Wordless Wednesday

Flag Bench in Wareham

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Sunday Post: Natural Resources

Jake’s topic this week is Natural Resources.

My favorite natural resource is trees. I absolutely love old trees. Next to my neighborhood they are taking an old farm and renovating it into a new senior center. One of the most precious natural resources of the old farm is its trees, which are hundreds of years old. They planted a lot of new bushes and trees as part of the renovation, but preserved some of the old trees that were still healthy.

Old Tree at Sachem Rock

Old trees show a life lived and have character, just like human faces, don’t you think?

The Satucket River winds through the woods around the farm-turned-senior center, another natural resource that originally made the land very desirable. This piece of land was settled early in American history. It was “purchased” by some of the first European settlers from the Native Americans who lived there in 1649; there’s a monument on the property on top of a giant rock. “Sachem” is the word designating a Native American “chief” or leader.

Sachem’s Rock

The natural water was one important reason why certain pieces of land were desired when the Europeans first came to America. The abundant rocks in the area were another natural resource used by the farmers to make walls around their property and build structures. All these natural resources made the area great for farming and a perfect place to make a home.

Stream

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Thankful

This week’s challenge is a tough one for me — not because I am not a thankful person but because it is hard for me to express it aloud. I’ve always felt that as soon as I verbally express my thankfulness, what I’m thankful for will be taken away somehow — as if, as long as the important things stay secret, they will stay with me forever — like quietly watching a bird or a butterfly extends the beautiful moment.

What I am most thankful for is life itself — for the free things we can all enjoy: nature, art, and moments in time –these are the essence of life.

 

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Wordless Wednesday: Thanksgiving

Massasoit monument

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Sunday Post: Architecture

Jake’s topic today is Architecture. One of my favorite architectural elements is a tower: church towers, bell towers, and clock towers.

Provincetown tower

And what do a lot of towers have? Something else I love: Gargoyles!

Gargoyles

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Green

Church and town green

This week’s photo challenge topic is green. My favorite color is green; to me, green is the color of spring and nature. But where I live, green is also a noun. In New England, most small towns have a town green or town common for people to sit or gather for events.

Our town green had a wonderful display of flags by the veteran’s monument last week, but unfortunately I missed getting a picture of that. Today I saw spotlights in the ground preparing for the Christmas tree lighting event they have every year at the beginning of December.

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Wordless Wednesday

Knotty Tree

Visit scrapydo for more…

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Sunday Post: Surroundings

Jake’s topic this week is Surroundings.

I was think of how our surroundings affect our mood: how some people think surroundings matter even AFTER you are dead and buried. Now, I’m not trying to be morbid…but haven’t you noticed how beautiful most cemeteries are? My grandmother’s cemetery plot is on a hill overlooking what used to be a drive-in movie theater; she used to joke that she was going to spend eternity watching movies! (Unfortunately, the drive-in is no longer functional, though the screen is still there.) But her view is nothing like the one in the photos I have shown here.

Graveyard in Hull, MA

Recently some cousins of mine visited from Colorado. My brother and I took them to a cemetery of a seaside town to look at the surroundings. You will see why…it is on a peninsula. One direction provides a view of the bay and the other provides a view of the ocean.

Graveyard view of the bay

Graveyard ocean view

I certainly wouldn’t mind those surroundings for eternity!

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Reader Appreciation Award — Better Late than Never!

It has taken me a while to get to this (October was a blur), but The Retiring Sort nominated me for the Reader Appreciation Award. Thank you, my friend!

Here are the requirements for accepting this award:

1)    Thank the blogger who nominated you and share a link to that blog – Done!

2)    Attach the award icon to your site – Done!

3)  Answer some specific questions.  Unlike many awards which just ask for some random things about you, this asks specific questions as follows (with my responses):

• Your favorite colour?  Green
• Your favorite animal?  Adore cats, but I love ALL animals.
• Your favorite non-alcoholic drink?  That would be TEA! Sparkling Water my second choice…(really!)
• Facebook or Twitter?  Facebook (for the family photos). I don’t Tweet…I have an OLD cell phone.
• Your favorite pattern?  This is a tough one…I may like stripes, plaid, or other random patterns, but it has more to do with the color of the patterns than the patterns themselves.
• Do you prefer getting or giving presents?  Giving — I have too much stuff!
• Your favorite number?  5
• Your favorite day of the week?  Saturday
• Your favorite flower? I can’t answer this. I like way too many flowers:as fancy as lilies and as common as wildflowers.
• What is your passion? That would have to be reading and writing. But I also love nature: plants and animals.

4)  And finally, offer “pay it forward” nominations, advising those bloggers that they have been nominated and how to accept. I’ve listed my nominees for the award below. This is the best reason to accept blogging awards – to spread the word about other blogs that we enjoy! Here are some great new photoblogs I like:

http://p0nky.wordpress.com/

http://starryeyedphotos.wordpress.com/

http://funandfantastic.wordpress.com/

http://speakingabouttravel2.wordpress.com/

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal

This week’s photo challenge leaves a lot of room for interpretation; there are so many types of renewal and they can be so personal. It can be a recharging of energy or an expending of energy. Physical renewal can include exercise like walking or yoga, as well as its opposite, rest or sleep.

Physical renewal: sleep

Nature has its own type of renewal. Forest fires can actually be nature’s way of renewing a forest. Without a fire it takes many many years for fallen trees to break down, with the help of insects and weather, into soil.

Rotting Tree

Finally, there is spiritual renewal. For some people this involves going to some sort of church. In the Christian religion, Jesus is a symbol of renewal.

Graveyard statue of Jesus

 

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