Finally a Moment with Nature

Posted on April 10, 2014April 10, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Spring has been a long time coming this year. If it wasn’t snowing it was raining but finally on Monday, we had a brief respite.

As usual lately my days off are filled with errands. When did that happen? I needed to run to the grocery store, down to Walmat (which is the opposite side of town) and then in another direction to the pet store for filters for the pet fountain but I was determined to get some time with the camera. No cat picture today!

The sun was hiding behind a gray, overcast sky. Rain was predicted for the evening. My first stop was at Oliver Mills. It was crowded today. The herring have started running. You could stand by the fish ladder and see the little fish trying to make their way upstream. A few gulls braved the influx of humans but no Great Blue Herons. I watched from the car for a bit so when the gulls took flight, so did I.

I drove to Plymouth to check on a Osprey nest I found at the end of the season last year. When I got there I discovered that I couldn’t find my binoculars. The last time I had them (that I remember) was in Alaska. This nest is near a park and it was full today too so I didn’t linger there.

Getting to the Grist Mill Pond was a challenge. The main road was blocked for a funeral so I tackled the shore road down past the Mayflower.

That’s undergoing road work but passable. I skipped Brewster Gardens. Nothing appeared to be out and about, not even a duck or robin. But that wasn’t the case at the pond.

Here spring was in full swing with lots of courtship rituals going on…mallards, Canada geese, and Mr. Majestic, the mute swan.

After enjoying the antics here I made one more stop. I went searching for the “haul out” that I’d heard about for the seals. Usually I go to Chatham to view seals. Plymouth is closer but the seals aren’t necessarily any more accessible. I wasn’t sure I’d found them. Without binoculars I simple took pictures and crossed my fingers.

Once home I uploaded the images and sure enough…they were there. Next time I’m taking the BIG lens.

Thanksgiving Secret

Posted on November 26, 2013November 26, 2013 by Dusty Roads

What would you say if I told you the first Thanksgiving wasn’t in Plymouth? I bet you’d ask me how many glasses of holiday wine I’d had! But I promise you, it’s true.

Long before the Pilgrims even set foot on Plymouth Rock the Spanish had settled parts of Florida. 55 years before the Mayflower the costal town of St. Augustine was established and the settlers came together to share a feast with the native Timucuans.

Now you may not want to let the children read the rest of this post. Because I’m going to tell you something else about Thanksgiving.

Back up north the Pilgrims were starving, that’s true, until they learned to cultivate the rocky soil and hunt the native game. Legend says that it was the Native Americans that helped them survive and that in gratitude the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag to celebrate the harvest.

Once again, not quite true. The Wampanoag were actually invited to that Thanksgiving feast for the purpose of negotiating a treaty that would secure the lands of the Plymouth Plantation for the Pilgrims. It should also be noted that the INDIANS, possibly out of a sense of charity toward their hosts, ended up bringing the majority of the food for the feast.

But even that story is disputed in some corners. Some say the Pilgrims weren’t expecting any Indians that day. If that’s true then the Wampanoag that came down the trail that morning were some of the first gate crashers!

The history of the White Puritan Settlers and the native tribes of America is complicated and punctuated with many wars and bloodshed. We were no kinder to the local population in the east than we were years later when we expanded to the West.

It’s a long, sad story but if you want to know about what really happened, here is a good resource for further reading. http://www.manataka.org/page269.html

Something to think about as Thanksgiving nears.

Lighthouses along the Massachusetts Coast

Posted on August 22, 2013August 22, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I ran around trying to get pictures of lighthouses last summer. I had it in my head that the best lighthouses to photograph were in Maine. It was a fun trip and I got some beautiful shots but I overlooked the fact that there are 16 lighthouses just on Cape Cod. Cape Cod is a day trip for me and what about the rest of the Massachusetts Coast?

Boston Harbor Cruises offers 2 Lighthouse Cruises, a “northern” and a “southern”. Of course they are always on a Saturday night so I haven’t had the chance to take either. But this year I haven’t been looking for lighthouses. I’ve been chasing whales and seals and in process look what I’ve seen!

Gurnet Light

This has been my nemesis of a light since I heard of it. The Lighthouse is not open to the pubic and is accessible only by four- wheel- drive vehicles from Duxbury Beach. But even if you have a four- wheel -drive, which I do not, the road is not open to the public either.

If you want to hike it, which I have considered, it’s only about 5 miles each way. (With camera gear I’d rather not) The other option is from the water but I don’t have a boat so I was thrilled to pass right by it on Captain John’s Whale Watch trip.

Bug Light AKA Duxbury Pier Light

Seems like there are “Bug” Lights everywhere. They refer to little lighthouses, many are “spark plug” like in shape but most also have a real name like this one. Although known as “Bug Light” it’s real name is Duxbury Pier Light. It was built in 1871 on the north side of the main channel in Plymouth Harbor to mark the dangerous shoal off Saquish Head. It was the first so-called spark plug lighthouse in the US.

To really appreciate this spark plug of a light you need to read The Keeper of Bug Light http://www.buglight.org/Harry%20Salter%20Buglight.pdf It’s an easy read and very interesting.

`Let’s take a quick swing down to Chatham on Cape Cod. As I looked at the seal colony we cruised past Chatham Lighthouse with Lighthouse beach in front. (If I ever do a Cape Cod series you’ll see this one again.)

Today, the former keeper’s house is an active U.S. Coast Guard station, with on-duty personnel living quarters. Search and Rescue, maritime law enforcement, and Homeland Security missions are carried out here. Flotilla 11-01 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary operates from this station.

This is located right on Main St so it’s easy to get to unlike some of the other’s mentioned here. Lets take a look at a couple more in my next post.

National Monument to the Forefathers

Posted on August 12, 2013August 12, 2013 by Dusty Roads

What do you think of when someone says Plymouth, MA? I bet Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower come to mind right away. Maybe you think of Pilgrims and Plimouth Plantation. But I wonder if you knew that Plymouth is also home to the world’s largest solid granite monument,the third-tallest statue in the United States?

As you follow RT 44 into Plymouth there’s a little sign pointing to the National Monument to the Forefathers. I have driven by that sign so many times that I’ve lost count. Every time I drive by I say to myself, “I need to check that out sometime.” but I never seem to take the time. Sometimes fate has to take a hand.

The other night I was heading home just about dusk. As I started up RT 44 I ran into a detour for road construction. The detour routed traffic down Allerton St. As I followed the detour signs I turned a corner and my mouth dropped. I was glad I had the camera with me because I was looking at a huge statue. I had no idea the National Monument to the Forefathers was so impressive. I walked up to take a closer look.

The monument, which faces northeast to Plymouth Harbor (and, roughly, towards Plymouth, England), sits in the center of a circular drive. On the main pedestal stands the heroic figure of “Faith” with her right hand pointing toward heaven and her left hand clutching the Bible. Counter-clockwise from the feet of “Faith” are Morality, Law, Education, and Liberty. Each was carved from a solid block of granite, posed in the sitting position upon chairs with a high relief on either side of minor characteristics. Under “Morality” stand “Prophet” and “Evangelist”; under “Law” stand “Justice” and “Mercy”; under “Education” are “Youth” and “Wisdom”; and under “Liberty” stand “Tyranny Overthrown” and “Peace”.

As I explored this colossus and its little park, more and more cars pulled up and stopped. I bet there were more people visiting the monument thanks to the detour than normally visit all summer!

If you’re coming to Plymouth, MA it will only take a minute to stop by this monument and it is definitely worth those few minutes.

Cabby Shack

Posted on August 8, 2013August 8, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Oh I’ve been busy, busy, busy. Monday and Tuesday of the past two weeks have been just beautiful. Low 80’s, sunny and minimal humidity. Perfect days for getting out and about.

I’ve been trying to cram a lot in those 2 days because that’s pretty much the only chance I have to get stories to tell you here. I’m still trying to figure out how my vacation time and money is going to work out with this new job so nothing to report on that front. I’d like to go to Yellowstone next year but I don’t know if that is going to work or not. In the mean time I’ll keep taking “Mini” vacations on Monday and Tuesdays.

The cabby Shack is located in Plymouth, MA right on the waterfront. It’s a typical waterfront restaurant with typical waterfront fare, fried scallops, fish and chips, clam boats, a smaller broiled section and a few burgers.

The food is good and you can sit inside or outside. I stopped there for dinner the other night. Believe me when I tell you that you won’t get any bargain here. I had the fried scallops and a light beer and the bill was $29.00! (Before tip) It’s one of those places where certain dishes are marked “Market price”.

It was good and for an occasional treat, certainly worth it. But back to the reason I chose this restaurant. It made me think of Key West. I know that’s a stretch but the first time I went to Key West we had dinner in a restaurant that had 2 levels. We sat in the upstairs level. The building was surrounded by palm trees.

Well, as you can see in the pictures, this little restaurant in Plymouth also has 2 levels and is surrounded by palm trees. If I have to pay a little extra for the ambiance of the Key West Connection, then so be it.