The Old State House

Posted on August 13, 2013August 13, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Walking to the “T” station I was stopped by a group of Asian Tourists. By pointing and broken English they managed to ask me what the “Pretty Building in Gold” was. I tried to explain what the Old State House meant to us Americans and especially Bostonians. I think I managed to convey some of it in spite of the language limitations. That tiny building is still a grand and shining symbol.

The Old State House is the oldest surviving public building in Boston. It was built in 1713 to house the government offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It stands on the site of Boston’s first Town House of 1657-8, which burned in 1711. The Old State House was a natural meeting place for the exchange of economic and local news. A Merchant’s Exchange occupied the first floor and the basement was rented by John Hancock and others for warehouse space. As the center of political life and thought in the colonies, the Old State House has been called one of the most important public buildings in Colonial America.

Official proclamations were read from the Old State House balcony, on the east side of the building, looking down State (formerly King) Street. The area beneath the balcony was the site of the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770, when a handful of British soldiers fired into a taunting crowd, killing five men. Today a circle of paving stones marks the spot of the Massacre.

On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was first proclaimed from here, to the jubilant citizens of Boston.

The Old State House continued as the seat of Massachusetts government until a new State House was built on Beacon Hill. On January 11, 1798, all government functions left the building when the governor, state legislature, and other state officials moved to the new State House.

The building continued to be used for commercial use and entered a period of decline. Eventually a group of concerned citizens formed the Boston Society to rescue the building.

Today this tiny building stands proudly surrounded by modern skyscrapers. It is a stop on the Freedom Trail and houses a museum of Boston History.

The entrance to the State Street Station, a stop on the MBTA’s Orange Line, is accessed by entering the historical building.

Reference: http://www.bostonhistory.org/

Be careful What You Wish for

Posted on January 9, 2013January 9, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Now I’m not saying I’m psychic or anything..psycotic maybe…but if you recall as 2012 was wrapping up I posted about The End of a Cycle/ New Beginnings. In that post I said I had a feeling things were going to change for me in 2013.
Well it didn’t take long for the first shoe to drop. I would have had my 10th year anniversary at my job this year on May 12. I just wanted to make it until then at which time I was planning to review my “options’.

I found out yesterday that I should start reviewing my options now. I’m not going to make it to my 10th anniversary. My company is moving my department to another office north of Boston. Everyone is welcome to keep their jobs and work from the new office or they can take a severance package. There’s no increase in pay for the move. For me it would require a 1/2 hour- 45 minute drive (depending on traffic) just to get to the “T”. If I choose to drive all the way it would be at least 1.5 hours each way and that’s on a good day. I worked in that office before and most days it was 2+ hours.

Between the time and the additional cost taking their offer to move isn’t an option. So that means that on April 1 (April Fool’s Day) I will join the ranks of the unemployed.

On the good side I’ll be old enough to draw social security. I will also be eligible for unemployment and there will be some sort of severance. I’m not sure how much.

Now before everybody gasps and offers condolences let me tell you that I am actually very excited about this.

I used to enjoy my job but changes in the structure in recent years had me increasingly dissatisfied. I stayed because of the economy, my age and mostly because I really like the people I work with. As conditions deteriorated I knew we were all in it together. Now that I know my time is coming to an end I’m excited to look for new opportunities.

I have been dabbling with the photography so the first thing I have to do is get serious about it. I intend to use some of the “down time” to build up my “stock” (photos) portfolio and see if I can get that producing some income.

I’d love to see my photo cards take off.

Sales have been sluggish but I’m not real good at promoting myself. I know the people who receive the cards love them and the people who have sent them are all repeat customers so I just have to get the word out more. Maybe now I’ll have time for some craft shows. Any suggestions on low-cost advertising are welcome. Chime in
www.dustyroadsphotos.etsy.com
www.dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com
And of course, feel free to become a valued customer. 🙂

The same thing applies to my pet photography and portrait line.

I need to get my name out there. Once again the key is advertising especially in the highly competitive market we’re in. Everybody has a phone or camera phone and everybody considers themselves a pro. I need a niche.

I was recently “flirting” with another company about a “work from home” position. I’ll see if I can get that back on track. I also noticed that a number of companies that have “in store ” photo studios are hiring as well as several “photo Processing Labs”.

Then there’s freelance work.

I have had 1 photo published and I’ve been encouraged to write travel articles and try to sell those. In fact at one point a major newspaper suggested I report on New England Travel. I didn’t do anything with it at the time but maybe it’s time to revisit these opportunities.

Relocating is not an option because my home has not rebounded enough to sell and staying here is cheaper than renting.

So the bottom line is that change is in the wind and I suspect it will be a busy , challenging and exciting time. Have any of you been through a layoff or career change later in life? I’d love to hear what kind of experience you had.

Let me tell you a story about a man named Charlie

Posted on June 17, 2011June 17, 2011 by Dusty Roads

…On that tragic and fateful day.

He put 10 cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family,

went to ride ont he MTA.

We all know the tale of Charlie and the MTA ..he never returned , no he never returned…

Sadly on our return trip on the MBTA, a “Charlie” went to ride at Wollaston Station. As of this writing no one knows what happened. All that we, the public and other passengers know is that a young man was hit by a red line train and there was no miracle. The young man did not make it. Was it an accident? Was it suicide? Was he drunk, impaired by some other substance? Was he distracted by his phone, texting? or an i-pod? We may never know. Hopefully the family will learn the details and be able achieve some kind of closure.

My heart goes out to the family and to the engineer and the conductor on that train. It was surely traumatic for them, a life changing event.

But I want to comment on the actions of the rest of the MBTA; how the tragic affair affected the rest of the passengers and there were many as it was rush hour.

So let me start at the top. We left the MFA and decided to walk (I know, I’m a glutton for punishment) because I wanted to get some pictures at the Christian Science Center. It is a beautiful spot and I recommend that anyone visiting Boston take a minute to stop by.

Using the benches along the sidewalk and taking frequent rest stops, I was finally able to get to the Christian Science Center and get some pictures. Yea!

After another rest stop it was back to the OP Shuffle (No offence but it’s the “old person” shuffle. As a card-carrying member of AARP I can say that. I was bent over and had to shuffle my feet . I couldn’t pick them up) Pretty funny now but it wasn’t at the time.

We stopped at Border’s Cafe for a fruit smoothy and then hooked up with the Green Line. If I had hopes of relief there I was sorely (Pun intended) mistaken. It was standing room only and even though it was 4:30 (rush hour) we had to wait 30 minutes for a train, not the normal 10-15.

Arriving at Park St we changed to the Red Line where conditions were no better. We finally got on a train where we hung from poles and straps and my back screamed in protest. I was counting the stops when 2 stops from where the car was parked we were thrown off the train. A medical emergency in Wollaston we were told. You’ll have to take a shuttle bus.

We were herded off the train and up to the platform where there was 1 bus. Yup, just one. I took advantage of our misfortune by snagging a seat on a bench but the relief was short-lived. It was quickly apparent that if we wanted to have any chance of getting in a shuttle that we would have to stand on the curb and push into the fray when the buses pulled in.

We got on the 4th or 5 th bus..standing room only..again. As the bus pulled into Wollaston Station we saw the crime scene tape and the ME’s van pulling out. We knew it was something bad then. The few passengers for Wollaston exited and the bus turned around to take the majority of us to Quincy Center where we would get off the bus and back onto the train. Standing room only…again.

One of the other passengers used her cell phone to get the latest news and told us a man had been hit by the train in front of ours. That was all we knew and as I write this it is all I have been able to find out.

We finally made it to Quincy Adams Station where my car was parked. As we exited the garage we did a time check, 7:15! 2 hours an 15 minutes for a ride that shouldn’t have taken more than 1 hour! I dropped Nancy off about 15 minutes later and pulled into my complex at 8pm.

The sad part of all this is that this is not the first accident like this on the “T”. I tried to get the numbers of similar incidents for 2011 but couldn’t find any however I did find plenty of news clips about train hits and close calls going back to 2009. So I can’t help but wonder, what steps have the MBTA taken to prevent these kinds of accidents? And with experience with this type of thing, why aren’t they more prepared to provide for their other passengers? No one wants accidents or injuries but that’s why they are called accidents. Shouldn’t the T have contingency plans in place? Our driver said he didn’t even know what station he was supposed to be driving to! I give the “T” a C- for their response to the emergency.

As for my back, a visit to my doctor secured some muscle relaxants and although not 100%, I am well along on the road to recovery!

Into Boston to the MFA on the MBTA

Posted on June 15, 2011June 15, 2011 by Dusty Roads

It’s a beautiful Monday in June. The Sun is shining and there’s a nice breeze, a perfect day for a little jaunt into Boston. I had to make a brief stop in Randolph and then I was parking at the Quincy Adams T-station for a ride on the red line.

I was meeting my friend Nancy at the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) on Huntington Ave, Boston. I wanted to see the Chihuly Exhibit. I became enamoured of his work when I saw a chandelier in a casino at the Atlantis Resort in Nassau the Bahamas. I remember I stopped dead and exclaimed” WOW Look at that!”. Luckily the friends I was with knew the piece was a “Chihuly” . That one introduction made such an impression that 7 years later I recognized the name when I heard about the exhibit.

It’s a temporary collection so I was anxious to get into see it before it moved on.

I hadn’t been to the MFA in years so I checked the web page for the address and their directions for coming in on the MBTA. I also went to the MBTA web site and entered my start and end location in their “trip planner”. Both advised to take the redline to Downtown crossing and change to the orange line. Get off at Copley Place and walk 7 minutes to the MFA.

Flower Vendor in Copley Square

Be warned…they are wrong! A better way is to take the red line to Park St. Station and change to the Green line. One of the green line trolleys stops right in front of the MFA! But I didn’t have that information when I started out so in Copley I asked directions from a doorman who directed me down Huntington..maybe a 10 minutes walk. He must be a runner because even a jogger wouldn’t have got there in 10 minutes.

I walked and walked and periodically asked directions always being told to keep walking. Along the way I took pictures of the sights of Boston. Boston is a great city for strolling and enjoying the sights. It’s full of history and old buildings with wonderful architecture.

I also saw the green line trolley stops and could have grabbed a trolley at any one of them but the people I asked made it sound like I was almost there each time I asked.

City Reflections

It was a beautiful day for a walk but I had hurt my back a couple of days before and was not at 100%.

Duck Tours

Where I started out strong as I continued to walk my lower back began to spasm and pretty soon my thighs were burning, then my knees.

Old Town Trolley! The Best Trolley in Boston

By the time I reached the Christian Science building I was done in. I wasn’t even taking pictures anymore .Just cut me off at the waist and give me a new lower body all I wanted to do was to find the that museum. By the time I spotted the MFA even my ankles and feet hurt. I was hot, thirsty, in pain and cranky and it only made it worse when my friend Nancy pointed out the Green line stop right in front of the building.

Appeal to the Great Spirit at the MFA

I’m not used to having to cry “uncle” over a simple walk but this one nearly “did me in.”

Appeal to the Great Spirit

At the ticket booth I told them I had a complaint about their website. I told them how following their directions put me in Copley Square and that it was not an easy 7 minute walk like it said on their web page. The girl at the desk wasn’t even surprised. She said it was a glitch and their IT guys were working on it! No ‘I’m sorry ‘ or anything as she swung right back into her speech about upgrading to a membership!

It was now 1 pm so Nancy & I decided to have lunch in the cafeteria and let me cool off. I got my first glimpse of the exhibit on the way to the cafeteria.

Chihuly

I think it ‘s going to be worth the aggravation.

Inside the MFA

There’s a restaurant and a cafeteria. The restaurant is quite pricey so we went to the cafeteria. That wasn’t too bad. They had the usual cafeteria fare; hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, pizza, chicken fingers, things like that. I settled for a slice of pizza and a large cold bottled water. I added a package of cookies for desert. That totalled out at about $7.00. I would have gotten a discount if I had a membership.

We took our time over lunch so by the time we headed off to the exhibit my frame of mind, if not my body was in a much better place.