Beaver Dam Conservation Area, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The Beaver Dam Conservation Area is an almost 800-acre preserve adjacent to Little Island Pond. Trails crisscross the pine/oak forest. The only drawback is the parking area on the shoulder of Beaver Dam Road can only hold two or three cars.



I like discreet trail markers without ambiguity .......



...........but in this case, Shadowman was clearly confused which arrow to follow.

The Coming Spring, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

In just a couple weeks, daylight saving time begins again.....already the days are noticeably longer......

.....and in less than a month - spring! I will have survived my 22nd winter of living in New England. Who would have guessed? Certainly not me.

Rabbit Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

No ice on Rabbit Pond in the middle of February might be considered unusual.......



....but no ice means great reflections are possible on the water surface. Manomet is almost always a delight!

"The Last Five Years," Priscilla Beach Theatre, Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT) staff is hard at work getting ready for this year's season and especially the opener - "The Last Five Years." The two leads are shown above, Kathryn Kilger and Brendan Duquette. This production will be directed by Christopher Armbrister.

PBT writes that "The Last Five Years is an emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. The show takes you through Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards from their breakup to the beginning of their relationship. Jamie, the man, tells their story from beginning to end. They meet one time; at their wedding in the middle of the show."

Performance Dates:

May 4th - 7:30
May 5th - 7:30
May 6th - 2:00
May 10th - 7:30
May 11th - 7:30
May 12th - 7:30

If you don't have your tickets yet (for this and the other shows this season listed below), you'd better hurry, they are selling fast. Last year almost all performances at this magical and wonderful theatre venue were sold out - don't wait. PBT is a class act every time and Owners/Guardians/Producers Bob and Sandy Malone know how to put on an outstanding show!



Here's the line-up for the upcoming 2018 season:

"The Last Five Years" in May,
"The Drowsy Chaperone" in June,
"Guys and Dolls" in July,
"Bye, Bye, Birdie" in August,
"Damn Yankees" in September,
"Dames at Sea" in October.

You can contact Priscilla Beach Theatre by phone at 508-224-4888 or online for tickets! You'll be glad you did. It is extraordinary that we have such a wonderful and magical venue right here in Manomet - your support and attendance completes the creative synergy that makes live theatre so extraordinary.

PBT also offers a robust season of Children's Workshops that will feature the following:

"Honk Jr" in June

"Kamp Kaos" in July

"Twinderella" in July"

"The Snow White Variety Show" in August

"Annie Jr" in August



Here's a link to my earlier blog post that recaps the entire 2017 performance season (with additional links to the 2016 season, 2015 season, and theatre renovation project). Enjoy the trip down memory lane!

Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

In addition to excellent musical and theatrical performances in the 225-seat converted chapel in downtown Plymouth, the Spire holds open mic nights and jazz jam nights regularly in the lobby of the venue.  These images are from one of those evenings.



The Spire (accurate title is the Greater Plymouth Performing Arts Center, Inc.) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 and dedicated to performing arts and educational programs which support the vibrant arts community in the greater South Shore region.



I am looking forward to enjoying a regular show here soon! The Spire is a year-around performance venue. Here's a link to their main website and event calendar. Come on out and support the performing arts in our community.

Along the Bluff, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I don't know what it is but, I am one of those people that just loves to look at the sea, especially from an elevated spot (as opposed to flatland-Florida sort of viewing). These are great places to live along the bluff - if you don't mind that the cliff edge has eroded some distance over the past century and may likely do some more in the future.



The Parker Palace? Yeah, that's a good name.



Sittin' in the arc of the bay (to misquote Otis Reading).



A guardian of the path.



Upended chairs waiting for springtime.



Yep, Manomet is one of the beautiful spots on the planet.

Odds and Ends Downtown, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

We don't have much graffiti in town but, this has been up for quite a while near Burial Hill in downtown Plymouth. I don't understand the sentiment written thereon, "We have to dress like Twitter so they see us."



The Church of the Pilgrimage in Town Square as viewed from Burial Hill. The harbor and bay in the distant background.



A random tree carving. Note the name "Lorax" carved below the mouth. Is this a  Truffala tree perhaps?

Out and About Downtown, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Just south of downtown Plymouth, a view across a wetland to the harbor/bay area.



In downtown Plymouth, a view of the northern end of Burial Hill. The cemetery was established in the 1600's and serves as the final resting place for some of the founding settlers of the Plymouth Colony.



A view towards downtown and the harbor/bay.



Sunlight on the cupola atop the Mayflower House in downtown.

Out and About, Chiltonville, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Winter calm in the snow-dusted fields of Chiltonville, a village of Plymouth. And yes, I added a texture in post-processing.



A view from the "high ground" overlooking White Horse and Priscilla Beaches. It's been a mild winter so far - most of the remaining snow is in melting plowed piles.

A Wander in the Seaport District, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Old and new in the Boston Fort Point Channel and Seaport districts. An old ship at the Tea Party Museum backed by the modern Intercontinental Hotel.



Fort Point Channel new waterside development underway.



Fancy new buildings in the Seaport district.











We were in the Seaport district to visit the annual Travel Show at the World Trade Center and wandered around the neighborhood on this gray day. Above is Fan Pier and the Harborwalk at left, the main part of downtown at right in the distance.

The closed and rusting Northern Ave bridge.



Under the Seaport Ave bridge.







The Hood milk bottle, long a landmark, is adjacent to the Boston Children's Museum.

Pick a neighborhood and wander - Boston is always a delight.

Three Stops in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The Spire Center for Performing Arts is in downtown Plymouth in a converted former church built in 1886. The Center is a nonprofit organization founded in 2010 and dedicated to performing arts and educational programs. The 220-seat venue is in the former chapel and retained the arcing church pews as audience seating (though the pews now feature padded seats and backs for customer comfort.) They have a 100-year lease on the town property so expect a long run! They have great shows, a great staff, and a wonderful ambiance. Here's their events calendar.



Just a couple miles outside downtown is the Billington Sea and adjacent Morton Park. I love this scene and it's a popular spot for a picnic lunch - in the summer anyway. (And no, it's not really a "sea" but rather a 270-acre freshwater pond). This was a color picture on a black and white day.



In the center of town amid snow piles and cold, night closes in. Not many folks out and about.

Plymouth is, simply put, a really nice town - pleasant to slowly walk about or drive through day or night, any season, the ocean harbor a city block east, just one traffic signal in downtown, the main street lined with typical small-town businesses - restaurants, realtors, music stores, salons, coffee and snack shops, clothing stores, churches, second-hand shops - a place where regular folks lead regular lives - "America's Hometown" is situated about halfway between the world-class city of Boston to the north and the acclaimed destination of Cape Cod to the south.

It's a great place to call home.

A Day of Shadows, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Shortly after sunrise and shadows are from the east-southeast...........



Later, shadows are from the southeast..........



Later still, shadows are from the south-southeast........



Midday, shadows are from the south........



Later still, shadows are from the south-southwest............

And lastly, shadows are from the west-northwest. How can that be? The sun doesn't arc that far at this time of year in this location. True but, the moon does.

This image was made after midnight under full moonlight. I propped the camera on the window sill and held the shutter open for a few seconds. How about that. Never a dull moment in the life of a retiree. (Dull is relative).

Snow Magic, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The magical beauty of a freshly fallen snow, untouched, untracked - a clean slate when all things are possible and dreams can come true.



Long shadows, a blanket of snow, and thick pond ice - welcome to winter in New England.



Yes, this is my beach umbrella and it sure is colorful! And yes, it was too cold to be needed at the beach.