Welcome Home

_DSC3961a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Wouldn't it be nice to come home to a sign like this?

I don't know the story behind the sign, but I like it. :)

Sewage Disk

_DSC3951-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

About three months ago and some eighty miles away, a sewage treatment plant had a little overflow problem. The facility in Hooksett, NH sent over 4 million of these little sewage disks - along hundreds of thousands of gallons of raw sewage - into the Merrimack River. And of course, that river leads to the ocean... and those little disks are finding their way to shorelines all over New England. Charming! This one was on Lighthouse Beach this morning.

Charlie Come Home

Charlie Come Home, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Telephone poles are popular spots for flyers of all sorts - but this is one type of flyer you hate to see and want to be taken down as quickly as possible.

"Charlie" or "Sampson" is a rescue dog, a Great Pyrenese who has been through a lot before coming to a safe home here in Scituate. He is missing, alone and frightened. Please help find him and bring him home.

My local readers, please spread the word and keep an eye out for him. Beware of spooking Charlie even further - call Scituate Animal Control, the Police or his family to report any sightings.

This dog's been rescued once before - let's rescue him again and get him back into his family's arms.

Monochrome Monday: Lifeguard

_DSC3842a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Somehow summer days at the beach seem to exist outside of time. They float on this warm bubble where clocks and calendars cannot intrude. The same rituals are repeated over and over.

Children go crabbing hauling colorful plastic pails and someone shrieks when a crab gets cross about the whole thing.

Adults gather in little clutches and talk in undulating verbal circles.

An ice cream truck circles the parking lot weaving its pied piper song into the salt air.

A toddler throws rocks at the water while his bathing suit creeps down his chubby waist.

And a lifeguard keeps watch over it all, swinging a whistle in lazy circles while the waves roll in.

Moira Monday: Purple Dinosaur Playground

DSCN0196a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

It's Moira Monday! Today Miss M decided to share this photo taken at a park on Country Way called the Purple Dinosaur Playground.

Does anyone know the proper name for these? Each section rotates, so you can put different heads to the bodies and the feet. We called them Mixer Rollers but I doubt that's what they're actually called!

Sacred Sunday: First Trinitarian Congregational Church

_DSC3713-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Today's offering for the Sacred Sunday series is First Trinitarian Congregational Church.

This lovely building on Country Way is a traditional New England church building, with its white exterior stretching upward into a tall steeple. As is my usual m.o., I took shots from many angles - and I kept coming back to this one image, rather than those which showed the whole building. The lovely detail on these windows alongside the red front door was lost in more distant shots.

The little wooden plaque on the front of the church reads:

Sixth
Meeting House
of the
First Church
Scituate - 1826.

Free ranging turtle!

_DSC3512a, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

You remember that turtle I photographed in my garage? Well, I had a request - someone asked if they could possibly see a photo of her somewhere other than next to the rear wheel of my car! I am more than happy to oblige.

Samwise

_DSC3590c, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

There was supposed to be a concert at the bandstand on Cole Parkway tonight, but the weather was less than cooperative. Cold and misty, not good for musical instruments, but excellent for carrying the bite of salt water across the air. And when I looked out into the harbor, there was Samwise, the little boat proudly wearing its hand lettered name.

Because rain on the first full day of summer vacation is annoying.

_DSC0754-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Lost turtle

Lost turtle , a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

I found this Eastern Box Turtle in my garage this afternoon! I'd left the door open and she wandered in and settled down by my car's rear tire. I'm very glad I spotted her before driving off!

We carefully moved her to a safer spot in the yard, and eventually she came out of her shell and ran off. (Yes, turtles can move at a pretty impressive clip when they put their minds to it!)

And while I got some great photos of her on the lawn and hightailing it away from civilization, I chose this photo for today's shot - because I wanted to remind everyone to be careful. These turtles are a threatened species in Massachusetts. Females are very active in June and July, searching out nesting sites, and they will cross roads in an effort to find a place to lay their eggs. So keep an eye out for them - with our help they can come back from their current status.

Bruins!

_DSC3401a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

This house makes me smile every time I pass it.

Monochrome Monday: The Boardwalk

_DSC3408a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

When the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof - well, you can't get under this particular boardwalk, but it is nevertheless a welcome sight at Egypt Beach - happy last day of spring! Bring on the summer!

Moira Monday: School's (Almost) Out for Summer

DSCN0143a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Scituate schools let out on Wednesday for summer vacation, so Moira thought a picture of school buses would be good for this week's post. Guess she was thinking of leaving the school year in the rearview mirror when she took this shot!

Sacred Sunday: First Parish Unitarian Universalist

Some things just sort of fall into place, don't they? Going alphabetically through the town churches for the Sacred Sunday series, this week falls to First Parish Unitarian Universalist - and it just so happens that this was a significant Sunday in that church's history. The minister of the past nineteen years, Rev. Richard Stower, is retiring and today was his final sermon.



First Parish has an incredibly rich and storied history and its origins date back to those of the town itself. This building is young by comparison, having been built in 1881.



Rev. Stower greatly enjoyed being a part of this church's history and his love of First Parish and the town of Scituate was palatable. Rich, you will be missed - best wishes for your next adventure!

Happiness is a big wave.

Happiness is a big wave., a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

To be more precise - happiness is a big wave enveloping a small child who has waited a very long time to go swimming at her favorite beach.

Run for your life!

_DSC3176a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

While we two-legged types are looking forward to summer at the beach, I'm quite certain the seashore critters aren't as excited about the season. For them, it's all about dodging and weaving, hiding and burrowing... Starfish are dreading the chubby fingers that pluck them off of the rocks. Hermit crabs are practicing their mad dashes for freedom. Seagulls are perfecting their sidling, sneaking up on unattended coolers of food. And this poor horseshoe crab is making a frantic escape from a gaggle of curious children before someone gets brave enough to pick him up.

Paddle boards

_DSC3111-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Surfers and paddle boarders were out in full force at Egypt Beach today... it looked like a lot of fun.

Scituate Farmers Market

_DSC3020a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

The Scituate Farmers Market kicked off its season this afternoon in North Scituate Village. Every Wednesday from 3-7 pm through October 26th - there's something for everyone there!

Great big beast at the beach

_DSC2777-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

They're doing some sort of construction on a seawall on Second Cliff... and if you happen to be at Peggotty Beach at quitting time, you'll see a great beast slouching towards the parking lot in search of a good night's rest.

Many thanks to SDP reader Nancie for the tip!

Monochrome Monday: Scituate Harbor

_DSC1176a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Moira Monday: Scituate Harbor

Ethel-DSCN9884-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

Or, photography as a learning tool - as in:

What is KTS?

What do you mean, "knots"? How do you measure a knot? You can only have six of them? I don't get it.

What do they mean, No Wake? Is that like sleep?

Discharge? What do the boats discharge?

That's disgusting. You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding.

The conversation more or less devolved from that point on.

Sacred Sunday: First Baptist Church

_DSC2654a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

As part of the Sacred Series, I offer this photograph of First Baptist Church on Country Way in North Scituate.

According to the church's website, a Baptist society was started in 1811 by Abiel Cudworth. Scituate folks will recognize Cudworth as the name of one of the original Men of Kent who settled this area. Members initially hosted worship services in their homes but as the congregation grew they built their first church - current residents know this building as the G.A.R. Hall on Country Way towards the town center. By the late 1860s, however, the need for a larger building was apparent and this church you see here was built.

First Baptist has been quite gracious about allowing their building to be used by community groups such as Boy and Girl Scout troops. Their building is a lovely landmark on Country Way.

"The world will freely offer itself to you unmasked..."

_DSC2523-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

When you look for small, unnoticed things, you realize the world is full of them .All around you there is living and breathing, birthing and dying going on, with or without your noticing it, with or without your caring about it. The life cycle of a wildflower may seem inconsequential to you - but so too may your life cycle seem inconsequential to the wildflower.

I stepped out onto my front steps to check on plants and discovered this newly emerged giant leopard moth on the walkway. Its wings were still tightly curled, wet and small, and it crawled to the relative safety of my steps while they unfurled like soft sails climbing to the top of a mast. All afternoon and evening it stayed and dried its wings.

It will live long enough to lay eggs and ensure the next generation - maybe a week at best?

Does it make a difference that we noticed?

I choose to believe that it does.

Graduation Day

It's graduation night. Full of silliness,



and seriousness.



For the 200 seniors in Scituate High School's class of 2011, this is the last night of their high school careers.

Safe travels to all!

And then it poured.

_DSC2492a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

After a disgustingly hot and humid day, thunderstorms began rolling across Massachusetts like angry toddlers on big wheels, racing across the blacktop sky. It was almost as if a giant blanket was being flung out against the sky - and here the satin border just grazes the top of the trees....

And then it poured.

baked

_DSC2428a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

There's a new bakery in town - and cupcakes are a specialty of the house.

Just in time for bathing suit weather, too!

Sigh.

Baked is located on Country Way in North Scituate Village.

"I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days-

"I almost wish we were butterflies and liv'd but three summer days-, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

"... three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain." ~ John Keats

Monochrome Monday: A lonely bench

_DSC2171a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

I followed a fading path into the woods on a late spring afternoon and was slowly led into a half-hearted clearing. At one time, someone carefully tended this place, etching a trail through silent trees. It may have been love that moved them to do so or it may have been loss, or some salty mixture of the two, and a whisper of that remains in the benches waiting for visitors that come no more.

The woods have to be coaxed back constantly or they overtake whatever has been left to them, and so this lonely bench is caressed by the beginnings of thorn bushes and tentative ferns. Everything returns to its natural state.

Moira Monday: Scituate Map

ETHEL.DSCN9896-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

For this weeks "Moira Monday" post, Miss M has chosen this detail of a map that was on display at the "LIFE Comes to Scituate" exhibit. She says she liked the little details on the map, with the buildings drawn in along the roads.

Sacred Sunday: Christ Lutheran Church

_DSC2158a-rs, a photo by Ali Crehan on Flickr.

For the next couple of months, I'll be running a series called "Sacred Sundays" featuring places of worship around the town of Scituate. We kick off the series with the Christ Lutheran Church on Rt. 3A.

This church was built in 1969 and has a warm, welcoming feel to it. It is perched on a hill, hence the slanted feel to this photograph!

Kokopelli

These Kokopelli figures adorn the front of a house down by Minot Beach and always make me smile. Kokopelli is a Hopi Indian deity closely associated with fertility; his flute playing is said to chase away winter and bring on the springtime. These particular kokopelli certainly have their work cut out for them come a cold January day on the Minot waterfront!

Cole Parkway under construction

This location was in the running for June 1st's Theme Day. Cole Parkway in the harbor has been getting a makeover and the work's nearly complete. Oooh la la!

Tom Turner's Little Brown Jug

This brown jug is a familiar sight to Scituate residents, but I often wonder how many people drive right by it on their way to the lighthouse without looking up and noticing it's there.



Tom Turner, a lobsterman, owned this house around the turn of the century and cemented a little brown jug into the chimneytop. Turner was quite a character and came up with this ingenious method for determining if there was an ill wind blowing without even having to leave his bed. You see, if the wind is in the northwest, it blows across the mouth of the jug - and that sound can be heard by a lobsterman in his house below in the darkness of the very early morning. That sound says, "Don't take to the waters today, Tom."

Once this little house was among other small fishermen's cottages on Cedar Point; now it is dwarfed by its neighbors which are occupied year round. But the little brown jug still remains, ready to sing its warning song - "Don't take to the waters today, Tom."

Theme Day: Under Construction

_DSC1994a-rs, originally uploaded by Ali Crehan.

The first day of every month is Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community, with a theme chosen by participants worldwide. The theme for June 2011 is "Under Construction" - and I give you my offering, the Jerich Road Boat Ramp in Scituate Harbor.

This project is putting a little crimp in boaters' launching plans - though judging by the number of boats already in the water, it's just a little crimp! Hopefully they'll be able to wrap things up soon. If any of my local readers have any insight on the timeline, speak up and bring the rest of us up to speed! ;-)


Click here to view thumbnails for all participants in the global City Daily Photo community - and enjoy!!