Late Fall on the Bluff, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It was so clear looking out to sea today, if the world wasn't curved, I think I could have seen all the way to Europe. What a spectacular New England fall day!

Ithaca Falls, Ithaca, New York, USA

What does this moose have to do with Ithaca Falls? Well, we were downtown looking at houses for sale and decided to have lunch before going to visit the falls. An icon from my youth, the Moosewood Cafe in Ithaca has been in business here since 1973. Their "Moosewood Cookbook," by Mollie Katzen, was the defining cookbook of the natural foods/vegetarian counter-culture hippie era. The bobbing fella pictured above was sitting on the mantle in the restaurant. As expected, both the food and ambiance was outstanding with many vegan offerings and specials on the menu. I'll be back.



And just a short walk from downtown is Ithaca Falls.



The sight and sound of a cascade of water adds a design element unlike any other.......



.....just to stand and behold.

Six Mile Creek, Ithaca, New York, USA

There is a wealth of natural areas, parks, preserves, waterways, and waterfalls in and around Ithaca. Six Mile Creek streams out of the Ithaca Reservoir southeast of town and meanders northward to eventually join Cayuga Lake.



This time of year, even midday brings long shadows along the walking trail.



And there is only a little bit of color remaining in the trees.......



.......but still some in the sky at sunset.

Cascadilla Falls, Ithaca, New York, USA

The town of Ithaca in the Finger Lakes Region of New York state boasts more than 100 waterfalls within ten miles of the town. I believe it.



This series of cascades is at Cascadilla Falls, barely a stone's thrown from downtown and it connects the Cornell University campus to the city.



There is always something pretty to photograph....

...especially after a good rainfall.

Wind, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

You can imagine the strength of the wind to stir up whitecaps like these at White Horse Beach. Note the two lone walkers left of center braving the gusts. (Click on an image for a higher resolution version if your device supports that action).

It's always a pretty spot - regardless the weather.

Dusk, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Across the street from the Public Garden and Boston Common stands this sculpture of Edgar Allen Poe, born in Boston in 1809.



This four acre lagoon in the Boston Public Garden is popular in warmer weather for tourists to ride around in the famous Swan Boats.



This pedestrian bridge across the lagoon opened in 1869.



Not much foot traffic this early evening - it's cold, dark, and windy - a practice session for the winter ahead.

The Year in Review - 2016 - Priscilla Beach Theatre, Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The 2016 performance season at Priscilla Beach Theatre's (PBT) Barn Stage was the second season of outstanding productions since Bob and Sandy Malone, owners and guardians of PBT, purchased this venerable campus, restored its physical properties, and infused a new spirit of excitement for the performing arts in our neighborhood.  The Barn Stage, a 240-seat venue, is cited as the oldest summer stock barn theatre still operating in America. The original barn was built in 1875 and much of that structure remains in place today.

Occasionally, I will re-live a blog post about a past performance but, scrolling back through months of posts to find it can be tedious so I put them all together in one place.  Then I realized that other PBT lovers may also find that useful so - this post contains all of the 2016 major productions in one convenient location.

For a trip down memory lane over the long winter, or just to reminisce with your favorite performers,  the following links are to my blog posts of the principal shows over the 2016 performance season - I hope you enjoy them - I sure do! Also, here's a link to the renovation process of the Barn Theatre the Malones implemented in 2014 and 2015 to bring the facility up to modern standards and expectations. Additionally, here are links to the Year in Review for both 2017 and 2015.

(As always, click on an image to view a higher resolution version if your device supports that action). By the way, the URL links below are assigned by the blogging platform when I create a post. I left them undisguised so you can see they go to legitimate links and not some hacking or phishing sites.  (The Google conglomerate owns the Blogger platform having acquired it in 2003).

"Breaking Up is Hard To Do" in May, 

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-priscilla.html


"Noises Off" in June,

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/noises-off-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/noises-off-priscilla-beach-theatre_29.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/noises-off-priscilla-beach-theatre.html


"A Chorus Line" in July, 

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-chorus-line-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/06/a-chorus-line-priscilla-beach-theatre_24.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-chorus-line-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-chorus-line-priscilla-beach-theatre_20.html



"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" in August,

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-funny-thing-happened-on-way-to-forum.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-funny-thing-happened-on-way-to-forum_29.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-funny-thing-happened-on-way-to-forum.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-funny-thing-happened-on-way-to-forum_10.html


"Arsenic and Old Lace" in September, and 

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/arsenic-and-old-lace-priscilla-beach.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/arsenic-and-old-lace-dress-rehearsal.html


"First Date" in October.

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/first-date-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/first-date-final-dress-rehearsal.html





PBT at dusk.

46th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, Wrap-up, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Recently I published a series of posts about the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (at this link). The final summary numbers and facts from the event are now in and included below. I have also re-published some of my favorite images from the event. Enjoy! (Click on an image to view a higher resolution version if your device supports that action).



Event Theme: Inflate your Imagination



Final Numbers: Following are the official numbers for the 46th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta held October 7-15, 2017.

Total number of registered regular shape balloons: 571

Total number of registered special shape balloons: 93

Total number of registered gas balloons: 8

Total number of registered primary pilots: 557

Total number of estimated spectator visits: 887,970*

Total number of media organizations: 216

Total number of registered media representatives: 978



Total numbers of countries represented (21): Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States.



Event Sessions: Weather was mostly agreeable, with 12 of the 14 ballooning events taking place. Due to poor weather conditions, the evening session on Oct. 14 was cancelled, as was the Farewell Mass Ascension on the morning of Oct. 15.



Balloon Competition Winners: The first prize in the hot air overall competition was awarded to Maurice Petrehn, of Kansas. Second overall highest ranking score went to Nick Donner of Kentucky and third to Rhett Heartsill of Texas.



Switzerland’s Nicolas Tièche and Laurent Sciboz won the 22nd America’s Challenge, establishing a new distance record for the gas balloon race.



























Additional information about the 2017 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta can be found at www.balloonfiesta.com.

The 2018 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta will be held October 6 -14. Mark your calendar now and plan to attend this fantastic event!

Brookwood Farm, Blue Hill Reservation, Milton, Canton, Massachusetts, USA

Not much fall color left by the time I made it to Brookwood Farm this year.



In fact, Maple Lane is almost devoid of leaves.,,,,,,,

Only one tree still showing a golden blaze of nature's glory.

Fall, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It is getting close to the end of blog posts about fall colors for this year......



One spot of red.



A typical unpaved lane in Manomet.



A sunroom suspended in mid-air.

To me, pine needles on the ground count as fall color. Soon - snow.

The Year in Review - 2015 - Priscilla Beach Theatre, Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The 2015 performance season at Priscilla Beach Theatre's (PBT) Barn Stage was the first season of outstanding productions since Bob and Sandy Malone, owners and guardians of PBT, purchased this venerable campus, restored its physical properties, and infused a new spirit of excitement for the performing arts in our neighborhood. The Barn Stage, a 240-seat venue is cited as the oldest summer stock barn theatre still operating in America. The original barn was built in 1875 and much of that structure remains in place today. In the above image, The Malone Family officially opens the "new" theatre on July 10, 2015!

Occasionally, I will re-live a blog post about a PBT performance but, scrolling back through months of posts to find it can be tedious so I put them all together in one place. Then I realized that other PBT lovers may also find that useful so - this post contains all of them from 2015 in one convenient location.

The following links are to my blog posts of the principal shows over the 2015 performance season - I hope you enjoy reliving them! The 2017 season is at this link.  The 2016 season is at this link.

(As always, click on an image to view a higher resolution version if your device supports that action). By the way, the URL links below are assigned by the blogging platform when I create a post. I left them undisguised so you can see they go to legitimate links and not some hacking or phishing sites. (The Google conglomerate owns the Blogger platform having acquired it in 2003).

"Fiddler on the Roof" in July, 

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/fiddler-on-roof-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/fiddler-on-roof-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

"Chicago" in August,

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/chicago-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/chicago-priscilla-beach-theatre_30.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/chicago-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/chicago-priscilla-beach-theatre_11.html

"The Odd Couple" in September, and 

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/odd-couple-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/odd-couple-priscilla-beach-theatre.html

"Breaking Up is Hard To Do" in October.

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-priscilla.html

http://joesretirementblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-priscilla_12.html





May 2014 - the beginning of the year-long renovation/construction. Here's a link to the renovation process of the Barn Theatre the Malones implemented in 2014 and 2015 to bring the facility up to modern standards and expectations.



July 2015 - the finished project!!

White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The beach is mostly quiet these days - the temps are dropping, the wind is increasing, fall is deepening, and winter is barely a month away. (Click on an image to view a higher resolution version if your device supports that action).

I love this panoramic view - It is a beautiful spot on the planet whether on a beautiful, blue sky day, or..........



.....when the clouds and wind and whitecaps create a completely different mood - right out of a 19th century romance novel with a long-haired woman running along the beach in a flowing diaphanous gown - either that or, a parka and a ski cap.