After the Blizzard, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The storm arrived like gangbusters, gave us a raging blizzard for the day, then exited quickly out to sea leaving blue sky and sunshine. Yep, it's cold (9 degrees F) but, it sure is beautiful.



Still long shadows at midday. And no bathing in the birdbath. Plymouth reported about 24" though I only got about 13" at my house.



Summer and winter together in the bright sunshine.

Calm Before the Storm, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The calm before the storm. Hard to imagine a blizzard is due in less than 12 hours.

Pond Hockey, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

In the fading daylight, one last round of pond hockey before the big storm hits.

It's been a long wait this season, the weather cold then warm then cold again, never giving the ice a chance to form thick enough for skating - until now. The neighborhood kids showed up late in the fading light. But first, they must shovel the surface snow away. Some of these neighborhood kids are the sons and daughters of local parents who skated on this same pond in their own youth decades ago.

Out and About, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

This dog was having a great time dragging his human around the ice at breakneck speed on the frozen lagoon in the Public Garden, dodging all the other human activity. He was surprisingly sure-footed - the dog, I mean.



And speaking of dogs, these two twins are out for a walk with their human along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.



I was intrigued watching - it seemed like organized chaos for this group of young men and women playing hockey on the frozen lagoon. I asked one of them how they can tell the teams apart.  He said they all grew up around here, they've been playing together since they were little kids, and they just know who is who. They don't have to wear special team jerseys to differentiate.



These folks are walking though the Boston Common toting their weekend shopping bags home. Nice long shadows.



I rode both the Blue and Green lines on this visit. Not many people on the Blue.



An "artsy" high contrast puddle reflection in the subway tunnel. 



Odd signs along Fan Pier. There were neither buildings nearby nor overhangs above - I have no idea where the falling snow and ice threat could originate.



Sailboats wintering in the Boston Harbor, that's the Tobin Bridge in the distance. It opened in 1950.

Even in the cold of January, Boston is a great city to wander about. I got in 13,000 steps on this outing.

A Quiet Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Pre-dawn on a frozen pond before the winter wind started howling for the day. 



Same view, different day.  At dawn, it was about 15 degrees and the wind was howling. Even so, winter days are winter days - if it was warm all the time it would be overrun with too many people like other areas known for their "nice" weather.

"Trinity," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Plymouth's Center for Performing Arts recently featured the Rhode Island-based, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young tribute band, "Trinity."  The 5-member ensemble group delighted a nearly full house crowd with two hours of CSNY classics.



Over the course of my lifetime, I have seen the original CSN live in concert more than any other musical performing group.  It is always such a treat to listen to those tight harmonies and great song craft. I even remember seeing Steven Stills as a solo act in a little club in San Juan Capistrano in the 1980's when he was between bands - up close and personal. And CSN in the Boston Seaport under the tent in the 1990's.

From "Carry On," to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," it was a great night of live music. Though there were other great musical talents, CSN, James Taylor, and Carole King are pretty much the soundtrack of my life. There is a 2010 release of a 2007 show, "Live at the Troubadour," by James and Carole, both an audio and video - it doesn't get better than that.

Another great live music performance at Plymouth's premier live music venue.

Out and About, Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The highest point in downtown Plymouth is Burial Hill, a cemetery started in 1622.



On this blustery winter day, The Spire Center for Performing Arts is visible in the foreground and Cape Cod Bay in the distance.

Many of the gravestones are weathered and barely legible. Some have been replaced with a new stone like the one at left marking the life of Captain Robbins born in 1797.



The spire on the new Plymouth Town Hall is in the distance.

"Colby James and the Ramblers," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Colby James and the Ramblers came to the stage at Plymouth's Spire Center for Performing Arts with an extraordinary performance. What a talented group of performers.

I've seen quite a few performances over the years at Spire and these folks ranked among the very best.

I had not heard them before this evening.  I sure look forward to hearing them again.

Another great performance at Plymouth's premier live music venue.

Composting, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I have always been a proponent of composting. Since I eat a vegan diet, all my kitchen waste is plant matter. I have used the stationary composter pictured above for many, many years. I find though, as I have gotten older, it has become more difficult to turn the composting material with either a shovel or a pitchfork so...

...I thought I would buy and try this newfangled model that is off the ground and rotates on its axis. With this model, I don't have to manually turn it with an implement but, instead, can simply rotate it regularly to aid the aeration and decomposition process.

Here they both are side-by-side for size comparison.



This is the shipping box it came in so, as you can imagine, some assembly is required. I am totally impressed they could design and fit all the pieces into such a small box. The assembly instructions were step-by-step online photographs, very easily followed, and hopefully, it will last more years than I have remaining on the planet before I become compost. The only tool needed was a Phillips screwdriver. (This model is a Miracle-Gro, 27.7 gallon, single chamber composter).

Another Stunning Winter Day, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

We've had some mighty chilly days recently but, still rather stunning visually. The wind whips through the dune grasses and roils the ocean into whitecaps - the only sounds are the wind and crashing waves. I like that.



Manomet Point - and two tiny figures walking on the sand in the distance.



The sunrise was nice, too.



Winter life is especially difficult for some - like this limping coyote I saw out the window wander through the yard. A very unusual sight for me.

"Louis Apollon," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Plymouth's Spire Center for Performing Arts recently featured solo performer Louis Apollon.



A remarkable talent with a beautiful repertoire of original music. He is a Brooklyn-based Jazz-Folk Singer-Songwriter.

Out and About, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I was trying for a spooky old house look for this image.

Out and About, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It's a good time to dredge the main harbor channel to Plymouth's Town Wharf since boat traffic is at a minimum in winter.



The crane with the big claw scoops up load after load of sand from the channel and transfers it to the barge to be distributed elsewhere.



There are still a few working boats on the wharf. This one is unloading blue bin after blue bin of mussels for distribution to markets and restaurants.



Yes, it's below freezing and windy on this day.



It never made it out of the 20's today. The official buoy in Cape Cod bay reported water temp at 43 degrees F. The big waves are remnants of a previous storm.

Out and About, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A nice mirror image on this still Manomet pond with an added black and white and high contrast effect.



An unusual sight - people sitting on a blanket at White Horse Beach on a cold, winter day.



Low tide, Manomet Point is at left.



Low tide left behind these multiple sand bars, each separated by its own channel.



A lone gull cruising the surf line.



Long shadows are the norm even at midday this time of year. Small ponds like this are usually completely frozen by this time of year.

Out and About, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The golden dome of the Massachusetts State House glistens brilliantly in the bright sunshine.



The view westward from the sledding slope on the Boston Common.



As always, the t-shirt/sweat shirt cart vendor is ready to sell to passers-by.



It's not a steep hill - just right for kids of all ages......



....and adults, too.



Hundreds of pigeons hang out for warmth on top of the sunny dark roof of the subway station and then.......



...swoop down when some human drops food for them. Seems a practiced ritual for both the birds and the humans.