Location: Central Tree Rd, Rutland, MA (I can give you the exact address if you are planning on visiting) (about half an hour northwest of Worcester, MA and 1 hour west of Boston, MA)
Hours: Everyday, 24 hours a day
Cost: Free
Parking: You can park on the side of street or park at one of the farms or stables on the road and walk over to it
Handicapped Accessible: Ye
Dog Friendly: Yes
Highlight: A maple tree planted at the geographical center of the state of MA
This may look like any ordinary tree, an ordinary maple tree to be exact. But, it is actually a very special tree.
The tree located on appropriately named Central Tree Rd is the marker for the exact geographical center of the state of Massachusetts.
Previously, an Elm tree stood there but it died of Dutch Elm disease around 1969. The red maple tree was planted as a replacement.
A small wooden fence with a sign on it marks the center of the state.
Often considered the jewel of Westfield, Massachusetts, Stanley Parkis one of the prettiest parks in Western Massachusetts and it looks even more picturesque after a snowfall.
Due to the recent cold spell and snow, the pond and much of the vegetation at Stanley Park had been iced over so they were eager to get some food. As a disclaimer, most parks do not encourage you to feed birds. But, if you do, there are certain foods you should never feed to ducks. Bread is the biggest no-no on most list. These are some better foods to feed to birds.
At any rate, visitors like to feed the birds at Stanley Park and that gave me an usually good chance to photograph some beautiful ducks.
There were so many birds congregating at the pond waiting for a nibble of food.
Luckily, one of the visitors at the park, Jim, brought some food for the hungry birds.
Jim’s dog took the birds in stride.
I have photographed Stanley Park before and, since it is very close to my mom’s house, I always try to make a visit out there as often as I can.So, you may sees posts about this park from time to time.
Stanley Park, or Stanley as it is more commonly known as, is a popular spot for dogs like Sansa is a 5 month old Siberian Husky.
Nothing may say Americana like the work of Norman Rockwell. And, in a small town in the Berkshires you can still view this idyllic vision of America from so long ago.
But, even before you enter the museum, there is art abound. Along the walk way to the museum there are these unique sculptures and works of art.
Since it was the middle of October during our visit, the grounds of the museum were bursting with colors.
Rockwell was a prolific artist and his work is widely regarded as being some of the finest art in modern American history. Virtually every home, office or school has at one point hung a Rockwell painting, or more accurately somewhere in their building. In fact, I remember seeing this one in my doctor’s office.
The museum allows photograpy, just not flash photography. So, make sure to grab your DSLR or make sure your camera phone is fully charged before you go.
It’s so hard to choose the best Rockwell painting, especially since everyone has different tastes. But, here are a few of the paintings at the museum.
Throughout the day, a curator or other staff member gives a brief lecture on the life and works of Norman Rockwell.
There are also works of art by other artists at the museum. They range from more traditional works of art to modern works of art. There wa also a special tribute to cartoonist and satirist Thomas Nast during our visit.
Behind the museum is an open area with sculptures, some of who were sculpted by Norman Rockwell’s son, Peter Rockwell. The art work is very creative.
“Monster” made from fiberglass resin by Peter Rockwell, 2014
Sculpture by Peter Rockwell
“Junkyard Baby Buggie” made of license plates, tools, hubcaps, antique bottle and miscellaneous articles by Thomas Fiorini listed at $11,000.
Sculpture by Peter Rockwell
“Birdy Buggy” by Erika Crofut. Made of steel, vines and trash treasures. Listed at $2,200.
“Nuclear Family Totem” by Angelo J Sinisi, made of steel and bronze. For the low low price of $4,000.
“Christmas Buggy On Main” by Dee Moretto, made from wood, bondo, metal, fabric and paint.
“Bedrock Carriage” made of gypsum cement, copper and mocha moss, made by Thomas Mesquita. It’s all yours for $3,000.
“Bachelor” by Nicole Peskin made of found objects and welded steel. Listed at $9,000. Maybe I need one of these for my bachelor pad.
Location: Seapowet Ave, Tiverton, RI (about an hour south of Boston and about 30 minutes southeast of Providence, RI)
Cost: Free but donations are appreciated
Hours: Trails are open dawn until dusk
Parking: There is a lot which can accomodate about 5-10 cars
Trail Difficulty/Size: 50 acres of easy but narrow trails, I couldn’t find a description of the trail lengths but it can’t be more than 4 or 5 miles total
Handicapped Accessible: No
Dog Friendly: No, Audubon sanctuaries are not pet friendly
Highlights:easy trails, blinds to hide behind bird watch, wildlife, streams and bodies of water, birds, scenic
As a preface, I am trying to post about as many of my trips from earlier this year before the end of the year. So, I may be posting pretty much every day until the new year and into the beginning of the new year to catch up and start fresh in 2017. Lucky you… ( :
Tucked away just over the Massachusetts and Rhode Island border is a serene little trail with lots of surprises.
One of the cutest surprises are these blinds that you can hide behind to photograph or observe birds.
The trails at Emilie Ruecker are easy enough to navigate and they are mostly loops so it is easy to stay on the trail. There are also maps displayed throughout the sanctuary. The trails can be narrow in some areas. Also, if you go on the red trails, it’s easy to go off track. Just keep looking for the color coded trees to stay on track.
One of the cool things are the openings along the trails that allow you to get closer to the water so you can view the ducks and other birds.
You’ll also find the occasional bench to rest at.
Although there is lots of wildlife at the sanctuary, the highlight for me was the beautiful scenic views.
If you look closely, you may see the outline of a deer just behind the branch of this tree. Unfortunately, my camera couldn’t focus in time to get a better photo.
Much like this deer, the birds at Emilie Ruecker were hard to photograph.
The birds in the water proved more easy to photograph.
These birds were very easy to photograph, as long as I kept my distance. They were hanging out on the other side of the road across from the sanctuary on some farm land.
Highlights: Sculpture of a pyramid in Boston’s Fort Point Channel
If you’re hoping to view pyramids, you don’t have to book that trip to Egypt quite just yet. You only need to make a visit to Boston, MA, to see a pyramid of grand dimensions. The pyramid located in Boston named PYR 2014, which was sculpted by Boston-based sculptor Don Eyles, is said to be a sculpture that marks the past and future history.
The pyramid is made of plastic blocks which have been painted to look like the paving stones of the streets of Boston. It is more of a white shade. But, with the sun and the shade it threw that day, Mother Nature made it look a much darker color in some photos.
But how did they get this sculpture in the channel? Did they use some complicated contraption? A pulley system? Was there a helicopter drop? No. Nothing so elaborate was necessary. This link show how they did it.
Cormorants like the pyramid also.
The pyramid is 10 feet high and 16 feet wide and built from polystyrene, a synthetic aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene.
The pyramid was slated to be on display until November 15 of 2014. But, as of the time I took the photos in November of 2016 it was still there.
Nestled about half way between Boston, MA to the north and Caped Cod to the south, Marshfield, MA is a serene trail that also happens to bethe home to one of the best places for bird watching.
North River Wildlife Sanctuary actually has two sections to the trails. At least I consider them two sections. The trail from the nature education center
The trails at North River are easy with some slight inclines. Boardwalks allow access over marshland and wetland. However, not all of the trails are on clearly marked trails. Look for yellow and blue marked trees to ensure you stay on the trails. .
Along the trail closest to the nature center, there is a trail that is mostly dirt with soem gravel paths and boardwalks. If you do take some side trails (I suggest you do), you may come across some trails like the one pictured above that is covered in leaves and not clearly defined. Most trails are even with some minor inclines.
Along the trails there are some educational and recreational objects.
This sign identifies a certain type of bark and needles along the trail. There is also a tent for visitors to play with. There used to be two of them but they felt it made visitors too tense.
The Woodland Loop (the main trail from the educational center) leads to the Hannah Ames Trail (named after a former resident of the land). The 2.5 mile loop is easy with some pretty views. I heard lots of birds but failed to photograph many of them (this is atheme with my visit as you will see later). But the views are pretty and a boardwalk covers some wetland.
The gem of the sanctuary, has to be the trail that leads to the boardwalk with the observation platform by the North River. The signs for the River Loop trail, which veers off from the Woodland Loop after a quarter of a mile or so, are sort of tucked away. As a reference point, if you reach the tent on the Woodland Loop you’ve gone too far.
Once you cross the busy Summer Street (be careful), you will see a trail that leads to an open area with views of the North River in the distance.
There is a well worn grass trail that leads to a boardwalk over a wetland area. Trust me, there is a bird in the first photo in the bottom row. I swear.
The boardwalk leads to a very cool observation platform with cattails and other plants and trees along the sides of the platform.
The views from the platform are very pretty. I didn’t see much bird activity and it was a fairly cold day with a blustery wind during my visit.
After leaving the platform area, I noticed a somewhat hidden trail, the Red Maple Loop. For some reason, perhaps because of the thick brush and because it is heavily wooded, this is where I saw and heard the most activity. In fact, I saw some bucks while I entered the trail but they caught me by surprise and I couldn’t get their photo. There were lots of birds on this trail though. Again, they’re very hard to photograph. But, I did manage to photograph a few of them.
This Mass Audubon site also utilizes solar power as part of their commitment to the environment.
Below is a video from the observation platform by the North River. As you can tell by the audio, it was a pretty windy day!
Dates Of Event: Official lighting was November 21. Photos were taken December 9, 2016
Location: Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, 110 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA (near Tia’s and the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel)
Hours: Lights go on at dusk every day through out the holidays
Cost: Free
Parking: Parking in this part of the city is tough. If you can’t find street parking spaces, there is a parking garage at the Vpne parking garage located at 200 State St which is nearby. The Aquarium (on the MBTA’s Blue Line) and South Station (the Red Line on the MBTA) stops are also within walking distance.
There are several holiday displays in the city of Boston. You can skate and shop at the new Boston Winter attraction. You can view the light display at Faneuil Hall. Or, you can check out the tree at the Boston Common.
But, there is one holiday display that often goes unnoticed despite its festive display.
The Holiday Trellis display at Christopher Columbus Park in Boston’s historic North End, is home to one of the more beautiful light displays in the city.
The 260 foot trellis is lit up with 50,000 blue lights. A wreath decorated with a red bow and white lights hangs at the entrance to the trellis. Fourteen trees in the park are also lit up.
The lighting of the trellis is a big event at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park. Refreshments are provided and a musical guest performs each year (this year the musical performance was by Sharon Zeffiro).
While playing with my camera, I noticed how the path and lights looked much brighter with certain settings.
While those phoros look cool, the actual colors are not as bright.
The trellis is pet friendly and the dogs seem to really like the lights which seem to sparkle when they shine on the path. Denali, a 1 year old Golden Retriever, stopped chasing the spots on the path to pose for a quick photo.
Happy holidays, however you celebrate (or don’t)! Thank you all for the holiday cheer and for all of your support throughout the year!
Dates of Event: Every weekend in December, 2016, except Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (photos taken on December 16, 2016)
Location: Old Sturbridge Village (1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd.
Sturbridge, MA) (about an hour and half west of Boston and 45 minutes east of Springfield, MA)
Price: Adults: $22 | Youth ages 4 –12: $14 | Children 3 and under: Free (there are discounts if you’re in the military and if you purchase your tickets before December 1st for future reference)
Hours: 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm for the Christmas By Candlelight event (regular November hours are 9:30 -4:00 but their hours and the days they are open change depending on the time of the year)
Parking:There are an ample parking in the parking lot but it does get full during big events like the Christmas By Candlelight event
Handicapped Accessible: No, unfortunately, many of the houses do not have ramps
Stage coach rides, carolers, time period actors, Christmas trees; these are a few of the magical attractions at the annual Candlelight Christmas event at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.
The first exhibit at the Old Sturbridge Village Museum is the gingerbread house contest. The contest is broken into 4 categories: adult professional (there are professional gingerbread house makers?), adult, youth and family. Some of the designs are very creative. Each visitor to the museum could vote for their favorite.
There are many houses with living actors who answer questions about the traditions and how Christmas was celebrated during the colonial and post colonial days,
There were also stations where you could get some mulled cider and, appropriately enough, freshly roasted chestnuts…on an open fire no less.
The houses were all decorated with lights (for safety purposes, lights replaced the candles which would have been used to light up the houses). I have tried to show a progression of how the houses looked as darkness descended on the village so there may be some duplicate photos of the same buildings.
All of the houses were open to the public, especially since it was another cold New England afternoon. The homes were all decorated in different eras. In fact, one could see the decor of diffeerent eras in each room in the house.
This shoppe was a realistic version of the shoppes of the day.
There were actors throughout the village. The last two gentlemen pictured below were playing instruments of the day. The man in the second photo is playing a Psaltery, an instrument dating back to the 3 B.C.E.
In one of the houses, The Ghost of Christmas Present waited for us. He told me he hasn’t had to scare anyone since Scrooge (not even any reality stars or politicians, apparently). So, he’s a pretty easyy going guy I guess. Tiny Tim’s cane leaned on a chair in the corner.
This actor was pretty quiet. He didn’t tell me much about his character. Hey, wait a second…
Of course there were carolers roaming the village and breaking into song when the mood struck them. They also sang, appropriately enough, “Oh Christmas Tree!” at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
It was too cold outside (single digits at some points of the evening) for most of the animals. But, the chickens and some chicks were in the barn.
There were also some bulls on the farm. They’re such beautiful animals.
And, of course, the horses that pulled the horse drawn carriage and stage coach. Don’t you just love how they walk?
Happy holidays too all and don’t forget to leave out your shoes in the hopes of getting carrots!
Below are some videos from my visit to Candlelight Christmas! You’ll have to turn your head or device to watch the tree lighting ceremony ( :
Dates Of Event: December 3-18 (weekends only), photos taken December 10, 2016
Location: Strawbery Banke Museum (14 Hancock Street
Portsmouth, NH)
Hours: Saturdays, 5-9 pm. Sundays, 4-8 pm
Cost: Tickets are $25/adults, $12.50/children (ages 5-17), and $60/family (covers 2 adults + 2 children age 5-17). Children under 5, free. Active duty military and their families, and veterans, free. Group and corporate rates are available
Parking: There are about 100 parking spots in the lot which fill up quickly. The besgt bet is to park at one of the lots nearby (there are a couple on Court St within walking distance) or ake the Vintage Christmas Trolley
Handicapped Accessible: The main trail is but some of the houses are not handicapped accessible as they do not have ramps
Dog Friendly: No
Highlights: living history museum, ice skating rink, horse drawn carriage rides, musical entertainment, family friendly
Christmas in New England was once very different than the Christmas we celebrate these days. The actors at the living history museum do their best to recreate the life of Christmas during the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries.
The festivites begin with a candlelight stroll in the Portsmouth neighbor. We missed the candlelight stroll because we photographed the Nubble Lighthouse.
The houses are decorated with holiday decor and the actors explain what life was liked in colonial and post colonial America. I love some of the little decorations that gave the museum a Christmassy feel. It’s funny how a well place wreath or a colorful decoration can brighten up a room or doorway.
One of my favorite buildings is (of course) the old time candy shoope. Candies, snacks and foods of all kinds are stocked on the shelves and you can even get some recipes for some of theese foods.
Another one of my favorite buildings was the lantern shop. One of the lantern makers was at work when we visited the shoppe. And, yes, all of the lanterns photographed were hand made and for sale.
In one of the houses, Mrs. Shapiro prepared a Hanukah celebration her 1919 Russian Jewish kitchen.
There was also a horse drawn carriage.
There is also musical entertainment at Strawbery Banke. Carolers, a live band an a pianist are at Strawberry Banke. If you’re lucky, they might even be serving hot apple cider like they were during our visit.
There is also an ice skating rink for skaters of all skill levels to enjoy. The best part of the rink is when the living actors skate together (see video below). The less experienced skaters can use “walkers” to help keep them on their feet which you may see in the video below. A firepit is nearby to help keep the visitors warm.
Although dogs are not allowed at Starwbery Banke (service dogs may be an exception), we did see Meave, a 2 year old mixed breed dog.
Below is a video ofsome of the skilled skaters at the living musuem.
Dates Of Event: November 26, 2016 – January 1, 2017 (photos are from my visit on December 10, 2016)
Location: 11 Sohier Pard Rd, York, ME
Hours: from dusk (roughly 4:30 EST) until midnight
Cost: Free
Parking: There is a parking area for about 20-30 vehicles and adeparate parking lot for about 10 cars nearby
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
Dog Friendly: Yes
Highlights: Nubble Lighthouse decorated and lit up for the holidays.
Each year the Nubble Lighthouse (also known as Cape Neddick Lighthouse) is lit up
The annual lighting of the Nubble Lighthouse is a big event. The annual lighting begins each holiday season on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Santa makes a visit, the fire department stops by to let the children check out their trucks and a bus shuttles people back and forth from Ellis Park to Sohier Park. Yes, they take their lighthouse lightings pretty seriously in York.
Interestingly, this isn’t the only time of the year the lighthouse is decorated with lights. In July of each year the lighthouse is lit up as part of their “Christmas In July” celebration. So, if you miss this viewing you only have to wait 7 more months.
We started the viewing of the lighthouse with the last stages of yet another beautiful Maine sunset.
It was a bitterly cold night at Sohier Park with temperatures in the teens and 20’s and a wind chill making it feel about 10 degrees colder. So, in between visits to the car to thaw out, I was able to take photos of the lighthouse at various stages. If you look closely, you may see a drone that a visitor was flying by the lighthouse, presumably for video footage. Also, you can see a Christmas tree through one of the windows in some of the photos.
Below is a video of the lighthouse lit up. I had only been there about an hour when I videotaped the lighthouse. But, darkness comes quickly in this part of New England. So, the video doesn’t look great. It actually looks kind of spooky.
New England Nomad 