A Spring Magnolia Walk, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

I mis-timed a visit a couple weeks ago so, I headed back into Boston to try to catch the magnolias again and this time, the timing was pretty good! This series of three is either on Beacon St. or Commonwealth Ave. in the Back Bay neighborhood.











Over in the Public Garden, the cherry blossoms were raining down.



And the swan boats are back plying the calm waters on the lagoon in the Public Garden. These quiet boats are pedal-powered by the operator who sits behind the swan pedaling and steering. They have been in use during the spring and summer months since 1877! Yes, you read that correctly - more than 140 years.



The Emerson Paramount Theatre at Downtown Crossing.



Flowering trees along the Rose Kennedy Greenway with the Intercontinental Boston in the background on Atlantic Avenue.

All told, it was a 3-4 mile walk on a cool spring day - perfect out and about weather. Lunch was in the Seaport District at the all-vegan restaurant, "by Chloe." They have locations in Boston, New York, Providence, Los Angles, and London. Here's a link to their menus.

"Trinity" - CSNY Tribute, Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Trinity, a  Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young tribute band, recently performed at the Spire in downtown Plymouth. And what a show it was! CSNY is one of the favorite soundtracks of my lifetime and I splurged on a front row seat for the event. I was not disappointed.



I could close my eyes and be right there seemingly listening to the originals. Above, the two folks who filled the roles of David Crosby and Stephen Stills.

The Spire has done it again bringing outstanding performers to the stage. Come out and support the live performing arts in our town. The not-for-profit Spire cannot exist without the support and attendance of our community.



The Spire is a 225-seat performance hall in downtown Plymouth which features superior acoustics, custom state of the art lighting and sound systems, and original period architectural details. Those features all combine to offer patrons an exceptional performing arts experience.

Out and About in Spring, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The Spire Center for Performing Arts looks grand against the sky and clouds. Plymouth Harbor is in the distance at the bottom of Brewster Street (and Portugal is about 3100 miles distant across the Atlantic Ocean).



The first boat appears at its mooring in Plymouth Harbor. Soon, hundreds more will join in.



The relatively new extension on the town wharf.



One of two classic signs of spring - the magnolia blossom.....



....and the second - the forsythia. Every year, it still delights me to watch spring explode in slow motion from the cold and drab of winter.  I hope it was good for you, too.

"Donna the Buffalo," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Once again, it's live music time at the Spire Center for Performing Arts in downtown Plymouth. It is  an outstanding venue with great lighting, audio, and presence in addition to an excellent full-time staff supplemented with volunteers. The 225-seat Spire is definitely making a successful go of it in "America's Hometown" with outstanding live performers all year around. The not-for-profit organization is bringing (and has since 2010) a heightened level and frequency of excellent music to our hometown.



Right away, the name caught my attention. When I first heard it, I thought it was "Dawn of the Buffalo," which somehow seemed to make sense as band names go but, "Donna the Buffalo?" Not so much.



Whatever the name, it's always a good sign when the band has the audience on their feet and spontaneously dancing in the aisles!



Wikipedia says, "Donna the Buffalo is a band from Trumansburg, New York. They play both originals (primarily written by Jeb Puryear and Tara Nevins) and covers. The band name was suggested as "Dawn of the Buffalo" by a musician friend of the band; it was misheard as "Donna the Buffalo", and over twenty years later they are still "Donna the Buffalo". The followers of the group are called The Herd, a self-organized "tribe" of people who found each other at the group's live events."



They provided another great evening of entertainment at the Spire!

Come out and support live performing arts in our hometown. Check their upcoming events calendar at this link.

Signs of Spring, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Spring seems like a slow-motion event around here. The daffodils pop out......



The grass and moss and lichens turn greener.....



The sky is often hazier and the line between sea and sky blurred.......



This wild tom turkey gobbles and struts around the yard......... his hens are nearby pecking bugs out of the lawn...........



Spring breezes turn the ocean waves to a boil.........



And ever so faintly, the buds on an oak tree are just starting to sprout.



And last but not least, I don't know if it was the thunder or lightning or rain or wind or the combination of all but, this was the first time in seven years I have seen an eastern coyote trot across the edge of the back yard. He now joins the foxes, otters, deer, turkeys, hawks, muskrats, and countless other "regular" members of the local wildlife community.  Life is good in Manomet - for humans and critters.

Where to Live, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Sometimes I whine that I would like to live in a bustling exciting downtown location where I can walk to anything and everything. And then I wake up, get up, look out the window, and see this. I often see him flying around and screeching his distinctive cry but, seldom does he perch so close to the house. Not many downtowns offer the same benefit. (Image captured with a Sony point and shoot through double pane glass window).



And if I need to sit a spell and contemplate the universe and hear the gentle pounding of surf and the screeing cry of gulls instead of the horns of angry drivers or sirens or trucks rattling past at all hours, I can sit here and stare......



.....or, I can just wander down a quiet country lane. I can't do any of this in a big city now, can I? So what if I have to take my own recycle to a central town location and go to the post office to pick up mail - small prices to pay for peace and solitude..................

Almost Magnolia Season, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

In my case, it's a function of luck of timing. I try to only go into "the Big City" (Boston) on a weekend day if the weather is suitable for my purpose of wandering around outside. That means, I don't go into Boston very often.

Each spring, I try to time a visit to be coincident with the explosion of blossoms of the magnolias that line Commonwealth and Beacon Avenues in the Back Bay neighborhood.



I was a week or so too early this year......



....since only the faintest hint of the precious pink magnolia blossoms were revealed.



This creative homeowner used running shoes for flower boxes in honor of the Boston Marathon. The blue and yellow flowers are the iconic color scheme of the Marathon.



Of course, I wandered through the Boston Common, the oldest city park space in the United States (in size, about 50 acres/20 hectares) and enjoyed the fine spring day out and about. There are always things to do and people to see representing the full range of humanity.



Soon, the carousel by the Frog Pond will be alive with the joyous shouts of children.  Ah, spring and summer in Boston...........

"J.P. Cormier," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A last touch of a golden sunset shines on the spire at The Spire Center for Performing Arts in "America's Hometown" - Plymouth, Massachusetts.



The stage is set and ready. Imagine for a moment that this is your place of business - where you go "to work" to make a living - to walk up onto an empty stage with just your skills, talents, and wits and spend a couple hours entertaining a crowd who paid money to see and hear you.



That's exactly what  J.P. Cormier did recently for his show at the Spire and he was outstanding.



Mr. Cormier is now in his fourth decade of performing and the adoring crowd was quite familiar with his body of work. An early prodigy, he plays the fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, as well as being a songwriter, singer, and master storyteller.



He is a Canadian with strong history in both the Cape Breton area and additionally, the American bluegrass traditions of the deep south.



Southeastern Massachusetts native Matt Borrello was the opener for this performance.

Come out and support the Spire Center for Performing Arts. Their upcoming schedule is at this link.

In Honor and Remembrance of Notre-Dame de Paris, the City of Paris, and all of France

In February of 2015, I visited Notre-Dame de Paris. I didn't know then that it might be my last in this lifetime. One never knows when one has seen a sight or held a loved one close for the very last time. I am now 66 years old - I don't know if they can restore this precious icon and open it again to the public within my remaining years. I have heard estimates for reconstruction of years to decades.

I pay tribute and honor to the citizens of Paris and France for the recent tragedy that has befallen the grand Notre-Dame. I mourn with you.

The following images and text were made on my visit in 2015 and I reproduce them here in remembrance:



I am not a formally religious man but, wandering around in Notre-Dame was truly a powerful emotional experience. The grandeur and history of this almost thousand year-old church was awe-inspiring. As it was a Sunday, regular Mass was ongoing for the hundreds who attended; all the while tourists were circulating at the periphery, almost all with their smart phone cameras, tablets, point-and-shoots, or DSLRs - it seemed that everyone had a photographic device of some kind to record this special place and moment in their life.







The side aisles were less crowded with worshippers than the central nave. The nave is to the right on the other side of the marble columns in this image.



Not everyone could focus on the Priest's words - this sweet child chose quiet dancing and twirling instead.



The line to get in was about 100 meters/yards long but it shuffled along quickly and once inside, it did not feel very crowded. There is no admission fee.







Marble statue of Joan of Arc.



Soaring ceilings and details had many visitors walking around with their necks craned upward - including me.







The light streaming in the stained glass windows was ethereal.




This wood replica helps to appreciate the scale and complexity of the entire structure. The actual building construction began in 1163 and continued for almost 200 years.