Pearl and her Rhino
We gave this stuffed Rhino to the Pearl for Christmas. As usual, she found it under the tree without any help from us. / Peter and I were eating breakfast this morning and I looked over and saw this. She seems to have a wistful look on her face. Maybe she was suffering from a bit of Weltschmerz as we all do from time to time.
More Pearl
A bit of “karma congestion” lately. So as a default I feel like doing a Pearl post. We never let her up on the furniture until about a year ago, but now she seems to have claimed the center section of this sofa. It is really nice to have the wood stove going with her asleep next to you.
Cris was putting some wrapped presents under the tree yesterday, and Pearl went right to this “Mega P’nut” dog treat. She got an early gift.
Peter is home from DC and he and I took her for a walk today. I know I have posted a similar photo, but for some reason this still gets to me. She wants to carry her leash everywhere.
This past year has been monumental in many ways, and next year could be equally interesting. My very best wishes to all of you who follow this blog. I’ll get back to some serious stuff soon, but in the meantime, ’tis the season to be thinking about friends and family and have lots of love in your hearts.
Cheers, Jon
Saturday, 17 November 2012
A bit of a melange here.
I have always liked fountain pens (something I share with my dear friend John Wilson). And ink bottles are a big part of why I like them. I think I bought this bottle in Berlin when I lived there.
Cris and I went to the Amherst Farmer’s Market this morning. Lots of root veg. And something I had never seen before except in a bottle.
Turmeric!
We then went up to Blue Dog Leather in Orange where Keith is making a one handed belt for Peter. Got to hang out with his donkeys and his two American Bashkir horses. They grow this coat in the winter and shed most of it in springtime. They are such beautiful animals.
Thanks again Alex. I love the camera.
Field and Goats
When I am not away from home I drive past this field almost every day. It is on the East end of the Town of Amherst and is one of my favorite views in the valley. It is lovely to have farm fields right in the middle of things. A few days ago I noticed some white fencing and as I looked closely I saw that there were goats inside the enclosure. I had known that there was a business in the area that rented them out to eat brush but this was the first time I have seen them in action.
They are really small, but have been at it in this field for about a week and are making great progress.
Bug
I’ve been “stalking” this guy for a while now. I have seen him many times, but he has always been gone by the time I have made the effort to photograph him. (Although I have a vague memory of an earlier post on the same subject.) He is always in the same spot on this leaf; right at the base. Today he was just hangin’ out and I had a few minutes to grab my camera and take his picture. I think the plant might be a begonia, but I am awful at remembering what plants are called. Can anyone identify the bug?
Tilghman in Transition
The second film Peter is shooting deals with the transitions that Tilghman folks have been making as a result of the changing situation with the bay. Larry Gowe was in the Navy and when he returned to the island he used what he learned in the service and became an appliance repairman.
His brother Edward works at Walton’s Seafood counting and sorting crabs.
And this is Darnell Murray who was working at Walton’s with Edward. Darnell was in the Marines for 18 years and served for most of that time on the USS Nimitz. His grandparents worked at the Tilghman Packing Company.
Here’s one of the soft crabs from this morning’s catch. We had some for dinner the other night. Really tasty.
The folks at Tilghman have really opened up their lives to us. Peter and I have made some very close friends.
Aquarium
I had a shoot in Northampton this afternoon and Peter came along to help me out. As we were walking from Osaka restaurant after a bite to eat we passed a new (to us anyway) store that sold aquarium fish. The tetras in the tank by the window caught our eye.
Hummingbird
The hummingbirds have been draining the feeders this year. They are very territorial and are always chasing each other around. I had forgotten just how noisy they are. They “cheep” in a manner not too different from the chipmunks.
Dog
I shot UMASS women’s lacrosse for my friend Thom Kendall on Sunday as he was tied up with the A10 track meet. It was fun and I even got this nice shot of a fan with his dog.
Crow
Cris and I are in Vancouver. She is here for the AERA conference and I am just tagging along. This is a most remarkable city. I am happy that there are lots of crows about. They seem to have displaced the usual pigeons that often dominate cities. There is water everywhere and lots of seagulls but it is the crows that are the most fun to watch. / The weather has been lovely; lots of sun and in the mid to upper 50s which is perfect for walking in Stanely Park.
I was in London a month ago and the magnolia trees were just starting to bloom. Now they are at the same stage here in Vancouver. Everything is popping out. Flowers are everywhere in the city and I am overwhelmed with how beautiful this place is.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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