Category: Scenic Photography

Purple Skies for Sunset

Posted on by Markman

Been kind of busy over the last couple of days so updates here have been a little slim. Bit if you’re interested in what’s been happening here’s areal quick rundown. Hosting a BBQ over the weekend, getting plants from a farm for the containers and the gardening, getting some free flowers from a MD day promotion at Lowe’s, hanging out with my mom and sis on MD and watching the Celtics put the smack down on the Sixers in a Game 7 extravaganza!

We’ve been watching a Baltimore Oriole flying around here lately. We think it might have made a nest in a tree in the back yard, which I find pretty cool.

Currently Reading: Another one on the docket! Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues.

Enjoying a Lazy Restful Sunday

Posted on by Markman
The last one to leave the nest. Uncertain about the future but must go on nonetheless and make its own path..

Spent yesterday up in Georgetown visiting some friends and making hats of all things in honor of the Kentucky Derby festivities. Today was all about yard work, at least a little. I finally got around the trimming back one of the rosebushes but mostly so I could get at some errant weed that became somewhat of a tree over the years. I finally hacked that down. I also tilled the raised beds and did a bunch of cleaning up of the various pots around that we’ll need to fill up with some new flowers and other plant life. I still need to plant the various tubers that I’ve stored and a bunch of other things but I think I’m just going to do a little fire pit tonight and get some relaxation in, I was so tired from the visit yesterday that I ended up sleeping for quite a long time, longer than I usually do. My body needs a chance to recuperate and get ready for the week.

It’s a Brew-Tea-Ful Day!

Posted on by Markman
Fancy Tea Time!

Reservations finally came through for a little get together at a fancy tea house to help celebrate our anniversary. The food was great! I ended up going with a white tea called the Bartlett Pear which consists of White tea, pear, apple and peach pieces, pear flavor, nutmeg, cinnamon, white cornflowers, peach flavor. I must say it was quite good, very pleased with my choice. We were seated in the cutest little room, very pink and very Marie Antoinette-ish, for my lack of a better description.

Chasing Sunsets in the Time We Have

Posted on by Markman
Forever Chasing Sunsets

Chasing sunsets is one of the most romantic and captivating experiences we can ever have. Watching the sun slowly set on the horizon, painting the sky with beautiful hues of oranges, pinks, and yellows is absolutely awe-inspiring. It’s a natural spectacle that everyone should experience as often as possible in this lifetime. Chasing sunsets is not just about watching the sun go down. It’s about traveling to new and exciting places, exploring different cultures, and creating memories that will last a lifetime. It’s about taking time off from our busy lives and allowing ourselves to be in awe of the beauty of the world. When you chase sunsets, every moment is magical. You sit back, relax, and take in the beauty that surrounds you. The calmness of the evening breeze, the soothing sound of waves crashing against the shore, and the gentle rustle of leaves on trees all add to the experience. It is an experience that connects you to nature and gives you a sense of peace and tranquility that is hard to describe in words. Chasing sunsets is a reminder that life is beautiful, and there is so much to be grateful for. It helps us to appreciate the small things in life and be present in the moment. Sometimes, all we need is a little sunset chase to remind us that the world is indeed a beautiful place, and that there is always something to look forward to.

The Love We Share

Posted on by Markman
This is a perfect example of what I am talking about. This house is in Kennebunkport, Maine

I adore taking pictures. Every time I frame a shot, it feels like I am capturing a moment in time that I can revisit later. But I couldn’t do it without my partner. She is always there to help me with camera settings, spot great photo ops, and even have some ideas and getting me to so many locations. We make a great team, and I am so grateful for her support in my love for photography. Without her, I know I would not be able to take the amazing pictures that I do.

Rainy Last Sunday of April / Momma Bunny Appears

Posted on by Markman

We actually made it past midnight and got our names into the Lowes freebie which we’ll be able to pick up later in May. They did something like this a couple years back where there was a different free gardening thing every week but you had to register at midnight and the site would always be blocked up with traffic so it would be hard to get access, but this time I was able to get in no problem.

Today was spent cleaning out some of the kitchen cabinets in anticipation of the new work going to be done soon. Basically making three piles, stuff we keep, stuff to give away, and stuff to trash. We need to go get some newspaper though to store some of the glass items in for protection. Might go out and do that later today. While we were in the process of doing that, LD noticed that a mother rabbit was creating a new nest for babies over on the side deck. Not the greatest place to put one since we come in and out of that door all the time, but momma is going to do what momma wants!

We’ve taken to naming this mother bunny Katherine. I’m not sure why but LD came up with it and we’re going with it. Hopefully she’ll go along with this nest and maybe we’ll be able to see some bunny babies again soon. They are so cute!

Momma bunny in action!

Yesterday we got some pizza from Bertucci’s because we noticed we had some pretty good coupon deals that we needed to use since it was expiring today. I’m definitely loaded up on carbs this weekend, getting two large eggplant topping pizzas!

Currently Watching: Pretty Baby on Hulu, the Brooke Shields story.

There Goes the Sun This Weekend

Posted on by Markman
Osprey nest!
Sunset
Bunny eating phlox!
The “Map Chest!”

Not too much sun this weekend, there it goes down below the horizon. I’ve had this shot just laying around for a while, figured I might as well put it up. Also decided to put up this shot again that I took of an Osprey nest, just because it’s pretty cool.

Yesterday was a nice day though, took a trip out to Franklin to pick up a surprise. LD got me a solid wooden chest that is surrounded with an old map of the Earth motif, because of my map making heritage years. Now I just need to decide where to place it in the home and what to actually store in it. It’s not really a chest, although it looks like one, more like a cabinet on stands, rather interesting piece actually. Guess the folks who were getting rid of it are moving to Texas so the less stuff they have to bring with them, the more economically feasible. Their loss, our gain.

Before that though we took a quick trip to the kitchen cabinet place. Pretty cool how you can see a three dimensional rendering of what the update will look like. Looks like this is going to happen!

This morning we couldn’t help noticing one of the bunnies eating some of the phlox we have growing in a pot on the patio. Cute, but destructive little creatures.

Did you ever hear of your former coworkers passing away? Seems to be I’m starting to hear this a little more and more lately. Within in the three years now I’ve heard of two. Sad. They were great people too.

I need to stay up till after midnight tonight to get in on some Lowe’s deal and get my name in there for some free swag. Wish me luck.

Musings on the Last Thursday of April

Posted on by Markman

Did you miss me? It’s been a little while since my last update, but nothing to worry about—there hasn’t been anything noteworthy that happened in the interim. Here is a throwback Thursday photo of me, on my birthday, visiting what is perhaps my all-time favorite lighthouse (although Minots Ledge Light is a close second). Pemaquid Point in Bristol Maine, not too far from Booth Bay. What’s really cool about this light is the surrounding topography, huge rocky ledges all around that you can explore but need to be super careful. On this particular day the clouds were rolling in which is what I think makes the photo even better.

Meanwhile back on the home front, the wild bunnies are starting to appear in the backyard now, running, playing, and yes, even eating, as bunnies do. They are super cute though. There appears to be three that seem to visit rather often. I wonder if any of them were the ones that were born here?

Additionally, every time I start to feel like my thumb is getting better from not using it, I unintentionally extend it again, which hurts, and feel like I have to restart the resting process. You know what I mean? It’s so annoying!

Currently Reading: All right! Another one of the books I had reserved on Libby finally came through. My next read is called The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture. In it the author “eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise. Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescription drug; more than half take two. In Canada, every fifth person has high blood pressure. In Europe, hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of the population. And everywhere, adolescent mental illness is on the rise. So what is really “normal” when it comes to health?” I felt the premise was interesting so I figured I’ll give it a shot. Sort of builds a little bit on that Body Keeps the Score stuff but also with a physical as well as psychological bent.

Let Your Joy Burst Forth, Like Flowers in the Spring

Posted on by Markman
I’m always looking to find the beauty in everyday locations

Yard work today but instead lazy loaf in the sun. I did move a bunch of stuff out from the cellar to the shed so it wasn’t just a day of nothing, but I did end up spending a bunch of time in a chair just sitting soaking up some sun and even doing a couple of crossword puzzles. Maybe tomorrow morning I’ll head down to the home improvement store and get going on some things I want to accomplish. In the meantime, enjoy this picture I took of a bench just around the Wellesley Town Hall building, which was also the former home of the doctor who first used ether to lessen pain during procedures!

I put my name into that class action lawsuit that’s going around regarding facebook. Probably will only amount to a couple of dollars when all is said and done, and the lawyers will make out huge, but it’s better than nothing I suppose.

I made some shallot fritters tonight, basically just slice the shallots thin and break them up, cover them up in a concoction of tempura mix and water, and then just fry them up in a pan with a lot of canola oil. Maybe not the healthiest, but pretty tasty.

Sunset Baby Goat Snuggles tomorrow! Stay tuned for updates!

Spring Things with a Little Bun Bun

Posted on by Markman
This bunny was born in one of the pots you see in this photo on the back deck.

Been getting a bunch of spring things done this week. Got my ride’s oil change done yesterday – it was a little overdue, so it was good to get that done. I’ve been slowly moving things out from basement storage over to the shed for the summer and fall to make room for some stuff going on down there. I also need to get ready to replant the yearly tubers this week. Speakimng of that, I think we have to take a ride down to a nursery soon to get some plants that are on order.

I think I want to do a firepit over the next few days or so too, just to get it going for myself right now. Also, I can see that it seems like a switch was pulled this week and now the grass is growing by leaps and bounds all of a sudden. Amazing how that happens after being pretty dormant all winter.

When the Swans Come You Know Spring is Here

Posted on by Markman

It’s that time of year again! The Boston Swan Boats season starts up on Saturday. I remember when I took LD on the swan boats some years back, her first time, and I can still remember the look of joy and happiness on her face. It was her first time even though she had been here for a number of years and literally worked just across the street from the park. As for me, I can remember my mom taking my sister and I a bunch of times when we were little,. It’s funny, it seemed so much bigger back then, maybe because I was smaller? Anyways, it’s iconic and fun and I need to get us down there sometime to experience it again.

So late in the afternoon today after all my work stuff was done I decided to pull out the grill and bring out the patio umbrella as the temps here hit the 80 degree mark for the first time this year, and much earlier than usual, so we have to soak it up, right? I also want to get my sister and mom out here to have a BBQ soon and enjoy the firepit and whatnot. So I’m preparing for that eventuality.

As for my hyperextended thumb, I keep stupidly absentmindedly keep stretching it by reaching for things and whatnot. So annoying. And of course every time I do it, it sort of reinjured it again and I have to start over.

Easter Love in the Catskill Mountains of New York

Posted on by Markman

Back from a lovely Easter weekend in the Catskills of New York. We got to stay in a pretty cool Airbnb , pretty much a log cabin, with a wood stove fireplace and that is attached to an actual goat sanctuary across the way and they had baby goats, which of course we snuggled! We also got to “paint with goats!” Actually we got to do a lot of things there but one of the highlights was probably LD with a sweet baby goat that fell asleep in her arms for two hours. Pretty amazing to experience. Her name is Alora by the way and she is the cutest. Probably my favorite. Click on the pics for full length versions.

Afterwards we took a little drive over to the old Catskill Game Farm, where LD went to visit as a little kid. It’s abandoned now but we visited anyway. We also passed by the largest garden gnome statue in the world (at least up until 2007) on the way.

I might add more to this post later because there really is a lot more. One cool thing about the place that I forgot to mention earlier is that it was fully stacked but also had this somewhat amazing gameroom in the basement, with Poker, darts, air hockey, basketball, foosball, and even a full length ping pong table. I also spent some time in one of the various hammocks around the property. The place was pretty cool, I would definitely go back, and the drive is not bad at all.

Oh, there wasn’t even supposed to be baby goats there. we lucked out on that one. They got some goats in previously and apparently one male somehow slipped through the process and basically ended up impregnating a bunch of the ladies one night. That goat was super busy. But it worked out because baby goats are the best and it ended up being a great surprise and made the experience even better in my opinion.

Currently Reading: Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths and The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World.

There’s Spring in My Steps

Posted on by Markman

Saw all the birds outside this morning. Besides the usual robins and mourning doves, I also saw grackles for the first time this year. Mostly because I heard a crash at the front door. After looking out it appeared to be that one of them might have smashed into the door, but appeared to be alright and took off.

Had a good day today making the rounds, Today was a great day to be outside. Even got to talk with our Big Boss who happened to be out and about! He asked me how things were going, etc. Good dude. He said all the business owners were very pleased with our progress and to be honest, even I can see a big change since when we started. And so far it’s only been five weeks! Oh, and I also found a five dollar bill on the ground, so how often do you get a score like that?

In other news. I reconnected my Google Analytics to the site, so my counts and what not will be starting over – seeing what pages are the most popular, engagement, stuff like that – not that there’s a ton of it. I’ve been meaning to do it for months but I finally got around do it now. So there’s that.

Oh, and in today’s injury report which seems to a be a daily occurrence lately, I seem to have somewhat hyperextended my thumb. Like, wtf?

Currently reading: Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham. Ah yes, one of my celeb crushes. It’s true.

Opening Day 2023

Posted on by Markman

Oh well

Yesterday was a pretty busy day, with me doing my rounds in the morning, my Fitbit recorded I climbed over 75 flights of stairs, a new record for me. There is a lot of walking around involved in this gig! It also happened to be Opening Day at Fenway Park, although the home team lost. Anyways, here’s a pic of when I went a couple of years ago to commemorate opening day.

Spring has finally sprung! Baseball season is underway, Marathon Monday is in 17 days, and swan boats are just around the corner (April 15, to be exact).

Put the Flower to the Power

Posted on by Markman
Flower Power

Just updated the website software to the latest version. Hopefully it should all be good. I’ll be playing around with the new features in posts over the next couple of days.

I like how this picture of a bouquet of flowers I took came out. What do you think? The daffodils outside are starting to bloom, which is nice to see. It will soon be time to visit the gardening supply store and pick up our customary complimentary specimens to adorn the areas. One thing I definitely want to pick up are more Bacopas. They bloomed all last spring, summer, and fall last year so I want to keep that going. I was very impressed with that flower’s output. We had a beautiful blue-based variety that was very attractive. Would love to get that again.

I had some time today to finally get my hair cut. I love going for the high and tight.

Crocus Colors on a Monday Makes Me Happy

Posted on by Markman
Crocus Blue, almost looks like a painting but it’s real.

When crocuses begin to emerge from the ground amid the winter’s dead debris, you know spring has finally arrived!

Currently reading: Quantum Care: A Deep Dive into AI for Health Delivery and Research. I won this one on a Goodreads giveaway so I figured I might as well read it, although I don’t remember applying to try to win this one. No matter, I find the subject matter interesting.

I had to go down to the pet store and get Carson another fountain because his finally died. They only had the smart version of the fountain that he likes so I ended up getting that, even though it’s more money and we really don’t need to smart functionality but I felt he couldn’t wait until I could find a dumb one, so here we are. This one does have a nice stainless steel top though while the dumb version was only plastic. Hopefully he’ll dig this one as much as the last one. Other than the stainless top and smart functionality, this fountain is essentially the same as this last one.

The Elusive Sunday Search for a Sofa Bed

Posted on by Markman
I’ll never get tired of visiting or viewing the Nubble.
Tall, steady beacon 

Guiding ships through stormy seas

Lighthouse, steadfast friend

How did you like my little lighthouse haiku there? Not too shabby. Also this pic I took of the Nubble was from a little while back, but I still love the way it came out.

Today I started out with a trip to Wegman’s to pick up some groceries. Then later on in our travels taking care of some errands and getting out of the house to enjoy the sunny spring weather, we noticed the local school baseball team was doing a car wash so we had the ball players wash the car. The cost was whatever you wanted to donate, so that was cool. The car really needed it!

Most of the afternoon was spent taking a trip over to Jordan’s Furniture to look for a sofa bed and maybe get some other ideas for the office. Really want to find a sofa bed which they didn’t seem to have although there were some cute little loveseats, which may be a possibility. One thing we noticed while there is that apparently there’s now a Montilio’s Bakery and Pizzeria inside! We were a little thrilled to see that because we loved the food from the Quincy location. We were on the verge of buying some food there, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the wait, so we left and returned home after donating some books to some small local libraries that we had been hoarding for months. a phase of the recent spring cleaning binge.

Instead for lunch we ended up having some shrimp cocktail that we had gotten the other day so we wolfed that down instead, and afterwards I made some Tofu for LD for eating later in the week for lunches.

I guess we maybe thought we would do more today, but we ended up using the rest of the day to relax. It is Sunday after all! For dinner I did bake a three cheese butternut squash lasagna which I think I’m rather proud of!

Found the Bunnies

Posted on by Markman
Follow me to Boston

I had some time this morning to head over to Earth-1 and visit the Trader Joe’s over there, where I was finally able to procure the bunny potted planters that LD had been looking for. I grabbed up three of them. Two for LD and one for my own mom. Then I did head across the street to Union Square Donuts and got some treats over there. Got LD a vegan donut, hope she likes it!

In other news, I think we’ve been doing our job too well, as the Chief now wants us to concentrate on just certain areas and not worry about the others anymore. Fine with me, makes my job a lot easier.

Happy First Day of Spring

Posted on by Markman
Springtime in Boston

Today was spent filing my taxes, which is always enjoyable to do. While I generally finish it by mid-February, this year was probably the latest I’ve ever started. However, I wanted to be sure I had all the necessary paperwork.

Spring Crocuses

I went down to the post office this morning to get some mailing materials. LD plans on shipping out a couple of things so I had to make sure all the required packaging is ready.

Yesterday we tried looking for some of those bunny planters but came up empty at the Trader Joe’s at Gillette Stadium. I plan on going to Somerville toward the end of the week, so if I have time I might try to hit the one down there at Assembly Square and see if they have them in yet. While I’m there I might also try to pick up some Union Square Donuts because the ads they’ve been showing me lately have got me wanting to try some of their more interesting creations.

I’ve started to place some of the plants outside that I’d been trying to keep alive inside during the winter. I think the weather will be warm enough now for them to be out there. I’ll probably head down to the Home Depot later today and pick up some leaf bags because there’s a bunch of leave detritus I want to get rid of and trim some of the foliage in the front of the house. Spring cleaning time.

Speaking of spring cleaning, we did clean out a couple of closets and some of the stuff in the basement, making progress on those tasks. In the evening we made a lot of meatballs.

Currently Reading: Born To Run, by Bruce Springsteen, and The Icepick Surgeon, a book about scientists who did things that weren’t all that ethical. And also The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math from One to Infinity. So I guess you could say I’m on quite a reading tear so far this year.

A Saturday in the Life

Posted on by Markman
Have a seat at the Nubble
  1. First thing this am, went to grab a pickup order over at the local Stop & Shop.
  2. Picked up a hope chest someone was giving away on FB so we went to their apartment and grabbed it. Will probably be used for LD’s future office.
  3. Cleaned out a closet that’s been on the to-do list for a long time
  4. Also got an awesome coffee table for the office off of FB marketplace in Canton this afternoon
  5. Went jewelry shopping today and got the process started for a special creation.
  6. Corned Beef dinner at the old landlords.
  7. Trader Joe’s visit to get a bunny pot but they didn’t have it, maybe try a different location next.
  8. My shoulder is still bothering me, like, wtf? Feels really bad like something is out of whack. Sharp pain at times, wtf??

Confessions of Love from My Younger Self

Posted on by Markman 
I confess I love the clouds in the summer blanketed against an ocean of light blue sky.
I confess I love the ocean and the soft cool sea breezes and the things that live beneath it.
I confess I love the snow softly falling on Christmas Eve masking everything in white.
I confess I love the moonlight lighting up the summer night.
I confess I like the look of innocence in a baby's eyes.
But the only thing I'll ever miss
 is you.

I wrote those words something like over twenty years ago. They were about no-one in particular, just a moment of creativity. Maybe they’re more applicable today than ever. I still like them.

Although I’m not really sure what I did, I seem to have tweaked my back just between the shoulder blades. It’s not too awful, but it bothers me enough to make me aware that it’s there. Joys of joys.

Had some things to get down over in Wellesley this afternoon and after we got that done, LD treated me to some Captain Marden’s for lunch and herself, and she also got an orange tea and some cookies from Tatte. Isn’t she the best?

On some even better news, got some excursions coming up that I’m getting all hyped up about. A visit to the Catskills, a tea party ritual, baby goat cuddles at sunset, a summer trip to the Cape, and more! I’m very excited to see and do these adventures! I’m hoping to take some good pictures on these outings as well, perhaps on par with the one I’ve included in this post from a visit to the Nubble a while back.

Boston Love

Posted on by Markman
Acorn Street (check it! so many comments, likes and shares!)

Looks like the utility guys are out front again this week, digging up the middle of the street and replacing the pipes. Pretty annoying to get around but I suppose it’s a necessary evil. Looks like they might done with it all by the end of the week so all in all, not too bad.

I’ve updated the site to the latest version of PHP and everything appears to working as it should, so that’s good. I always get a little bit anxious when there’s a big underlying thing going on under the hood of the site but I’m not doing anything too crazy and keep all the subroutines up to date, so it’s all good.

I’ve had some love for this Boston photo I took and have been getting quite the likes and purchase interest in my work, so that’s always good to see. I’ve made a couple of sales so far this week, which is great.

Spent some time at Earth-1 yesterday, One of the cats had to get his nails cut and then we needed to get some business done over at City Hall. You know, what’s wild, is that a couple has purchased or will be purchasing a top floor unit on the condo right next door to my mom’s house, but the crazy part is that it’s actually the niece of one of LD’s most trusted and long lasting friends. I mean, what are the odds!? That’s pretty whack, actually. I’m waiting to run into them and introduce myself. So far, only my sister has seen them. Other than that, and all the walking of the beat I did on Tuesday (perhaps I was a bit overzealous but I feel I did a damn good job), it’s been a pretty low key week so far.

There’s a great article in the latest issue of Smithsonian Magazine that talks about how this little island off the coast of Iceland is trying to save baby puffins, which as any readers to this blog must know, is my favorite bird. Worth the read if you can find it and have the time.

Another book came through from my library app, so currently reading: The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology.