Old Sturbridge Village Antique Sleigh Rally

Saturday (February 22, 2014) – There was a MeetUp on Saturday at Old Sturbridge Village for their Antique Sleigh Rally with the “Discover your passion… For Photography” group. Unfortunately, because it had to be rescheduled from another date because of the  lack of snow earlier this month, the organizer was unable to make it and we were all on our own for the day. There were lots of folks armed with cameras, but no one that I chatted with was there as a part of our group.

All of the horses were working hard pulling their sleighs through the snow. The miniatures were so cute! After the rally was over, I spent the afternoon wandering around the rest of the village.  Below are are my favorite shots from the day. Enjoy!

Plum Island

Sunday (July 14, 1013) – The Newburyport Photowalk group held a Meetup at the Plum Island Lighthouse. E & I headed up there after our afternoon at the Butterfly Place. About 20 members of the group attended. We spent some time down on the beach photographing the water and the pier. Then everyone headed over to the lighthouse.

It was nice to have other photographers around to share ideas with and to give and get advice on camera settings and composition. However, having so may people in such a small area made for some difficulty setting up shots. Someone was always wandering into someone else’s frame.

It is a very beautiful area and I will probably find myself up there again someday, but I could have done without the Noseeums and Greenheads. Below are a selection of my photographs. Enjoy!

Chatham

Saturday (June 22, 2013) – For the weeks leading up to this day, we have been inundated with hype about the “Supermoon”. The photographer in me had all these fabulous shots in my head that I could capture. How could I head off-Cape without at least trying?

So, I slowly started to head West and timed my arrival in Chatham with the sunset/moonrise. Unfortunately, there was too much cloud cover to really see much until after the moon had fully risen into the night sky. But I got some good ones after the clouds cleared and as well as some shots of Chatham Light while waiting for that to happen.

Here are my favorite shots from Chatham. Enjoy!

Nickerson State Park Creatures and Critters

Saturday (June 22, 2013) – I had to pack up in the morning and check out to head home. Rather than get on the highway to deal with Cape traffic of everyone else that had to check out this morning, I instead directed myself further onto the Cape. First stop, Nickerson State Park.

The scenery wasn’t much to look at – lots of tree with several ponds scattered throughout, but I encountered lots of birds and bugs on my walk through the woods and around the water.

The birds were more heard than seen and when seen, would dart away just as soon as I managed to find them in my lens. I did get lucky a couple of times, though.

Below are some of my favorite critters from the morning. Enjoy!

Mayflower Beach Sunset

Friday (June 21, 2013) – Besides being my favorite Cape beach to go during the day, Mayflower Beach in Dennis is a great place to catch sunset over the water. Being on the East Coast in  New England, there are limited places that you can see the sun setting over water. Sunrise over water, no problem, but I would have to get up REALLY, REALLY EARLY to be able to capture a summer sunrise. Anyone that knows me, knows THAT isn’t going to happen often! LOL

Dennis is on the North shore of the Cape, inside the hook, so you are able to look west over the water towards the Canal. On a clear day, you can even see a hint of Boston beyond that.

Here are a few of the shots I captured as the sun sank into the horizon and during the blue hour that followed. Enjoy!

I had a little fun playing around with the 360 degree panoramic setting on my camera.

Hyannis Harbor

Friday (June 21, 2013) – Keeping my wanderings local this day, I headed towards Hyannis and took a couple random turns and see where the roads took me. Apparently, all roads in Hyannis lead to the same couple of spots. LOL! I wound up down by the harbor watching the ferries come and go.

Here are a few shots of my visit. Enjoy!

Baxter Grist Mill

Friday (June 21, 2013) – Right up the street from my vacation spot in West Yarmouth on Route 28 is the Baxter Grist Mill. I drive by it numerous times when I am down the Cape for my vacation every year. Finally, this year, when I was heading out to explore, I stopped to check the area out.

The mill stands on the edge of a small pond that is home to a family of swans as well as a few snapping turtles (as signs in the area warn). An online search afterwards led me to the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth (http://www.hsoy.org/historic/baxtermill.htm) which provided some of the history of the mill. Baxter Grist Mill was built in the early 1700s and operated until around 1900 – an impressive run, if I do say so myself.

As the gate in the fence that surrounds the mill was not locked when I arrived, I was able to get close to the mill and water for some interesting shots. The mama, daddy and baby swans also came over for a quick hello before heading back to their nest in the tall grass on the other side of the pond.

The sandy clearing filled with scrub pine and ant hills was reminiscent of the summers of my youth in the 70s down in Maushop Village in New Seabury – of nights watching the old men play bocce ball after walking up to the village store by the Popponesset Inn for an after-dinner ice cream.

But enough of my waxing nostalgic. Here are a few of my favorite shots from the afternoon. Enjoy!

Sunset on Menauhunt Street

Thursday (June 20, 2013) – As the sun began to set, I packed up and continued along the shore, eventually winding along Menauhunt Street in Falmouth. As the sky turned red, I made my last stop of the day in an area called Bournes Pond. I set myself up for some sunset shots over the saltmarsh. There was a bit of a breeze, so not even the mosquitoes could deter me from staying until the last glow of the sun faded into the darkness of night. Below are a selection of the shots from the night. Enjoy!

Trunk River

Thursday (June 20, 2013) – I followed the shore road and wound my way into the Trunk River area. It’s a tiny little area where River Herring apparently go to spawn, but none were in evidence that day, having finished doing their business between March and May. Many a bird could be heard in the trees and marsh grass that surrounds Trunk River and Oyster Pond, but they were elusive and few were seen. Even fewer were caught by my lens. There were some pretty little flowers that manage to survive the wind and waves that buffet the jetties. Below are a selection of my favorite shots from the area. Enjoy!

Nobska Light, Falmouth

Thursday (June 20, 2013) – After my drive along the canal, I found myself heading into Falmouth. I had never really explored Falmouth before, so armed with my Guide to Cape Cod Lighthouses, I went in search of Nobska Light in Woods Hole. I spent quite a bit of time there, capturing the lighthouse from every conceivable angle.

I crossed the road and climbed down the bluff to explore the rocks along the shore. Probably not my smartest move and I think my route down was more of a rain gully than a walking path, but nothing was getting in the way of this intrepid photographer and the glorious photographs that she imagined waited below! I will say though, getting down was much easier than getting back up. Here are some of my favorite shots from the day. Enjoy!

Along the Cape Cod Canal

Thursday (June 20, 2013) – I was on my own for the day, so I headed off to wander around and see what I could stumble upon. First stop, Cape Cod Canal. I stayed down at the Eastern end, in the area surrounding the Sagamore Bridge. I had some fun experimenting with my new wide angle lens and all sorts of angles and sweeping perspectives. Below are a selection of my shots from the area. Enjoy!

Seagull Beach – Back for sunset

Wednesday (June 19, 2013) – Back to Seagull Beach with Mom after our trip to Heritage Gardens. She was interested in seeing the birds and as timing would have it, we were spot on to catch some great sunset shots. Below are a selection of my photographs from that night. Enjoy!

Heritage Gardens – Part Deux

Wednesday (June 19, 2013) – Mom came down to join me on the Cape for a day or so during my vacation. We went to Heritage Gardens in Sandwich. Although it was between seasons for many of the flowers, the gardens were still magnificent.

We wandered about the many paths and explored every nook and cranny. We found the requisite frogs hidden in the frog pond. I put my macro lens to plenty of use. The day was beautiful!

There were too many pictures to choose from, so I broke the photographs into two blog posts. Below are the second selection of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

Heritage Gardens – Part One

Wednesday (June 19, 2013) – Mom came down to join me on the Cape for a day or so during my vacation. We went to Heritage Gardens in Sandwich. We missed the Rhododendron Festival by about a week and many of the lilies had yet to make an appearance, but the gardens were still magnificent.

There are many paths throughout the grounds to explore. There’s a great frog pond and a beautiful old carousel. There is also a car museum, but we didn’t go inside to check that out. The day was too beautiful!

There were too many pictures to choose from, so I broke the photographs into two blog posts. Below are the first selection of my favorites from the day. Enjoy!

Seagull Beach – Shorebirds, sand & seashells

Monday (June 17, 2013) – I had some time to kill in the morning before L & J and their respective kids arrived for a visit down the Cape, so I headed over to Seagull Beach for a little while to get some shots of the shorebirds. The Piping Plover, Least Tern and American Oystercatcher all nest in the area. They move pretty fast so my reflexes and ability to focus on the fly (no pun intended) were really put to the test. Below are some shots from my morning sojourn to the beach. Enjoy!

Zakim Bridge

Sunday (June 9, 2013) – I was on my way home from Miss S’s 1st Birthday Party in Stoneham. As I was approaching Boston, I realized it was just about sunset and the backdrop of the Zakim Bridge and the city could make for some pretty neat pictures. A quick exit down the Leverett Connector to O’Brien Highway and I was at North Point Park in Cambridge. I also took a walk across the North Bank footbridge to Paul Revere Park on the other side of the railroad tracks. It was a beautiful night and I was able to capture some great shots. Enjoy!