A Random Walk, Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Random sights in the Back Bay area of Boston. 


Patriot Day, Nine-Eleven, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Today, in the Boston Public Garden, adjacent to the Memorial to the Massachusetts Family Members Lost on September 11, 2001, American flags wave in remembrance of our loss.

We will not forget.

Banjos and Fiddles, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA

Yes, that is correct, fiddles and banjos.  This free event is now in its 32nd year and held annually in Boardinghouse Park in Lowell, Massachusetts.  Today's audience had hundreds of folks sitting pleasantly outdoors in the waning days of summer, listening, chatting, cheering, knitting, eating, whatever - just hanging out.  It was not too hot, not too cold, not  too humid, not too dry - it was just picture perfect weather for outside entertainment.

Note the see-through stage at left - and no backdrop. More on that later.....

There were about 80 contestants for this year's event.

The view from the audience's perspective.

The view from a performer's perspective.

A full stage view from a performer's perspective. 

What connection does a trolley have to fiddles and banjos?  Well, the tracks run closely behind the stage.  The back of the stage is behind the ivy shown above at left.  Must be a little disconcerting to the musicians to have a trolley go clanging by behind them .....

...like this!

Meanwhile back in the audience, this child, rendered incognito by my edit, was not able to open this cooler. He immediately whined to his grandpa for help.  It didn't take rocket science to open the cooler.  What happened to that inquisitive, perserverant, challenge-seeking, problem-solving mind he was born with?  Why didn't he sit and puzzle with it a while before asking an adult, and why did the adult do it for him when asked?  I'll hold my tongue instead of  making some snarky gene pool comment.....

All was not lost however, another child was enthralled listening to the live music from the best seat in the house - on top of his daddy's shoulders.

And below are two small samples of what made him smile........

Roof Decks, South Boston, Massachusetts, USA

There are generally only so many ways to finish the top of a house and most people just stick with the basic pointy two-sided roof - not so in "Southie."  With spectacular views available of downtown Boston or the surrounding harbors, roof decks are popular.  Here are a few examples:

Starting with the fancy.....

....to the enclosed room style.......

...to an extra bedroom......

...to adjacent rooms on connected houses.......

....to the open air version.....

......even the simplest style affords a view that goes on forever.

And this silver dude was in someone's front yard pointing towards the nearby roof decks - go figure.

Beer Frisbee, Connecticut, USA

Why is this beer bottle on a wooden post?

Because it's time to play, BEER FRISBEE!!

If you're tired of horseshoes or other traditional yard games on Labor Day weekend, here's a different idea.  The history of this game is a little muddled (for obvious reasons) but, you can follow this link to BeerFrisbee for more detailed info.

1.  First you need two posts or pipes roughly to the chest in height and spaced a decent frisbee toss apart stuck squarely in to the ground.

2.  Next, place an empty beer bottle on the top of each pole.

3.  Each team of two players stands next to one pole, facing each other. Each player must be holding an open beer for the duration of the game, including while throwing and/or catching the frisbee. (This is known as the “Beer-in-Hand Rule”.) (Note the player above is in violation of this rule)

4.  Choose the throwing order/turn order. Teams should alternate turns throwing and defending, each team getting one throw at a time. A team may only score when throwing, and when one team is throwing the other team is ‘defending’. In order to count, all throws must be deemed “catchable”, and the thrower must not step in front of their pole.

5.  The objective of the game is to knock the beer bottle off the opposing team’s pole either by direct hit, hitting the pole, or just tripping up your drunken opponents. The defenders aim is to prevent the bottle from hitting the ground while at the same time catching the frisbee, and not spilling any beer. Defenders cannot attempt to prevent the frisbee from striking the pole or bottle. One throw at a time, one team at a time, alternating teams and players.
6.  Scoring:  Feel free to make up your own point system.

Sights of New England, Connecticut, USA

Why are barns red in New England you may wonder?  Okay, maybe you've never wondered but, according to the editor of the Barn Journal (really - no kidding - there is a Barn Journal), ferric oxide (rust), a primary component of red paint, is inexpensive and this appealed to the thrifty farmers of New England and New York State. Red is the predominant barn color in those regions.

Not exactly a barn but it is red.......

........and another one......

......and a little more red..........

.....okay, this is the last one.

There is nothing quite like the elegant simplicity of a dry stack stone wall - a wall made by simply stacking stones carefully and thoughtfully in such a way that no mortar is used to hold it all together.  

Not exactly the precision fitting seen in some old world Central and South American stonework but, artistic and effective nonetheless.

And speaking of stacking, winter is coming and the wood stove is calling......

Soon there will be snow where the flowers bloom today.

Fort Point Channel Vicinity, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

I was feeling a little sluggish today so I thought I'd go to downtown Boston to the Federal Reserve Bank and see if I could pick up some of those "Stimulants" I've been hearing about in the news that the President was giving out.  They informed me that it was "Stimulus" not "Stimulants"  and, NO, I can't have any of those either. They didn't seem to have much of a sense of humor about it.  Oh well, I'm downtown now, I might as well wander........ 

First stop was South Station.  With echoes of yesteryear, this transportation hub serves as a terminus for intercity rail, bus, and subway and has a feel of the excitement of transportation of generations long gone -  without the mind and body-numbing overbearing security mentality we face in today's airports. If you could just take down the tacky advertising banners........

Next stop was Fort Point Channel. In front of the Children's Museum on the Harborwalk stands what might, with tongue firmly in cheek, be called Boston's Stonehenge - not sure what it means - maybe it's a tribute to British cuisine.  Yeah I know, the British don't really have cuisine.

Along this same Harborwalk you can find extremely long  benches (or wide depending on your perspective) designed, no doubt, to accommodate the ever spreading derrieres of overfed and under-exercised Americans who need to sit for a few minutes while they and their kids eat ice cream.

The view back towards downtown Boston across the Fort Point Channel.

Just north of the bridge is the Barking Crab restaurant, a renowned waterfront eatery with branches in Boston and Newport.  I don't quite know what a barking crab is but......a barking spider is a species of tarantula from Australia.  It is also a slang term referring to audible flatulence. But I guess they must know that.

While I was standing there gazing at the skyline, I decided to activate the secret mode on my fancy point and shoot camera.  I learned of this mode from a friend in the secret intelligence service - the mode is called circular ocular generalization with lateral offset polarization (abbreviated as COGLOP).  It generates a momentary shift in physical reality.  It is much like an earthquake but occurs so quickly  that often it is not noticed by regular mortals without special sensory talents.

It was getting darker and odd things always happen after a COGLOP.

With very little light left in the evening sky, I knew I needed to be alert to extra-normal phenomena as a result of the COGLOP.

And then I saw it - the first sign along the waterfront - a riderless bicycle moving stealthily along the harborfront without any visible means of pilotage.

And then - the next sign - truly amazing - who should appear but those Plymouth Digital Photographers (PDP) out and about again!  I can't seem to go anywhere without running into them.  They seem to be anywhere, anytime, any day, any weather.  I think they might need to be reported to the authorities for exceeding the authorized fun limit.

One of the nice things about living in Boston is our rich history of rebellion going back to the founding of our nation. It's an attitude that the rules don't apply to us - clearly these pedestrians are not impressed with rules. Of course the sign is facing the wrong direction........

So as my night was drawing to a close, I headed to the South Street Diner, an open-24-hours-a-day icon from the chrome diner era and who should I find there? - why it's those darn pesky Plymouth Digital Photographers again!  They're everywhere.  Here, in true paparazzi fashion, they had staked out the Diner. They wouldn't divulge who they saw but maybe it was a famous favorite Boston alumnus like Matt Damon or Ben Affleck out for a late snack.  At least a dozen passersby stopped to ask what was happening but the PDP folks would reveal nothing.  Even two police cruisers drove by and said not a word about the tripods in the street.  Those PDP folks wield some awesome power with law enforcement.  Can you guess who it is from looking at the back of his head?