Pond Life, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

If you've ever wondered what to wear when kayaking, I can say that most anything including sparkly things and little sweaters are not out of the question. Kayaking on a calm pond can be a very civilized activity.

Nature, on the other hand, is not particularly civilized. Left to it's own, she will slowly but steadily overtake any effort by humans to "tame" the wild. This dock area is being shrunk each year with overgrowth.

30 acres is a nice size for a pond especially one that is mostly shallow so it doesn't attract the noisy motorized crowd.  Bartlett Pond sees just canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats with the occasional flat-bottom fishing boat with a battery powered trolling motor.  Suits me just fine. It's hard to hear the sounds of the natural world when our infernal machines are making too much noise.

I could certainly hear nature's rumbles of thunder when this huge summer storm passed by a half hour ago.

The storm was gone quickly and another day came to an end - albeit shorter than the one before - the downward slide of daylight hours is becoming apparent as August advances towards September.

Boston Harbor/Downtown, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Downtown Boston as viewed from the pedestrian walkway near the Hyatt Hotel at Logan Airport. It is a beautiful clear summer morning looking across Boston Harbor.  The pointy top structure at the center of the photo was once the Custom House.  Some version of a Custom House has stood in the general area since the 1600's.  I wonder if that's where the British tried to collect taxes on tea?  That didn't work out so well for them. Now the Custom House is a timeshare property owned by the Marriott folks - go figure.

Mayflower II Returns, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The Mayflower II returned home to its dock in Plymouth Harbor after being out of town in dry dock since last winter. Work is ongoing over the next few years in preparation for the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims arrival in the New World in 1620. The approximate 100 foot long original vessel transported about 150 pilgrims and crew from England to what later became Massachusetts. Arriving at the beginning of the winter season after two months of travel, barely half were still alive by the following spring when they disembarked for good.

A harbor fireboat with a celebratory spray leads the way as Mayflower II is tugged into the harbor channel.

Folks crowded the dock to welcome Mayflower II home on this beautiful summer day.

Many boats were also out and about in the harbor to catch a glimpse of the returning ship.

This is part of the rigging that supports and strengthens one of the masts.

Folks also lined the distant shoreline as Mayflower II nudges in closer to the dock.

Mayflower II safely back on her dock in the background, this performer/actor/pilgrim from nearby Plimouth Plantation poses with a baby - (not mine).

An Irish-sounding band entertains the passing crowds. (A short sound clip below). Sorry I missed getting their name.

Maybe you don't see this often: A photo of a man taking a photo of a man taking a photo of a man taking a photo. Plymouth Harbor in the background. A more perfect weather day could not have been scripted for this event.

Rat Rod, Gellar's Corner, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

There was something odd about it that caught the corner of my eye as I drove by Gellar's today.  So I circled back and stopped in for a closer look.

Turns out it is called a "Rat Rod." A Rat Rod is sort of an unfinished hot rod wherein only the necessary working parts are working. This one needs a bit more work to be at that point.

A mix of old and new.

And plenty of air conditioning.

Very little chrome.

Who needs fenders and running boards anyway?

It is not uncommon to lower the roof for that particular hot rod look. Here's the seam where they welded the top back on the body.

Pretty soon, Mr. Gellar will have it running.............

Summer Day, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A typical summer day on Bartlett Pond - not much happening - and I like it that way. Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic Ocean are just past the line of houses on the horizon. 

This great blue heron likes to perch on that rock - until a human, in this case, a kayaker with a passenger dog gets a little too close for comfort.

What makes this scene remarkable is the magnolia flower petal that just fell - in August! - I remember the whole tree had bloomed back in April - go figure - I guess that's nature's definition of a late bloomer. 

Late afternoon light on a rose of Sharon bloom.

One of our regular hummingbirds not doing any humming at the moment. Just sittin' on a branch like any regular bird. (Not very sharp image - I can blame my point-and-shoot camera).

Another late bloomer.

This pretty-close-to-perfect day on the pond draws to a close.

Dinner Plate Hibiscus, Amy's Garden, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

This is either a trick of perspective or these are mighty large flowers. I'll go with the mighty large flowers - these are called dinner plate hibiscus - for an obvious reason.

Available in stylish white - goes with anything.

Yep, as big as a dinner plate.

Blueberry Picking, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

As the days of summer get shorter and July blends into August, it's blueberry pickin' time! We were guests of Louise's Mountain Hill Bogs near the Village of Ellisville in Plymouth recently for some pickin'.

Blueberries are a great crop - they ripen over time so one can keep picking day after day as new berries ripen.

A little pump house for the nearby cranberry bog.

Picking blueberries is very civilized - no ladders required, you can stand comfortably and reach the fruit.

Even a little superman (and his Mom) can comfortably pick the berries that are low on the bushes. Now about that pie.................

Scottish Highland Cattle on a Hot Summer Day, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I don't know if this fellow spent any time in his native Scotland but, I bet it never gets as hot there as it is this summer in Plymouth. By the way, near as I can tell, there is no singular form of "cattle," so my title for this post may or may not be correct - but you get the idea.

The hair on his face looks like he stood in front of jet of water or air - maybe to cool off, maybe to sport a hip style?

Perhaps Milo the cat  is one of his distant relatives - clearly both of the same ginger persuasion.

Blue Thistle, Amy's Garden, Bartlett Pond, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The blue thistle is thriving and becoming very popular with the bees.

Lots of pollen to go around but, sometimes there is more than one bee on a single flower.......

....and when they meet face-to-face, they must decide whether each other is a threat.........

....and this time,  they decide it's okay to just go about their respective business and share the flower.

I'm glad they stayed because this bumblebee has the coolest, mostly transparent wings and let me get close enough to take this picture.

Red Chairs, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It was a gray, windy, cloudy, cool summer day at this small cottage at White Horse Beach but otherwise, the red party/beach chairs are ready and waiting for the sun and people to return.........