Located on the grounds of the Springfield Museums, the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden pays homage to one of Springfield’s most famous people, Theodor Seuss Geise (aka Dr. Seuss), and some of his characters.
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The grounds are accessible to the public during the museum’s normal hours without a fee. You only need to pay if you want access to the museums. The garden does not only have sculptures and art work related to Dr. Seuss’ characters. There are statues and other pieces of art and buildings on the grounds.
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I will be posting about the Springfield Museums in a later post. Here is a quick preview:
Although the area is mostly known for being the home of the New England Patriots and its adjacent marketplace, Patriot Place has another impressive attraction – The Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog. Admission to the trail and bog is free and the parking is ample evident by the photo below. You can also park in the lots in front of the store and walk down to the trail.
From the entrance the Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog greets you with a charming sitting area and pretty trees.
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Although most of the vegetation is dead (save for a few stubborn blueberries and cranberries), a thin layer of ice covered most of the pond and the trees are bare this time of the year, the Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog at Patriot Place in Foxboro, MA, is just as beautiful in the winter as it is during the summertime.
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Located directly behind the expansive Bass Pro Shop, the Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog is a .5 mile loop with a 3 percent grade and some inclines as much as 12 percent.
It is a mostly dirty trail with a few boardwalks and bridges. There are two benches in the middle of the first walking bridge. Overall, it is an easy to semi-moderate trail. I saw people of all age groups handle the trail, inclines and all, with little difficulty.
I found this strange, creepy looking branch or alien arm protruding from the ice.
An extra bonus for any Patriots fan is you can see Gillette Stadium (the stadium the Patriots play in) from the main road on the way to the Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog. You can also catch a quick glimpse of some of the stadium from the entrance to trail and bog.
After finishing the loop, I met Chandler, a beautiful 6 year old tri-colored English Setter (thank you for the clarification, Adam).
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Although the city does not have a professional sports team, Springfield, Massachusetts is the home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame. Of course, the game was invented there. So, it is an appropriate location.
The great thing about playing hoop is all you need a ball a net and a decent pair of sneakers. The Hall has the nets outside the entrance. All you need is a ball. I’m not sure how long you could play before they make you leave. From this entrance the Hall is deceptively big (three floors).
There is a big parking lot at the Hall but there are other business in the parking lot. We arrived early to make sure we got a good spot. It costs adults $22 a ticket, seniors (65 and older) pay $17 a ticket, $16 for youths (ages 5 to 15) and kids 4 and under get in free. You can also sometimes purchase tickets at third party vendors at a reduced price (we got ours at the Big Y grocery store). So, it doesn’t hurt to look around for other places to get your tickets.
I only wish I had gone there when I was younger. In fact, when I was a kid I could easily see myself telling my folks they could drop me off when it opens (at 10) and come by and get me at closing time (4 or 5 on Saturday). I could easily pass 6 or 7 hours there. I am not sure they would go for it, though. As time passes, our interests change. While I do still love playing and I like watching, I am in no way even close to the fan I used to be. But, the charming Hall of Fame made me a fan again.
Whether it is Pete Maravich’s “floppy socks” (one of my favorite exhibits)
Or the creatively crafted flag made of sneakers
Or the jerseys and sneakers of the best three of all time (sorry Kareem, Lebron and Wilt)
There is something for everyone.
The Hall is also a great family friendly place. There are so many activities geared for children. Want to recreate when “Havlicek stole the ball?” You can do so by telecasting that play and many others in their play by play booth. Want to try to block a shot by one of the NBA’s elite players? There’s a game for that too.
There are also videos galore. Along the wall there are little monitors with short videos of speeches, highlights and informational clips. This video below is a video about the newest class of NBA Hall inductees (congrats Dikembe). There is also a amphitheater in the hall.
Being a native of the Boston area, I was drawn to the Boston Celtics’ memorabilia. Such as a Larry Bird statue (striking resemblance)
One of Red Auerbach’s cigars. He used to light a cigar during every game he coached for the Celtics if/when he thought the game was over (before the official end) as a gimmick to psyche out the opponent.
But, there are statues, mementos and reminders of every team from every era, even non professional teams like the Harlem Globetrotters (who did have some would be professional players play for them such as Wilt Chamberlain). I used to love the Globetrotters. I always felt badly for their rivals, the poor Washington Generals, though!
There are certain players that you’re drawn to. They may not be the best player or even the best to ever play their position, although one of my favorite characters is certainly in the top 3 at his position. Charles Barkley played with an intensity and perseverance only matched by the other elites he is enshrined with. But, he did it with flare and intensity. I looked up one of his YouTube videos if you’re unfamiliar with him (the play 1:12 is ridiculous) . Oh yeah and he is funny as hell.
Below is one of his rings for being on the NBA 50th anniversary all time team.
My visit to the Hall of Fame was also a learning experience. Even though I was a pretty rabid fan as a younger person and still a casual fan, I learned a lot during my visit. For instance, have you ever heard of Teresa Edwards? I hadn’t either before my visit. She is the most decorated basketball player of all time. Among her achievements are 5 gold medals, a bronze medal, gold medals in the Pan Am, Games, Jones Cup and FIBA World Championship, among many other awards.
The best part for me was the lower level of the museum. Several basketball hoops are set up so that all the patrons can shoot around (balls are provided free of charge). Some of those kids can ball!
My trip to the Hall rekindled my fondness for basketball (it hadn’t been the same for me after Michael Jordan retired). It also brought back a lot of memories from what I consider the “glory days” of the game. It was a trip down memory lane.
Yeah, I still got some skills.
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As the year draws to an end I thought I would share some of the photos taken from my mother’s house throughout the year. Since she lives in an area that used to be farmland there are a lot of wooded areas that attract a variety of wildlife. She also has a couple of bird feeders that attract birds of all types. There are many other animals in the area over the years that I have heard or seen but not photographed such as deer, a horse, cows, mountain lions and reportedly even bears.
Check out the slideshow below to see some of the friends that have visited us this past year. My cat, Bailey, is included in the slideshow. I always bring her when I visit.
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I always like investigating the area when I visit for the holidays and long weekends. I’ve always thought it would be a great place to retire. The storms and sunsets can be jaw dropping.
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There are also a variety of plants, flowers and trees in her yard.
When I first started my blog my intention was to photograph and create a journal of my trips in the New England area. It wasn’t until I went on my first photography shoot that I realized just how proud people are of their pets. And they should be. In fact, the only thing cuter than the dogs I have photographed is the reaction of the owners when I ask them if I can photograph their pooch. They are most often thrilled or at least flattered. Only one person has declined to let me photograph their dog and that was because the person I asked was walking someone else’s dog.
So, please enjoy the dogs of 2015. I look forward to photographing many more in 20116!
Dates visited: December 16, 2015 and December 21, 2015
Tucked away one of the many side roads of West Springfield, MA, is an unexpected place.
The Maple Brook Farm is home to a variety of alpacas. It’s not everyday that you get to see alpacas grazing from the road so I thought I would stop by.
They tend to cluster together so it was hard to take photos of them alone.
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The driveway to the farm is usually open, at least during non holiday daylight hours. When I went to visit, there was no staff or anyone else there but the public is welcome and there is no charge. I just wish I knew what alpacas eat. I would have brought them a treat.
The grounds of the farm are well groomed and there are many structures and statues that liven up the area. It is definitely worth a visit.
Every year during the holidays, I make my annual trip to Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield, MA.
The flagship shop of New England, the Yankee Candle Village is known for his decorative and at times eccentric displays. But, during the holidays they go the extra mile.
From the moment you walk onto the property, the Yankee Candle Village welcomes you with holiday cheer and some unique decorations.
Inside the store, there is an assortment of holiday decorations and not just holiday decorations. Wizard of Oz statues, model cars and other displays can be found throughout the shop.
There are Christmas trees galore. Every where you look it seems there is a tree decorated in a unique way.
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There are also Christmas village light up displays located in one room. They also have a Halloween village set up.
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There is also a stream with koi fish
Try as we might, we could not find Santa. He wasn’t at his regular place
He wasn’t at his desk either
Finally, I found him in the shopping area
There is also an area where customers can make their own candles with the colors and scents they choose. They can also have a candle made in the form of their hands whether it be a fist, peace sign or index finger extended (no middle fingers allowed)
There is also a fountain in the shopping area and a mechanized band that plays for the children. It looks kinda creepy to me, though.
As I left the shop and day turned into night, the lights from the trees and decorations outside lit up the area. It was raining pretty hard so some of the images produced spots that almost look like snow. Sadly, it was only raindrops. There will not be any snow on Christmas for us this year.
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There are also many automated attractions at the shop. For instance, in the front of the store there is a toy train that runs along the wall.
Every 4 minutes, it “snows” at the Snowplace Factory in the North Pole of the store.
To get a full appreciation of the light display, I am including a short video showing off all the lights outside the store.
As fall made one more last gasp, I took advantage of the unseasonably warm (50 degrees) weather and made my way up north to the picturesque Pawtuckaway State Park in Nottingham, New Hampshire.
Located about an hour and a half north of Boston, MA, Pawtuckaway is a 5,000 acre preserve with a camp site, lakes, a beach, a spectacular view of the Pawtuckaway Mountains and 15 miles of trails. The parking lot is pretty big so parking shouldn’t be a problem if you get there early in the day during the spring and summer. There were only 4 cars there when I went in December. It costs $5 for adults and $2 for children ages 6-11. It is free when it is not staffed (from 11/2 until 5/1). The park hours are 8 am-7 pm.
The trails can be challenging not so much because of their inclines, which can be tricky at parts, but because of the rocks which are randomly placed throughout the trails. They can come in handy, though, when you have to cross the puddles along the trails.
I arrived at Pawtuckaway early in the morning. Mist and frost was still visible on the way to the lake.
Looking into the pond was like looking into a mirror.
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The views from the rocks trail on the Fire Tower make the long ascent (about 3 miles from the entrance) worthwhile.
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The fire tower is located a short distance (about a quarter of a mile) from the rocky ledge with all of the beautiful views.
While I preferred the views from the ledge, the fire tower offered views from every angle and both sides of the vista.
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There were also many pretty trees at Pawtuckaway.
There is also a beach at Pawtuckaway. I got there just in time for the sunset.
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Pawtuckaway is said to have been derived from a Native American word meaning, “big buck.” I didn’t see any bucks but I did some dogs! From top to bottom Artie, Lulu (on the left), Rooster (on the right), Tucker and Duke.
Video from the fire tower at Pawtuckaway. As you can tell by the audio it was quite a windy day.
Video from the rocky ledge it was less windy there)
Spending a crisp autumn day at Myles Standish State Park makes you long for summer days.
Since it is so big, Myles Standish has several parking areas. I parked at the main parking area where the ranger headquarters is located on Cranberry Rd. There were about 30 or 40 parking spots at this parking area. It wasn’t a problem finding a spot when I went but I bet it fills up quickly if you don’t go early during the spring and summer. Myles Standish also has camp sites for tents and some for RV’s. It costs $8 for MA residents and $10 for non MA residents to visit for the day when the park is open for the season. It is free off during the off season.
As beautiful as the forest is in late fall, it must be even so much prettier when all the flowers are in bloom or during foliage season. The wind was just strong enough to give the water a little ripple effect.
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There were birds a plenty at Myles Standish. The woodpecker in the second photo was too busy pecking to be scared away.
Myles Standish is a huge forest and it extends into several towns. There are 16 ponds, 13 miles of hiking trails and 15 miles of biking trails in Myles Standish. I stopped by Fearing Pond.
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There was also quite a few pretty trees and vegetation at the forest.
My one gripe about Myles Standish is the amount of trees they had cut down. It wasn’t clear why they had the trees down. But, it was unsettling nonetheless.
Holidays and mansions. Sounds like a pretty good combination to me. That is what the folks at the Newport mansions are offering all their patrons. As part of the holiday season, the Newport mansions have been decorated for the season. The $29 tour includes 3 of the mansions (The Elms, The Breakers and The Marbles). But, I was only able to see The Elms Mansion.
The mansions aren’t the only ornate buildings in the area. Some of the homes in the area are very pretty as well. Before you arrive at the mansions, you can peak at the pretty houses in the neighborhood.
When you enter the mansions, you are given an audio player with headphones to use as part of the self guided audio tour. Indoor photography is limited to certain rooms (usually they don’t allow photography at all in the mansions but they relaxed their policy slightly for the holiday tours). I might have sneaked in a few more photos from the rooms that weren’t authorized for picture taking. It’s actually kind of a good thing that they limit photography because you could easily be inundated with things to photograph. One room seemed more beautiful or interesting then the previous room.
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Photo taking is allowed on the exteriors of the mansions and the grounds of the buildings.
The mansions are available for tours throughout the year. So, if you can’t make it there during the holiday try going another time when it is less busy. If you go to the holiday mansion tour, it is only during daylight hours. Parking can be difficult, especially if you arrive later in the day. But, you should be able to find parking somewhere in the area if you can’t find a spot in the parking lots at the mansions.
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