Light at the End of the Tunnel, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I like it when life is like the Land of Oz...............light at the end of the tunnel that leads somewhere wonderful. This is a pathway to White Horse Beach for some of the locals who live a short walk inland.

First Snowfall, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I am not one of those people who likes the cold of winter but, notwithstanding my whining, the beauty that wintry weather brings can still take my breath away - both literally and figuratively. This is our first dusting of snow for the season (a few days ago).

It seems the first snowfall always occurs when the final stragglers of oak leaves are still changing colors.

White Horse Beach, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Maybe it's just me but, this sure looks more like a winter sky than a summer sky......and the beach devoid of people is a sure indicator, too.

Only me and the gulls - this one prancing along the tide line searching for food. (Do gulls prance?)

And nearby on Bartlett Pond, the wetland grasses are reddish-gold as an eerie strip of light falls on this narrow piece of land along Taylor Avenue - gray storm clouds ahead, and gray storm clouds behind me spitting light rain and snow as I made this image.

A Walk About Town, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

A beautiful day to walk your dog through the crunchy fall leaves. (The mall on  Commonwealth Avenue).

Wikipedia says, "The Paramount opened in 1932 as a 1700-seat, single-screen movie theatre. It was one of the first movie houses in Boston to play talking motion pictures." It is the only building in color on the street today. (Just kidding).

Looking down Commonwealth Avenue through the heart of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Back Bay is one of Boston's most expensive neighborhoods and features many Victorian brownstone homes (and the always popular double-parked vehicles).

I am already  looking forward to warm spring - as in this image from April 2013 on Commonwealth Ave.

Fall, Boston Common, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

I am always surprised when suddenly it seems, fall is about to end.  The shadows are long in early afternoon and sunset is in late afternoon. How does it sneak up so fast?  I must be in denial. In any case, dating from 1634, the Boston Common is the oldest city park in the United States and it is always a pleasant place to wander it's 50 acres (20 hectares) of paths, walkways, memorials, sports fields, buskers, vendors, and people.

 People of all shapes and ages.

And a hipster on a bicycle, seemingly more focused on his phone than the beauty of fall around him.

There are always a few hearty folk who wear short sleeves when I have on a coat. 

A fountain is still alive with running water before the winter shutdown.

T-shirts are slowing giving way to hoodies and sweatshirts as the merchandise of choice at the vendor kiosks.

A corner of the Common is home to the Central Burying Ground, in use since the mid-1700's.

Public Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The Boston Public Garden is a spectacular urban oasis in which to spend a fall afternoon with a picnic lunch.....

......or walking your dog in the crunchy leaves......

........or watching the willows weep beside the pond......

....or strolling the walkways, (Red Sox attire de rigueur).......

...or getting married nearby and creating the wedding photos here. I always enjoy a stroll through the Boston Public Garden and adjacent Boston Common on a fall day - or spring, or summer, or winter days, too.

Red Sox Parade Day, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

As has been the recent tradition, when one of Boston's sports teams wins the championship, the city holds a gala parade. On the day of the recent Boston Red Sox's Celebration Parade, Ramblin' Dan, the One-Man-Band, was out singing to the crowd of passersby in the Public Garden. He gives new meaning to the idea of "dressing for work." He's often there whether or not there is a parade.

And the t-shirt vendors were doing a brisk business. Note the blue shirt at upper left - "I support two teams, Boston, and whoever beats New York." That succinctly describes the long-standing sports rivalry between the two cities.

Boston takes their Champions seriously. After a dearth of 86 years, the Red Sox have won the World Series three times in ten years. (And yes, it is rather presumptuous to call it the "World" series when the only teams competing are from the United States and Canada).

Even the venerable Wilbur Theatre changed their marquee to pay tribute to the Sox. The Wilbur opened in 1915. Before the Sox won the championship in 2004, the last time had been in 1918. 

But at the end of the parade, the streets are quickly cleaned by the Public Works folks.  I've always wondered, why does the Mayor have to put his name on a truck like this?  And now that Boston just elected a new Mayor for the first time in 20 years, will they have to change the name on all the trucks? I don't live in Boston but, I guess the taxpayers there don't mind. On the other hand, perhaps I should just mind my own business..........

White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I found some more nice images on today's walk to the beach. Every one of these rocks is covered at high tide. Our tidal variation here this week is about ten feet.

A mermaid's wig.

I think the most perfect physical activity on the planet is a brisk walk on a flat beach at low tide. Maybe even better than that other perfect physical activity.........  I have never heard anyone say, "I hate walking on a flat beach at low tide."

Looking towards Priscilla Beach.

Almost sunset over Priscilla Beach.

A typical scene of beach houses/cottages in White Horse Beach.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood.......(Robert Frost)"  The left one leads to a large rock...........

....And behind this rock is probably where many young teens shared their first kiss, smoked their first cigarette (or other), drank their first beer, and generally did something they probably weren't allowed to do........

.......like spray-painting graffiti on the backside of the rock.

Random Fall Images, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

This is one of my favorite country lanes in Plymouth.

Cranberry harvests are as much an iconic fall scene in southeastern Massachusetts as are the changing colors of the leaves.



If I was a painter, I would like to have painted this rippled reflection of fall color. (I have presented it here upside down from the way it came out of the camera).

Rail Trail, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

On the north end of Plymouth there is a pleasant walking and cycling path along a former railroad right of way.  Free parking and access is best at the Nelson Beach parking area. The tracks are still visible and have been creatively turned into garden beds as shown above.

As few small but beautiful flowers still bloom with fall colors.

The Rail Trail passes through the 26-acre (10.5 hectare) Holmes Reservation which is protected land administered by the Trustees of Reservations. The Trustees of Reservations preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts.

In a small wetlands area adjacent to the trail, these Phragmites are backlit in the late afternoon sun.