. This lighthouse originally stood in a different town from 1877–1923, when it was moved to this area. So this is the third spot for it (I hope I’m making sense 😄; g’night).

Posted at 9:01 PM | Comments Off on Nautical-ish

Obv, our travel today was on land, yet water was a near-constant companion. We began by heading north on the Jersey side of the Hudson River. Here’s a view south back toward NYC. I think the haze is humidity (ish).

Then we turned east(ish) for the rest of the day. Here’s a swing bridge that crosses the Mill River in New Haven.

We got a fancy lunch, stuffed lobster tail for me and Eggs Benny for the Guru. The Benny was exceptional, and included avocado. My pickled beets side was prepared in a way I’ve never had before, with mustard seeds, then with fresh onions and bay leaf added before serving, and was not very sour/vinegary. The other side is a Cole slaw that may have had a salt treatment to soften the cabbage before dressing.

We also split an egg cream, like we were teenagers on a date. I think I had it once before and thought the same now as then: it tastes like watered-down chocolate milk.

We took a sunset tour of the west side of the mouth of the Connecticut River, not far from our hotel.

We found a pair of swans, keeping their distance, so I have only shots of one at a time. That’s the railroad bridge over the lower Connecticut in the background.

Here’s today’s version of Fort Saybrook; construction began in 1636, directed by Lion Gardiner (1599–1663). Gardiner’s wife Mary Willemsen Deurcant (c. 1601–1665) accompanied him, and their first two (of three) children were born at the fort before his contract ended in 1639. They then moved to what is now called Gardiners Island off the east end of Long Island. The Montaukett sachem/chief Wyandanch (c. 1571–1659) deeded it to him in 1639 independent of the colonies extant at that time. The 6×3 mile island remains in the Gardiner family, whose many descendants include Alexander Graham Bell’s wife, Mabel Gardiner Hubbard.

Next to the fort remains are railroad remains, including this roundhouse. The railroad opened in 1871.

At another stop, we watched the ebbing tide, the clouds, and a few airborne water birds.

Posted at 9:17 PM | Comments Off on Watery places, lunch