Memorial Day

_DSC1944-m2, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Monochrome Monday: Memorial Day

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Thank you.

Moira Monday: Girl Soldier

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It's Moira Monday and it's Memorial Day.... Moira took a lot of photos at today's parade, but decided she liked this one best because it's of a woman and "girls can do what boys do, even be soldiers."

"Remember me to all the folks..."

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This letter has been reproduced and writ large, as it were, onto the wall of the G.A.R. Hall in Scituate. Humphrey Turner, a son of Scituate, was writing home to his sister - he must have felt so far away. I thought his words a good reminder of what tomorrow is really all about.

"Don't say, don't say there is no water.."

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Don’t say, don’t say there is no water

to solace the dryness at our hearts...

Don’t say, don’t say there is no water.

That fountain is there among its scalloped

green and gray stones,

it is still there and always there

with its quiet song and strange power

to spring in us,

up and out through the rock.

~ Denise Levertov

The Bee-Loud Glade

Bee-Loud Glade , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

We are lucky enough in this town to have an independent bookstore that supports our local authors - and tonight was a perfect example as the Front Street Book Shop welcomed local son Steve Himmer to read from his first novel The Bee-Loud Glade. Because the evening was so lovely, chairs were set out on the store's front lawn and attendees enjoyed breezes from the harbor while listening to the book's first chapter. What could be more lovely than this?

Yes, it was that warm today.

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I told you spring had sprung - these were far from the only swimmers I saw today.

And I - apparently having learned nothing at all last summer - have my first sunburn of the season.

It was totally worth it, though.

Spring has truly sprung.

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At long last, after endless teasing and rain and more rain - spring has truly sprung.

Dude, I can totally see you.

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This frog was doing his best to be invisible in the grass alongside his small pond. His neighbors made frantic, spastic leaps for the reeds and the water when approached. Flailing their long legs, they splashed into safety - but this one held his ground and willed himself into invisibility. If I don't move, he seemed to be thinking, if I hold very very very still and don't even breathe, they will not see me, I will be invisible...

At which point, the eight year old leaned over and stage whispered, "Dude. I can totally see you."

Monochrome Monday: Railroad Crossing

_DSC1270a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Some things just cry out for black and white, don't they? These railroad crossing gates and lights are in North Scituate. A few weeks ago I watched someone try to beat the the gates only to have one come down across the hood of his car - perhaps they don't look threatening enough.

Moira Mondays: A Child's Eye View of Scituate

Ethel-DSCN9876-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Moira says, "This is a view of St. Mary's from the Harbor."

We liked the way the steeple rose from the greenery all around it.

LIFE Comes to Scituate

LIFE Comes to Scituate , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Last night the G.A.R. Hall was filled with memories and with love of place as the opening night of the "LIFE Comes to Scituate" photographic exhibit got under way.

In 1938 LIFE Magazine sent Hansel Mieth to Scituate to photograph a town meeting, a uniquely New England form of government. Mieth turned her lens on the town itself as well and captured moments in time in the process. The photographs were never published and remained largely forgotten until recently, when they were discovered amongst the Historical Society's holdings.

LIFE Comes to Scituate is on exhibit all week long at the G.A.R. Hall in Scituate and is well worth the visit for anyone who loves photography, history, Scituate or all three. ;-)

Waiting for the bride to arrive

Waiting for the bride to arrive, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

Driving into Scituate Harbor this afternoon, buoyed by sunlight that has too long been a stranger, we wandered into a song. A bagpiper stood on the lawn of St. Mary's, his crisp colors standing at attention on the soft green grass, and the notes he played cartwheeled gleefully in the air. The door of the church stood open, the flowers and the ribbons on the steps bobbing in the wind. All was joyful expectancy, waiting for the bride to arrive.

You were only waiting for this moment to arise.

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Abandoned, redux

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Back in February I posted a photograph of a small old brick building in the woods off Route 123. I and a couple of readers speculated that it might have been an old pump house, mostly because it's near a water source.

However, this slightly bigger building in North Scituate is pretty similar, and a friend tells me that it used to be a fire alarm relay station. If you look along the roof line, you can see where the hookup for the lines would have been.

Another item for my research list!

Entering Scituate

_DSC1443a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This boundary marker originally hung on Country Way; now it resides inside the Little Red Schoolhouse, home to the Scituate Historical Society.

Many thanks to Carol and Nancy for their warm welcome and tour of the Scituate Historical Society's many holdings! This year marks the 375th anniversary of our town and the 200th anniversary of the Scituate Lighthouse, so there's big doings ahead - I look forward to the photographic opportunities.

Denial

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I'm sorry, but I simply refuse to acknowledge the rain. It's going to be with us all week long and I'll get some rainy, foggy photos - but today, I couldn't bear to do so. Today, I wanted sunshine and light.

This planter is on the side of the Scituate Harbormaster's Building. I took this photo last week, loving how the light made it seems almost as though it were reflecting the waters of a harbor.

Monochrome Monday

_DSC0789a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

And here's the second feature I'm rolling out today: Monochrome Mondays.

Moira Mondays: A Child's Eye View of Scituate

DSCN9871-MA-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

I'm introducing two new features on Scituate Daily Photo today, and here's the first: Moira Mondays.

You see, a certain family member has been lobbying hard to take photos for Scituate Daily Photo - so I handed her a camera and said, "Show me whatcha got, kiddo."

When I started looking at the photos she took, I was actually intrigued - and thought that a child's eye view of Scituate might be fun for everyone to see. So for the summer of 2011 readers will get a bonus post on Mondays as Miss M shows us what the view is like from, oh, just shy of four feet up.

This little dog was very friendly and his owner was really nice. I met them in the harbor taking a walk. The dog smiled for my camera!

Gold Star Mothers

Gold Star Mothers, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This Gold Star Mothers Memorial is over the border in neighboring Cohasset. It is a quietly beautiful park dedicated to women who have lost children in the line of duty to our country.

"It's full of stars."

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It may not look like much - in fact, it might actually look odd and a little alarming - but this silver balloon cradles the universe in its belly.

The South Shore Astronomical Society visited the Scituate Town Library today and brought along "Stars Across New England," the Gene & Martha Luzader Planetarium. This inflatable planterarium filled the back room on the library's lower level; to get inside you crawl through the smaller balloon passageway you can see on the lower right. Once inside, my family and I traveled to the North Pole, the Equator and then home to Massachusetts, seeing the star-filled sky above us as we went. We learned about the colors of stars, the constellations and their ancient stories and watched them rise and set over our heads.

Many thanks to the members of the South Shore Astronomical Society for a wonderful Astronomy Day!

Just a little slice of small town heaven...

_DSC1382a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This small little pond lies behind the town hall and the police station and in front of the high school and its fields - and provides a small slice of heaven for children who are tired of watching siblings play soccer or play instruments or, well, do anything that they themselves are not involved in. There are geese and sometimes frogs, and butterflies make lazy circles around the area while swallows swoop about singing.

Spring for the Arts

Spring for the Arts, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This year marks the 24th year for the Spring for the Arts Festival, an annual showcasing of artworks by Scituate public school students. Kindergarteners to high school seniors all had pieces presented to the public - and watching those students excitedly haul their loved ones to their own special spot on the wall is just as wonderful as the art itself.

Not only were the hallways and the gym filled with art, but out on the front lawn of the high school various choral groups and bands performed all afternoon long. Anyone who doubts that our arts and music teachers are hardworking and dedicated individuals has clearly never attended the likes of the Spring for the Arts. They enrich our children's lives and give them experiences beyond what a standardized test could ever hope to capture or measure.

These masks were made by sixth graders at the Wampatuck School; I loved the way these strange, delightful faces seemed to be peering out of the lockers at the crowds.

Ain't Art grand?

This post is for May 12, 2011 - because of the Blogger service outage, I was unable to post it last night! Facebook fans, however, didn't miss out on a post, since I just sent it directly there. It may show up as a duplicate post for some of you as a result. 

Reader, I married him.

Reader, I married him. , originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

I hope you'll forgive me for dipping way back into my archives and sharing this photograph. And I hope you'll forgive me for this bonus morning post which is being made for completely personal reasons.

Ten years ago today, I married a boy from Scituate. (And like most Scituate brides and grooms, we trooped down to the Lighthouse for photographs!)

My dearest, sweetest love - thank you. Thank you for taking my hand the night we met and for never letting go. I am for you and you are for me, and I will love you forevermore.

Happy anniversary, Michael.

I had another picture entirely picked out for tonight's post...

_DSC1296a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

... but then I took an evening drive to Minot Beach, where the surf was ferocious and the spray was cascading over the walls. I took a lot of pictures and captured enormous waves crashing, the houses and the road along the beach covered with spray... but none of those photographs captured my fancy as much as this simpler one.

The sound of wings

Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace.
The soul that knows it not, knows no release
From little things:
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear,
Nor mountain heights where bitter joy can hear
The sound of wings.

~ Amelia Earhart


Lately, it seems that the universe is throwing birds in flight my way. I see them everywhere, in woods and fields and ponds and along the shoreline, launching themselves skyward in acts of faith and certainty, knowing that their wings will take them where they intend to go.



I am not a superstitious sort, but neither do I believe in accidents. This has been a stressful and difficult year; more than once I have wanted to find some quiet place to curl up exhausted. And yet - they are everywhere I look, birds in flight, taking wing, riding the winds and mastering the air currents. They soar.



And it seems to me that it is no accident, and that their flight is like a sort of prayer being offered up for me and to me.

And I am grateful for it.

The elephants are free!

Another sure sign of spring - the elephants on Lawson Common are released from their winter cover! These bronze pachyderms have stood on Lawson Common since 1919, and are covered with a large, wooden box-like structure to protect them from the snow and ice.

I love that someone tucked a flower into this fellow's trunk.



This fountain of three elephants comes from Thomas Lawson, who made his home in Scituate and who left his mark throughout town. Lawson thought elephants were lucky and collected them; people would send him elephants of all shapes and sizes from all around the world, and Lawson's collection grew so vast that he actually had an employee whose only job was to count them all every day.

Take wing

_DSC1192a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

While wandering around Scituate Harbor this afternoon spying on gulls engaging in, um, motherhood-inducing sorts of activities, this gull landed on the railing a few feet down from us. He seemed quite comfortable with our proximity; it wasn't until a couple walked right past that he took wing.

I believe that this is a juvenile lesser black backed gull - but if I'm wrong, please holler out the right identification and tell me how you know! A Flickr friend confirmed my identification - thanks, Lou!

Today was exactly the day I needed.

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If I could've caught the whole perfection of it in this fishing net, I would have done so - but it could only hold a small, airy portion of the sublimity of it all.

But that's more enough to hold me over.

Scituate Harbor Art Walk

_DSC1131a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

This weekend is the first annual Scituate Harbor Art Walk! And let me tell you, the harbor is just overflowing with talent tonight - and there's more happening tomorrow between 12 and 4 pm, so get on down there and enjoy it! I plan to make a repeat visit myself, this time without my exhausted and hungry family in tow.

This scene in front of Coldbrooke Yoga was irresistable to me. Tulips from Sweet Georgia P's CSA and photography by Danae Fuller just welcomed you in - followed by charming conversations with the charming ladies behind it all.

This is going to be a great annual tradition!

"Peter," - said little Benjamin, in a whisper -

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"Who has got your clothes?"

This rather bedraggled rabbit found his way into a garden this afternoon, wriggling through a gap in the fence and bounding out from under the shed.

Rabbit was more than a little shocked to find gardeners there inside the fence. He darted this way and that as they yelled, with his mangy coat and a neckerchief of fat ticks, until he was finally chased out.

Another sign of spring...

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... road closures. All over town, they're tearing up roads to get at pipes that need fixing. And while a 'road closed' sign is irritating when you're running late and have to make a detour in your route, it's better than driving down a road that's half-gutted! I'm not naming any streets here but there's one that's claimed more than a few car parts recently!

Town Election Season

_DSC0809a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

The annual Town Election is this Saturday, May 7th - and the hot topic this year is the override. I spotted these signs on either side of a long driveway on the west side of town and thought it the perfect representation - neighbors supporting their opposing causes while agreeing to disagree.

For those of my readers who are Scituate residents - don't forget to get to the polls at Scituate High School on Saturday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and make your voice heard. Absentee ballots are available at Town Hall if you're going to be out of town - please, just make sure your voice is heard, regardless of how you are casting your vote.

Flowers for memories

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Flowers on a memorial bench at Minot Beach...

How doth the little busy bee...

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How doth the little busy Bee
Improve each shining Hour,
And gather Honey all the day
From every opening Flower!

~ Isaac Watts

Just over the border at the North River Wildlife Sanctuary, this bee takes delight in the May flowers...