Fresh Snow, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The next day after the storm the main paths through the Boston Common are clear for walking.

As usual, many folks were out and about.

In the Public Garden.

Also, in the Public Garden.

The Commonwealth Avenue Mall. 

After the Storm, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The storm has passed and the skies are clear.

A sunny day awaits.

First Snow, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The stunning beauty of a fresh snowfall is always a delight. It was a wet and heavy snow but, here in Manomet, not anywhere near the high single digits or low double digits of many other greater Boston locations.



Only a few inches had fallen by mid-afternoon - shallow enough for a shovel rather than a snowblower or plow. By the way, I bought these boots 25 years ago and still use them for every winter snowfall - I would say thrifty, some would say cheap.



I had wanted to be somewhere warmer right now. Oh well.........maybe next year.

Out and About, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I went to downtown Plymouth on this day for a few miles of walking. It was cloudy and windy but, there were lots of folks out and about bundled up walking, too. This is a "Christmas Tree" on the Town Wharf made from lobster traps and decorated with marker buoy ornaments.



Mary K's red hull always makes for a good photograph. Note the flag at right standing straight horizontal - the wind was strong and wintry.



Sort of has that asleep-for-the-winter look.



This gull on the wall was trying to decide how much of a threat I was and whether to take wing or not. He took wing.



Elsewhere downtown, this artwork is on one of the big scallop shell displays around town.



I stopped by White Horse Beach to walk also but, it was a bit too windy to be pleasant so I didn't stay very long. A foreboding sky but, no actual precipitation fell on me.

"James Montgomery," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

James Montgomery and his band performed recently at the Plymouth Center for Performing Arts. There was a full house of appreciative and life-long fans of his music.

A world-renowned blues man, he has some connections to the Boston area as a graduate of Boston University.



He has been playing for more than 50 years with some of the biggest names in the business in addition to his own band.

Once again, another extraordinary performance at Plymouth's premier live music venue.

First Night, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The temporary stage at Copley Square hosted a number of performers throughout the day as part of the First Night celebration in Boston. Pandemic or not, thousands were out to enjoy the festivities. Nearly everyone I saw wore a mask. My adventure began with a walk from the car park at Post Office Square to the Park Street MBTA station and a Green Line subway ride to Copley Square. It was packed with masked riders. I could have easily walked instead but, I always get a kick out of subways so opted for that method on this evening. Besides, the fare is reduced for seniors - and I can sit in the special seat if I'm first!



A duck or an octopus? There were fewer ice sculptures this year due to above average temperatures leading up to New Year's eve. It was mid-40's today with no wind - very pleasant to be out and about - unless you are an ice sculpture.



I walked from Copley Square to the Common along Boylston Street which was closed to car traffic in preparation for the parade. I enjoyed this view of the bridge across the lagoon in the Public Garden. It had a nice glow in the drizzly humid air.



I made a brief detour down Commonwealth Avenue Mall to see the lights.

The view westward from Boston Common in early evening. Throngs were gathering for the 7pm fireworks display on the ballfield. In the distance, selected office windows with lights on in the Prudential Tower show the coming new year - 2022.

Police presence was noticeable though I didn't personally see any misbehavior. Of course, this was early evening and families and kids were out in the thousands - not exactly known for their wild partying. 

After the fireworks, I started my walk back to the car park in the increasing rain. I like the random blurry effects - from the rain droplets on my lens.



Rain and drizzle glistened on Washington Street in the Theatre District.

Like a moth to a flame, I was drawn to the powerful voice of this street musician who was audible a few blocks away. If I was a music producer, I might have signed her on the spot. What a great voice.



The colonnade in Leventhal Park above the garage was wet and nearly deserted as my visit drew to an end.

A Snowy Owl, Plymouth Beach, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

At the end of a bone-jarring ride along the rutted, rocky, sandy, 4-wheel-drive only single lane road, one must still walk on foot quite a ways to get to the tip of the Plymouth Beach peninsula. It is out here among the dunes where one might, if one is fortunate, find a Snowy Owl this time of year.



It helps to have a son who is a bird expert and knows where to look.



It's not possible to get close since much of the dune area is fragile and off-limits to humans. And anyway, the Snowy would not tolerate closeness to the humans.

High tech optics and related equipment comes in handy.



And if you have the trained and experienced eye of a skilled birder, you can pick him out perched in the distance within the dunes - watching, waiting, totally aware of the humans intruding into his domain.



He saw and heard our every move long before we saw him.

"Storm Large," Spire Center for Performing Arts, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

 

A particularly dynamic entertainer,  Storm Large recently performed at Plymouth's Spire Center for Performing Arts. And yes, that is her real name. Born Susan Storm Large.

She sang, told stories, and played the ukulele and drums.

She often would come down off the stage to sing up close to the audience.

Her two band members were multi-instrumentalists playing piano, guitar, bass, drums - whichever instrument was required for a particular song.



Originally from Southborough, Massachusetts, (about 30 miles west of Boston) some of her hometown fans, friends, and family traveled to the show in Plymouth to see and hear her perform. 

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

It's cold on this day, I have on my winter coat, a hat with ear flaps, a neck scarf, gloves, and flannel-lined khaki pants. Air temp is high 20's, wind chill is high teens, water temp is 47. One might say it is a living definition of the word "bracing."



Same view, different time - what a difference a tide makes



No one else is out right now except me.



Inland at Tidmarsh, the puddles are frozen in the pathway.