Winter Sights, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Amaryllis bulbs are popular in New England this time of the year. They serve as an affirmation that spring is only a couple months away.



The gulls at Long Beach aren't usually quite so cheeky but, hunger makes for assertive behavior. These gulls think (or maybe they already know) the driver is about to roll down the window and feed them.



A light snowfall only adhered to the moss covered grout. I wonder why that is?

The view a few weeks ago.



This Amaryllis has bloomed! Instant early spring.



Priscilla Beach Theatre stands tall and proud under this year's first snowfall.  It may be cold and quiet right now but, very soon, the stage will resound with the warm voices of actors and actresses when the 80th performance season of Priscilla Beach Theatre begins in spring. If you haven't ordered your tickets yet, stop procrastinating, they're going fast.

The Second Floor - Neighborhood Home Renovation Project, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The second floor platform is nearing completion. Next, the walls go up.



Standing atop the second floor, it's one of those shockingly clear winter days - seems one could reach out and touch Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod even though it is twenty miles distant on the horizon. (Panorama - click to view full width).



Yep, this is definitely one of those spectacularly breathtaking spots on the planet.  (Panorama - click to view full width).

Beginning the Second Floor - Neighborhood Home Renovation Project, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

One of the advantages of this year's relatively mild winter so far is that projects like this can continue apace without undue weather delay. Above, the floor joists for the second floor are being set into place.











The final sheets of exterior sheathing on the first floor are being installed.



I'm glad I came by before the flooring was installed above..........



...... because the open beams make great angles and light and shadow at this stage of the project.

If you look closely at the rocks sticking up at left.......



.....you will see this troupe of seals, hanging out in the sun catching a few rays.  (Yes, I know, too far away, not very sharp images but, you get the idea).



Low tide and warm sun usually means that each rock is draped with one or more seals.



I wasn't the only trying to get a good picture of the seals.  Maybe next time........

Seeing Red, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

My eye always goes to the color red.  Whether in nature.......



....or elsewhere.



Even when it's a tiny part of the visual field, red attracts my eye.

After all, who doesn't like red? Strawberries, wine, apples, lips, ketchup...........

Finishing the First Floor Walls - Neighborhood Home Renovation Project, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The bluff's first dusting of snow greeted the men for this recent workday. They are some hearty New Englanders to be able to work outside in a cold, windy location - even with that, it is sunny, the bluff setting is spectacular, and it's a good day to be alive in Manomet.























Notice the steel I-beam at upper left - the beginning of the second floor level.

Heavy Equipment on the Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It's that time of the year when the heavy equipment is allowed onto the beach to repair and improve the seawalls that protect the bluff from excessive erosion.



It may be winter but, it looks like there are still a few kids playing here.



A front end loader will haul the rocks along the base of the bluff and then the excavator (above and below) will carefully place the huge stones.



I wonder if the operators enjoyed playing with bulldozers in the sand when they were little kids?



Before piecing together the stone wall, the men first unroll the heavy black cloth/membrane to prevent the crashing storm tides from sucking the sand out through the cracks between rocks. It is not easy trying to circumvent Mother Nature. We are such small creatures when compared to the force of the mighty ocean in a storm. Ultimately, the ocean always wins.

First Floor Framing - Neighborhood Home Renovation Project, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Progress is quick now that the concrete work is all finished.











The men take a break to contemplate their work. It is a wondrous thing that with skill, knowledge, and experience they can build something from nothing that will stand here for hundreds of years.



It's not just a building - it will be a place to call home for current and future generations.

Quite a skill to possess.

Searching for A Snowy Owl, Long Beach, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Looking out the narrow peninsula of Plymouth's Long Beach, I know he is there. A Snowy Owl. Somewhere. Hiding in plain sight. With the sky becoming increasingly overcast and sunset approaching, he will be more difficult to see - the brilliant whiteness of his feathers won't stand out so strongly.



On the other hand, whether I see the snowy or not is secondary to spending some quality time out in nature with my family on this unseasonably comfortable winter day.



If I don't get to see a snowy today, at least the dramatic sky creates opportunity for good high contrast black and white images which I always like.

I know that the snowy tends to perch along the tops of the small dunes watching for food or foes. Scanning the dune tops I saw him........ standing elegantly in shadow against the bold sky.

Whoops, my bad - you astute readers can plainly see that this bird is a gull not a snowy. Sorry, my anticipation got the better of me. So I turned my head and scanned the shadows some more......

And there he was.  Too far away for my point-and-shoot camera and also standing in a dark shadow. But sometimes, the photography gods smile upon my world.......



For then the clouds opened and magically, here was the snowy, sitting atop the little rise, spotlighted majestically in the bright sunshine against the darkening sky. Yep, this is a time when a point-and-shoot camera is not an advantage.



I am a lucky man to have a son who is both an ornithologist and an owner of a high quality 500mm lens. These last two images are his and used by permission. (You can see more of his awesome bird images from around the world at this link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uropsalis/ )



After posing for a few seconds, off he flew.  And that, as they say, was that. What a day!

Postscript: Here is a link to a snowy that did a traffic camera fly-by just yesterday in Toronto.  http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/spectacular-snowy-owl-fly-by-captured-on-traffic-camera/