Mary Baker Eddy

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This monument was completely in the dark until I illuminated it with flash. Doing so allowed the texture and inscriptions to reveal themselves. I must thank my friend Morrie who helped keep my camera dry under an umbrella while I moved around the structure with the flash.

Often, monuments and mausolea are designed by the same architect who designed other residences for the family. The Mary Baker Eddy monument does not follow that mold, instead, it was the result of a design competition. Egerton Swarthout, a New York architect, won the competition in 1914, with a tholos form design of a circular colonnade consisting of 8 columns each 15 feet in height. Swarthout omitted a roof because he felt there should be “nothing between the grave and sky but flowers”.

Originally, the architect specified the monument be constructed of Colorado or Vermont white marble. As an acknowledgement to the harsh New England winter, Bethel, Vermont, white granite was substituted because it withstands the elements significantly better than marble.

The Mary Baker Eddy monument has been acknowledged as one of the finest examples of the granite carver’s craft. Among the details incorporated into the design are the wild rose, which was Mrs. Eddy’s favorite flower, the morning glory, which opens to the light and closes to the darkness, the lamp of wisdom and a sheaf of wheat.

Husband and Wife

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Nestled at the base of a giant maple tree are the graves of this husband and wife. Her stone reads-“her example is our inheritance” and his reads, “the master called and found him”. I wonder if the tree was planted since they were buried or just happened to grow from a seed that landed there?

British Invasion

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You never know what you might come across when traveling, and this double-decker from England caught my eye as it was parked along the road in Massachusetts. Looking at this unique vehicle left many questions,as the drivers area looked tiny and impossible to get into and it appeared as if passengers would load from the back,but that might be way off. It doesn’t appear to be moving anytime soon.

Lobster Buoy Collection

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This home in Rockport Massachusetts beckoned me to capture its unique seacoast charm after I noticed the many old lobster buoys adorning the entrance. As I was speaking to the owners wife,she told me her husband had collected these authentic buoys along the shoreline years ago and this quaint scene had been featured in magazines more than once.

Waves of Snow

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Another image that features me using my flashlight to help reveal the texture in the snow as well as lighting each building.My camranger was having a little trouble transferring the image to my tablet at the farthest building as I lit it,but it all worked out in the end.

A Nice Accent

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This beautiful old mansion is made even more spectacular with the addition of heavy snow sticking to trees and bushes.This was one of the rare times I had to hand hold a shot instead of using my tripod.I stopped on the street and shot a quick series before having to move for other cars.

Frozen Stagecoach

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Lititz,Pa was voted Americas coolest small town this past year and one of the cool events they held was called the fire and ice festival.Expert ice carvers create these beautiful sculptures throughout town and thousands stroll the streets to take it all in. This stagecoach was one that caught my eye so I used my flashlight to bring out the icy details.Thankfully cold weather was around the region this year so the masterpieces were around for several days.

Treacherous Travels

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Winter is still holding on but a few days of mild weather produced a very foggy day recently. I was coming down this road and noticed the trees looked nice with the foggy layering and off in the distance I heard the buggy coming,even though I could not see him yet.All of a sudden he materialized in the mist and I managed to get this image with him in a good composition.Wish I had gotten lower to get his reflection in the puddle too but it was a very fleeting moment. If you would have seen how thick the fog was,you would think they were crazy for being on the road.We have had more buggy accidents in our area in the last year than I can remember for many years combined.Mostly distracted drivers but not always,and the poor horse always loses.

Imagine The Potential

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Todays post features an image that I envisioned in my mind and thanks to the owners of the property,I was allowed the opportunity to go for it. I had stopped here to get permission to shoot another image and as I drove up the lane, it became obvious to me that more photo possibilities existed. I had a box of luminaries at home and could envision them lining the lane leading to the house on this winter night.The owners thought it might be a cool shot and encouraged me to try it. I arrived an hour before sunset and started to place the luminaries and then started to light them. I brought two lighters from home that I tested before leaving and when I tried to use them at the location,they no longer worked? Thankfully I brought matches as well,but the thing that really amazed me was the owners were going away as I was trying the lighters, and they told me to just go in their house because there were several lighters in the kitchen I could use. I said I absolutely was not going to go in their house,especially since we just met that morning.The matches worked and thankfully I got the shot I had imagined. I think the luminaries provide a nice leading line for the eye to follow.

Winter Retreat

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The plow made a pass by this old homestead leaving a trail that was quickly covered by heavy snowfall.The lanterns illuminate the landscape as evening falls and another winter storm draws to a close.Everyone has gone to bed in anticipation of morning chores that await.

Full Moon Calling

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It seems every winter I try to find the right timing for a clear full moon night with lots of snow cover to shoot and it never comes together. Well this past week I got lucky enough to have everything align so I could try a few shots.This particular night started out cloudy but the weather channel predicted clear skies later that night so I headed out at 10pm to look around.I ended up at this location and of course got lost in shooting till my wife called at eleven to ask where I was, and I said I might be out a little bit yet and don’t wait up.The next time I looked at my watch it was one in the morning,so I felt it might be time to call it a night. The rippled snow had excellent texture and it was not too bitter,so I could concentrate on getting the shots. For me the full moon has proven to be a bit of a pain,literally,as I get migraines and I lost track a long time ago how many times the full moon triggered them.Sometimes I get the full-blown headache/visual problem and other times I just feel like I am in a fog,and for a while I thought it was my imagination till I started documenting them and reading that others have had similar effects.Thankfully this night proved to be just a great full moon experience.