#massachusetts

Jan 26, 2p22 - flag of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at the Steamship Authority dock in Vineyard Haven

Jan 20, 2022 - southeast side of Vineyard Haven harbor -2 days ago on a very cold and blustery January day

Jan 19, 2022 - view from my door as I let the dogs out a little while ago - full moon (two days past full)

rising in the eastern sky

Jan 15, 2022 - Foxy- wrapped up in blankets on a cold day. It has been really cold here lately.

Jan 12, 2022 - late afternoon chores at the barn - taken Jan 7, 2022

Jan 12, 2022 -Rascal and Tara - taken Jan 7, 2022

Rascal- one of the sweetest horses that ever came to live here

Jan 7, 2022 - it snowed today

It was the first real snow of the season here, and it certainly did transform the landscape in a beautiful way. One of the downsides though is it makes farm chores much more difficult.

Jan 7, 2022- another shot from last night’s dog walk, the night before the snow storm

Jan 6, 2022 - on the dog walk today-5:20pm

There was a beautiful crescent moon out tonight but this quick cell phone shop did not capture that. First real snow of the season predicted for tomorrow which will be a nice change of scene to the brown and gray landscape.

Jan 1, 2022 - New Year’s Day - for the afternoon dog walk today, it was damp foggy, and relatively warm, for the first day of January.

Dec 29, 3021 - late afternoon dog walk around the farm, the day after Christmas

Dec 24, 2021 - Merry Christmas everyone :)

Deri is the only dog in the house who would wear the reindeer antlers long enough to get this photo, which was good because she is the only one who almost looks like a reindeer :-)

Dec 23, 2021 -Foxy

Foxy arrived in this house 2 years ago on Dec 4, and nothing has ever been the same in a very good way. She is one of the sweetest dogs I think that has ever come into this house, and I have loved them all. Now I can’t imagine life without her.

Dec 21, 2021- salt marshes on the east side of Sengekontacket pond, a coastal tidal pond with two inlets that open into Nantucket sound on the north side of the Island.

Dec 21, 2021 -today is the winter solstice, when finally we will be heading into more days with more light in them.

This photo wasn’t taken today. It was taken Dec 17, the day before December’s full moon. It does illustrate though how dark it is at 5:49 pm these days, while on the afternoon dog walk. Darkness, wind, and cold temperatures, most of the time, make for an unpleasant dog walk.

I always look forward to the winter solstice, and the turn toward more light in our days again.

Dec 20, 2021- shellfish shucking shack on the shore of Lagoon Pond in Vineyard Haven -taken Dec 10, 2021

This little shack has been on this spot on Lagoon Pond for almost 100 years. Over those years it has survived many powerful storms, and at one point fell into terrible neglect, and almost rotted away completely.

The little shack has had various owners over the years. In its early years it was used as a studio by a man, a former sailor, who built miniature ship models in it. Later on it was used as a bait shack, and a shellfish shucking shack.

At one point the wife of a couple who owned it in the1950s, decided to decorate the little window box, changing it as the seasons changed. She kept this up until her death, after whichthe shack fell into a very fragile, and deteriorated condition.

Over the years peopleon the Island had become very fond of this little shack, and many artists used it as a subject to paint or photograph. Apparently some people, who were concerned that the shack might be lost forever if something wasn’t done to repair it, reached out to the current owner, the son of the woman who had died, to offer help in restoring it. That finally happened a few years ago. His wife now tends the window box that his mother had taken care of for so many years.

Dec 20, 2021 -the view from the bottom of Skiff Ave, looking across Lagoon Pond Road to the western side of Lagoon Pond in Vineyard Haven -taken Dec 10, 2021