Finishing the Basement - Neighborhood Home Renovation Project, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The mighty claw operator has just about finished back-filling the dirt around the foundation of the neighborhood renovation project.



The mighty claw. A lot more efficient than men with shovels.



Preparing the basement floor.



Leveling and tamping down the dirt.



Bolts embedded in the concrete will attach the wood sill and first floor to the foundation.



Elsewhere, moss enhances the sandy grout on this walkway.



Tree shadows at midday. I don't like the short daylight hours this time of year but, I do like the long shadows that result in more dramatic images.

Red-tailed Hawk, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

So, I looked out the window during an all day rain event and there he was, sitting right there just for me - a first year juvenile red-tailed hawk. I grabbed my trusty old point and shoot, aimed it out the window through rain-spattered, double-paned glass and these three images are the result.



He's staring intently at the ground hoping for lunch or dinner to run by so he can swoop down. The rain is dripping off his beak tip.



It didn't take him long to realize I was at the window watching - he flew away a split-second after I took this picture. He is another on the list of dramatic wild creatures in Manomet - hawks, coyotes, foxes, deer, turkeys, and humans. I enjoy the occasional illusion of wilderness - considering that Boston, a world-class big city is only 50 miles away and, that Massachusetts is the third most densely populated state in the United States (behind New Jersey and Rhode Island).

Making a Movie, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I have occasionally thought that this beach would make a good movie location except for the accessibility problem. Looks like I'm not the only one.......

I met this group of young people who are college film students working on their senior project over the semester break. It is a full-length film that must be completed by the spring.



It was quite a treat to watch them for a few moments, to see a group of creative young people pursuing their art. One never knows where the next Spielberg or Lucas will be found. They told me that the movie will be released on Vimeo after completion in spring. The working title now is "Till Death." I'll look for it then.

Bucket List - Polar Bear Plunge, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

If you are going to go swimming in the winter in New England, this was as good a day as you are likely to get.  The water and air temperature were about the same at 49 degrees F, the sun was shining, and the wind was light.

This group of folks spanning three generations of family members was preparing to take the polar bear plunge.



No dilly-dallying. Led by the youngest of the bunch, they charged into the cold surf.



Yes, it's cold. There seems to me a characteristic manner by which humans hold their arms when in cold water. It's sort of a wince -  as if the body is saying, don't do this, please.



First in , first out.



As you would imagine, none of them lingered in the water.



One of the folks mentioned that it has taken fifty years to cross this item off the bucket list. Congratulations to them one and all. I bet the youngest will remember this day all his life.  And someday, perhaps as the family patriarch, he'll lead the next generations on the same activity.

Now, I'm going home and warm up. I got cold just watching.

More on the Neighborhood Home Renovation Project, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The foundation has been waterproofed and after inspection, the dirt backfill will be shoveled into the trench.

A solid, dry basement will be the result.

Here, the old rock foundation is joined tightly to the new concrete.



And speaking of rocks...... someone at the beach made this sculpture which I assume is titled "rocks in the head."



And another unseasonably warm day ends with a pastel sunset along the bluff. Life is good in Manomet.

Neighborhood Home Renovation Project, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The neighborhood project along my frequent walking route continues making quick progress. I always enjoy watching these activities unfold.



With the main walls poured and cured, the last section of new foundation that will connect to the old is being readied to receive concrete.



Connecting the new concrete to the 120-year old stone foundation.



The unusually mild December weather has helped the construction to proceed quickly.

The concrete pouring now completed, the operator washes down the delivery chute before heading off to another jobsite.

Sunrise, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

These images aren't from this morning but, they feel appropriate to mark the most significant day in the Christian religion celebrated by more than two billion people around the world. A spectacular sunrise is a reminder of the glory of life whether connected to a God or evolution or whatever else one might believe.  A sunrise like this fills the spirit with hope and the promise of a new and better day ahead.



The bluff in Manomet faces due east and this time of the year there have been some spectacular sunrises. Not knowing in advance which morning will be breathtakingly beautiful and which won't, I asked others who were able to capture a couple of the recent wonders and let me publish them. (First photo above courtesy of Ida Parker). (Second photo above courtesy of Mary Ellen Parker).



It is within the power of humanity to create peace in the world.  We just have to stop killing each other in the name of God - any God.  Many will say: it's not that simple.  But I say, yes, it is that simple.  Stop killing in the name of God. Peace to all on this day of hope for a better world.

A Walkin' Man Walks, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A perfect day for a midday walk at low tide on White Horse Beach (WHB).  The wind was light and the air was unseasonably comfortable.



It seemed like I was the only one there. (View south towards Manomet Point, Flag rock at far left).



Just me, my gull-friend, and the White Horse Rocks.



But turning back north, I encountered some others out enjoying the day. It was so clear, it seemed I could reach out and touch distant Gurnet Point.

These two sisters have been coming to WHB all their lives and were out for a low tide walk, too. 

White Horse Beach at low tide is a beautiful place on the planet - even in the winter.

Sights and Sounds Out and About, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It never occurred to me that chickens would eat a pumpkin.....



....... but here they are, pecking away at their seasonal treat.



I think this is a rooster watching the hens carve the pumpkin.



Elsewhere, reflections and translucence of this door glass and screen makes a fun image. At left, it looks like a woman in a wide dress is climbing the stairs but it's just an illusion - look closely. And at right, the animal head in sunglasses is also an illusion.



The Halloween witch is still trying to climb the electrical pole.



The fish is still out and about looking for her bicycle.



And over at the nearby home renovation project, the poured concrete footings are cured......



...........the concrete foundation walls were poured, cured, and the forms removed. The new poured foundation and addition will tie into the original 120-year-old stone foundation and house.



A carpet of Japanese Maple leaves.



Sunset - just a few minutes after 4pm in the afternoon.  As of today, summer is officially on the way with the days beginning to get incrementally longer.

On the Bluff, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Late afternoon from atop the bluff, view northward. (Panorama - click to view full width).



View southward. (Panorama - click to view full width).



Golden afternoon light on Stage Point.



The boat may be out of the water for the winter but, a boat captain's work is never done.



And wherever goes the captain, his trusty first mate is never far behind keeping watch.