Traveling

Seems like I'm filled with the urge for going these days. It doesn't even matter where. Just want to be on the road. Of course, one does need a destination. Aimless wandering is probably not such a great idea.

This past weekend I went to visit a good friend in New Haven. My friend Maryanne has a lovely rambling old home just minutes from Yale. She's a retired professor and super fun. 

Left early Friday morning and got caught in a completely unexepected snow squall. At times visibility was about zero and I contemplated turning back. That didn't feel like fun, plus I had just put snow tires on my car.  I put snow tires on my car so I can drive in the snow, NOT stay home! Despite the snow mess, I still made it to New Haven in about 2 1/2 hours.

I want to focus on Stonington CT now. Yes, I went to an exhibit at the Yale Art Museum (it was fantastic) and a photo exhibit in Mystic (loved it!) but then there was Stonington...

I've been to this town many times on my own. Mostly in the early morning to shoot photos.  Still feel like I haven't captured it properly.
Stonington is about a 4 mile drive from Mystic. It is not a resort/tourist town and there's not much there. But I'm drawn to it in an inexplicable way. There is something. And if you feel it, well you know what I'm talking about. My friend Maryanne fell in love with Stonington. We had driven there for dinner but as we walked to the restaurant she mentioned wanting to spend the entire day there. She gets it. I was thrilled. Because there isn't much in Stonington. A handful of shops (maybe five) and a couple restaurants. Nothing much to do, but the town itself - understated charm.That is, if you feel it.

This is the story of Stonington, well at least what I can glean from reading and being there. It's very self-contained. Only a few blocks long, less than one square mile. Population about 1200. Many intellectuals and wealthy urban folks have settled there. One would think snooty perhaps, but I only find friendly. And the beauty. Hard to put into words. There is simple and palatial. One sees old fisherman's cottages sandwiched next to each other with barely any property and then the pillars of houses across the street on Fisher Island Sound. Those houses are wedged rather tightly together too.
A lone commercial fishing fleet still exists in Stonington and I've heard it's considered the heart and soul of the community. The old and the new co-existing. In harmony so it appears.
A writer once said of Stonington, "It's gray and lonely in winter, but those are perfect condtions for a writer." Perfect conditions for taking photos too I think. Ah, another winter destination.

I didn't get too many photos this time around. I've discovered that taking photos is a solitary project for me. Of course, Maryanne would've been fine doing something else but I found myself trying to shoot photos as we were walking and talking. That's tricky. But all ok. Everything about Stonington was close to perfect. I will return.
All these photos were taken with my $80 point and shoot. For some reason, lighter felt better.

The beginning - it got worse! But then got a little better...

Taken from a cafe in Mystic - insanely blustery and cold outside but sun shining, drinking coffee!

House, Stonington

Sunset, Stonington

Stonington






These photos are  from a few years ago, when I first stumbled upon Stonington.

Lighthouse

Time change and more

I'm probaby one of the few people who actually like the time change. I love morning light. And I don't mind the night's early darkness. Makes me want to crawl into bed with a book or a good movie. Getting into hiberation mood.

Summer lasted into fall this year and all I wanted was to be outside. I sort of forgot about house chores. And things do pile up. So for the last three days I've sequestered myself inside this house playing catch up. Reorganizng my office, cleaning cleaning cleaning, hauling wood inside, making sense of everything in the garage...feels good. I see progress! I did have to dash out for a few very quick errands and of course, brought my camera with me. Plus, there's always sunrise to catch in the field across the street, sometimes still in my pajamas.

Planning another mini-road trip end of the week, part of the impetus to pull everything in this house together. Headed to an art exhibit at a gallery on the Yale campus in New Haven, then onto Mystic for a photography show. Life is busy and good! Oh yeah, an old friend is playing music in Parksville NY this Wednesday night. Hoping to experiment a bit with taking photos of people, something I rarely do. Trying to challenge myself. Always.

Sunrise

Down by the river, the Delaware

On Swago Pond

Red sky at night sunset.

Feeling like the end of summer in October - on Swago Pond

Love this sunrise shot. Subtle color through the thick fog.

Fog

Those who know me well, know that I love fog. I stumbled upon incredible fog as I was driving to work yesterday. I wanted to walk into the forest and stay there...maybe forever.

Meanwhile, I was running late for work and had to be satisfied with a few quick snapshots. Sigh...

Sharing anyway and this is TWO posts in one day - a record for me I think!
On another completely different note, I somehow volunteered to help at a Halloween party in my little town. I call it my "little" town but it's no longer the sleepy town I once knew. There are two Halloween parties side by side. Oh my. But I might just go to both.

Autumn

I have grown to love fall. It didn't happen overnight. In fact, fall was my least favorite season for many years.
When I first moved to the northeast from Key West, fall stood out prominently as the harbinger of winter. The season that followed only conjured up thoughts of bitter cold and tons of snow. It frightened me with my tropical blood. It took years for me to even figure out the right clothing. Finally have that one together!

Things have changed. I have fallen in love with fall and I'm no longer afraid of winter. I view fall as  a treasured season. These days I savor every moment, getting outside as much as possible. Lots of biking and walking. Loving the colors. I'm mesmerized even though this hasn't been our best year for colors. But the warm weather...wow!

Soon the snow. Sometimes the snow comes as early as mid or late October. But this year's crazy unseasonable weather has left us all guessing. Who knows what's going to unfold and I sort of love the mystery of it all. Haven't even thought of snow tires yet. Next week...

For now, some photos.

On Swago Pond

This...

My favorite house on Block Island. I've photographed it countless times but every time I seem to capture a different feel, another mood, the light, the position of the clouds in the sky...

I know this house in every season now, yes even in the dead of winter. And it's always beautiful.

More Block Island

Block Island is truly magical and this time around was no exception. Summer weather in October. It was unbelievable. When an old friend, Thorpe, came over to visit, we headed to the beach. He wanted to go to my favorite beach. Yay! There are LOTS of beaches on Block Island; his choice was serendipitous. Close to perfect. A handful of tourists still lingered on the island but we had the whole beach to ourselves, well except for the seagulls. The waves were huge, aftermath of Tropical Storm Jose. Thorpe body surfed a little. I could see even he (a super brave strong guy) was humbled by the gigantic waves, also a serious rip current not to be taken lightly. I mostly chased the waves, running in and out like a kid, racing away from the 10-12  foot waves. Afterwards, it was so hot that I found myself taking a cold shower. Loved it! Shades of my days in the tropics.  I didn't want it to end. But --
I do have photos.

Churned up sea.

Thorpe heading to the lighthouse. Fog beginning to lift.

To the lighthouse - the fabulous beach is behind the North Lighthouse, the most northern tip of the island.

Hard to capture the magnitude of the waves with my little point and shoot. They came in sets and once in a while a HUGE wave would just blow me away. The power of nature.

Loved sharing the beach with only the seagulls, no other people. Probably because it's almost a 1/2 mile hike to the beach after a 5 mile bike ride. Well worth it!

Block Island

Almost every year I head to Block Island for at least a few days. It's a pilgrimage of sorts and I usually go alone. This year a friend joined me for my last day there. My friend lives in Tortola (British Virgin Islands) part of the year. Most of that island was completely devastated by Hurricane Irma. My friend knew that his house on Tortola had been destroyed but while on Block Island he received photos of his house via email. That is, what was left of it. Not much. Those pictures painted the harsh reality. Terribly sad. Words failed me.

That evening we walked to a quiet bar overlooking the sea. He read me this poem.


The Art Of Losing

BY ELIZABETH BISHOP

The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident
the art of losing’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

A 10 mile round trip bike ride to an almost completey deserted beach. Incredibly foggy. I was mesmerized. Huge waves lingering from Tropical Storm Jose. Fog lifted. An unusually hot September day. Like the summer we never had. I was in and out of the ocean. Ah, the salt air. Perfect beach day.