Content copyright © 2011 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

I was photographing seals offshore at Ellisville Harbor Park in January, and hearing sand slides occurring on the bluffs behind me was disconcerting at first. I didn’t dare to stand too close the bottom of the bluffs for fear of what might hit me in its way down the steep, sandy slope.

I felt sad watching this majestic bluff slide into the seashore, but when looking at these photos of it afterward, I realized that this naturally occurring phenomenon was serving a greater purpose.

All of this sand was going to replace the lower beach that is always being washed away by the battering waves of the sea. Some of it will likely get washed further down the coast and replace sand at other beaches as well.

What first appeared to be a natural disaster called beach erosion, suddenly appeared to me as nature’s way of healing and renewing its own beaches.

If this were not a state park, people may have built houses atop the bluffs in order to take advantage of the breathtaking views here. These photos would then include dramatic images of expensive homes collapsing into the sea. The media would be all over it and claiming that beach erosion is a crisis situation. But is it? Or is our propensity to build homes along the shores the real crisis?

I am not a coastal erosion expert. I am just a nature lover who hates turning on the news because of the way that everything in life is served onto our television soaked tables as if it is a crisis and a reason to feel panic. It gets our attention, which boosts ratings. But is this really a natural disaster that threatens our coastlines? Or is it just nature’s way? That sand will be washed away and carried in the currents to other locations. Isn’t this the way it has always been along our shores? And haven’t these shores existed for thousands of years? Isn’t the real problem here that we feel that it is our right to live along the shores in a less than nomadic way? Isn’t our desire to sink permanent roots down into a constantly changing coastline the only problem here?

I think that we as a species get off on the adrenaline rush that we get from bad news. We say that we don’t like bad news but television ratings would suggest otherwise.

I was reminded of the Buddhist teachings that “everything is as it should be” as I stood at the bottom of these bluffs. Of course if I was holding a television news camera on this day, instead of this Panasonic camera,
my motives would be very different and this story would have taken on a MUCH more dramatic spin.

The moral of this story? You are what you eat, so be careful not to ingest too much television. If you eat too much television, you may find that you end up with antennas growing out of your forehead some day! It’s hard to see clearly with antennas casting shadows over your eyes.

Coastal Erosion Plymouth Massachusetts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content copyright © 2011 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

They are about the same size as a Mourning Dove but have spectacular markings and very long beaks. Their bellies are tan with big black spots and the underside of their tail feathers are a rich gold color with striking black tips. They also sport a red crescent on nape of their neck.

They are a member of the woodpecker family.

Their mating system is monogamous and both sexes incubate the eggs.

Northern Flicker

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content copyright © 2011 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

I took these photos with this camera
It does a great job right out of the box. Point and shoot.

They are not as friendly as they look. They are very territorial and get grouchy when you approach anywhere near them. I was also unaware of what seals sound like. I’ve heard them “barking” at the zoos and aquariums but today was a whole new experience.

The photos are impressive but trust me when I say that the sounds were even more so. They are very loud boisterous creatures. They fight alot and are very noisy about it. I’m not sure that I can describe the sounds that echoed everywhere around the beach here. It was rather like what you imagine a human would sound like while possessed by a demon entity. It is unlike anything that I have ever heard before. I felt like Alice in Wonderland here and I kept spinning around muttering “oh my God” over and over again.

I’m posting this little snippet of video just so that you can hear them. The video is not great but it does have sound. The seals are just napping in this so there is no noisy fighting going on in it.
You just can’t have this experience without sound. Photos only provide half of the adventure of seal watching.

I hope that you all enjoy these photos. I can tell you that it was a very special day for me.

Seals at Manomet Beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content copyright © 2011 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

I took these photos with this camera
It does a great job right out of the box. Point and shoot.

With all of these different species traveling south to us in the winter, it makes up for some of the population that leaves here when the cold weather hits.

We always have plenty of birds to peep on all winter long and it’s one of my favorite pastimes. Yesterday I primed my backyard for Sunday morning bird watching by filling all of the feeders and birdbaths. As soon as the dawn broke on Sunday morning I set up a tripod and camera at my sliding glass door and poured a hot cup of coffee. I can think of no better way to end a long workweek, or start a new one, than by reconnecting with nature in this way. It reminds me why I am working and why I spend many hours cultivating my yard. It is always rewarding when nature comes calling.

A couple of hours later, the feeder that sits ten feet off of my back deck was being swarmed by hungry birds. Finches, wrens, a pair of cardinals, a few Downy woodpeckers, doves and a whole flock of goldfinches were out there for many hours. I also have pictures of wild turkeys that pass through on occasion. They are very common here.

Feeding the birds also brings with it the local mammals that spend winters here and are hungry. Many people consider this a reason not to feed anything in their yard but with one exception, I have never had any troubles.

 

Raccoons are really pesky, getting into trash barrels and once into my house. I now have wire mesh grates over the air vents on the roof. It was a costly lesson as raccoon removal is expensive and I had a whole family of them in the attic. I don’t believe that feeding the birds added to this problem though as many people in town who don’t feed have also had this issue. The grates should be mandatory here.

No article on New England backyard bird watching would be complete without the mention of our nemesis, the squirrel.

 

If you are going to feed the birds here in New England, buy a well made feeder that is encased in sturdy gauge mesh wire with a well secured metal cover that cannot be chewed by the critters.
Then just sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Woodpeckers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content copyright © 2010 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

I took these photos with this camera
It does a great job right out of the box. Point and shoot.

I heard the sorrowful bellow of a cow off in the distance followed by the joyful melodies of children singing by the bonfire that roared in the center of the village. As I approached the fire, which smelled of sweet apple wood, I listened to a volunteer, dressed in the warm winter clothing of a man that would typically be found in the 1800s, who was telling stories of the medical issues of the day and how they were often solved. The subject matter did not appeal to me but the narrator’s demeanor held me captive just the same. He felt different to me somehow. His polite mannerisms, the way he held his lapel, the twinkle in his eye perhaps, all held me spellbound in his presence.

I reluctantly left the warmth of the fire in search of the boarding place for the horse drawn wagon but I found myself distracted from this mission by so many different events that were happening all around the village. I wandered into the Fenno House where a man and woman sat in front of a stocking-clad fireplace. The man was playing a tin flute rather well and his companion, dressed as you see in this photo, was a charming young woman who clearly had a way with children.

There were simple toys spread all about the table in front of them and we all listened to stories of how some of our current Christmas traditions had evolved out of Holland. Clearly the tales being told in front of the fireplace fascinated the young children in the room. I felt myself slow down. We don’t realize how much we hurry through life until we find ourselves in another time, a time that runs slower, and more deeply than our every day lives.

This is the way it is in Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge Massachusetts. Surrounded by a land and people that existed hundreds of years ago, you can’t help but to melt into the times. It just happens to you here. There is a feeling of peace and serenity that permeates into your bones. The old me wanted to run to every exhibit, check the schedule of events, make sure I was on time and in the right place for everything, but the visitor here just naturally slowed down to the pace of the times that I found myself immersed in.

There are so many things to take in here, from the puppet or magic shows, meeting Father Christmas, sampling cider mull, chestnuts, making your own Christmas keepsake out of tin, viewing the gingerbread contest, seeing an amazing miniature Christmas village, joining a dance in the Parsonage Barn, visiting a 19th century store, attending Christmas readings and carolers, to learning the history of poinsettias, Yule Logs and more.

I found myself obsessing over the need for snow while driving to Sturbridge, but it really wasn’t necessary. Somehow, the Christmas By Candlelight Celebration at Old Sturbridge Village held its own quite nicely, even without any snow.

Leave yourself plenty of time to enjoy these activities and realize that you will slow down while you are here. Don’t rush through it. Enjoy the most sacred thing that this place has to offer, the gift of another time.

Content copyright © 2010 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

Here is a slideshow presentation of Plymouth’s America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Celebration parade. The images are large, hi-def quality so it may take a minute to load but I think it’s well worth the wait.

Plymouth Parade Slideshow

Watching this slideshow will put you in a very patriotic mood.

Let me know what you think

Content copyright © 2010 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

Old Stinky Boat

My dad had been a cop before retiring to the 200+ lobster pots, and he always wore his old blue uniform shirts for lobstering. Your clothes get wrecked so old is better. He never took the flags off the sleeves of those shirts either. Because those shirts were all he ever wore, people took to calling him “ Little Boy Blue”. Not that he was little. He stood six feet, but his eyes were also blue, the same shade of blue that those old shirts faded to in the sun. And the old boat was blue too!

Dad in his blue shirt

When my dad died he left the new boat to me and even though I couldn’t really afford to do it, I ran that boat for two years, even getting a commercial license to fish. I had a full time job in electronics but I had been with the company enough years to get 4 weeks of vacation and another two off due to annual shut downs at the company. I loved those two years. I was getting married then, with no kids other than a big German Shepherd that loved to fish. My fiancé and I decided that since we both loved to fish (he married me for the boat I think!), that we would get married at our favorite beach at Menemsha on the Vineyard (Martha’s Vineyard island). My maid of honor and her husband, also a friend of ours, came over on their own boat to join in the ceremony and Ellie brought a wedding cake with her for the event. Transporting a wedding cake on a 23 ft, moving boat out in the ocean is tricky. It’s like that game where you run, or ride horses, with an egg on a spoon.

As we were all getting ready for the ceremony a lobster boat pulled up along side us and docked. The captain was a handsome, bearded man in his early thirties, though he had the laugh lines and crows feet of an older man. Fisherman often do. He seemed like an amiable sort and we all exchanged polite greetings. He struck me as a sharp man with a good head on his shoulders, as local boat captains often will. Weekenders as we call them, don’t have to know what they are doing, but if you’re going to make a living this way, you’d better have your wits about you.

Anyway, My Shepherd was onboard as we wouldn’t dream of leaving her home while we spent a week-long honeymoon fluke fishing out at Menemsha. I was pulling out her favorite treat; a large, leathery pig ear shortly after the fisherman pulled up. I held it up in the air above her head and said, “ You want a pig ear Hillary?”

The fisherman immediately began gibbering the words “GIP GIP GIP GIP GIP”. I looked over at him, noticing how the creases in his face deepened as he chirped the words out. I wasn’t sure what to make of it so in typically polite New England fashion, I just ignored the whole outburst and turned my attention back to the dog, again asking her if she wanted a pig ear. Again, immediately, and louder this time, the man frantically began chirping the words “GIP, GIP, GIP, GIP”.
What the? I looked at him with a shocked expression and I could see a wide grin spread slowly over his whole face. He pointed at the pig ear in my hand and said in that Boston accent that we all have here, “ You ought not say that word aboard any vessel. It’s bad luck and if you say it, you better say it backwards to undo the curse”.
” What curse?” I asked nervously. “Pigs GIP GIP GIP GIP” he said, “They’s bad luck”.
” Why are pigs bad luck?” I asked.
“GIP, GIP, GIP, because they have very sharp, pointy toes and when they try to swim, their back hoofs cut their front legs all up. Blood draws the sharks. Always bad luck to have em onboard and we don’t say their name.”

Wow. You just never know when or where you will get an education in life. Apparently back in the old days, when large amounts of people, animals and other goods were shipped by boat, it truly was a dangerous thing to have pigs aboard ship. If the vessel went down, much of the crew and passengers would be lost to sharks because of the thrashing pigs in the water.

Content copyright © 2010 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

This is the first time in my life that I have ever felt compelled to write a review for a pair of shoes, but these puppies have become an old friend. I don’t wear them through the 3 hot summer months here, but when fall rolls around I am always happy to put them back on. I’ve never put anything more comfortable on my feet than these all weather mocs. For a number of years they even doubled as my slippers inside the house. That’s how comfortable they are !

I have them in khaki because I like the warm tone of it and it goes with everything color wise.

Buy em, wear em, love em. You can’t go wrong.

Content copyright © 2010 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.

So what sets this convention apart from all of the other Halloween costume parties that you might attend at this time of year? It’s called “cosplay” and the people who attend this event are masters at it. Cosplay is a term made popular by fans of Japanese media. It is the tradition of not only dressing up as a favorite character, but also to role-play the character while at these events. I discovered how entertaining this form of a masquerade ball could be while attending my first convention here in Nashua New Hampshire. I spent an hour in the lobby of the Radisson where “pods” of young people were gathering together to show off their costumes, and their role-play abilities. I interrupted several conversations to say hello and ask for a photo and each time I was delighted to see the participants switch immediately over to “in-character” mode. From the bodily animations, to the vocal accents and use of their character’s unique dialogue, you suddenly feel yourself hurled into the middle of an anime skit that is being put on just to entertain and delight you.

I enjoyed this event immensely even though I’m far too old to “fit in”. I don’t have any children of my own, but if I did, I would not hesitate to let them attend an anime convention, also known as “cons”. It was obvious to me that these young people took great pride in their adoration of anime. They had employed a lot of innovation, imagination and passion to their choice of characters and their portrayal of that character.
I stayed the weekend and saw no evidence of anyone under the influence of anything but enthusiasm and knowledge of their topic, unless you count Red Bull as an influence. There seemed to be plenty of people clutching these popular energy drinks and I had to wonder why on earth people of this age group would need more energy. I got tired just watching them enjoy themselves …perhaps I should try one of those drinks next time !

The convention is put on by AAC, Another Anime Convention, and has been held at this location every year since 2006.
Some of the events available to participants are Masquerade Painted faces on parade, The Vermillion Ball, Electronic Music Dance with 4 different Djs to choose from.
Voting on Anime Music Videos, Video & Tabletop Gaming – game room for tournaments,
Anime Screenings on a big screen TV, Anime Open Market Swap Meet and a large Manga Library. There are also workshops available to learn more about cosplay, how to plan for a convention, how to make an AMV etc…

Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult, but trust me on this one, the adult will have fun too, I sure did.

Anime Halloween Radisson Convention

Content copyright © 2010 by Lynn Gaziano. All rights reserved.