Category: Scenic Photography

Plymouth Seal Artwork Makes Us So Happy!

Posted on by Markman

I had been meaning to check out these Plymouth Seals artwork installations all along the Plymouth waterfront, and Sunday was a perfect afternoon to do it. I was psyched that Plymouth wasn’t busy at all, didn’t know how it would be with the Thanksgiving holiday coming up and all, but it was pretty dead. Anyways, these seals are so cool! I love them! They really do make you smile, and placed in such a scenic location by the waterfront! My favorite is the one in the first pic below. It’s name is Jacques CouSeal. The pilgrim looking one was really cool too. LD’s fav was Taylor Surf over up on Court Street. That’s the glittery looking one. I also got my new hoodie so I wore that out for the afternoon as well. Topped it off with lunch from a place there called Woods Seafood. Not as fancy and the East Bay Grille which is also there, but was perfect for us at this time, and the food was great!

Why seals? According to the Plymouth Chamber of Commerce, “As playful and iconic coastal creatures, seals represent the spirit of Plymouth’s harbor and the vibrant marine life that calls it home. Each sculpture tells its own story—paying tribute to the town’s seafaring roots, its artistic community, and the scenic beauty that defines our corner of the South Shore.” I couldn’t agree more!

Just a Memory But a Good One

Posted on by Markman
There’s folks in canoes in the distance.

Here’s another shot I took over the summer that was just sitting around in my archives, so I figured I’d dust it off and put it out there. The cool thing about this shot is the kayakers way out in the distance. I have a bunch of shots where I zoomed in more on them but then I figured I liked this long out shot better with the rocks in the foreground. What this shot doesn’t show you is all the bugs flying around and biting people. That’s why at a location like this I wear a hoodie and cover myself up even though it was like 90 degrees outside. I’ve tried the bug spray and all but that doesn’t work. I find the hoodie actually works best. As an aside, I believe this was also the night that we went here with another couple (a good longtime friends of LD’s and her boyfriend) and they had to park really far away since the lot here was so small and they had a police officer basically telling people they couldn’t park there because it was full. So when we were close to done he was literally running all the way down the street to get the car, and it was quite a ways. Not really sure why he was running though. I think we eventually picked him up before he got to his car. The details of the night sort of escape me now but I do remember that being a part of it.

Flowers Make Us Happy! Dresses Made Out of Real Ones!

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Discovered this year’s Fleurs de Villes installation at the Pru and it’s a must-see! Made entirely out of real flowers. Fleurs de Villes combines the love of flowers, local design talent, and bespoke, utterly unique displays, for experiential events like none other. Which one catches your eye?

In other minor things that have been keeping me occupied as of late:

Gametime: Proton Path. You know I love these sorts of puzzle games.

Currently reading: The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told by Bill Janovitz. The back story behind the classic Boston band.

Love Us Some River Troll Action

Posted on by Markman

Finally got a chance to visit Mrs Skipper troll in East Providence, Rhode Island. Thomas Dambo constructs his trolls from recycled wood with the goal of encouraging people to explore nature and value the environment. Many of the trolls’ narratives and expressions, often with a humorous twist, incorporate an environmental message. After that we grabbed lunch at a random place on our journey that we happened to be near called Rosa’s Tavern and it was actually very good! I got a chicken parm sammie and LD got this very good tasting seafood pot dish. Finished up with a quick jaunt over to Like No Udder for some ice cream and hot chocolate. I also scored a free rubber duck in pirate attire there, which was kind of cool.

Jersey Shore in a Storm

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Well, we braved the weather and made it to the shore. There were areas of the shore that did flood, but thankfully not at all where we were. The weather wasn’t the greatest but we did get to see the power of nature. The waves were huge but the wind was the real nasty. Didn’t stay on the beach long because the sand would whip into your face like little stabbing needles. Glad we went though! I got to hang out with my four pawed friend Charlie, he is like the sweetest doggo.

This Fluff Festival was Fire (We Getting Burned!)

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We checked out this year’s fluff fest over at Earth-1. It was it’s 20th anniversary and boy was it packed! We also brought along our friend Emily and her dog Pippa which was nice seeing as we haven’t seen her since March. We would have checked out more things but there were just too many people and some of the lines looked just way too long for us. That said, we able to score some fluff treats which were delicious including some Fluff croissant from Union Sq. Donuts and some cookies and fluff cannoli from some other vendors. Speaking of vendors, one of the ones there was the niece of one of LD’s best friends in life. I would have loved to try the product, but once again, the line was just too long. Man, they must have worked like crazy! After trudging through the festival we drove over to Revere Beach for a much more quiet hang and some sandwiches. The beach was a completely different vibe, very quiet and hardly anybody there which provided a nice balance to the day. It was also more Pippa and LD’s speed, LOL! We finally got back around dark and needed to decompress. In in all, we’re all glad we went though. It was a fun afternoon!

Currently Reading: Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story. Another one that popped up on my Libby app. I remember seeing a Dateline about this story, but this book goes much more in-depth into the victim and her life, really tragic and sad.

Umbrellas in the Skies of Newport RI

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I wanted to take a jaunt over to Newport Rhode Island yesterday to check out this marketplace that has umbrellas all set up hanging above one of the walkways throughout the complex. Got some amazing deals of some hoodies and shirts while we were there, so bonus. I also learned that two of the elephants from last years migration along the Breakers are now permanently installed over at the library a few blocks down so I had to check them out as well.

On the way back we hit our favorite vegan ice cream place in Providence. They have a vegan deli next door and I tried the “fake” ham and cheese. LD found she couldn’t eat it – it was just too “wrong” but surprising I was able to chow it down just fine, which is rather unlike me. I guess there really is no replacing the real thing!

Pretty in Pink with Beautiful Skies to Match on a Rooftop Garden Summer Night

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Amazing sunset last night too.

We decided to go see Pretty in Pink playing as an outdoor movie at this neat little rooftop park in Cambridge down by Kendall Square. It was hot all day and there was a chance of rain but all our apps said it should be okay. We got in the parking garage and not a drop around. Coming out of the elevator of the garage to access the roof we were bombarded with a pretty heavy rainfall. Oh no! I said we should wait it out a bit. It started thundering. Still waited a bit. Finally we decided to cross the rainy park to this area on the other side that looked to be covered and had one of those pop up food thingies. After getting a burger and some mac and cheese with pulled pork (both were really good by the way!) the rain stopped and we were able to watch the rest of the movie!

Just as we were going to head back home, LD noticed that the skies looked pretty wild and there might be an opportunity for some interesting sunsety shots, and once again she was right! The sky had this amazing pinkish color to it and just the way that it reflected off the water of the river made it look like you were in some magical place, which I suppose we were.

This park is really cute plus it’s neat that it’s up on a roof. We might go back to see the Goonies playing there in September. Anyone is free to join us!

As usual, you can click any picture for the captions.

Gametime: Cloud Walk. I like to keep my brain sharp! I need to, I forget stuff all the time and can’t remember half the shit I need to!

The Only Place I Want to Be is With You…

Posted on by Markman
A moment is not complete until you realise it is fleeting…

Last weekend down the Cape is in the books! The high point of Saturday though would have to be getting invited up to the deck above the restaurant there at Rock Harbor to enjoy the sunset. Mind you, the deck is someone’s apartment and a restricted area, so it was cool to be invited up there, just us and our two friends. Felt like a real excusive VIP experience! I also finally also get to check out “Staples Rock”, a silly little Orleans ‘attraction’ that’s gained a lot of traction lately. On the way down we usually stop at a place by the canal for lunch, I was jonesing for a clam plate. It did not disappoint. The Airbnb we were staying at had a piano which I played a bit.

The next day was even more fun. Also the weather has been gorgeous, but I digress. We started by hiking the Eddy Trail in Brewster, a favorite of ours. We love to get to the end where the cliff overlooks the miles of Brewster Flats below. It’s a great trail and pretty easy going. Then it was off to the pool and sun and some outdoor fun and games. Wrapped it up with a dinner with out friends and another beautiful sunset evening. (You can click through each pic for the captions).

I brought my professional camera down and took some shots but I haven’t processed them yet. I’ll post some of those up and soon as I find enough time to do so but the top photo of this post is a quick example!

Made the News

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A photo from Maine that I took made the Scenic Six at Boston.com

Scroll to the bottom here to see it bigger.

Got something really exciting brewing up for the end of this upcoming weekend! It’s going to be a blast!

A Rooftop Garden Oasis in the City

Posted on by Markman

I wanted to check out this rooftop garden in Kendall Square because we might see some free outdoor movie there sometime next month with another couple possibly. (Pretty in Pink, if you must know!)

I had some business at Earth-1, so after that was done I decided to bike on down there and scope it out. Found it pretty easily. Basically next to the train stop a door down from Legal Seafoods. It’s cute but small. I’d be down for hanging out there tho. Google has a huge office space there and there’s a bunch of MIT stuff.

On the ride home I trolled thru Central, passed by some places I hung out at back in the day. Although it looks pretty different now. The Middle East is where I’d see local rock acts in the early aughts like Angry Salad, Tootsie/Jaded, Waltham, and Damone. And at TT the Bears next door (long gone now).

There’s a Target in Central now??? Guess I’ve been out of the loop for a while!

Love Me Brewster

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This picture was taken from a wooden walkway like the one you see in the photo while looking back toward the sun after walking around the are for a bit. I always likes this picture for some reason. It’s one of my personal favorites. There really are a lot of scenic areas to shot down the Cape, this shot is from Brewster, one of the towns that we particularly like down there,

Gametime: One More Treasure. This game is pretty sweet!

A Whirlwind Weekend Quiets Down on Sunday

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Goodbye Sweet Weekend

Did a bunch of things around the house yesterday. I finally got around to installing the new doorbell. It’s pretty sweet how it senses when someone’s outside. Mostly good to know when an package has been delivered. Went to the hardware store and got some screws to help address some issues with the side door and got a new hibiscus plant to be planted in the corner now that the new fencing is just about done. Ended up watching some tv, the first part of that Billy Joel documentary for one. It’s really good but be prepared to watch it for a while – the first part is almost 2 and a half hours long. For lunch LD drove me over to the Bubbling Brook in Westwood where they have different food trucks on different days and yesterday was Capt. Mardens. I was jonesing for a clam plate. Must have been all that beach time we had the other day.

Pool Days and Beach Days Equals Summer Fun!

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I had a great time at the pool yesterday. I must have spent at least 4 hours solid in the pool, which is a lot for me. We played water basketball, and I was very tired afterward but it was a lot of fun. I got a pretty good sandwich from a place called Café Sarina. I wish there were more places to eat up there but I guess that’s how it is. I love visiting the dog Mollie. She is so cute, but a little sassy, which I like. When we got home, we got takeout from a local place and watched a documentary about the Idaho college kids tragedy.

I was planning on going to Maine this morning but I was too tired so instead I went to LD’s gym and used the hot tub, which I needed since my arm and shoulder were a little sore from all the throwing and splashing in the water yesterday. Ended up chatting with the trainer there today. Pretty cool.

Then, this afternoon we decided to hit the beach and meet up with another pal! Why not?

Also starting to set up a new doorbell this weekend with video capabilities as a side project.

A Fourth Day of Fun and Some Pottery Pickups

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Had a fun fourth over at a friend’s house down in Fairhaven along the water yesterday. I ate a bunch of burgers, dogs, chicken, chips, desserts, etc. Hung with with 4 dogs. So cute. This was right after we celebrated LD’s achievement again at the pool at the gym – there were treats and balloons and a lot of fun. Also picked up a bunch more Dedham pottery bunny stuff in Swansea which was sort of on the way and today in Dedham of all places, obtained a bunch more, some of them cats with their kittens. So it was a good haul this weekend to be sure!

Enjoy this pic of the lilies on our friends property from yesterday.