Minuteman Bikeway, Boston Suburbs, Massachusetts, USA

Built by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on a former railroad right of way, the Minuteman Bikeway is used extensively by local residents and visitors.

 

The bikeway is collectively managed and maintained by the four communities through which it passes: Bedford, Lexington, Arlington, and Cambridge.  The ten mile route begins in Bedford and ends at the mass transit Alewife "T" station in Cambridge.

 

The trail is not just for bicycles - walkers, joggers, roller-bladers, and in the winter, cross-country skiers enjoy use of the trail.

In Arlington, Spy Pond Park is immediately adjacent to the bikeway.



11th Annual Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Thousands of music lovers crowded a few Boston city blocks to enjoy jazz, Latin, blues, and more at the 11th annual Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival. 

The event organizer,  Berklee College of Music, was founded by Lawrence Berk, an engineer trained at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and veteran arranger with the CBS and NBC radio orchestras, who wanted to teach contemporary music and provide practical career preparation for the working musician. His idea caught fire, and the small teaching studio grew into a sizable school, then college, in just over two decades.  Berklee College of Music was founded on the revolutionary principle that the best way to prepare students for careers in music is through the study and practice of contemporary music. For more than half a century, the college has evolved to reflect the state of the art of music and the music business.

Part of the Pablo Ablanedo Octet. (An audio snippet is at the end of this post).

Rajdulari and most of her band. (Audio snippets are at the end of this post).

 

The audience gathered on Columbus Avenue which was closed to traffic for the event.

It was a diverse audience including this large man with green external testicles.

And this potential candidate for the Village People.

There was even an all-silver dude.

This guy wins my coolest shirt award.

And of course other species were in attendance to rock out - or at least pee on the curbs.

Although this group, the Chief Joseph Chatoyer Garifuna Folkloric Ballet of New York, performed for only a few minutes, their exuberance and joy really connected with the crowd. Accompanied only by a driving drum beat, their swirling and energetic movement was mesmerizing.....

Following are brief samples of music.....

There were nearly  twenty acts on the three stages over the course of this event.  I barely scratched the surface in telling the full story - but hopefully you get the idea.

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

More random sights in or near downtown Boston........

As summer draws to a close, a woman enjoys a brown bag lunch on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.  Before the Big Dig project was completed (which moved the highway underground), traffic on Interstate Route 93 thundered through this area day and night. 

Getting around downtown via bicycle is a breeze now.  New Balance Hubway is a new Boston bike sharing system. It has 61 stations and 600 bicycles and might expand into Boston neighborhoods and surrounding communities if all goes well.

This is sort of alfresco dining at this North End restaurant but without blocking the sidewalk or actually being outside.

Either this businessman is waiting for a water-taxi to pick him up or, he is a very small well-dressed performer balancing on the railing and gazing out to sea - or, come to think of it, he looks like he might be doing something not generally acceptable in public.

The Old State House, reputed to be the oldest surviving public building in Boston, was built in 1713 for the government offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Today, it is dwarfed by more modern structures.

Official proclamations were read from the balcony pictured above. In front of the balcony was the site of the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, when British soldiers fired into a crowd, killing five.

On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was first read in Boston from this balcony. Now, each July 4th you can gather to hear a reenactment reading. The original golden lion and unicorns, symbols of royal authority, were taken down from the roof and burned in a great bonfire that day.

This larger than life size bronze sculpture is of  former Mayor Kevin White near Quincy Market.  The hand gets a lot of action from passersby.

The iconic Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, named for a Boston civil rights activist, carries I-93 traffic into and out of downtown Boston to/from the North. 

The North End, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The North End neighborhood in Boston has very strong Italian roots.   

Italian restaurants abound on Hanover Street, the main thoroughfare.

One street over, the North Street square features more Italian restaurants and Paul Revere's house (not shown here - but you can Google it if you want to see it).

And speaking of Paul Revere, above is the Old North Church, from which the lantern was hung on April 18, 1775 to alert him to make his ride to warn the colonists the British troops were on the move.

An Italian restaurant.

A resident just hangin' out.

Another Italian restaurant.

And after all that great Italian food, here's the cigar parlour in the foreground and next door - dessert - Mike's Pastry, a North End fixture known far and wide for authentic cannolis and other sweet  treats.

A new shipment of Mike's Pastry boxes ready for customer's orders.

Pizza and wine - what's not to like?

A Day in the Life, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

7am

9am

3pm

7pm

Scusset Beach State Park Jetty, Sandwich, Massachusetts, USA

Jogging on the jetty.  Scusset Beach jetty begins at the Cape Cod Bay side of the canal and extends about 1500 feet into the bay.  The state park is popular for camping and beach activities and offers the full range of amenities for day use also.  Coastal bluffs of Sagamore/Cedarville are visible in the distance.



Cape Cod Canal, Massachusetts, USA

The Sagamore Bridge is one of two bridges constructed in the 1930's by the Army Corps of Engineers to connect Cape Cod to the continental land mass of Massachusetts.  It's companion, the Bourne Bridge, won an award of merit as the "most beautiful  steel bridge" in 1934.  Who would have guessed?  These total eight lanes of traffic are the only way on and off the Cape (except for the secret tunnel). 

 

In addition to reducing a ship's journey by about 160 miles and avoiding the treacherous ocean waters east of Cape Cod, the 17 mile long canal offers a paved bike/skate/walking trail for public enjoyment.

White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA



Milo the Cat, Manomet, Massachusetts, USA

Milo sometimes likes to be held and, sometimes, he doesn't like to be held.  What a surprise, right?  How cat-like.  However, sometimes he expresses his pleasure at being held or, his displeasure at not being held by biting his favorite nearby human - ankles, arms, hands, fingers, whatever body part is within immediate reach.  Sometimes he even throws in a razor sharp claw or two to make it more fun for him. It keeps his life interesting I guess.  After today's bite, I had to counsel him sternly for his behavior. 

He was resting peacefully with a high level of cuteness.......

....when I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck........

.... he listened attentively as I berated him for his behavior.......

.....then, after demonstrating the appropriate level of remorse, I forgave him.  I sure showed him who is boss...... bet he won't bite me again for at least an hour or two........