16,000+ Steps, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

It was another wondrous day to spend a few hours wandering around the city of Boston.



A bench seat view of the Lagoon in the Public Garden.



Another view of the George Washington statue in the Public Garden.



Newbury Street in the Back Bay neighborhood.



Quiet on the Boston Common.



A few walkers in Downtown Crossing.



Reflections along Congress Street in the Financial District. Quiet.



Hanging out in the Seaport District.



Boston Harbor looking towards the Tobin Bridge.

It's been a mixed blessing to recently walk in the big city with so few people out and about. It was difficult to find a place to eat or to find a bathroom.

Habitat, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I think I am fortunate to be able to look out my window and see creatures like this raccoon wading in the mud/water looking for something to eat.



It's a small pond, less than an acre in size but, in nature, it is a freshwater oasis that attracts countless species to live and hunt and grow.



This red-shouldered hawk is perched unusually close to the ground, waiting for his next meal to move and reveal itself - he is partial to frog this time of year.



I have been shocked to observe and listen directly to this little chipmunk.  The volume of sound this tiny body can generate is truly unbelievable.

He never seems to stray far from the entrance to his home. I don't think he wants to be the next meal of the lurking red-shoulder.



Springtime delight.



Out of hundreds of rhododendron buds on these bushes, this one is the very first to show some color.

In Memoriam - Geronimo Sands, Priscilla Beach Theatre (PBT), Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Pymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Geronimo Sands (Jim Lonigro) - for 50 years he owned and was the guiding light and larger-than-life force at Priscilla Beach Theatre.  He passed away recently.  The above image was from the last production in which he starred at PBT, "Tuesdays With Morrie," in July 2014.  More images and my original blog post from that production are at this link.

The following moments were captured just a few weeks before opening night. Note: Skin tones appear normal on a desktop or laptop view - not necessarily so on a smartphone screen.






























Owners, directors, and production staff at PBT in the summer of 2014. Geronimo is seated at center.



Geronimo enjoying the "ice bucket challenge."  His co-star, Cliff Blake, is doing the pouring.



Geronimo is fifth from the right in this group image of PBT summer workshop participants and staff. Note the barn was under construction in the background.  All performances that year took place either inside in the black box or outside under the big top tent as construction continued on the barn.

A few years ago, in August 2017, local award-winning journalist Emily Clark published a beautiful story about Geronimo in the Plymouth Old Colony Memorial/Wicked Local, you can follow this link to it.  If you already read it, read it again - if not, read it now - it's such a warm and wonderful piece of writing about a man so many loved so dearly.

Goodbye for now, Geronimo; you'll be with us forever.

Deadwood, Plymouth Harbor, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A few years ago this was deadwood floating out in the ocean. As a hazard to navigation, the harbormaster towed it to the downtown Plymouth boat ramp to get it out of the way. Now it lives here, on land, a fascinating visual treat for all and a great climbing structure for youngsters.



Nature's jungle gym.



It has weathered quite beautifully as these close-ups of part of the root ball reveal.



Experts say it is the remains of a 100+year old white pine. Nice.

Out and About, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

In a normal year, this scene would be thronged with humans, walking the waterfront, stopping to view the hallowed "Plymouth Rock," housed in this classic structure.



Lacking people, I stretched out this vehicle for additional subject matter.



The normally bustling downtown has neither pedestrians nor automobile traffic. (It is also worth noting that the April 1st implementation of paid parking on the street has not yet begun!! A bright spot in the pandemic era.)



And speaking of bright spots, spring continues unaffected by the trials and tribulations of humankind.



One of the few patches of wisteria I have seen in the town, adjacent to a red maple.



More azalea.



Rolling farmland in Chiltonville, one of the many villages of Plymouth.



 I am not exactly sure what these creatures are but, I am staying on my side of the fence.



No fence between us but, I am on my side of the window glass with a point and shoot zoom to capture this skittish red-shouldered hawk perched looking for lunch in Manomet. He is fond of fresh frog. Ah, springtime.

A Few Favorite Pictures from "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," Priscilla Beach Theatre, Priscilla Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Since the performing arts seasons are all delayed this year due to the pandemic, I thought it would be fun to go through my thousands of images and pick just a few from each production and re-publish them. It was difficult to narrow down the choice to just a few - I picked ones that spoke to me personally - they may or may not be representative of the show or the lead roles - they are just images that warm my heart and bring back fond memories of the production - I am first and foremost, a fan of these performances, my role as a photographer is a distant second.

I hope you enjoy them, too.


















As performed at Priscilla Beach Theatre in August 2019. Click on that date to see the original posts. Produced by Bob and Sandy Malone,  Directed by Ron Fassler,  Production Manager Joshua Patino,  Music Director Chris Ricci.

Out and About, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

It was another beautiful spring day to wander about downtown Boston and get in my 10,000+ steps. It was still eerily quiet and mostly devoid of people out and about. This is a view of the USS Constitution where it lives in Charlestown.



Ditto.



Walking to Charlestown, the Zakim bridge is visible standing tall against the cloud-streaked sky.



This marina is full and ready for another sailing/boating season.



North End favorites Modern Pastry and Mike's Pastry were both doing a brisk walk-in/carryout business.

A copper-clad brick building in the North End neighborhood.



Normally, this part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway would be crowded with folks.  Not so today.



An office building, like so many, stands quiet without any business activity.  Hopefully, that will change in the coming weeks as folks return to work to begin a new normal.



This office building was in mid-renovation when the pandemic hit.



Ever popular reflections along Congress Street.



An urban park at Post Office Square is usually full of folks out enjoying the fine weather - not so today.