Gift from the sea

Gift from the sea , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

I wanted to end the year with a positive, beautiful image - especially in light of all the flooding and fire we've seen in Scituate over the past week.

This simple shell on Egypt Beach seemed the perfect image. There is much to be grateful for, and the simplest gifts are the most eloquent.

This is the final post of 2010 here at Scituate Daily Photo - the first full year of this photo blog! Tomorrow I'll be participating in the City Daily Photo theme day and will be posting my 'best photo of 2010.'

And then... well, there's all of 2011 ahead.

Happy New Year's Eve! May you be safe and with those you love - may the year that's passed have been a kind one - and may the year that lies ahead be full of joy.

Stop

DSCN4494a, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Even the sign doesn't get your attention, the debris all over the road sure will.

It is getting better down here. Mountains of sand and odd pieces of wood are being shifted and removed, uprooted trees are being cut into manageable sections and hauled away, the power is coming back and the waters are receding.

A general fund to aid all the neighborhood families affected by the storm has been established at the Hingham Federal Credit Union. People have been dropping off money, clothing, goods and groceries at various sites across town.

It is getting better.

Oceanside

DSCN4475a, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Everyone loves a beach town in the summer when the sun is warm and the beaches welcoming. But come the winter and it's another story.

Down in the numbered avenues of Sandhills, the collapse of the seawall has led to catastrophic flooding. This street isn't normally beachfront property. A road leading to the beach, yes, but not the beach itself.

First you survive the storm and then you chin up and clean up. And as bad as it is down here, it could have been much worse - things, no matter how precious, are only things and can be replaced. Our firefighters and rescue personnel, police and other town workers worked throughout the blizzard to keep everyone safe and no lives were lost.

It could have been so much worse.




Please stop by the word from Old Scituate Light for a blow-by-blow account of this blizzard. The Light is in excellent hands with Bob Gallagher serving as caretaker.

Everything Lost - Anything Appreciated

Everything Lost - Anything Appreciated, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Many families have been impacted by the blizzard here in Scituate, but two in particular are the focus of this drop off sign. During the flooding of the Seventh Avenue neighborhood, two homes caught fire and were destroyed. These families were left with nothing.

The Hingham Federal Credit Union at 9 Brook Street in Scituate Harbor has established a fund for the victims and will gratefully receive any monetary donations on their behalf.

The Dance Carousel at 28 New Driftway (near the Greenbush commuter rail station and the Rt 3A rotary) has opened up their Purple Room as a drop off location for non-monetary donations.

I know a fair number of locals read this blog - if you can do anything to help or even just spread the word, please do so.


Links to news stories regarding the blizzards impact on Sandills in Scituate:

• NECN: Fire, flooding in Scituate, Mass. forces some into shelter 
• ABC News: Blizzard Causes Severe Flooding, Evacuations and Fires in Mass. Coastal Town 
• Boston Globe: Nor'easter batters coastal communities 
• Patriot Ledger: Blizzard's wrath leaves dozens temporarily homeless 

Sandhills, post-blizzard

DSCN4453a, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Well, the Boxing Day Blizzard has taken its toll on Scituate. In fact, a MEMA (the Massachusetts Emergency Manegement Agency) official said earlier today, "Scituate seems to have had it the worst."

Coastal flooding led to evacuations and a shelter has been opened at the high school for those who don't have a safe place to which they can go. Winds were fierce and all over town trees are down - not just blown over but completely uprooted by the storm. House fires kept Scituate's fire department busy all night and morning long, and down in Scituate Harbor you can taste the smoke in the air.

I grabbed this photo while doing a quick drive through town. There aren't a lot of safe places to pull over and take pictures, nor do I want to get in the way of rescue workers. But this intersection in the Sandhills neighborhood is a good example of what's happening down here right now - that little yellow pointy thing in the foreground is a submerged fire hydrant, and this photo was taken eight hours after high tide.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

Oh the weather outside is frightful..., originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

We are experiencing the first major storm of the season here in Massachusetts. The state has been under a blizzard warning since noon and the governor has declared a state of emergency. The radar maps the weather forecasters are putting up look like they were attacked by an angry toddler with a bucket of paint- nothing but an enormous blue splotch as far as the eye can see.

This photo was taken from my front step only about ninety minutes ago, when the blizzard was only a few hours old. It'll be interesting to see what tomorrow's view looks like, as the storm is expected to hang on through late afternoon Monday.

Prints

Prints, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

While we didn't find any reindeer prints in the snowy yard this morning, there are plenty of tiny little bird tracks!

Silent Night, Holy Night

Silent Night, Holy Night, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Christmas Eve services at local churches provide moments of calm and quiet in what can be a hectic, stressful holiday season.

At First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Scituate, the service ends with candlelight and the singing of "Silent Night, Holy Night." It is utterly beautiful.

Whatever you celebrate this holiday season, may beauty be close enough to touch.

And to the woman who is missing her son - yes, I am certain he was with you there tonight. Merry Christmas.

No wake

No wake , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This sign patiently waits out the winter in the boatyard off Edward Foster Road.

A beach in winter

A beach in winter , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Minot Beach will be strewn with sunbathers and swimmers come summer... but this afternoon, it was just me, the gulls, the winds and the waves.

And it was lovely.

The Winter Solstice

Today is the winter solstice, and the sunset was particularly beautiful on this shortest day...




... and then the full moon rose into the Longest Night.



Happy solstice, everyone...

I heard a bird sing in the dark of December
A magical thing and sweet to remember;
"We are closer to spring than we were in September,"
I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.

- Oliver Herford

Snowfall, Scituate Forest

Snowfall, Scituate Forest , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Remember that path through the forest on Saturday? 48 hours later, this is what that path looked like - we're finally getting our snow! It has been steadily falling all afternoon long; the roads are treacherous and the schools have already announced a two hour delay for Tuesday morning.

What a difference a couple of days make, eh?

Who knows if the moon's a balloon*

Who knows if the moon's a balloon*, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

The waxing moon rises Saturday evening, momentarily caught in the winter-bare tree branches.

The moon will be full on December 21st, the winter solstice. Be sure to glance upwards and be grateful for its light on the longest night of the year...





*e.e. cummings

Sunset, Scituate Forest

Sunset, Scituate Forest , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Cold as it has been, it is still autumn - and this sunset in Scituate Forest doesn't seem to belong to a December sky.

Harbor lights

Harbor lights, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

The Mill Wharf restaurant and the lights along the harbor are reflected in the night water.

Silent night

Silent night , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Holiday lights

Holiday lights, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Rudolph and his snowman buddy are parachuting into this yard - except when I took this picture, they hadn't been added into the scene yet! I am not in the least surprised that assembling the light display at this home is a multi-day project - and no picture could ever quite do it justice.

Parachuting in for Christmas

Parachuting in for Christmas , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

There's this one house just beyond the harbor district that goes all out when it comes to Christmas lights. It's not just the lights, though - there's animated characters, and music, and it's all gaudy and cheery and never fails to make me laugh.

Rudolph and his snowman buddy hang suspended above the lawn, forever smiling as they parachute into the holiday season. Ready or not, here it comes!

Santa's got his groove on

Santa's got his groove on , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This store front in the Welch Building in Scituate Harbor is all decked out for the holidays. Santa dances silently behind the lit up window, surrounded by stuffed animals and an advertisement for the Harbor Light Toy Company up the street ( a wonderful place!).

A woman walking her dog up Front Street told my daughter that Santa frightens her four legged friend. I sympathize.

Town Hall wreath

Town Hall wreath , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

O Christmas tree

O Christmas tree , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This little Christmas tree in front of First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Scituate lights up the night. Across the street is Gates Intermediate School.

Christmas in New England

Christmas in New England, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This small tree decked out in colorful lights stands cheerfully in front of First Parish Unitarian Universalist, a fairly traditional appearing New England meetinghouse style building.

Scituate Community Christmas

Scituate Community Christmas, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

The Knights of Columbus Hall is home to a particularly special band of elves at this time of year. Since 1989, Scituate Community Christmas has made the holiday season a bit brighter for local families that are struggling. And this year... well, this year, it's pretty bad out there, folks. There is a great deal of need and there are people who are terrified to admit that they are barely hanging on.

Volunteers for Scituate Community Christmas are doing their best to help. Donations of toys and clothes are collected, wrapped and delivered around town. Scituate Community Christmas tries to assist as many residents as need their aid. Please visit their website if you are able to lend a hand.

Light at night

DSCN2894a-wm, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

The Scituate Harbor Yatch Club has created a tree of white light on their pier, and it gleams out against the night waters of the harbor. In the near distance, Scituate Lighthouse answers with a light of its own.

Spring seems very far away right now.

DSCN4833c, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

It is bitterly cold here, with a nasty wind that looks for any gap in between coat sleeve and glove. They've seen snow to the south of us and snow to the north of us, but here it's just bleak and bitter - and we aren't even officially in the winter season yet.

So I reach back into the archives for a bit of sunlight and softness to tide me through. These pussy willows off the Driftway bring me back to spring for just a little while.

St. Mary's as seen from Peggotty

DSCN2089a1, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Here's another one from the archives for you - I was playing around with adding textures to photos, and liked the way this one came out. This picture was taken on Peggotty Beach, looking underneath a house towards St. Mary's in Scituate Harbor.

As seen through a veil of red berries...

DSCN2571a, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

... I should subtitle this photo "Jail break" because I escaped the house today. ;-)

It was fiercely cold and all the colors were crisp and clear. The white pines remain devoutly green while everything else around them crumbles into dry leaves and cracking branches - everything but the red berries at the forest's perimeter.

"November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows."
~ Elizabeth Coatsworth

It's Santa!

harbor124 065, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

In Scituate, Santa Claus arrives on a harbormaster's boat and is greeted by a crowd at the Town Pier. His arrival kicks off the Santa Stroll and events are held all over town to celebrate.

Scituate Daily Photo owes today's shot to a generous photographer and a good friend - many, many thanks! My friend Angelle is a phenomenally talented jewelry designer and is pretty darn handy with the camera, too. :)

Frost, too

Frost

I may never tire of photographing frost-covered flowers.



As an aside - my apologies, but I'm going to be reaching back into the past month or so for the Daily Photo over the next couple of days. I am down for the count with pneumonia. I hope to be well enough to get a few pictures of the Santa Stroll in Scituate Harbor on Saturday - but that may be overly optimistic of me.

More importantly, I *absolutely* must be well enough to see my daughter make her debut in a lead role in a musical play tomorrow!

So I hope you'll forgive me for posting some not-quite-of-this-exact-moment photos until I'm back on my feet. ;-)

Red sky at night...

... sailor's delight...