Category: Memories

I’ve been researching getting my photos out into the world where people can purchase them. More details to come but hopefully some folks would be interested in this and help support me in my journey! Last night we all got involved in a google hangout live video chatting with various family members across three states. It was kinda cool if a little bit haphazard. At lunch today we got some exercise by rocking out to the jukebox – have to get the body moving somehow to keep the mental health up! Carson is still getting used to it. Oh, and another one of my shots made the news bumper!

LD noticed flipping around that Boston news station NECN showed one of my pics of the Boston Public Garden on television. Pretty sweet!

Woke up early this morning to finish the mulching that we had started yesterday. Pleased to say we got it all done. Wanted to finish it before the rain started coming in later in the day.

Spent a good part of today over at Earth-1. I hadn’t been there in a while and I needed to address a few things and get my laptop and some other items. Also had to help take the cat to a vet appointment. So weird these days how it’s all done with basically no contact and social distancing.

If you’re looking for a good movie to watch that came out last year check out Yesterday. I watched it tonight for the first time and thought it was pretty cool.

The story behind the photo: This was taken by me a few years back while on vacation for my birthday. I had to climb down these rocks and then look up toward the lighthouse, which just at hat moment had the setting sun shining against it and also the clouds looked somewhat ominous in just such a way – it was a case of being in the right place at the right time – pure luck. Just so happens this was also the same shoot where we saw two skunks being amorous, with the male chasing the female and her being coy, but that’s a story for another time. This location is one of my favorite lighthouses to visit in Maine.

Today was a rather productive day, cleaning out the basement for one, and making homemade pizzas for two. Did a bunch of yard cleanup as well – it was finally a really nice day to get outside for a while.

The story behind the photo: I took this a few years back after a storm had hit Gloucester and this foot bridge was damaged a bit. Looking at it now I see it as a metaphor for things that are going on right now, in my life and the world in general. In a lot of ways it all still feels unreal for me, like a bad dream that doesn’t seem to end.

Travelling along the bridge is a bit treacherous, but certainly passable with some caution and a bit of hope, and we can see the good times waiting for us at the other end. We’ll all get through all this awfulness that is currently all around us and we will get to the other side, and be the better for it. I have some ideas for side hustles that I’ve been wanting to get going on for a long time that now I plan on exploring and will hopefully lead to some positive outcomes.

Took a drive out to the cemetery this afternoon where my grandparents are buried. Felt like visiting them and sharing my thoughts with them. Really wanted to ask for their advice and guidance , my grandmother always knew what to say whenever I needed it. While there we also got homemade masks from a friend – practicing the proper routine and social distancing and all. Ended the evening off with a Zoom call with our couple friends and played a game for a couple hours – believe it or not it does actually help our moods.

The picture above has nothing to do with this entry – just felt like pulling it out from the archives, a throwback to a time when you could walk around town.

I felt a little sad today – I get good days and bad days, but overall I try to keep an optimistic outlook (this rainy cloudy dark cold weather day isn’t helping). Worked on some great projects and I learned a lot but it is time to move on. I think in the end things will turn out pretty good – but it’s going to be long road for sure. One day at a time, no one said rebirth was easy. We’ve been going over some ideas that might give me a focus and that I could possibly use to provide some value. Mostly I’m thankful and immensely grateful for all the support that I have. I need to remember that.

And 2020 just keeps on sucking. Had a meeting late this afternoon and guess what…. I’ve been laid off, kinda shitty the way they did it too. Basically I’ll be cut off totally after April 21. I’ve worked with this group for 30 years (well, actually if I made it to September of this year but close enough). I’m not surprised – the writing was on the wall, but I think if they couldn’t find anything for me with my skill set I think that company as a whole is going to be feeling a lot of hurt soon, as a lot of folks already are.

Well, I’ll need some time to process all this. Not feeling so great at the moment but I’ll find a way through it somehow.

The story behind the photo: I had seen photos from this location that other people had taken and wanted to see it myself. So, I found out that there was an inn right at the location and booked a getaway there. I’ve been to this location a bunch of times since and this photo is not from the first time I was there, but maybe the third or fourth. The actual location is back a ways from the inn and you have to climb over this huge rock outcropping formation to get to the location that I liked – good thing I’m agile, more so back in those days. The location is very scenic.

The story behind the photo: Taking this one out again, although I did touch it up a little bit more from the original. Did you know that the little red fishing shack at the end of Bearskin Neck in Rockport, Massachusetts, is the most painted building in the world? Well, it is. I like the way I did this shot, to give it sort of a somber and quiet tone. Truth is it was actually a really nice sunny day when I shot this and I had to wait for folks to get out of the shot as I believe I shot it around one or two in the afternoon. I’d like to put all these shots in a large format book someday, at the very least. At the most in an art gallery – I can dream, right? I might need to have a side hustle and start selling these things – assuming I could get anyone to buy them – not really the best of times right now.

Spent part of the afternoon replacing the glass panes in the doors with their screen counterparts – it’s that time of the year again getting ready for the warmer weather! For dinner tonight going to try the hand at a little dish called Korean Beef Bebimbap. I’m not a big ethnic food eater but I’m willing to give it a try.

More updates later! Some of the things I’m going to try to get done today: cleaning, setting up LD’s new computer (done!), getting some fresh air somewhere (done!), making a bruschetta chicken dish for dinner (done!), doing some planting/gardening (done!) and maybe watching one of the following movies that we currently have on the DVR (American Graffiti, Donnie Brasco, Shazam!, The Recruit, The Lonely Bones, Along Came Polly).

The story behind the photo: Tooling around Rockport one morning and exploring different areas I had never been to before we happened upon this one outcrop somewhere along the shoreline of the town (Loblolly Point – a little hidden treasure of a location) with a trail that I decided to get out and follow and see what there was to see. I think we were actually trying to look for some birds at the time, like a heron or something. After climbing over some rocks which you can see in the foreground I happened to look out and see one of Thatcher’s lights peeking out through the fog and so I thought to myself that this might be cool. It was a clear day but the fog hadn’t lifted yet across the waterway to where the lights are so it was a really striking look I thought.

Tonight we made some Chicken with an Apricot Jam sauce, and watched Menendez: Blood Brothers staring Courtney Love of all people (we all know the story – I was curious how this version would be – verdict – what you would expect). Today was such a rainy and windy day, I think I even took an afternoon nap which is something I never do!

The story behind the photo: Sad to say I don’t have any real interesting story about this one. Just happened to be at that location and took a snap and there it was.