Where in the World?

Looking Out from Mt. Holyoke

I was up in Northamptom, MA today doing some geocaching, hiking and photography. It was a nice overcast day which meant that the colors were evenly lighted and the trails were cool.

Most of the morning was spent on Mt. Holyoke which is in Skinner State Park near Hadley, MA. The mountain itself is a little over 900 feet high but rises very quickly, so the trails to the summit are quite steep.

What a great day to be walking through the deciduous forests of New England. Color was everywhere. Squirrels were busily getting ready for the winter. Hawks circled looking for prey. The sound of leaves falling was everywhere.

Fall continues to be my favorite season. I typically start up in New Hampshire to see the color and then get to enjoy it for several weeks as it slowly moves down south as the cool air becomes the norm.

Please view my other photos for the day (4 photos).

Hope your day was nice!

Michael

Here are four photos I took shortly before and after sunset.

Dramatic Skies

Sunset

Sea Gull Feather

Beautiful Clouds

Have a great day!

Michael

After a lazy morning, fueled with eggs, turkey andouille sausage and coffee we headed out on our bikes for a 15.3 mile tour from Truro to Provincetown and then through the dunes in the Cape Code National Seashore. The temperature was a nice balance between not too hot and not too cool. A steady cool breeze blew continually and helped to keep us from getting overheated.

According to historical records, the Pilgrims actually first landed somewhere on the beach between Truro and Provincetown and not where Plymouth Rock is located. I didn’t know this. It’s funny how facts get distorted in their re-telling over the years.

We headed first to Provincetown for an iced coffee and then we took a short detour out to McMillan Pier and watched the boats for a little while. Following the road through town took us to Herring Cove. From there it was about three miles through the sand dune trails to Race Point Beach where we relaxed for a bit on the sand and had some lunch.

I love to bike ride, especially downhill, but it was a struggle as I’m not in shape as much as i would like, but, I was able to push through it.

After the beach, we had about a six mile ride back to the house in Truro. It wasn’t quite as intense as the dune trails as it was mostly roads. Thank goodness!

The evening consisted of playing cards and eating a lot. Hard to beat that, especially when you are winning almost every hand.

Overall, it was a fantastic day.

Michael

Yesterday I was in Warsaw, Poland. Today I’m on Cape Code between Truro, Ma and Provincetown, MA on the beach. It’s a slight change of pace. Well, more than slight.

Erica and I are spending the weekend here with friends. The place we are staying at is right on the beach. So after a short walk you are face to face with Cape Code Bay. To northwest lies Boston, but it is too far away to see from here.

I’m glad to be out here this weekend as it is an excellent contrast to the fast paced week that I’ve had. The air here is crisp and I love the smell of the ocean. I’m already starting to unwind.

Taking periodic breaks is very important for mental, physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. I’m learning to make time for these periods of re-charging. Life is supposed to be fun not stressful.

The sunset was quite beautiful today with very saturated colors and some nice clouds. I found it very relaxing. It’s a great way to start the weekend.

I have three other sunset photos in a larger format here. The third photo is a special image where the clouds are radiating out from a central point. Very unusual and inspiring.

Michael

I was up in Northampton, Massachusetts this weekend with Erica. She was at a show and I was there to play. Of course I helped out a little bit in the booth.

Right next to Erica’s booth was a lady selling ceramics. Her husband was Steve Katz, one of the original members of the 1960′s band Blood, Sweat and Tears. How cool is that. If you were listening to music back then, you may have remembered the hits “Spinning Wheel” and “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.”

We chatted for a bit, not about music that much, but about the new Amazon Kindle. It’s like an iPod for books. I was amazed as I could literally have hundreds of books, newspapers, blogs and etc. at my fingertips on one device. It is a first generation machine and expensive but I think it will change the way we do things, just like the iPod.

Steve was a good guy and very into the Kindle. I wish him luck on his current tour schedule with the band.

Michael