tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16450238836909243422024-03-04T23:46:36.955-08:00JTSVino - What ISJTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-42989373457525178842017-07-10T21:33:00.000-07:002017-07-10T21:37:13.598-07:002017 Tandem Rides July - Georgetown-Newburyport MA (Sunday July 9)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBkBFuud-AYpAqtI5n_qD7BbRhIsmh77C7FMtVRs1mFlW4B7IGf7-qHmhUcLdvazfg4ekvMymcdMUqqaK8kcpON50-O9V7CjxHSljDZ8InqPOg5XotWaRlJJAV-jtEb7AM52wfUbcH-wI/s1600/Georgtown+Newburyport+Bike+Route.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="783" height="452" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBkBFuud-AYpAqtI5n_qD7BbRhIsmh77C7FMtVRs1mFlW4B7IGf7-qHmhUcLdvazfg4ekvMymcdMUqqaK8kcpON50-O9V7CjxHSljDZ8InqPOg5XotWaRlJJAV-jtEb7AM52wfUbcH-wI/s640/Georgtown+Newburyport+Bike+Route.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Route Notes</u><span style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">: Looking for a very flat route, less than 30 miles due to some knee problems. Found this North Shore Cyclist "Winter Route". Roads were generally in excellent condition, smooth pavement. Promised only ~800 feet of elevation gain in 27 miles, and it was quite flat. A few minor rises. Farmland scenery, some swampy areas, bike path leading into Newburyport, through the town, then out along the water. Good bridges for major highway (Rt 95) crossings. </span><br />
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<u style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Start Point</u><span style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">: Perley Elementary School, 51 North St, Georgetown MA</span><br />
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<u style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Weather</u><span style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">: Perfect. Sunny, around 80F. Low humidity, a bit of wind.</span><br />
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<u style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Stops and Sights along the Route</u><span style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">:</span><br />
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Farmland, not so many animals. Green, tree-lined streets</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Bike path leading into Newburyport was a pleasure. Sculptures, and ice cream right at start. A most pleasant way to enter the town.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">After ride, visited garden center in Georgetown with some sculptures out front.</li>
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<u style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 15.4px;">Stops After the Ride</u><span style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;">: </span><br />
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Bradford Tavern for after-ride lunch.</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Stumbled on Winfrey candies on way home - darn good chocolate and candy shop.</li>
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Southernmost extent of bike path leading north to Newburyport.<br />
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Sculptures on the bike path, the little sparrow with the big sparrows.</div>
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Sumac coming into bloom.</div>
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Haley's ice cream at start of bike path, south end. Good ice cream and burgers if you must.</div>
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The orange roar of day lillies.</div>
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Mostly inland but we did see a few lighthouses.</div>
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Big white hydrangeas<br />
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Sculptures for sale at garden center in Georgetown.</div>
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Great chocolate and a "for show" piano at Winfreys. Gave it a whirl with Cleopatra Rag, out of tune and tinny but staff enjoyed it and so did I!</div>
<span style="background-color: #ebf7ff; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><br /></span>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-34822409842507955492017-06-04T19:32:00.001-07:002017-06-06T07:41:29.507-07:002017 Tandem Rides June<span style="font-size: large;">June 4, 2017 - Cape Ann Clockwise Loop - ~26 miles</span><br />
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https://ridewithgps.com/routes/4620498<br />
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<u>Route Notes</u>: Have been circumnavigating Cape Ann for many years, usually starting in Gloucester Stage Fort Park. This time tried alternate start at school at SW corner of the loop. Worked great, plenty of parking, ball playing fields were in use so wasn't completely deserted. Watched kids doing bike stunts at the skateboard park. Bruce Lederer (Bike Rides for Ordinary People, <a href="https://cyclema.com/" target="_blank">Cycle Massachusetts</a>) first showed me these great cycling roads, probably about 2002-3.<br />
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<u>Start Point</u>: O'Maley Innovation Middle School, 32 Cherry St, Gloucester<br />
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<u>Plant of the Week</u>: Lots of abundant bloom and green this time of year. We particularly liked the purple sage flowers, which we are also enjoying at home, snipped into a tiny vase from our vegetable garden. Found a dramatic display, bordering front walkway so viola, it's the plant of the week. Kousa dogwoods looking good, was runner up - I thought I got a picture of one but it turned out to be viburnum. Also saw laburnum, with yellow hanging flower bunches. <br />
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<u>Weather</u>: Rain expected later in the day, so got a somewhat earlier start, ~11 am. Very sunny, beautiful blue skies with some clouds adding much interest. Later in afternoon, about 2 pm or so, it did start to cloud over. I had forgotten my riding vest, but no matter, perfect biking temps really, slightly cool. Wind evident but not impeding progress.<br />
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<u>Stops and Sights along the Route</u>:<br />
<ul>
<li>From parking area - example of dramatic New England ledge in distance.</li>
<li>Great water views going up towards Lanesville and on to Halibut Point.</li>
<li>Rockport - Gelato at Robin's Nest, right on Main St</li>
<li>Cape Ann Museum - sculpture court, great sculptures - would like to visit museum sometime</li>
<li>Gloucester City Hall - magnificent building, towers visible from great distances land or sea</li>
</ul>
<u>Stops After the Ride</u>: Mile Marker Restaurant and Bar at the Cape Ann's Marina Resort, 75 Essex Road - a good find! Dockside bar with entertainment, or quiter restaurant looking out onto marina (our choice). Indoor pool a big attraction for kids. Restaurant restrooms are also the changing rooms for the pool, so great facility for changing out of bike clothes and cleaning up after the ride.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9TWcdlcXkbq7Cqf-1CllWMP0F5U2IjJGVVJi-7BDP-Hp3cld4eEgDJGTNTfffgPEuWaZCKg-eOQPyvq2Kr2hJKcn6Eey4jWprIxBkPCudqsSCMfbk9ypY7qqK80OjAfZSiF_6XvDEK9n/s1600/IMG_5901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9TWcdlcXkbq7Cqf-1CllWMP0F5U2IjJGVVJi-7BDP-Hp3cld4eEgDJGTNTfffgPEuWaZCKg-eOQPyvq2Kr2hJKcn6Eey4jWprIxBkPCudqsSCMfbk9ypY7qqK80OjAfZSiF_6XvDEK9n/s640/IMG_5901.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Crossing on footbridge over "Lobster Cove" into Anisquam, looking south toward Anisquam River.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnu69qKf6-xC5tXFaDeu-gzTXudMVLqT9WWM97UfqrhRQ17omX8W2PplixZLTCXdcFUggmQBB6dlkAfnxzVQ0p6VUo5VbUJxl6luK95hKGYaZhuyQD2VW0ANJUpBw-Dzrx5GX9popTvsyv/s1600/IMG_5902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnu69qKf6-xC5tXFaDeu-gzTXudMVLqT9WWM97UfqrhRQ17omX8W2PplixZLTCXdcFUggmQBB6dlkAfnxzVQ0p6VUo5VbUJxl6luK95hKGYaZhuyQD2VW0ANJUpBw-Dzrx5GX9popTvsyv/s640/IMG_5902.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another view from footbridge, for my nautical pals in GIS.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPdLWm63snwJjnrbAmnTk56O9Wwt8mYFfSvCU27mF2KIDKxdP09dghkWbl6mJzupBKjkGFdfPMY3ubZcvwhRl-xDbQ03nIaX6TPXpVdVMzLnOK3Xt0ZHEnw2UBAGWOqwJFDR9NEgxPv2J/s1600/IMG_5905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPdLWm63snwJjnrbAmnTk56O9Wwt8mYFfSvCU27mF2KIDKxdP09dghkWbl6mJzupBKjkGFdfPMY3ubZcvwhRl-xDbQ03nIaX6TPXpVdVMzLnOK3Xt0ZHEnw2UBAGWOqwJFDR9NEgxPv2J/s640/IMG_5905.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Plant of the week - Sage, purple flowers at peak.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21fmKIaHW5Z60hL-bGm4LA8pGrn24bX95dhgCWS-yI01rZsZc0Ab6IEyIgbKoWCllgI2oWxookSe8EY1K4rI7AUUjbIVm2blBfxc0YLRfNAWRfb_SfZShIf0cOtbTEs4fVEvgfX9TmLeS/s1600/IMG_5909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi21fmKIaHW5Z60hL-bGm4LA8pGrn24bX95dhgCWS-yI01rZsZc0Ab6IEyIgbKoWCllgI2oWxookSe8EY1K4rI7AUUjbIVm2blBfxc0YLRfNAWRfb_SfZShIf0cOtbTEs4fVEvgfX9TmLeS/s640/IMG_5909.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Robin's Nest Gelato - 1 Main St Rockport</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIf8p7zJZPLeF5Y7u7nsb4rrjPLUekIy_SCtJ_De1FOWZT5uH36RKuCi4AkpiOzC_G2n0fZpmKY2iZl4_pcgCyfyfXDMOAfu9wrgKRIi3H6LRZAq8KRDFgTxa41ijKqbCQz3dw63CTF4f/s1600/IMG_5911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmKz_MjZKYRp0LKWpVYoFyzn8B8Q3TENgwByz89sbsmcTiiQSeAGCpF3Fp8qtyvcbjnzIQMqTm3HOlQOvExyMDMv5LkeMycENemtyL6kGbvSRVDx1K9s88vg7rlaZ5sOMAme173Yg1gMf/s200/IMG_5910.JPG" width="200" /> <img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJIf8p7zJZPLeF5Y7u7nsb4rrjPLUekIy_SCtJ_De1FOWZT5uH36RKuCi4AkpiOzC_G2n0fZpmKY2iZl4_pcgCyfyfXDMOAfu9wrgKRIi3H6LRZAq8KRDFgTxa41ijKqbCQz3dw63CTF4f/s200/IMG_5911.JPG" width="200" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Window Boxes in Rockport </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWkKcKdGqKV7XHQuT5LOhR9HVeo4qYstzwSk1fRtXraNi7TSJCMfRwO_Pnsf5ctjrfZnBNT-zcQ5qMwss4lVSWKjz11CWJs0SB95_q5nvyPaiDPSCIk6gBfCC4NWewjWksrUa4NvFnAYH/s1600/IMG_5912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWkKcKdGqKV7XHQuT5LOhR9HVeo4qYstzwSk1fRtXraNi7TSJCMfRwO_Pnsf5ctjrfZnBNT-zcQ5qMwss4lVSWKjz11CWJs0SB95_q5nvyPaiDPSCIk6gBfCC4NWewjWksrUa4NvFnAYH/s640/IMG_5912.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Misery Island Twin Lighthouses</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkclcwvWzsvB1k2hgIyEJw7gVAgxBS0jdCDAsPFPqjnZQ06vl_lPP_1RDjhqCbjgO919nXOoyiktR-qxNe36JsMxq9JS_v4nMFT5fyTeP3ArkUIb93cSVepAQF9dKkk9XjRphKEBzNVmW1/s1600/IMG_5914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkclcwvWzsvB1k2hgIyEJw7gVAgxBS0jdCDAsPFPqjnZQ06vl_lPP_1RDjhqCbjgO919nXOoyiktR-qxNe36JsMxq9JS_v4nMFT5fyTeP3ArkUIb93cSVepAQF9dKkk9XjRphKEBzNVmW1/s640/IMG_5914.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beach near Land's End, Penzance Road</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheFkwuO_7LxfQcV6nmRTHxXhykTVCy0Qz9x5g15mx3cyufLJGgfSVUGVzMDWY3gtExN4kuXD67XIB3M_UQ-g4Ef4xOszI1JYGj_UN1Z-UkRM0sZKgc5LrD0dweRrehrsieU2UNMtsa9rJJ/s400/IMG_5915.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Beach Rose</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N77PfJK1aKdT1RIbX5-iRB4wWNJE6sPJ9XnX3ljbSj1BBjgWP2WBKhD8bt_ptTsEV36B9cYMOqquxR7-AhZqjhOgyHPepj1pXcZZhKOmPCdPmlO40CDiiXveCYyQDSAzG16EpZOxTHRm/s1600/IMG_5919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8N77PfJK1aKdT1RIbX5-iRB4wWNJE6sPJ9XnX3ljbSj1BBjgWP2WBKhD8bt_ptTsEV36B9cYMOqquxR7-AhZqjhOgyHPepj1pXcZZhKOmPCdPmlO40CDiiXveCYyQDSAzG16EpZOxTHRm/s640/IMG_5919.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Gloucester City Hall</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtig0sVf4YEX0awoHBDzwuNna7bj_B4WPeswVjlpewIWePq0iIBoA6j6gdxZJwTtqR_TWCYgJDgly5CK3s0Yi174xYdjT1PvMy5CKInvwQLzP9Tamke_NGuZ-E3gL1LYFcYH0xgPF4ut1T/s1600/IMG_5920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtig0sVf4YEX0awoHBDzwuNna7bj_B4WPeswVjlpewIWePq0iIBoA6j6gdxZJwTtqR_TWCYgJDgly5CK3s0Yi174xYdjT1PvMy5CKInvwQLzP9Tamke_NGuZ-E3gL1LYFcYH0xgPF4ut1T/s640/IMG_5920.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Great statue in courtyard of Cape Ann Museum</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08Q2gPyqZFnodEF_ETRB-pgUf7t9OtJk5kV89tq72V9g0m6-PT7-DTq5QUwOh3eGTyGkCJVQMlGqsw27LKpnQN7Ac0d4MU8yVUCkzexzvEzUozKHuweCXb-h3c3h-E2PpDjDdUt5mo_VV/s1600/IMG_5921.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08Q2gPyqZFnodEF_ETRB-pgUf7t9OtJk5kV89tq72V9g0m6-PT7-DTq5QUwOh3eGTyGkCJVQMlGqsw27LKpnQN7Ac0d4MU8yVUCkzexzvEzUozKHuweCXb-h3c3h-E2PpDjDdUt5mo_VV/s640/IMG_5921.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Another viewpoint</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MZtcolIO2Y8LoaMMKj2VsZjFl5YN-eV4d_n4yF9S2SpvIU6-pN3UM9PvS2SiVhcG_KbWE3UYOgUMCOBEMrhTxBhqrNPVygGF_xc7NheBMA1NEJNOqdubongwNv_VWFeHjwA2EBZVYclE/s1600/IMG_5925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MZtcolIO2Y8LoaMMKj2VsZjFl5YN-eV4d_n4yF9S2SpvIU6-pN3UM9PvS2SiVhcG_KbWE3UYOgUMCOBEMrhTxBhqrNPVygGF_xc7NheBMA1NEJNOqdubongwNv_VWFeHjwA2EBZVYclE/s640/IMG_5925.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spirit of the Sea (1915, bronze) - Albert Henry Atkins (1880-1951)</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6kug1V8XvbYDudb3sZHfA9XnXINyX0lWT0r_t1fj0Opuc3VJkEcOD_EwbQKegoEKxKrwL0xWdipXY9YN6TsnoFLHsXD3dsa2y0AW8TM8hfiCw8xZKJWPAiZt7egY5Ab44nUB7wSJpTs-/s1600/IMG_5926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6kug1V8XvbYDudb3sZHfA9XnXINyX0lWT0r_t1fj0Opuc3VJkEcOD_EwbQKegoEKxKrwL0xWdipXY9YN6TsnoFLHsXD3dsa2y0AW8TM8hfiCw8xZKJWPAiZt7egY5Ab44nUB7wSJpTs-/s640/IMG_5926.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Spirit of the Sea - detail of base. Scary sea monsters?</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRyjQmmcJtU0QuWtwl8ctY0zzG5JALRra6d0em4IcXuXOsNpySAVsJGQhheVIbt2GrAsEqYG85NsZER9q7az3vUK765tVz4yRFwQO2lVd2YTOYcWnVOwVy-N4ti1nAaEt4AFXg7LKu2NS/s1600/IMG_5929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRyjQmmcJtU0QuWtwl8ctY0zzG5JALRra6d0em4IcXuXOsNpySAVsJGQhheVIbt2GrAsEqYG85NsZER9q7az3vUK765tVz4yRFwQO2lVd2YTOYcWnVOwVy-N4ti1nAaEt4AFXg7LKu2NS/s640/IMG_5929.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Plant of Week Runner Up - Virburnum (thought it was Kousa Dogwood)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGI7vZ5ntrKKZtrEtCsHLEDJy1mb4IL7pqZrGWE0PPeR_AMGHDKu9EET0vA7QX2CLFhCzAKfjokAqXov8gnWY6_hhdCL67RFMwwUCiUbuhqiRcLadqYGZ_3W2qubRW7OHTbB2JzSk1M1z/s1600/IMG_5931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikGI7vZ5ntrKKZtrEtCsHLEDJy1mb4IL7pqZrGWE0PPeR_AMGHDKu9EET0vA7QX2CLFhCzAKfjokAqXov8gnWY6_hhdCL67RFMwwUCiUbuhqiRcLadqYGZ_3W2qubRW7OHTbB2JzSk1M1z/s320/IMG_5931.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mile Marker Restaurant at Cape Ann's Marina Resort</span></td></tr>
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<br />JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-73753395847148828792017-05-28T20:51:00.000-07:002017-05-28T20:51:32.025-07:002017 Tandem Rides April-May<h2>
<b>April 16, 2017 - Westford MA 24 Mile Loop</b></h2>
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<img src="https://ridewithgps.com/routes/full/20351920.png?secret_hash=b4cd6979609c9c3d2bce042fa36a79ce1174a349" /><br />
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https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20351920<br />
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First ride in 2017 for the Dragonfly tandem - and our anniversary (29 years). Plant of the week - forsythia was a strong competitor but Sally preferred lilacs. Rest stop at Nashoba Valley Ski area, sat on picnic table looking out onto the slopes. Not quite with the program, I neglected to take pictures. A fun first ride, road testing the bike - no problems at all.<br />
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Since it was our anniversary, after the ride we ate at Moonstones restaurant in Chelmsford - shared a split of champagne!<br />
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Picked up this image online from www.mami-eggroll.com.<br />
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<h2>
May 7, 2017 - Ipswich MA - 30 Miles</h2>
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<img src="https://ridewithgps.com/routes/full/20541400.png?secret_hash=0ad7e01facc93631fbb85da80838ed9aa072736f" /><br />
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https://ridewithgps.com/routes/20541400<br />
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<u>Route Notes</u>: This ride did not work quite as planned. Planning tool maps (RwGPS, Google) all indicated that "Labor in Vain Road" was a through road. In fact, the name is apt - we encountered a robust gate with very clear "No Trespassing" signs at about mile three. It was a pretty road up to that point with access and views of coastal wetland areas. After tracing back, went out Argilla road to Cranes Beach. (Route linked has been edited to remove "Labor in Vain")<br />
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<u>Start Point</u>: Winthrop School, across from Fire Department. Several spots, good for ride start.<br />
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<u>Plant of the Week</u>: Florida dogwoods in pink and more subtle but still spectacular creamy white were unrivaled for plant of the week. Creeping phlox was evident, starting to creep over flowerbeds but just getting started.<br />
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<u>Weather</u>: Started out warm and mostly sunny but got windier, cooler and cloudier as we road. Got a later start, about 1 PM. Finished about 4:30.<br />
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<u>Stops and Sights along the Route</u>:<br />
Cranes Beach<br />
Down East Ice Cream<br />
Pingree School (cool sculptures, sitting area overlooking playing fields)<br />
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<u>Stops after the Ride</u>:<br />
Ipswich Brewery "Brewer's Table" brew pub<br />
Ithaki Mediterranean Restaurant<br />
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At Cranes beach, shielding from the brisk wind.</div>
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Wow, beach plants in bloom - not sure what they are.</div>
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First ice cream stop of the season - long lines already!</div>
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Tulips looking great.</div>
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Cool art at the Pingree School</div>
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Cherry vying for Plant of the Week.</div>
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Cool dog sculpture where we parked in Ipswich, in front of Winthrop School.</div>
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The slightly hidden Ipswich Brewery, brew pub "Brewer's Table".</div>
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<h2>
May 28, 2017 - Wompatuck-Scituate MA - 30 Miles</h2>
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<u>Route Notes</u>: This route worked well, learned some new functionality in RideWithGPS such as cutting out parts of a route. The road through Weir River Farm was not exactly public, so will reroute this (will edit route). Explored parts of the Whitney Spur Rail Trail - new pavement in sections, in others, seems to use the tank paths in Wompatuck?? A good 30 mile route. Might try to incorporate Jerusalem road for even better views next time. The end point also is misplaced in picture above.<br />
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<u>Start Point</u>: Wompatuck State Park, excellent for parking and good bathrooms for changing after ride.<br />
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<u>Plant of the Week</u>: Every plant vying for plant of week - bursting forth. But hard to deny rhododendrons, especially the bright hot pink magenta ones. Some were huge.<br />
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<u>Weather</u>: Started out partly cloudy, some wind, about 70F. Cooler and windier toward shoreline. Started about 12:30 PM. Finished about 4.<br />
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<u>Stops and Sights along the Route</u>:<br />
Scituate Harbor, Nana's Ice Cream<br />
Weir River Farm<br />
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<u>Stops after the Ride</u>:<br />
Oysters Bar and Grille, 254 Church St, Pembroke MA - near entrance to Route 3. Surprisingly excellent food and drinks. Oysters $1 each 4:30-5:30, I had half dozen from Duxbury, excellent. Sally had appetizer of shrimp and fried artichokes, delicious. I had cod, done on a risotto cake with a yellow curry sauce. Perfectly cooked fish, nicely sizzled risotto cake, excellent sauce. Passed on dessert. Drove home up 3 to 95 around West side loop.<br />
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Flag flying strong at Sciuate Harbor - tattered by prevalent wind here. The magenta rhododendrons could not be denied as Plant of the Week. This one actually in our front yard in Arlington, saw some huge ones along the route.</div>
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Stoker Sally at Scituate Harbor. A frequent stop for us - marina, views, seating, bathrooms and ice cream!</div>
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This house had a huge flag, dramatically displayed on this Memorial Day weekend Sunday.</div>
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Excellent find in Pembroke MA, Oysters Bar and Grille.</div>
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Back at home, our lilac was hugely fragrant. Like, knock you over fragrant.</div>
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<br />JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-81978988435670419412014-05-26T14:46:00.000-07:002014-05-26T14:46:19.775-07:00Tandem Adventure - Ned's Point - May 25, 2014I found the "Ned's Point Lighthouse Ride" shortly after moving to the Boston area in 2002, in the "<a href="http://www.bikemaps.com/pktmaps.htm" target="_blank">Pocket Rides</a>" series. Back in those days, I relied mostly on books and paper maps to help plan my biking routes. While I like what sites like "<a href="http://ridewithgps.com/" target="_blank">RideWithGPS</a>" enable us to do, I still like the books which usually included historical and sightseeing ideas. <br />
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There are lots of good rides in this area of southeastern Massachusetts and neighboring Rhode Island. I've found and also created several variations of my own Ned's Point ride. The version we did is a 50-mile loop, essentially as shown below (<a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4837107" target="_blank">Link to Route on RidewithGPS</a>)<br />
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The route starts near Lakeville, MA, aptly named as there are several large ponds with great names: Assawompset, Quitticas (Great and Little), Poksha, Snipatuit, Long Lake. Even after riding here for several years, I've just begun to have any confidence letting these names roll off my tongue.<br />
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Weather started out cloudy, but increasingly sunny throughout the day. We started out at about 11 AM. Wind was present all day, gusty by the time we returned and were blown by winds coming from southeast across the Great Quitticas Lake.<br />
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On this Sunday midway through the 2014 Memorial Day weekend, the roads were relatively quiet. At about mile 8 we stopped for a break at Mary's Pond. An osprey was nesting on a tall post at the edge of the lake, we watched while the parents swooped across the open fields and pond and tended the nest.<br />
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The peninsula that starts at about mile 13 is called Sippican Neck. Quiet residential houses and summer homes, an exclusive golf club at the end called Kittansett. On this ride we learned that the road goes all the way out to the tip, around the golf course, great views. Notice the strong, steady wind stretching out the flag.<br />
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Found this better map (nautical chart) of the region. There is a nice narrow causeway and beach in the "Planting Island" section. Maybe next time we'll see what's on the "Great Hill Point" peninsula, looks like there may be roads according to GoogleMaps.<br />
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We continued around through the quaint town of Marion (almost 100% residential, if there is a restaurant or store they don't seem to show up on Google, and we didn't see any. Nice marina and waterfront though, quiet roads.</div>
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The nasty part of this ride is on Rt 6 West to get to Ned's Point and Mattapoisett. It's a major road, with little shoulder. We were lucky that traffic was very light, although the headwind was strong and loud. The <a href="http://oxfordcreamery.com/" target="_blank">Oxford Creamery</a> is the landmark for turnoff to Ned's Point. It seems to be an institution, although miraculously we've never stopped.</div>
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The park at Ned's Point was delightful, bathroom facilities welcomed, and the lighthouse in good form:</div>
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But we had finished our last KIND bar and were getting hungry. Continued to Mattapoisett harbor and joined the line at the ice cream and sandwich stand. Egg salad and chicken salad sandwiches tasted good, along with some ice cream to fuel the ride back. The general store told us they would start doing lunches in the summer, and some time, we will eat, and maybe even stay at the <a href="http://www.theinnonthepark.com/" target="_blank">Inn on Shipyard Park</a> or the Mattapoisett Inn BandB.<br />
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Years ago, we took the bike path from Mattapoisett to Fairhaven. Maybe one day we will do this again. Could be fun to start ride in this area and stay overnight - I've been wanting to explore New Bedford, especially the <a href="http://www.whalingmuseum.org/" target="_blank">New Bedford Whaling Museum</a>.<br />
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But this time, we enjoyed the improved route back to the car. Wolfe Island road is a dirt road, with gravel. We rode most of it, the car tire tracks had made a smooth surface. But I created the <a href="http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4837107" target="_blank">NedsPt3</a> ride with an alternate route that may avoid dirt roads for a future try.<br />
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After 40 miles of ultra-flat riding, the zippy hills near the ponds are a lot of fun. Just before this, my knee was feeling cramped, so we took a break. Thankfully, that seemed to be all it needed, and we took the hills with gusto. One of the most pleasant endings to a ride, we return across the causeway between two lakes. This time the crosswind was strong and a little unnerving, but we leaned into it, and completed happily.JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-73556809026770540552010-06-13T07:53:00.000-07:002010-12-30T18:08:05.458-08:00Rhode Island Coast RIde<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">Tandem ride on Saturday June 12 2010. The Rhode Island coast is a great place to bike: smooth roads, flat, relatively little traffic. Rural seacoast towns, the Westport city signs even saying "A Right to Farm Community". Starting at Westport Elementary School we went south to Gooseberry Neck (photo above), then north to Tiverton. South along a beautiful srip along the Sakonnet river, then on to Little Compton for lunch, including fantastic local strawberry shortcake. Route is shown below. Click on "Show Details" for more, and you can even vicariously share the ride by clicking on the "Player" link once you are at the Garmin Connect page.</div><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><br /><iframe src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/36695576" width="465" frameborder="0" height="548"></iframe><br /><br />Got lucky with the weather. Despite threats of thundershowers, we only had brief periods of real rain, and temps were warm enough to avoid a chill depite our blazing speed. </div><br /><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WO1SJClQiafZDujN5hIron-kmMw_CxRHzBuKhAozj9JZa-GwOgN4abZO_RWM7-0_94w79YUGij4df57NfkJWi60ggbCysVSAkv8oKwgrSFUkSY86VBPwpWOvdlBAVfyAlSuAInKNwpw3/s1600/DSCN5096.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WO1SJClQiafZDujN5hIron-kmMw_CxRHzBuKhAozj9JZa-GwOgN4abZO_RWM7-0_94w79YUGij4df57NfkJWi60ggbCysVSAkv8oKwgrSFUkSY86VBPwpWOvdlBAVfyAlSuAInKNwpw3/s320/DSCN5096.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>Photos show views of Sakonnet river and an example of the many types of beautiful stone walls seen along this route. Could do a full photo album just showing these walls, and surrounding plantings. Hydrangeas are abundant, at this time of year just beginning to show mature flower blooms (should have taken a photo!). Also saw lupines, and of course the ubiquitous invasives mutliflora rose and honeysuckle.<br /><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivag1FhDCi-GDA_zA9VSN3Y1i06Ingmfb2iWH-QVd9i65XVkbMMgD436cTAMHkPZscBEGHUSrekOXZQ11Is5dQ4jjpuXUY8HlYZuPGUxs5j8KBjwaO4pXdEERddWWi_B4yFO2AoCZ-uc5c/s1600/DSCN5098.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivag1FhDCi-GDA_zA9VSN3Y1i06Ingmfb2iWH-QVd9i65XVkbMMgD436cTAMHkPZscBEGHUSrekOXZQ11Is5dQ4jjpuXUY8HlYZuPGUxs5j8KBjwaO4pXdEERddWWi_B4yFO2AoCZ-uc5c/s320/DSCN5098.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div>The dock at Westport Point combines commercial and pleasure uses. Saw a sign "Shellfish Hatchery" and these lobster cages.<br /><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HsxF2b5wboZyh7pPPXcJX7yqr9pycaY8qh15LXN8l9sOHPeAyEgAcajeLvYXQ-lYRKAyj9VURHWfeAzmYS4JyTMP3wlhIyQyTL7-GU3mNgI2xQGBg2NOrjqLLMam09FfT_fVORhsb2a2/s1600/DSCN5099.JPG"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HsxF2b5wboZyh7pPPXcJX7yqr9pycaY8qh15LXN8l9sOHPeAyEgAcajeLvYXQ-lYRKAyj9VURHWfeAzmYS4JyTMP3wlhIyQyTL7-GU3mNgI2xQGBg2NOrjqLLMam09FfT_fVORhsb2a2/s320/DSCN5099.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-46090836695441241642010-04-11T09:01:00.000-07:002010-04-11T10:14:11.911-07:00Thomas Sims and Learning from Big Mistakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DwFNplDqUYhUHXeXSiotOnT_ubEl6RmHNQIO9t1JMjF_CK0n8xlXOf3QNS2QnL1ekryUy-dVj8NFCw3b_vG345iQDP8rGwrVtIZzWdYZOnpoLFHyK2jHnwqaKEEDCRbxJkeacf0fHow6/s1600/DSCN4970.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DwFNplDqUYhUHXeXSiotOnT_ubEl6RmHNQIO9t1JMjF_CK0n8xlXOf3QNS2QnL1ekryUy-dVj8NFCw3b_vG345iQDP8rGwrVtIZzWdYZOnpoLFHyK2jHnwqaKEEDCRbxJkeacf0fHow6/s320/DSCN4970.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458912417175530130" /></a>Visited Charleston South Carolina, March 17-22, in search of sun and warm weather, bloom, inspiration and R&R. Always a welcome place, they have a Garden Festival in March-April.<br /><div><br /></div><div>It's hard to visit Charleston and not think about history. It's everywhere, well promoted and supported. It's also hard not to feel remorseful and more, reflecting on slavery in our country's history. I learned and relearned much from reading <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=-dMvCTvIEvwC&lpg=PT1&ots=c7OUa8PyPY&dq=a%20short%20history%20of%20charleston%20by%20robert%20rosen&pg=PT1#v=onepage&q&f=false">"A Short History of Charleston"</a> by Robert Rosen. Also some great exhibits at The National Parks Service exhibit at the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/fosu/index.htm">Fort Sumter Visitor Center</a>. At the Visitor Center I read quotes from Abraham Lincoln, shocking, but exhibiting an acute pragmatism, along with a reminder of how we are shaped by our surroundings. <a href="http://www.nps.gov/fosu/historyculture/upload/ls_exhibit_text.pdf">Full text of the Visitor Center Exhibit</a> is available online, another example of the treasure of our NPS. See pg 15 for the Lincoln quote that shocked me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today's Boston Globe ran a story on the <a href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/04/11/when_boston_awoke/?page=1">Thomas Sims Fugitive Slave </a> incident. Despite being a progressive town, in 1851 Boston city government complied with the new Fugitive Slave Law, and dramatically escorted Thomas Sims back to slavery in Georgia. An idealogical hotbed for abolitionism and human rights, Boston citizens did not find a way to stop this. The <a href="http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Caning_of_Senator_Charles_Sumner.htm">Caning of Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner</a> in 1856 in the US Senate chamber is also mentioned. I had to look it up because I'd never heard of such an outrageous action, comparable in some ways to Joe Wilson's "You Lie" not a physical threat, but delivered publicly.</div><div><br /></div><div>The very well-written article by Steve Puleo, also makes a "take home" point: great big mistakes can teach us the error in our ways, and then, foster actual ACTION. I would add, the power of pragmatism being stronger than we acknowledge, uncomfortable or inconvenient consequences are usually required. Sometimes however, just realizing the horror is enough. And it made me wonder, what are the mistakes we are making now, in our personal and collective (political) lives, that should be shocking and energizing????</div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-54444985820418365262010-01-16T09:34:00.000-08:002010-01-16T09:45:03.062-08:00A Short Love Story<div>Ok, what was the last really good love story movie or book you read? No, Casablanca doesn't count. <a href="http://www.caprifilms.com/awayfromher/index.html">Away from Her</a> might. But if you have 16 minutes, you might like this. If you like it, you might consider leaving some comments at YouTube.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><object width="445" height="364"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cbk980jV7Ao&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Cbk980jV7Ao&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre;font-size:10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; white-space: normal; ">"<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao">Validation</a>" is a fable about the magic of free parking. Starring TJ Thyne & Vicki Davis. Writer/Director/Composer - Kurt Kuenne. Winner - Best Narrative Short, Cleveland Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Jury Award, Gen Art Chicago Film Festival, Winner - Audience Award, Hawaii Int'l Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Comedy, Breckenridge Festival of Film, Winner - Crystal Heart Award, Best Short Film & Audience Award, Heartland Film Festival, Winner - Christopher & Dana Reeve Audience Award, Williamstown Film Festival, Winner - Best Comedy, Dam Short Film Festival, Winner - Best Short Film, Sedona Int'l Film Festival.</span></span></span></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-44099924309450792392009-12-22T09:13:00.000-08:002009-12-22T09:46:56.704-08:00"It's Just Dough"I asked a friend of mine, who was a chef, for advice on making pizza dough. I had the recipe, but I wanted to know the arcane secrets and rituals held close by the trade. He admonished "It's Just DOUGH", with little additional explanation. We mixed, kneaded, punched down, rolled out. I've been doing it for years. Can't say that it comes out the same each time, but it's always delicious.<div><br /></div><div>Just Dough (for pizza, or hard dinner bread/rolls)</div><div><br /></div><div>1 Package Quick-Rise dry yeast</div><div>1 Cup Hot Water (about 120 degrees F)</div><div>4 Tablespoons Olive Oil</div><div>1 Teaspoon Salt</div><div>2.5 Cups Bread Flour (or, I usually mix All-Purpose with Wheat at approx 1:1)</div><div>1 Tablespoon Coarse Corn Meal</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>Mix yeast with water in medium-size mixing bowl.</li><li>Stir in 3 Tb olive oil, salt.</li><li>Add in Flour.</li><li>Knead for 7 Minutes, then allow to rest at least 15 minutes.</li></ul><ul><li>Begin Preheating oven with pizza stone placed on a shelf in middle to 475 (at least 450 F).</li></ul><ul><li>Divide dough in half, roll out to 11" rounds.</li><li>Sprinkle pizza peel with corn meal.</li><li>Transfer dough to pizza peel.</li><li>Brush top of dough with olive oil.</li><li>Add desired toppings. Consider adding herbs after baking.</li></ul><ul><li>Bake at 475F on a pizza stone (essential for crisp crust; I haven't tried a perforated metal pan, which might work).</li><li>Usually done in about 15-20 minutes - watch closely, check by lifting with an ovenproof tool.</li><li>Remove the whole pizza stone from oven when done - you need very heavy oven mitts because the stone is VERY VERY HOT.</li><li>Cut with pizza wheel, leave pizza on hot stone to keep crisp.</li></ul></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-60232023499769231602009-08-21T13:49:00.001-07:002009-08-21T14:24:30.529-07:00Local Fest at "Not Your Average Joe's"<div>I've always considered "Not Your Average Joe's" a reliable restaurant. I'm glad that one is conveniently in Arlington center (MA). But I was pleasantly surprised by the creativity and flair they are now showing in their "Local Fest" menu, featured in August. I stopped in for lunch one day last week. </div><div><br /></div><div>Often chefs will make a nod toward use of local ingredients, by offering them in one or two appetizers and entrees. The "<a href="http://www.notyouraveragejoes.com/menu_ne/local_specials_lunch.php">Local Fest Menu</a>" at NYAJ's is a full menu, offered in addition to their regular menu. Not only food, but excellent local craft beer (on draft) and wines are featured. </div><div><br /></div><div>I was tempted to try the locally harvested Semolina Scallops entree. After much deliberation I opted for the Smoked Chicken with Succotash and Polenta when I saw that the chicken was from the Smokehouse in Roxbury. This camera-phone shot doesn't do the dish justice - the meat was juicy, tender and very flavorful, permeated by a smoky taste, but not to excess. The innovative take on succotash worked well, incorporating tiny tomatoes just as tasty as they should be in mid-August along with a flavorful green. The polenta was also quite good, and perfectly cooked. In addition to the Cisco "Sankaty Light" lager, other local beers were available, including the Wachusett "Blueberry Ale".</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzd1NIHA4zhXv74LkjAdNFGEiBlCiGExv3rty-0zq1JjTYzc4PT-CvGEwWOOEugXkEmudRwfaj3YtTshQ6-mkYgTqs60vCNlYZnkDmBhIMAjXdBrYIWChw8SDK74iktaFXk2sKvWLh-3D/s1600-h/NYAJSmokedChicken.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzd1NIHA4zhXv74LkjAdNFGEiBlCiGExv3rty-0zq1JjTYzc4PT-CvGEwWOOEugXkEmudRwfaj3YtTshQ6-mkYgTqs60vCNlYZnkDmBhIMAjXdBrYIWChw8SDK74iktaFXk2sKvWLh-3D/s320/NYAJSmokedChicken.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372526710162717458" /></a><div><div>The chefs at NYAJ's have risen above and beyond in the challenge to showcase local bounty. One can only hope that this will become a regular feature of the menu. Bravo!</div></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-64008202912946762282008-09-25T04:43:00.000-07:002008-10-01T04:30:44.166-07:00Team Darryl Granola Bars<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9Wpo4CNxOta-AsKw05DxfDBybz7dZPsqxJsCN5fUmM6vpVXfUWVlH8RH4uhQ0nJ9gsUc-PSeRuN_JEoSiaL0RyMnxfgINsVFAh0xWhiws2AsqI4Sv-WyaJA34sOzREGdmiGavKG6_-wa/s1600-h/DSCN4103.JPG"></a>Team Darryl is a group made up of friends and family of Darryl Goss. Darryl is an extraordinary person, who I was lucky to meet while we both were riding our bikes in the 2006 "<a href="http://www.tristatetrek.com/">Tri State Trek</a>" fundraiser for the ALS Therapy Development Institute (<a href="http://www.als.net/">ALS-TDI</a>). Darryl has ALS, and has inspired us all by the way he is meeting the realities of this disease.<br /><br />Team Darryl rode bikes and worked as support crew for the Tri State Trek in 2008. Together Team Darryl will raise over $20,000 in 2008, which goes directly to fund research at the ALS-TDI in Cambridge MA, a non-profit biotech company with the sole mission of finding a cure for ALS. I'm not sure what the total for all riders is, but I think it is more than $400,000! On September 21 2008, some members of Team Darryl met to have some fun riding bikes again, in the 2008 "<a href="http://www.hubonwheels.org/">Hub on Wheels</a>" ride through the city of Boston. I made the Granola Bars using the recipe below.<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251777962052750386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwiMwfGT3T5lsj2L1yS-lzJDTofZg66HxNcuIcERHD-83qQOw6x2QSeRRLsd49rw0mf6t0Sk4I7Y2I0NLL0Yl9IEQqGGJypX3IQAZnGWfpMfBpYwuUCOdVgNauHmAHLKBRnZmw0317Rsr/s320/DSCN4103.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div>"Team Darryl" Granola Bars<br /><br />1 cup rolled oats<br />1/2 cup sesame seeds<br />1/2 cup dried apricots or dried mango, finely chopped<br />1 cup raisins or dried cranberries<br />1 cup chopped walnuts<br />1/2 cup nonfat powder milk<br />1/2 cup raw wheat germ<br />1/2 cup brown sugar<br />1 cup honey (use buckwheat for stronger malty flavor)<br />1 cup almond butter (can sub peanut butter or cashew butter)<br />Canola oil (just enough to lightly coat baking tray) </div><div>Salt<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350F<br /><br />Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well with wooden spoon.<br /><br />Oil baking sheet (10x14" fit well) with canola oil; spread mixture flat and evenly. Salt the slab lightly, or to taste. (Salt was not in original recipe but I think it helps both in taste and for replacing salt lost during activities like biking or running or biking or hiking or biking. Remember our leader Mat Mendel's advice: "Enjoy the pickles!")<br /><br />Bake 10-15 minutes, until just showing signs of crispness around edges, or to your preferred degree of toast.<br /><br />Let cool completely, then cut into bars (but leave in pan). I used a pizza wheel and knife.<br /><br />Place uncovered in fridge or freezer to harden.<br /><br />Remove bars from pan and wrap individually with waxed paper or foil (wax paper is the greener option).<br /><br />This recipe was published in the Boston "Weekly Dig" newspaper, and was attributed there to "Kevin Hays, Category 4 bike racer and speedy metabolizer".</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>If you like the Team Darryl Granola bars, please consider making a donation to help Darryl meet the extraordinary expenses he is facing to cope with ALS. You can give me (Joe) a check for any amount made out to "FBO Darryl" or mail it to FBO Darryl, 14 Connecticut Avenue, 2nd FloorSomerville, MA 02145.</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>If you want to join Team Darry, and ride or crew for the 2009 Tri State Trek (July 24-26 2009) just let me know, and I'll ask our mascot bear to pay you a visit! </div><div></div><div></div><div align="center">See <a href="http://www.tristatetrek.com/">http://www.tristatetrek.com/</a>.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251777962736634930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZJr-QMPJbF8HOQs5nHws-UhX497_78EdaIIj-6dU46sbQI2MtLqb-dvWXNYCspBKbu9mQTccHnTs8PO584pVFsxUisRKq_uaNvh7v0oUoottD75ay70Q5IiFCt-0OCW6pKFprQ2vjCR6B/s320/DSCN4106.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-64614436791470834232008-09-14T08:37:00.000-07:002008-09-14T08:58:40.471-07:00Barbequed Shrimp RecipeHere is a favorite recipe for BBQ'd shrimp, of a style you might find in New Orleans, where sometimes crawfish might substitute for the shrimp. Traditional presentation would be with sauce coating shrimp with shells intact. I usually do the shelling in the kitchen prior to cooking the shrimp in the recipe. Another alternative would be to prepare the sauce only, and then cook shrimp "on the barbie" outside. Don't be daunted by the long ingredient list. Some can be left out, or have fun improvising. Thickness of sauce can be tweaked by chef too.<br /><br />1/4 cup butter (half stick, cut into chunks)<br />4 cloves garlic, minced<br />1 bay leaf<br />1 teaspoon crushed rosemary leaves (a mortar and pestle is helpful)<br />2 teaspoon paprika<br />1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper<br />2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice<br />1/2 teaspoon dried basil (or 1/4 chopped fresh)<br />1/2 teaspoon oregano<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1 Tablespoon brown sugar<br />1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper<br />2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce<br />1/2 cup dry white wine (Gewurztraminer or Pinot Gris work well but anything tart is fine).<br /><br />2 pounds large shrimp (can be in shell or peeled, as you prefer).<br /><br />In a large wide skillet, melt butter and saute garlic on very low heat for two minutes only. You don't want the garlic to brown at all. Stir in bay leaf, rosemary, paprika, black pepper, lemon juice, basil, oregano, salt, brown sugar, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce and cook for 1 minute.<br /><br />Increase heat to medium, add shrimp and shake to coat with seasonings, about 2-3 minutes. Add wine, heat, being sure to not overcook shrimp. Serving suggestion: in bowls with sauce poured over with crusty french bread on the side.JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-8469695620251984422008-03-31T05:22:00.001-07:002009-01-05T09:37:00.323-08:00No More VictimsArlington singer/songwriter Vance Gilbert showed off his many talents -- invoice and on guitar -- last night at the Arlington Center for the Arts. What a joy it is to hear him sing and play! Check out his work at <a href="http://www.vancegilbert.com/">http://www.vancegilbert.com/</a> He was performing at a benefit, attended by 140, to help a group that raises money for Iraqi children maimed in the current war. The group is called No More Victims (<a href="http://www.nomorevictims.org/">http://www.nomorevictims.org/</a>) You can see a story about Omar, a boy the group is helping, here:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Benefit-held-for-injured-Iraqi-children/1206843954.html">http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/Benefit-held-for-injured-Iraqi-children/1206843954.html</a><br /><br />Omar and his dad were present last night.JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-70954771097242321402008-03-09T21:23:00.000-07:002008-03-09T21:55:51.296-07:00Red Midnight<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42m3Dgf3a3L97jRiKuRQd3bksjEFPi5xv4G3v5KiKpHl7PskiyzdxHPoN_vuuxn8FTJCvhjES3pOvvTKuEMRCRSN8_Op8qHvbdQbuJvibmg0wV6dPfVMBKAWmYFDB4iSI9RS9vjIJbwha/s1600-h/Red+Midnight.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175967506282444882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg42m3Dgf3a3L97jRiKuRQd3bksjEFPi5xv4G3v5KiKpHl7PskiyzdxHPoN_vuuxn8FTJCvhjES3pOvvTKuEMRCRSN8_Op8qHvbdQbuJvibmg0wV6dPfVMBKAWmYFDB4iSI9RS9vjIJbwha/s320/Red+Midnight.jpg" border="0" /></a> I just finished reading "Red Midnight" by Ben <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Mikaelsen</span> (2002). My young friend J (17 years old) was reading it for high school. He was quite enthusiastic about this book so I thought I'd give it a read. It is about a young man named Santiago, about J's age who is an "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">indigeno</span>" in Guatemala in 1981. During this time, government forces committed many atrocities on native people, in the name of preventing the spread of communist regimes in central America. One night soldiers descend upon Santiago's village, killing everyone and burning the village to the ground. Santiago manages to escape, along with his sister Angelina.<br /><br />They take a sea kayak, called a "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">cayuco</span>" that an uncle had built, and attempt an escape to America by sea. This requires great courage and perseverance by Santiago. As I read the book, it occurred to me why J might like this book. Santiago is a character that J can relate to. J is at a stage in his life where he is venturing into the unknown, and having to learn new things fast. There is some danger. J is physically strong and resourceful like Santiago, and rises to the challenges as they present, with a confidence that calmly accepts what is required. J also has the qualities of duty to family and tenderness, as did Santiago. Thanks J for a good book recommendation, and best of luck to you as you set sail on your great adventure of life.JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-31798075241540999452008-02-23T14:06:00.000-08:002008-02-23T14:29:06.604-08:00Lunar Eclipse February 20 2008<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAADvp2s-RmRs17nEWghVgqMUNZSyyI2JIfveYe5cC_KtZ_a6qu_domzXIb2mBFLu4tk5bfO3IHwAtYlhmNy4ZQUatrQ39g1IE8HPLLAYkpikkzfa4waWO5L3zgRfrQAXoBOFox4m9hjni/s1600-h/Eclipse+080221+Alin+Tolea+Baltimore.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAADvp2s-RmRs17nEWghVgqMUNZSyyI2JIfveYe5cC_KtZ_a6qu_domzXIb2mBFLu4tk5bfO3IHwAtYlhmNy4ZQUatrQ39g1IE8HPLLAYkpikkzfa4waWO5L3zgRfrQAXoBOFox4m9hjni/s400/Eclipse+080221+Alin+Tolea+Baltimore.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Photo by Alin Tolea, Baltimore MD, USA </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br /></div>On Wednesday night, February 20th there was a total lunar eclipse, viewable from ~8PM-midnight in the Eastern US. The moon was full and bright as viewed from Arlington MA, temperatures in the 20s (F), clear and cold. Thin wispy clouds veiled the spectacle for short periods, but for the most part the viewing conditions were superb. As shown in the sequence photos below, the shadow started on the lower left, and proceeded across until only a thin crescent of brightness remained. Although not shown in the photos, an interesting pattern of stars flanked the moon, especially visible near the peak of the eclipse. These stars made a kite-like pattern with the moon. I viewed from my house, but did venture out for periods to see it directly (no intervening window) and feel the night air. I bundled up and sat in an Adirondack chair on the front patio. The colors were truly remarkable, Alin Tolea's photo being quite close to what I experienced in Arlington, Massachusetts. Thanks to Alin, and to Herman Heyn, Baltimore's "Street Corner Astronomer" for sending me the stunning photo. This was the most dramatic celestial event visible to the naked eye that I have seen in a long time.<br /><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Eh9v3KpYVf_2hJOoigeShvncrzMWKjBg7oy1pp1jN-AtVcQmlN4nOyGtWLYepUdWvLXBqBrqZidZQOz10DuSOJjJ1ipj4leXcMurXdBNcWIiQ6qOZoXo0YRgiPFIHjuMEqvZONGiLMOQ/s1600-h/Eclipse+080221+Jay+Hagenbuch+Arlington.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" style="WIDTH: 407px; HEIGHT: 49px" height="93" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Eh9v3KpYVf_2hJOoigeShvncrzMWKjBg7oy1pp1jN-AtVcQmlN4nOyGtWLYepUdWvLXBqBrqZidZQOz10DuSOJjJ1ipj4leXcMurXdBNcWIiQ6qOZoXo0YRgiPFIHjuMEqvZONGiLMOQ/s400/Eclipse+080221+Jay+Hagenbuch+Arlington.jpg" width="459" border="0" /></a><br />Photo by Jay Hagenbuch, Arlington, Massachusetts USA (Click to see larger image, this clip doesn't do justice to this gorgeous composite that Jay created).<br /></div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9ULJX4KAEiWkJkNLpFNZTk2eR6Mj8r7zq8qlqMba5zmHLLWCtcTr2YH-G4MLob33hy1qUUTuAIuNOIu8oWtJEaLFi9Y5rMOy045-vE064F4xNvYAtPuf1CV_D_GY8OfCT2TOvCiFt8-X/s1600-h/Eclipse+080221+Stan+Honda+Titusville+FL.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9ULJX4KAEiWkJkNLpFNZTk2eR6Mj8r7zq8qlqMba5zmHLLWCtcTr2YH-G4MLob33hy1qUUTuAIuNOIu8oWtJEaLFi9Y5rMOy045-vE064F4xNvYAtPuf1CV_D_GY8OfCT2TOvCiFt8-X/s400/Eclipse+080221+Stan+Honda+Titusville+FL.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Photo by Stan Honda, Titusville, Florida USA</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWeg83xKA-zIpDUIrxo52950gt3JZ4W09EL0fqapjlekE95AfscKnky5gVPiIzJZPVfzZYUifHXbT9ZzZZnBbWlgRJwhn9mnWaLuFGmVY2xD58g0pmZyL9OQA7TNvTPfDZD-Hg0XCZnFu/s1600-h/Eclipse+080221+AP+Stedman+NC.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhWeg83xKA-zIpDUIrxo52950gt3JZ4W09EL0fqapjlekE95AfscKnky5gVPiIzJZPVfzZYUifHXbT9ZzZZnBbWlgRJwhn9mnWaLuFGmVY2xD58g0pmZyL9OQA7TNvTPfDZD-Hg0XCZnFu/s400/Eclipse+080221+AP+Stedman+NC.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Photo by AP, Stedman, North Carolina, USA<br /><br />Pay a visit to MR ECLIPSE at <a href="http://www.mreclipse.com/">http://www.mreclipse.com/</a> for more info on eclipses.</div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-26711349387974431392008-02-09T21:56:00.000-08:002008-02-23T14:33:28.452-08:00BSO at Symphony Hall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9sPw4g5AIBg5DTsiynpVGT6Sp_sxs6LE8GmI-qoFDoXyD4hAUBXt1d7WQmN7nhcUW9MxSAYisGSFvEJCa0IbP-x6ZQlhH__9X6SWzeQZyoTcxe6L7yYh_soRcp744h7xtxQ7dbsf7fQs/s1600-h/bso+organ.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOjs1_ewOSTGN0-GVQWayTP5TT3ikkOMFQ6yERrKyvUBOL3ydqp_nr-LNXWyTqYX55RNOLIFEmojlZjmau0TreOKiAh9O7AQs1at9LsfpL8mGEEI9L0ylByR1gNZ4TzOFa7Ln5dPvNfHx/s1600-h/BSO1.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165227751776032754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaOjs1_ewOSTGN0-GVQWayTP5TT3ikkOMFQ6yERrKyvUBOL3ydqp_nr-LNXWyTqYX55RNOLIFEmojlZjmau0TreOKiAh9O7AQs1at9LsfpL8mGEEI9L0ylByR1gNZ4TzOFa7Ln5dPvNfHx/s320/BSO1.gif" border="0" /></a> A delightful Boston Symphony Orchestra program at Symphony Hall on Saturday night (2/9/2008):<br /><br />FRANK MARTIN (Swiss, 1890-1974): Petite symphonie concertante, for harp, piano, harpsichord, and double string orchestra (1946)<br /><br />SERGE PROKOFIEV (Russian, 1891-1953): Violin Concerto No. 1 in D, Opus 19 (1923)<br /><br />CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (French, 1835-1921): Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Opus 78, "Organ Symphony"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp;jsessionid=CPGMVLHG2IU40CTFQMGSFEQ?id=2900098">Charles Dutoit</a> conductor<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp;jsessionid=CPGMVLHG2IU40CTFQMGSFEQ?id=2100265">Ann Hobson Pilot</a> harp<br /><a href="http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp;jsessionid=CPGMVLHG2IU40CTFQMGSFEQ?id=1000055">Randall Hodgkinson</a> piano<br /><a href="http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp;jsessionid=CPGMVLHG2IU40CTFQMGSFEQ?id=24300142">Mark Kroll</a> harpsichord <a href="http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp;jsessionid=CPGMVLHG2IU40CTFQMGSFEQ?id=24300096"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp;jsessionid=CPGMVLHG2IU40CTFQMGSFEQ?id=24300199">Viviane Hagner</a> violin<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bso.org/bso/mods/bios_detail.jsp;jsessionid=CPGMVLHG2IU40CTFQMGSFEQ?id=24300096">James David Christie</a> organ<br /><br />The Martin piece opening the program was new to me - an exploration of what can be done with strings: plucked by a harpist, struck by a pianist, plucked by a harpsichordist, bowed by a solo violinist (or viola, cello, bass), or pizzacoto. Some familar lush sounds, but also some unusual interplays, rhythmic effects and tone colors. I would have been hard pressed to guess the year this piece was written - clearly modern in tonality, but at the same time more familiar. All created with strings alone - no woodwinds, percussion or horns.<br /><br />The Prokofiev violin concerto was also unfamiliar to me, although the program notes tell of frequent BSO performances since the BSO gave the US premier in 1925 with soloist Richard Burgin, Serge Koussevitzky conducting. Gypsy-like at times, now the solo violin has its usual support from orchestral strings and woodwinds, brass, percussion and harp. Some passages where the soloist and harpist played together were reminiscent of the previous (Martin) piece.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5166894297871128642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRbZx9FrSH-pvesbfiFXlvA2K9NqrDCYcGc27aKoW0RBNxNdvecVyTxK4A8HKtTRFwydlG4WCDd1j6OSIfvvuYT-9cIehzvxgSBCGEfxckAwpUS406dF_YaN5TkiP-Fmw3VD1VzK0uHcPE/s320/VivianeHagnerCDutoitBSO080208.bmp" border="0" /><br /><br /><em>Photo from Boston Globe (2/92008): Charles Dutoit conducts violinist Viviane Hagner, making her debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, in Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1 at Symphony Hall last night. (Michael J. Lutch)</em> </p><p><a href="http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/02/08/the_symphony_that_gives_a_hall_its_voice_back/">http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/02/08/the_symphony_that_gives_a_hall_its_voice_back/</a><br /><br />The Saint-Saens Symphony - what a great chance to hear the magnificent Aeolian-Skinner organ, in this unusual two-movement symphony. The organ enters stealthily in the first movement, with some tones so low you feel that you can count the vibrations/second on your fingers. You can certainly feel them come through the air and floor of the hall, even in the far corner of the 2nd balcony. The second movement especially brings some familiar themes. This time the organ has a dramatic entrance with a huge chord. Definately not an organ concerto, rather the organ is presented more like another instrument of the orchestra, although with a huge range of pitch and color.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></p><div><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165230431835625490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5ZIzM_I-yHu_OFMIdxKNRgBr0jvB-NiP0Bt7AzPxjYNNJadJtx4a0EEM9EDPtnthikwADLSjkjI92fVwzxFKuoUti5Eo1qWi0radEOGIj9KYr1WHEQaOfR-gW6kg7w1d3JHpOa63kv5HM/s320/bso+organ.jpg" border="0" />When I lived near Philadelphia, I remember seeing Charles Dutoit conduct summer concerts at the outdoor "Mann Center" which overlooked the Philly skyline. Some nights were very hot, and he labored in the heat. I always felt he had an exceptionally clear beat, and would be a conductor that musicians would like playing under - clear but poetic and exciting.</div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-2664911055008310332007-07-14T04:18:00.000-07:002007-07-28T05:19:19.121-07:00Gerald Finzi - English ComposerAs long as I've been listening to classical music, I'm delighted that I can still hear something new (to me) that hits like a breath of fresh air. At 7AM on weekend mornings, Boston's "NPR Arts and Culture" radio station WGBH plays a nature soundtrack. The nature sounds then fade out as a musical selection, usually gentle and blooming fades in. Today the music was a piece by Gerald Finzi, his Romance for Strings, Op. 11, performed by William Boughton and the English String Orchestra. Finzi has been described as a "pastoralist" style composer.<br /><br />There is so much newness and richness around us. Today, I may have been more receptive because I'm considering myself "on vacation". Oh, summer is sweet.<br /><br />Brian McCreath is the Producer and Host of the "Classical Weekend". His musical selections for the program are inspired. He hosts the show in a friendly and informative yet unobtrusive style, putting the music first. I often wish I could just sit and listen to the program start to finish - occasionally I do! He also responded personally to my email inquiry about the exact title of this Finzi piece, which I appreciate.<br /><br /><br />Gerald Finzi, English Composer<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDgC31F7Us_lMuAQJaeYqrJvYGWSxkpq33m9-MQZgTMla0okGDngTcEhW_ciZCu7Oe4fp5tU45gCsMejdwaxljlNGBJMv6zk43FlQymJW_JZzZUWFwkchS0H3MVk8DFsBNL7GYK_sWx4r/s1600-h/Gerald+Finzi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5087019568387645330" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDgC31F7Us_lMuAQJaeYqrJvYGWSxkpq33m9-MQZgTMla0okGDngTcEhW_ciZCu7Oe4fp5tU45gCsMejdwaxljlNGBJMv6zk43FlQymJW_JZzZUWFwkchS0H3MVk8DFsBNL7GYK_sWx4r/s320/Gerald+Finzi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Born: 14 July 1901, London (England)<br />Died: 27 September 1956, Oxford (England)<br /><br />The works of the English composer Gerald Finzi do not add up to any great number. So why is it that his compositions demand such attention? The main reason is the sheer quality of the music. His settings of Hardy and Shakespeare have never yet been equalled in their tunefulness, colour and skill of word-setting. His anthems guide the listener along an epic spiritual journey, for example, the moving ‘Lo the Full, Final Sacrifice’ which shows Finzi at his most intensely, profound, leading to surely the most beautiful ‘Amen’ coda in all music. His instrumental compositions are lyrical and at times have a distinctly English melancholy, as seen in his vast Cello Concerto (the last work he wrote) which takes the listener through the whole gamut of emotions which a composer, with his life literally hanging in the balance (from leukaemia), experienced. He was deeply influenced by the composers and other artists working around him, notable examples including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Herbert Howells, Edmund Blunden, Gustav Holst, and his wife, the artist Joy Finzi (nee Black). Other than music, he was also an experienced apple farmer, and saved many English apples from obscurity in his orchard at Ashmansworth, Hampshire. An extremely well-read man, his knowledge of English literature was perhaps one of the deepest at the time, as seen by his extensive library now housed at Reading University. Perhaps it was through this living ‘in’ the poetry of his homeland that his music naturally pervades each text, breathing life into it and sounding completely at one with the words. As an introduction to Finzi’s skill as a songwriter look no further than his masterpiece of the Shakespeare setting, ‘Let us Garlands Bring.' Gerald Finzi may have left us few works, but they are have such polish and complete mastery, that one wonders why they are not more popular.<br /><br />Above paragraph from: http://www.classical-composers.org/comp/finzi<br /><br />Of course, see also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_FinziJTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-50002062983819116712007-05-20T11:08:00.000-07:002007-05-20T12:13:14.145-07:00Beringer Winetasting at Prudential Observatory, Boston Back Bay<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO_ovmPkC2sYLfGaCQjHqmy7UX5tMmQwxl_BTnU3SJmOyd5VIjvhoH_GmV4_Lgav79NpSx70InhqxYWJzrq6pBmZJAqqrNG2JDV8eKDd70SjtP20PSkL9Qq3mVF2y9VpSrigcrTOOfQ3x/s1600-h/WineGlasses.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiO_ovmPkC2sYLfGaCQjHqmy7UX5tMmQwxl_BTnU3SJmOyd5VIjvhoH_GmV4_Lgav79NpSx70InhqxYWJzrq6pBmZJAqqrNG2JDV8eKDd70SjtP20PSkL9Qq3mVF2y9VpSrigcrTOOfQ3x/s320/WineGlasses.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066716749672177298" /></a><br /><br />Wow what luck I had this past Friday evening.<br /><br />I poked around online to see what was going on, and I came across a notice for a Meals on Wheels benefit winetasting at the top of the Prudential tower in Boston's Back Bay, hosted by Beringer at 6:30. Requested donation, $5.<br /><br />This just sounded too good to be true but I thought I'd go over. I fully expected to either not get in or find out that some deep pocket $$ commitment was required, or ???. The Meals on Wheels people couldn't have been nicer. I paid my $5 for entry. Despite the rainy cloudy conditions the view was stunning, looking over the Esplanade, bridges, Cambridge at twilight. There was cheese and crackers and an "intro" glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Delicious.<br /><br />I arrived a bit late and most folks were seated at round tables covered with white tablecloths, with five wineglasses at each setting. Doug Frost hosted the tasting, taking us through the B Chardonnay and Private Reserve Chardonnay, the Pinot, and the Knights Valley and Private Reserve Cabernet. Doug was lively, funny and knowledgeable. He is a real wine professional, one distinction being that he is one of three poeple in the world to be both a Master Sommolier and Master of Wine. <a href="http://www.dougfrost.com/">http://www.dougfrost.com/</a><br />Doug showed slides of the CA Napa Valley Wine Country, the history of Beringer, the famous Beringer Rhein House.<br /> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNQylqpQstbI0MmGtbVg4yqPV0sAHVqojH6Q6mXHYT72uCgSUAjXovJcbtVytRbGVh0Lwv0VROq7LLmuyUacai9kotOJQCs3xndwbFLPsUaRGpITalIosd5_O9JPwffgPJeIohMaeSNGE/s1600-h/rhine_house_beringer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNQylqpQstbI0MmGtbVg4yqPV0sAHVqojH6Q6mXHYT72uCgSUAjXovJcbtVytRbGVh0Lwv0VROq7LLmuyUacai9kotOJQCs3xndwbFLPsUaRGpITalIosd5_O9JPwffgPJeIohMaeSNGE/s320/rhine_house_beringer.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066715186304081538" /></a><br />I enjoyed all the wines. The chardonnays reminded me how much I've liked both of these bottlings from Beringer over the years. The reserve was full of so much flavor, unusually multi-dimensional for a white wine. The Pinot was made in a lighter style but elegant and balanced. The cabs showed that you can get a tasty structured cab with balanced fruit for less than $20 (Knights Valley), and also why the Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet at $100+ is such a popular collectible.<br /><br />The setting was really beautiful. While sipping the wines and listening to the presentation, I was drawn to the view out the window.<br /><br />The tasting was about half full. A young couple sitting next to me were visiting the area from Texas. They chanced on the winetasting when they were going to the Prudential Skywalk Observatory. After the tasting I pulled them over to the window and pointed out some local landmarks. After the semi-formal part of the tasting we were offered another glass of wine along with cheese crackers and more of the great views. I stopped at the Meals on Wheels table on the way out, thanked them profusely and made an additional donation to their worthy cause. I had rushed out and forgotten my camera, so I borrow this image from someone in the www community (thanks):<br /><br /><a href="http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/3277/1145180626028148476S500x500Q85.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://inlinethumb14.webshots.com/3277/1145180626028148476S500x500Q85.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-11745589679472694652007-04-25T19:54:00.000-07:002007-04-26T21:34:25.547-07:00Baltimore's Street Corner Astronomer<div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left">I met Herman M. Heyn, Baltimore's "Street Corner Astronomer" on April 3 2007 at Harborplace. Appropriately, that is the USS "Constellation" behind him.</div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_znms7kuKmcisHpL4Ig-LExziFvLN1a9vpJBC_MyoIOPG2WyFBtlbvP_8N28IUQiA_4CJPUIAjP8KFtt8BkhUQJ-XXv8Uul2QULvwW5X7m1Uew0Di_rNubXZ-qaZzW9b8CnYbfZyzVGK/s1600-h/DSCN2324.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw_znms7kuKmcisHpL4Ig-LExziFvLN1a9vpJBC_MyoIOPG2WyFBtlbvP_8N28IUQiA_4CJPUIAjP8KFtt8BkhUQJ-XXv8Uul2QULvwW5X7m1Uew0Di_rNubXZ-qaZzW9b8CnYbfZyzVGK/s400/DSCN2324.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left">I was traveling on business and had stopped to stroll around Harborplace for old time's sake (having lived in Bawlmer in the early 80's). Herman invited me, and all other passersby to view Saturn through his excellent telescope. The first time I saw Saturn's rings and its largest moon Titan through a telescope, in Santa Barbara CA in 1988 I was thrilled. Seeing it again, was thrilling again. What a stunning (and perplexing) observation those rings must have been to early astronomers - Galileo in 1610, who thought that Saturn might consist of three closely clustered spheres like "ears", and then Christiaan Huygens who in 1655 saw a ring, using a much improved telescope. In 1675, Giovanni Domenico Cassini realized that Saturn's ring was actually composed of multiple smaller rings with gaps between them; the largest of these gaps was later named the Cassini Division. There's a reason I like the nice toys.</div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left">Herman shared with me by email the photo he took below of the "northern lights". He took the photo at ~2AM on November 5 2001 on a farm ~20 miles north of Baltimore. (Photo specs.: 50mm lens, f/1.7, Kodak Gold 200, ~15-sec.exposure). Wow. "What IS" is more varied, vast and beautiful than we can possibly imagine. What we can do is open our senses (eyes, ears, nose, taste, touch, mind), be still and feel our connectedness to it all.<br /></div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGLEYTPZ3bfih6ybU1qU5QIexTBREZFZD_pjtVOowC-CfyN9hJN3wRNtArYSDUFMaowyhw_H1_ldCoFAO4EFDxUp-KZtuVdKI21-rWFvTpJdFDv6iJ2CTgLlU3eO2xRYZtxckdJC0HmNN/s1600-h/auroraborealis-baltoco,md-11601-hermanheyn.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbGLEYTPZ3bfih6ybU1qU5QIexTBREZFZD_pjtVOowC-CfyN9hJN3wRNtArYSDUFMaowyhw_H1_ldCoFAO4EFDxUp-KZtuVdKI21-rWFvTpJdFDv6iJ2CTgLlU3eO2xRYZtxckdJC0HmNN/s400/auroraborealis-baltoco,md-11601-hermanheyn.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><br />Thank you Herman, for your generous spirit, curiosity and fascination for What Is.</div><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057589626598495282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QCSUdxliZuD493N5-oeSrVQC1awVyhanpNZCiMPyjkmB9n0_S6evttaeWeSuuF6xAgw6IeVKdvQ1fozhp9YjU5VdqPNIeVmqajRG9OdN-9Npt9-GU10XQfSCKpsYufAwYDG8VDyPf3eb/s320/Carina+Nebula.jpg" border="0" />"In celebration of the 17th anniversary of the launch and deployment of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, this, one of the largest panoramic images ever taken with Hubble's cameras, is being released. It is a 50-light-year-wide view of the central region of the Carina Nebula where a maelstrom of star birth - and death - is taking place. "</p><p><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_810.html">http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_810.html</a></p><p>Image credit: NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley), and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA) </p><p>Thank you Nathan, UC, Hubble Heritage Team, NASA, American Taxpayers, and all other who made this image possible and have contributed to our understanding of it. Here is Nathan's bio and a bit more about the Nebula:</p><p><a href="http://heritage.stsci.edu/2007/16/bio/bio_primary.html">http://heritage.stsci.edu/2007/16/bio/bio_primary.html</a><br /></p><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><br /><div style="MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><br /><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-59525406276661784712007-04-10T05:11:00.000-07:002007-04-10T05:16:04.402-07:00Spring Flowers in Arlington<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><strong></strong><br />I thought I had better get this up on the blog before the snow predicted later this week.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYWrFtzxKBJbmPsOFz8RO0T2G3T6uprKmLI9OrDR4-ZuGMhyAwJIBL1swGLqx6NTEtM8k0FAydZcUITnSvrYNKdBzvNgfsmJlmPhsWD7melH0PeJMhAQfq-C2_v5u66EuhRZN_f5621Ef/s1600-h/DSCN2296.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYWrFtzxKBJbmPsOFz8RO0T2G3T6uprKmLI9OrDR4-ZuGMhyAwJIBL1swGLqx6NTEtM8k0FAydZcUITnSvrYNKdBzvNgfsmJlmPhsWD7melH0PeJMhAQfq-C2_v5u66EuhRZN_f5621Ef/s400/DSCN2296.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Snowdrops in my front yard, as they appeared on March 23, 2007, 8AM.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8FViNFrMOdvkMuLEg5BY_61FBOi36GrZOBePmFs5m0kI4Ru35szg2mfQV6o7Y5ndjB_qLglBs7dRuuq7IOqPLo1Yf6PmxaVmVRQN_muRyOtNHwbIsc-qOv3jIEKsRWKYhpnzTZI9QjYt/s1600-h/DSCN2328.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-8FViNFrMOdvkMuLEg5BY_61FBOi36GrZOBePmFs5m0kI4Ru35szg2mfQV6o7Y5ndjB_qLglBs7dRuuq7IOqPLo1Yf6PmxaVmVRQN_muRyOtNHwbIsc-qOv3jIEKsRWKYhpnzTZI9QjYt/s400/DSCN2328.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Crocuses, in great abundance, on April 7, 2007</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BX0MyZYUr5mWqX32SuG7kD8_z-svjqzCV7cxTZEWbcPQtc42zGqOuYHDnon5Tlmxufgs-ohS0pmN_af0d-PwRY1yk7VdrzTJa1QyrZGGWKw18SlkDgU628kd6BnUFRg4VeoQQSgDtDg4/s1600-h/DSCN2337.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BX0MyZYUr5mWqX32SuG7kD8_z-svjqzCV7cxTZEWbcPQtc42zGqOuYHDnon5Tlmxufgs-ohS0pmN_af0d-PwRY1yk7VdrzTJa1QyrZGGWKw18SlkDgU628kd6BnUFRg4VeoQQSgDtDg4/s400/DSCN2337.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Red maple flowers, in garden between Robbins Library and Arlington Town Hall, on April 7, 2007.</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3zL03VWiA52kq3rRpDHkLk5oCHd2v2WzWcm4mq8daK7T1qZaGbz533AntJWYhuWwu-01R9R8rQ8BV7DzTFWaDKyTFNR4paxUtxnJrK42JVsKY5MWIzrFfoCWgmq6VGJgmxOdjPrrVQDx/s1600-h/DSCN2338.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3zL03VWiA52kq3rRpDHkLk5oCHd2v2WzWcm4mq8daK7T1qZaGbz533AntJWYhuWwu-01R9R8rQ8BV7DzTFWaDKyTFNR4paxUtxnJrK42JVsKY5MWIzrFfoCWgmq6VGJgmxOdjPrrVQDx/s400/DSCN2338.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />View of more of red maple tree, Arlington Town Hall tower in back.</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-54041501946239195112007-03-30T11:03:00.000-07:002007-03-30T11:30:47.411-07:00James Carroll's Op-Ed on America in the WorldI am reluctant to repost copyrighted material but the following Op-Ed essay by James Carroll is too good to let pass. I saw it in the Boston Globe.<br /><br />Americans Face a Moral Reckoning<br />By James Carroll March 26, 2007<br /><br />YOU HAVE been reading "The Sorrow of War" by Bao Ninh, the classic account of what in Vietnam is called the American war. The title of Bao Ninh's novel captures the feeling of grief and loss that always comes in the wake of violent conflict. Allowing room for fear, grief, and loss must define the dominant experience in Iraq today, where the suffering caused by this American war mounts inexorably.<br /><br />But sorrow has also emerged as a note of life in the Unites States lately. Many comparisons are drawn between this nation's misadventures in Iraq and Vietnam, but what you are most aware of is the return of a clenched feeling in your chest, a knot of distressed sadness that is tied to your country's reiteration of the tragic error. After the chaotic end of the Vietnam War in 1975, you were like many Americans in thinking with relief that the nation would never know -- or cause -- such sorrow again.<br /><br />The sorrow is back. Everywhere you go, friends greet one another with a choked acknowledgment of a nearly unspeakable frustration at what unfolds in Iraq. This seems true whether people oppose the war absolutely, or only on pragmatic terms; whether they want US troops out at once, or over time. Even about those distinctions, little remains to be said. Bush's contemptuous carelessness, his inner circle's corrupt enabling, the Pentagon's dependable launching of folly after folly, the Democrats' ineffectual kibitzing, even your heartfelt concern for the troops -- these subjects have exhausted themselves. The "surge" of the January escalation was preceded by the surge of public anguish that resulted in Republican losses in November. That election was a stirring rejection of the administration's purposes in Iraq, a rejection promptly seconded by the Iraq Study Group. But so what? Bush's purposes hold steady, and their poison tide now laps at Iran.<br /><br />Why should you not be demoralized and depressed? But the sorrow of war goes deeper than the mistaken policies of a stubborn president. Next to Bao Ninh's book on your shelf stands "The Sorrows of Empire" by Chalmers Johnson. That title suggests how far into the bone of your nation the pins of this problem are sunk. In effect, the disastrous American war in Iraq is the text, while America's militarized way of being in the world is the context. Armed power at the service of US economic sway has made a putative enemy of a vast population around the globe, and that enemy's vanguard are the terrorists. Violent opposition to the American agenda increases with each surge from Washington, whatever its character. Both text and context reveal that every dream of empire brings sorrow, obviously so to the victims of imperial violence, but also to the imperial dreamers, whether or not they consciously associate with what is being done in their name.<br /><br />But the word sorrow implies more than grief and loss. The palpable sadness of a people reluctantly at war can push toward a fuller moral reckoning with the condition of a nation that has made its own economic supremacy an absolute value. To take on the question of an economy advanced with little regard for its sustainability, much less for its justice, implies a move away from the focus on Bush's venality to a broader responsibility. How do the sorrows of war and empire implicate you?<br /><br />The simplest truth is that the economic system that so benefits you is steadily eroding democracy by transferring the power to shape the future, both within states and among them, to ever smaller elites. At the same time, wealth multiplies and concentrates itself, while impoverishing more and more human beings. Everything from US oil consumption, to global trade structures, to the iron law of cheap labor, to immigration policies, to the psychology of the gated community, to the gated idea of national sovereignty, to the distractions of celebrity culture -- all of this supports what is called the American way of life. Yours. If finally seen to be the source of multiple sorrows at home and abroad, can this way of life prompt a deeper confrontation with its true costs and consequences? You need not reduce social ills to personal morality -- or let Bush off the hook for his wholly owned war -- to acknowledge the complicity attached to mere citizenship in a war-making, imperial nation. In that case, can you measure your sorrow against the word's other meaning, which is contrition?<br /><br />James Carroll's column appears regularly in the Boston Globe. <br /><br />© <a href="http://www.boston.com/help/bostoncom_info/copyright">Copyright</a> 2007 The New York Times Company<br /><br />Biography of James Carroll at link below. In May 2005, he published House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power, a history of the Pentagon, which the Chicago Tribune called “the first great non-fiction book of the new millennium.”<br /><br /><a href="http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/authordetail.cfm?authorID=1380">http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/catalog/authordetail.cfm?authorID=1380</a>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-91359321861296578852007-03-26T04:48:00.000-07:002007-03-30T11:39:28.339-07:00News Images and StoriesNPR had a story today about a photojournalist Chris Hondros. The first line of the story from the NPR website:<br /><br />"Chris Hondros has just returned from his ninth tour of Iraq. He's not a soldier. He's an award-winning news photographer for Getty Images."<br /><br />The NPR story centers on one particularly powerful and painful image that he has brought to the world. War is unimaginably horrible.<br /><br />The NPR story is at link below. Click on the "Audio Slideshow.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9118474">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9118474</a><br /><br />The Getty Images Website, with more photos and blog entries from Chris:<br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.gettyimages.com/">http://blogs.gettyimages.com/</a><br /><br />I admire these photos and blog entries - they describe What Is without message, evoking only that which we all carry in every cell in our bodies. Thank you Chris, I am glad you have returned without bodily harm.JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-40261711295219225692007-03-18T13:20:00.000-07:002007-03-24T05:28:44.814-07:00Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge MAMount Auburn cemetery was founded in 1831. It was the first large-scale designed landscape open to the public in the United States. Today it is a beautiful place to visit at all times of the year. Great trees and plants, two ponds, rolling landscape, two chapel buildings, a tower with views of the Cambridge and Boston. A quiet place. <a href="http://www.mountauburn.org/">http://www.mountauburn.org/</a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8OqZhCVOfyeFFPpebAIL11DBwtKbV4OVtcjk90Idva97J2ZNkPGiKXpUx8FAV0W8czmiBADjclYOPhPI1gcoxFwpzgeA28KZogRoksxXFqkubkEkOvgYV-iU5GxLaUvcb3pt2e4YZy_l/s1600-h/DSCN2286.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043362446143904402" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq8OqZhCVOfyeFFPpebAIL11DBwtKbV4OVtcjk90Idva97J2ZNkPGiKXpUx8FAV0W8czmiBADjclYOPhPI1gcoxFwpzgeA28KZogRoksxXFqkubkEkOvgYV-iU5GxLaUvcb3pt2e4YZy_l/s320/DSCN2286.JPG" border="0" /></a> On Sunday about noon on March 18 2007 at Mount Auburn cemetery, the snow from Friday's storm was 6-8 inches deep, and glazed with an icy crust. Partly sunny, about 30 degrees with an occasionally brisk and chilly wind. The bare trees showed their forms, such as the corkscrew patterns in this Japanese Fernleaf Maple.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043363859188144834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcsHIbKOl3bIIPNqpJQDn9rzNfxUr9jnhR4Q_VxRXQ4MpgpjCPvQVXyR6ZmU2c3ITb3W0lcsp78p4vsHY-bALQZvl4DPe146ePFxNWpKRAaSgYgWq4iwiCV35o7VLRXKvLjRtYMualciO/s320/DSCN2287.JPG" border="0" />At first I thought it was Forsythia, but my horticulturally savvy partner S set me straight: witch hazel! A splash of yellow against a backdrop of white snow and bare branches. A great native plant that blooms so early.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNslsw_YBuJGPU_FJhOZaqpqPm7NZpO5FgsL5LILTB35OUZiRJSNUG6bQtdtnm0FmY4X3LBOPRVUAytnuH6TBwCtW7aHh-varMs5kfpoPmfbrW6_VuK_mtVdesHVE4wBHFFjZhZfEivvUB/s1600-h/DSCN2288.JPG"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA_euX7Zh-mqkL-WGy9Y6-jzBd7SsxHnjjLrJyey2SZfIjTHsI2x2wHP57vmbxLia4Wdz5IY18XiVKYvzxsUsOMQaY-QJpYvZDfgmCYGISHahfLy0_bWFRcC1VyKNoajpRZH43_BRxWJo/s1600-h/DSCN2289.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5043362463323773618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkA_euX7Zh-mqkL-WGy9Y6-jzBd7SsxHnjjLrJyey2SZfIjTHsI2x2wHP57vmbxLia4Wdz5IY18XiVKYvzxsUsOMQaY-QJpYvZDfgmCYGISHahfLy0_bWFRcC1VyKNoajpRZH43_BRxWJo/s320/DSCN2289.JPG" border="0" /></a> Witch hazel has a frilly yellow flower with a ruby center. Not captured perfectly in this photo but a delight to see, especially when so little color is evident elsewhere in the landscape. Supposed to be fragrant too, but not on a day as cold as today.<br /><br /><div></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-39896112184600691282007-03-17T13:17:00.000-07:002007-03-17T13:55:44.122-07:00Harvard Square Lanterns and Buds<div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">Below are some scenes from near Harvard Square, March 13-17. </span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQquSwFRZEmwbxuK22Vuz-RbKU7NHTvPzcBCiQltb8X3PSe_N7LrVcv78qZYqKhP22l77jAAOF7eFUJKW185KI7jL8LExsady-IENFESpXfJUEBe0M4PO4F8LxuSB57Q3c6eB8a6CGNhA/s1600-h/DSCN2280.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042990549220711026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQquSwFRZEmwbxuK22Vuz-RbKU7NHTvPzcBCiQltb8X3PSe_N7LrVcv78qZYqKhP22l77jAAOF7eFUJKW185KI7jL8LExsady-IENFESpXfJUEBe0M4PO4F8LxuSB57Q3c6eB8a6CGNhA/s320/DSCN2280.JPG" border="0" /></a>The Chinese New Year celebration began on February 18 in 2007. The 15-day festivities end in a Lantern Festival. Traditionally the Lantern Festival was a time to find love! I photographed this tree decked out in blue lights and hanging lanterns on March 14, in the park known as "Winthrop Park" at the corner of Mt Auburn and JFK Sts (Upstairs On the Square and OM restaurants and Peets Coffee Shop are on this square). Yep, it looked pretty romantic, and after a lavender martini at the funky bar at OM, I expect love could bloom quite readily. </div><div align="left"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEj00RJoRI-xiIzzVJcKGEyuNukGMJXo5Y-1VLPyxicX-ht2F5T2WazNtiTJQuF2I8YpJEXQqz00RQoC9W7bEb3Ko3QPkzVHGMZKd7NaaUw8jTOuhkivx2TPglj0YjC3uRBg_kogebhe9/s1600-h/DSCN2285.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5042990557810645634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEj00RJoRI-xiIzzVJcKGEyuNukGMJXo5Y-1VLPyxicX-ht2F5T2WazNtiTJQuF2I8YpJEXQqz00RQoC9W7bEb3Ko3QPkzVHGMZKd7NaaUw8jTOuhkivx2TPglj0YjC3uRBg_kogebhe9/s320/DSCN2285.JPG" border="0" /></a> Despite being encased in ice the magnolia blossoms were showing their green for St Patty's day on Saturday March 17. A pre-St Patty's nor'easter storm dumped 5-10 inches of snow on Friday. Signs of Spring were easier to spot before the snow, but I'm keeping a close watch. As I walked down Mass Ave between Harvard and Central Squares the snow didn't seem to dampen enthusiasm for the usual St Patty's day revelry! Lots of funny green clothes and elation. </div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-9285019708632446452007-03-13T21:24:00.000-07:002007-04-10T13:23:49.965-07:00Current Aht at the 1369 and Beyond<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left">My favorite coffee shop: the 1369 Coffee House, at 757 Mass Ave, Central Square, Cambridge MA near the Cambridge City Hall (with the big tower and distinctive <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richardsonian_Romanesque"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Richardsonian</span> Romanesque</a> architecture). The art at 1369 moves in and out frequently, almost too frequently for the displays I enjoy. But I'm fighting back against this swift current of time by toting my camera and taking the time to pull it out. Currently there are some bold paintings by Sean Boyce on display, such as the one below. I love the vibrant colors that remind me of that experiment with LSD that I never actually did. It's a chromatic fantasy and a visual thrill. Another painting of the inside of a Red Line subway train made it look like a cozy living room. Martha was sitting in the corner and she was quite <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">accommodating</span> for my photographic <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">exercise</span>. I commented how the light in the back of the room didn't do justice to the painting, but how the painting uplifted the corner with its surge of color and light. Wanted to take it home!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WI9ElDobzlgEUN5gYBV0rQqz-qfHaonyQtZvcyCzSF4YYkSG61cF15tt98n3eZMHFcj1flsRW6_ObjKEf8nen9qyi0Ix63XA2o2zAAG9WMdX9-lzroA253hfjsvJu0tn_2A0tRoQ4izZ/s1600-h/DSCN2275.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7WI9ElDobzlgEUN5gYBV0rQqz-qfHaonyQtZvcyCzSF4YYkSG61cF15tt98n3eZMHFcj1flsRW6_ObjKEf8nen9qyi0Ix63XA2o2zAAG9WMdX9-lzroA253hfjsvJu0tn_2A0tRoQ4izZ/s320/DSCN2275.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><p align="left"><br /></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jgi4YxxCT-4dFJ77SXMMNX28BsyIRHqAiMn_Ag2X9mjAJN-s-K1FSwDqT02U9nTRxNjTR9cc13ocaZhC7erbF8OaL86NtglT-4f6X6PhCH5sZDxU22gTUVr4_tkAI7LTWAjNMOpVoYve/s1600-h/DSCN2278.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2jgi4YxxCT-4dFJ77SXMMNX28BsyIRHqAiMn_Ag2X9mjAJN-s-K1FSwDqT02U9nTRxNjTR9cc13ocaZhC7erbF8OaL86NtglT-4f6X6PhCH5sZDxU22gTUVr4_tkAI7LTWAjNMOpVoYve/s320/DSCN2278.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I met "Allister" out in front of the 1369. What risks I take to provide interesting content for this blog! Check out those teeth, and her comfortable mode of sitting! She was calm as I captured his beauty for all to savor, seeming to be well-acquainted with the camera. Click on the photo to get up-close-and-personal! I met the owner after originally posting this, and he told me that Allister is a very mellow guy.<br /></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPsj9jJU8eCd_lAMxXP5RAqFIq2YBM3-JZ5exjq5O-TUMXA0wB4J1f03U168AtIKBgSH7ogEWUnzkijrpHgZ6CtCidHpslUCHHbvuSkT6VHmNFhGmmLh4w7W7Bmj9TInKz8a0u92HDetf/s1600-h/DSCN2279.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRPsj9jJU8eCd_lAMxXP5RAqFIq2YBM3-JZ5exjq5O-TUMXA0wB4J1f03U168AtIKBgSH7ogEWUnzkijrpHgZ6CtCidHpslUCHHbvuSkT6VHmNFhGmmLh4w7W7Bmj9TInKz8a0u92HDetf/s320/DSCN2279.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Then I came across this photo of Saturn. Yes, even so far away from home planet there are stunning shadows - light plays <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">everywhere</span>, without an artistic director, stage manager, conductor, art director or other aesthetic authority. How incredibly cool it is that we are able to make a camera as sophisticated as the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Cassini</span> spacecraft and get it in position to take a photo (composite) of What Is at that locus of space. Original and more info at <a href="http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08362">http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08362</a> . Compared to $1Billion/week in Iraq, what a good way to spend a bit of our collective resources.</div><p align="left"><br /></p><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTmPGygQKSszgNzOQqaJ8F2ckOEtojPdXC4MkwvJpgnhl2yiKvIiITG4ONKY6o2XXSllh-Lb0sAMSxEh3A80paivYPPAWRmKZgvD5IdYtYJcl-sMRgmGpmDpZC-fg7g8I-H9FttHX_qo6/s1600-h/PIA08362_Saturn+Ring+Shadow.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcTmPGygQKSszgNzOQqaJ8F2ckOEtojPdXC4MkwvJpgnhl2yiKvIiITG4ONKY6o2XXSllh-Lb0sAMSxEh3A80paivYPPAWRmKZgvD5IdYtYJcl-sMRgmGpmDpZC-fg7g8I-H9FttHX_qo6/s320/PIA08362_Saturn+Ring+Shadow.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Photo credit: NASA/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">JPL</span>/Space Science Institute<br /></div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="left"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; moz-background-clip: initial; moz-background-origin: initial; moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1645023883690924342.post-47044546202187896732007-03-12T19:06:00.000-07:002007-03-12T20:36:12.473-07:00Central Square, MIT, Harvard Square; March 2007<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="justify">Some photos from around Central Square, MIT, and Harvard Square, Cambridge MA.</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align="justify">Early March 2007.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAShyphenhyphenTbpyvSZ2Nba9FwPFseeW1PY1nueztvRsj_8cM7EXQ4zEOKOHVZoc0r_qvk2q8RPR2GdERt7OPrZvE77ehTLCJWZ892Dq78NVms169IrETaaNbzj7QHO10HA2vD4spcBA-gPhxMITo/s1600-h/DSCN2267.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAShyphenhyphenTbpyvSZ2Nba9FwPFseeW1PY1nueztvRsj_8cM7EXQ4zEOKOHVZoc0r_qvk2q8RPR2GdERt7OPrZvE77ehTLCJWZ892Dq78NVms169IrETaaNbzj7QHO10HA2vD4spcBA-gPhxMITo/s320/DSCN2267.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />You can't say we don't take Saint Patty's day very seriously here in the Boston area. This countdown started well in advance of the big GREEN day, displayed prominently in the window of a liquor store just outside the Central Square T station.</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0-DMcrG_jDqgBKyfKs4NoO_XNyNKU5tOmkteT1ym5OZfRkFt5PW5Pbgd_RhbWe1OszU43QNtI14GLi_itZHFwRdpmuDedlcDvFTw0Vu56r3Z9dGeXFCOLpXKiXgAEhckQw8jDWWMGMu1/s1600-h/DSCN2268.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0-DMcrG_jDqgBKyfKs4NoO_XNyNKU5tOmkteT1ym5OZfRkFt5PW5Pbgd_RhbWe1OszU43QNtI14GLi_itZHFwRdpmuDedlcDvFTw0Vu56r3Z9dGeXFCOLpXKiXgAEhckQw8jDWWMGMu1/s320/DSCN2268.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The MIT Prajnapaya (and others) sponsored the creation of the "Wheel of Life" sand mandala in the Simmons residence hall at MIT. The sand mandala can be viewed at <a href="http://web.mit.edu/metta/mandala/stillshot.shtml">http://web.mit.edu/metta/mandala/stillshot.shtml</a> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">(this page also features some beautiful chanting by Tenzin Priyadarshi). </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">Surrounding the sand mandala were beautiful flower and natural object arrangements like the one shown above, by Faxon Green <a href="http://www.greensgardens.com">www.greensgardens.com</a>. </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center">The mandala was created over a period of about a week by Lobsang Samten, and dismantled in a "dissolution ceremony" on March 10 and poured into the Charles River. Talk about an excercise in letting go!</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2lWzqzwY7KeZGqlLFhldXyHwDSQLEl1IqWsmfUr6JFSPcsOBhBVYDKcAdP66Ci18nD0HqjwexDCWhNMli0P2t8RezhSpuY2rX6gxKaXoiCY0hK_JKo5mmfZOvLqA6ehui-oL7NXWYLLV/s1600-h/DSCN2272.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2lWzqzwY7KeZGqlLFhldXyHwDSQLEl1IqWsmfUr6JFSPcsOBhBVYDKcAdP66Ci18nD0HqjwexDCWhNMli0P2t8RezhSpuY2rX6gxKaXoiCY0hK_JKo5mmfZOvLqA6ehui-oL7NXWYLLV/s320/DSCN2272.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This very cool bike was spotted chained to a gate near Harvard yard. A famous Kronan bike, very cool, very heavy. Design originates with the Swedish army. I do wish all armies would limit their equipment to bicycles, picnic baskets, musical instruments and the like.</div><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsQnoYXq09PYUAlHY4pdXOOqYZk6vBDhE7x5dCnM8gCMZ5-YLoh9M7VHA_xfV8gKYCoYdUM5EOi-dmxis1dp2-gwqf3Z83adZtulUFeahc7BViipbxFgbZ4xVFOIAkCISLXEZldlD1K0U/s1600-h/DSCN2273.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjsQnoYXq09PYUAlHY4pdXOOqYZk6vBDhE7x5dCnM8gCMZ5-YLoh9M7VHA_xfV8gKYCoYdUM5EOi-dmxis1dp2-gwqf3Z83adZtulUFeahc7BViipbxFgbZ4xVFOIAkCISLXEZldlD1K0U/s320/DSCN2273.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" alt="Posted by Picasa" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>JTSvinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00046504530784837014noreply@blogger.com1