Watson Pond State Park

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Watson Pond State Park is a little gem of a park located on Bay St  in Taunton. It’s close proximity to  RT 495 makes access easy and is a popular spot for families. The park is open seasonally with a small admission fee of $5.00 . The park will open for the season on Memorial Day so right now you can get in for free and there isn’t too much use.

In my travels yesterday I found myself driving by the park.  The weather was a “mixed-bag”. The sun was shining and it felt warm until the wind started to blow. The wind was quite strong and very brisk if not downright cold but I decided to stop in for a quick look around. The gates were open to allow access to the parking area.

The park is a beautiful little park consisting of 10 acres of pond, forest, swimming and picnic area. The beach is small, about only 300 ft of sand but on a hot day that little patch of sand and shore is always packed.

 There are swings and a jungle gym for children to play on as well as picnic tables and fireplaces.

There were a few families here enjoying the sunshine even if it was a bit  too cool for swiming. That water looked really cold.

 As  sat at one of the tables near the water I was surprised by a little goose family as they paddled by. When the wind blew it actually seemed to push the geese along. The parents kept a close eye on the little goslings closing ranks when the water got too choppy.

I think I saw a Baltimore Oriole flitting from tree to tree.  I’ve never seen one of those  in the wild, just pictures in bird books. When I spotted it I thought “now there’s a pretty bird. I don’t think I’ve seen one of those before.” I was trying to manuver around to get a picture when a kid on a mountain bike came barreling past and it was gone in an instant. I didn’t see which direction it went so even though I looked around for it I couldn’t find it again. When I got home I looked for the best match I could find in my bird book and I do think it was the Baltimore Oriole. Maybe I’ll get another look next time.

Whales, Seals and Sharks!

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It promises to be great year for sea animals on Cape Cod. Already we have had record numbers of whales feeding off the cape coming closer to land than in recent memory. Now in the news are reports of Great White sightings.

This is not unusual. I chased the Great Whites all last summer without success but it is early in the year for them. Normally they come in search of the seals that live and play on the beaches and barrier islands of Cape Cod. They prefer it when the water has had a chance to warm up a little but the really large sharks can tolerate the cooler temperatures. The reports seem to indicate that this was a large one, 18-20 ft and 2000+ lbs!

The latest news report said the Great White was circling a whale that had become entangled in fishing gear. The Woods Hole people have since towed the whale carcase away to exam it to determine cause of death…could it be its entanglement or the shark? I’m sure we’ll hear more about this as the season progresses.

Speaking of seals, I recently found out that there are 4 different species of seals that like to visit the cape. I was aware of 2.

The big-headed gray seals are also the largest in size of the 4 species. It’s been said that their heads look like horse heads and I guess that’s true. Gray seals are year round residents. Naturalists say that the resident population on the cape is in the thousands. The colony in Chatham is certainly large and boisterous. Gray seals were on the decline because of over hunting until 1972 when the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed. Removing that pressure has allowed their population to increase dramatically.

The 2nd species of seal that is a familiar sight on the cape is the one we think of at the aquarium. They have a cute upturned muzzle and are smaller than the grays. While the grays are said to look like horses these seals are most often compared to cocker spaniels. These little cuties are the curious Harbor seals.

Both the Gray Seals and the Harbor seals will interact with boaters. They swim up  to the boat and pop up out of the water to stare. Curiosity is certainly a trait they share with us humans.

The other 2 species are more rare. I don’t think I’ve ever seen either one in the wild. The first is the Harp seal which gets its name from the distinctive dark wish-bone shaped pattern against a silver-white coat. When you see all of those horrible posters protesting the seal hunts with the baby white coated seals about to be clubbed, you are looking at baby harp seals. The Cape seems to get the “in-between” harp seals. Still juveniles they are too old for the creamy white coat and too young for the silver-gray with the harp pattern. Most have a light-colored coat with irregular blotches of brown.

Last but not least is the Hooded Seal. These seals are the most rare of the 4 species. They, along with the Harp seal, are considered “ice seals” because they prefer to live on the pack ice of the Arctic. Still the long stretches of secluded shoreline and abundant sea food make Cape Cod an attractive place for these seals to visit.

I think it’s safe to say that as long as the seals keep coming to Cape Cod we will be hearing of Great White Sharks patrolling our shores. I can see I will have many entertaining hours to look forward to this summer on the Cape.

VACATION!

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Oh Boy Oh Boy Oh Boy! I’m on vacation! I remember when I hated to take vacations. I was a workaholic to the “nth” degree! Things sure have changed!

When I think about the change I have to say it was probably 3-4 years ago when the economy first tanked.  The company I work for had always had unlimited overtime. There was more overtime than I knew what to do with. Even when I didn’t want to work I was asked to and then overnight it seemed the overtime was gone!

Ouch! I was earning almost half again my base salary and overnight it disappeared. Poof!  That kind of pay cut is going to smart no matter who you are. Even worse was the forced time off. I wasn’t accustomed to having all this time on my hands. At first I hated it. I had no idea what to do with myself  but slowly I got more used to it and began to cherish my time off. Now I look forward to every day I have off and get very excited over vacations whether I am traveling or not.

I already have some plans made for this one. One day I am going to The Adams National Historical Park in Quincy. I also plan to go into Boston to the MFA to see the Chihuly Exhibition. It’s only here until August 7 so I want to be sure to get in a visit there. I might have time after that  to visit the Boston Garden. It should be in full bloom by now and I know they just returned the swans, Romeo and Juliette to the pond. The swans spent the winter at the Franklin Park Zoo.

 Still on the drawing board is another trip to Cape Cod and maybe a Whale Watch tour. I haven’t had any luck from shore with pictures so maybe with so much action a boat tour would be more successful. Might even spot a great white shark!

I think I will also take a drive out the Mohawk Trail. There is so much stuff to see along that route  and I haven’t driven it in 30 years! I wonder how much it has changed. I got that idea when we went out to Magic Wings in Deerfield. The Mohawk Trail passes right by there.

In any case, I doubt that I will be bored. If I am I could do some housework:) I bet my pets would appreciate it if I stayed home a day or too as well. Maybe then they would be kinder and gentler toward me when I let them have their say in these pages 😉

Again, weather permitting, I want to go to Telegraph Hill in Hull. It overlooks the Boston Harbor so I want to see what kind of pictures I can get using my new 500mm lens. I have hardly used it since I picked it up. It would be nice to go at sunset to see if I can get some nice late afternoon shots.

I also want to practice with panoramic shots and “stitching’ photos together in post processing. I think it would be a good idea to practice that before I go to the Grand Canyon later this spring. As I so often say…so much to do, so little time!

Well I am off to start enjoying my precious time off. I don’t want to waste a minute. I will keep you updated right here!

Life on the “old Homestead”

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Well one of the comments from the “Borderland” post asked for more of the history of the area. So I have begun to do a little research. I will share what I’ve learned so far. I concentrated on the Ames Family History although eventually I’d like to look into the Native American History of the site if it’s available. Most of this information can be found in the brochures provided by the park if you ever visit. The brochures have some vintage photos that are pretty interesting too.

The land was first developed for farming and industry in the early 1700’s. One of the first locations to be developed was just over the line in Sharon where a dam and sawmill were situated on a brook that is a pond today. That same brook powered  a nail factory and two mills that made cotton twine and batting.

Further along the brook bog-iron ore was mined from the exposed swamp. In 1825 General Shepherd Leach built a pond (the one we saw on our visit)  to ensure a steady water supply for his iron works. According to the brochure that iron works is still in operation today. That’s something I need to look into  further.

Throughout the 19th century the main activity at Borderland was farming. Stone walls divided cleared fields, homesteads were established and then in 1810 a 2nd house was built. All that remains of that home is the foundation But stone walls can be seen winding through the new growth forests and fields.

Oaks and Blanche Ames started acquiring the land in the area around 1900. The small farms in the area were no longer prospering allowing the Ameses to purchase the properties and consolidate them. The Ameses continued to farm part of the estate but created a wildlife preserve with the rest. In order to create a better environment they built dams to turn swamps into ponds that could be used for wildlife and recreation.

The Ameses weren’t just wealthy landowners who sat back and watched their employees do all the work. Both Oakes and Blanche took an active role in the clearing of fields , cutting wood for the fires, gardening and raising turkeys. From the beginning they partnered with foresters to develop the land as a sanctuary and preserve, a policy the state continues today.

Politics was another past time as seems to be the habit of wealthy families in Massachusetts. If in doubt just look at the Kennedy clan, one of Massachusetts most well-known political families.

I’m sure I have much more to uncover about this family and this area of Sharon/ Easton. As  more of the history comes to light I will pass it on to you.

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Writer’s Block

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Well it was bound to happen one of these days. I set a pretty ambitious goal to post something 6 days a week. The biggest problem is time. There is lots to write about but I like to give you up to date information and pictures. In fact, I subscribe to the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words so if I have no pictures, I have no tales.

The past few days were a combination of things including weather that kept me from getting much exploring done. I didn’t even have much time to take pictures for my photo blog. I had my car in for maintenance so with no wheels to get around I missed being out and about gathering stories. It still need some more work too so I hope it won’t be tied up too long. After all I have places to go and people to see and things to do and then tell you all about it all here!

I asked Scout if he had any new tips and he admitted he hadn’t put anything together. He said he could have some in a day or two but by then I should be back on track.

I thought my friend Julie would bail me out with stories of her recent trip to Arizona and California but she had the day off so I haven’t caught up with her at work yet.

My cuz in Florida is going to share her experiences on trip she took to Ireland but she’s still putting that together. I have another co-worker that went to Ireland as well but I haven’t set up a time to get his stories yet. My fault on that one.

My friend Diane still has many, many stories and pictures to share but again I dropped the ball and didn’t leave myself enough time to get together  with her.

Another friend and co-worker, Jay, just got back from his rafting vacation but we haven’t had a chance to chat about that in any detail yet. I can’t wait to see his pictures and he says I can share them here. That will be a treat for us all, I am sure!

Well, sometimes it seems I spend more time making excuses and if I’d just taken that same time I would have had something to write but it’s just human nature, I guess.

I will be on my work schedule now for the next 2 days so I won’t have any time to go anywhere but maybe I can dredge something out of the archives that you might enjoy.

Or maybe I should remind you that you’re welcome to contribute too! I love your comments but you can also share you travel experiences too. Don’t be shy. Sometimes a fresh voice is just what’s needed. In the meantime I’ll share some photos from some of my jaunts. I’ve written about all of the trips shown in these photos but selecting the pictures makes me think that there may be more stories in them to share. Something to think about.

Well enjoy the pictures until I get my next post together. Remember my next trip is fast approaching and we know there will be a lot of things to share from that.

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