The Cormorant, the Dragonfly, and the Bee: 2019

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

A Cape Cod Beach

We spent a few mid-December days on the Cape as a mini-vacation. The weather turned quite cold and rainy for a good portion of our visit. After a mid-storm walk on the beach one day, we enjoyed a second walk along the same (Dennis) beach the next day, after the wet weather broke but the wind had picked up. That's when I took these photos.

This is my last post of 2019.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Beach Rocks

Long Shadows

Long Shadows 2

Storm Mostly Over

True Grit

Toward the Dunes

Heading Home on a Cold Windy Beach Day

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Fritz Glass

When we recently visited the Cape, we went to Fritz Glass, which is a glass blowing shop in Dennis Port. We met Fritz himself, who was busy making colorful candy dishes for the holiday season. His shop allows visitors to watch the glass blowing process, and that is what we did. Fritz has been blowing glass for many years. It was great to see someone so skilled at his profession. His glass is beautiful.

Here are some photos I took, both of Fritz making the glass, and of some of the finished product. See fritzglass.com to learn more.

Thursday, December 26, 2019

Cardinals in the Snow

We have a flowering pear tree that produces berries that Northern Cardinals, at least, seem to really like eating.

After a recent snowfall, the Cardinals were quite easy to spot, their bright red color contrasting nicely against the snow.

I decided to try to photograph them through the window, an effort that is not always rewarded with particularly sharp pictures. They were approximately 50 feet away through the glass.

While both a male and a female Cardinal were present, the photos below are only of the male. I like the muted colors of the female as well, but none of those photos were quite blog worthy, perhaps partly because she was hidden behind branches.

These are taken with my 300mm (600mm equivalent) zoom lens at 258, 179, and 240mm respectively. The first two are cropped in post, the last is not.

Snackin' in the Snow

Bird in Winter

Happy in the Trees

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Tyringham, Massachusetts

According to their mission, "The Trustees of Reservations preserve, for public use and enjoyment, properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value in Massachusetts."

One of the Trustees' properties is "Tyringham Cobble," located, naturally, in Tyringham, MA.

This type of "cobble" when used as a placename in New England, New York, and New Jersey is basically a quaint term for a rounded hill. A friend of friends, who enjoys local hiking, recommended we hike there. We had asked a question similar to "If we were to go on only one local hike in Western Mass, something in the under five mile range, where would you recommend we go?" Tyringham Cobble was the the very informed response: many types of interesting terrain along with pleasant scenic views can be enjoyed over a relatively short distance. A portion of the hike is on the Appalachian Trail.

We were fortunate to get a wonderfully sunny fall day to explore the "cobble." All photos in this post were taken on November 6. Despite the somewhat "after peak" fall date, there was still some foliage to admire.

Between the Trees

Pinkish

Warming

Cotton Candy

On the Way Down

As an aside, just before arriving at the turnoff to park our car for the Tyringham Cobble hike, we drove past a unique place called "Santarella." It was *so* unique that we just had to stop, take a few pictures, and find out more about it. A sign, seen on the property, provides some additional information:

Santarella is the historic home of the sculptor Sir Henry Hudson Kitson, who lived and worked here until his passing in 1947. He spent over 20 years transforming the carriage house of a colonial homestead into his sculpting studio, creating the incredible rolling roof using handcut asphalt shingles of different colors to mimic the surrounding hills in the fall. In addition to the roof, Kitson added many other whimsical architectural details, and maintained a beautiful, exotic garden with the help of his full-time gardener, Awoki.

Santarella is a private residence and is not open to the public. We host guests for vacation rentals as well as for weddings and special events. Detailed information is available on our website. Rental enquires can also be made by phone:

(413) 243-2819 http://www.santarella.us

Here are three representative photos I took of the "residence":

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Autumn Leaves After the Rain

All photos in this post were taken the morning after a night with rainfall. The cloudy weather added a pleasant ambiance to the mood. Several of the photos are of spiraea (also spelled 'spirea') and smoke bush (aka 'smoketree').

Wet Spiraea #1

Wet Spiraea #2

Garden Clump

Single Smoke Bush Leaf #1

Single Smoke Bush Leaf #2

Single Smoke Bush Leaf #3

Smoke Bush Leaf Tongue

Fall Curve

Yellow-Green Veins

Smoke Bush Leaf Team

Wet Spiraea #3

Wet Spiraea #4

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Ornamental Grass

We have several varieties of ornamental grass in our garden. The particular "clump" I am highlighting in this post was itself highlighted rather strongly by the late afternoon sun on a crisp fall day. I found this display lively and colorful. This variety is called Ruby Ribbons switchgrass.

We like our ornamental grasses very much!

Grass That Isn't Greener

Lit Tops