Hopping Cretins

Cape Cod Coliseum- South Yarmouth, Massachusetts

I was listening to The Ramones song ""Cretin Hop" yesterday and it prompted me to dig through my archives and play with a few old photos.

I took this shot of The Ramones in 1981 or there-abouts. I forced my way to the front of the crowd in what felt like 150 degree heat in the place. When I was done taking photos I had to shove my way through a pogoing, moshing group of maniacs and I lost one of my flip flops in the ordeal. I was dripping wet, missing a shoe but didn't really care because I knew I had a few good shots. Ah...youth!

"You gotta keep your feet in- From the hopping cretins."

I know those aren't exactly the lyrics...but they should be.

Looking Up

Cochituate, Massachusetts

Shot through the sun roof of my car.

While parked. :-)

Election Day

The side of a warehouse- Cambridge, Massachusetts

Reading Glasses

Braintree, Massachusetts

Even bad-ass biker bass players need magnification now and then.

Pizza Guys

Coolidge Corner- Brookline, Massachusetts

Click on the photo to enlarge it.

Seeing the flour on the window is an important part of the experience. :-)

Post-Halloween Swamp Fog

Cochituate, Massachusetts

Across the street from our house...Very early this morning.

Not a big surprise that trick-or-treaters never dare walk down the dirt road to ring our doorbell.

Got Dracula?

St. Mary's Cemetery- Whitby, England

Whitby is a central location in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

He vacationed there while writing the novel- Clearly a place full of inspiration.

When we visited there six years ago I was more worried about being done in by the 199 steps I had to climb to get to St. Mary's church than I was about being bit on the neck.

Boston Blues Challenge

Braintree, Massachusetts

For many years I was on the board of directors of the Boston Blues Society and helped produce the annual "Boston Blues Challenge". The band that wins this competition gets to go to Memphis to compete in the international compeition against blues bands from all over the world.

In years past some of our Boston representatives have done pretty well. Susan Tedeschi and Michelle Willson were both Boston winners and have gone on to be signed by major record labels.

I retired from that volunteer position a few years ago- But the folks who produce the competition these days are always nice enough to invite me back to be a judge.

I snuck away from my judgerly duties long enough to snap this photo of a roadie watching her band perform from the wings.

Slaughterhouse Escapee

The Sacred Cow Animal Rights Memorial- The Peace Abbey- Sherborn, Massachusetts

At The Red Light

Natick, Massachusetts

Shot through my passenger side window at a red light.

I take my own dog for a 1.5 mile walk every morning. We walk past many commuters sitting in cars at the traffic light near our house. Over the years I've had clients, friends and even my own husband tell me that they spotted us and beeped and waved...even called my name. Without fail, I NEVER notice but folks say my dog Bonita always makes eye contact and acknowledges them!

Katrina Transplant

Johnny Ds- Somerville, Massachusetts

Jeremy Lyons lived for many years in New Orleans.

Katrina pushed him back up to Boston.

The Wombat Bass

Johnny Ds- Somerville, Massachusetts

This is "Washtub" Robbie Phillips playing his homemade "Wombat" bass. Robbie is a fixture in the Boston roots music scene. We are lucky to have him here. He's toured with the likes of Spider John Koerner and G. Love and Special Sauce.

Beautiful Guitars Part II

Blues legend Paul Rishell at Johnny Ds in Somerville, Massachusetts

I took all of these photos without a flash or tripod. I smushed the camera into my face, held my breath and was pretty happy with the gritty outcome.

Beautiful Guitars

Bill McQuaid at Johnny Ds in Somerville, Massachusetts

We attended a blues benefit for the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

DJ Rich Hughes organized the event and gathered together some of the best acoustic blues musicians in Boston to perform.

The guitars looked as beautiful as they sounded.

This is Bill with his National Steel guitar built in 1931.

Bait & Switch?

Wayland, Massachusetts

Buyer beware!

Show Off!

Wellesley Town Hall- Wellesley, Massachusetts

As usual, Daisy is the biggest show-off in her waterfowl yoga class.

Synchronicity?

St. Francis Cathedral- Santa Fe, New Mexico

Window Of Opportunity

Canyon Road- Santa Fe, New Mexico

I bet there are chiles inside this place.

I Have A Problem

Near The Plaza- Santa Fe, New Mexico

OK- So I had some difficulty NOT taking photos of chiles.

I admit I have a problem....but I can quit them anytime I want.

I have it under control.

Ristras

Near The Plaza- Santa Fe, New Mexico

Heaven on earth.

Capsaicin is my drug of choice.

Columbus Day

Institute of American Indian Arts
Museum Art Park- Santa Fe, New Mexico

A fitting photo for today.

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/indian/

A Little Bit Of Turquoise

Institute of American Indian Arts
Museum Art Park- Santa Fe, New Mexico

indigenous?

Institute of American Indian Arts
Museum Art Park- Santa Fe, New Mexico

This place really opened my eyes to contemporary Native American art.

I love Bob Haozous' "Indian Speak"

We saw some great short films by Trevino Brings Plenty

Spend a little time this long weekend checking out the Native American art scene on line. There is a lot going on—

Despite the best efforts of Christopher Columbus.

I Promise!

Canyon Road- Santa Fe, New Mexico

I promise never, ever again to make eye contact and nod thoughtfully while secretly compiling our dinner menu and grocery list in my head as you are waxing eloquently in regard to the how superior Unix is compared to Microsoft (again). ...Or when you explain in great detail the pros and cons (along with the country of origin) of the dozens of (free!) operating systems available on Unix…or something. How does that all work again? I WILL pay attention this time.

I promise never, ever again complain that the grass is taller than the dog in the back yard as you spend an entire weekend trying to tweak the above mentioned operating system into do something that any other “normal” computer does right out of the box.

Why??

Because, techno-man of my dreams, you performed CPR on my laptop and breathed just enough life back into it to be able to retrieve my Santa Fe photos. You worked your IT magic and plucked the photos from my computer’s scrambled mind right before the brain transplant- even though others said it couldn't be done.

ExtraSpecialBitter you totally rock!

On The Dance Floor

Chicken Bone Saloon- Framingham, Massachusetts

Some Blues Guitar In The Background Please...

"The Chicken Bone Saloon" Framingham, Massachusetts

Back from Santa Fe. Very much full of the blues.

I took a few shots that had some nice potential...

-Beautiful red chiles.

-The incredible texture of adobe in the setting sun.

-Insane people under the influence of too much tequila ;-)

Was so careful to download them every day to my laptop to free up space on my digital camera.

Oh so organized.

Got home last night to find my laptop hard drive (and all my photos on it) has crashed and blown away like a New Mexican tumbleweed.

I'm very sad.

PS- This is our friend Joey Pappas from The Paramounts-

An excellent / underrated Boston blues band.

We saw them a few nights before we left.

Outta Here

OK kids-
Mr. ExtraSpecialBitter and I are on our way to Santa Fe. I'm bringing my camera- He's bringing his note pad. We'll be back in a week with images to share. Be nice to each other while we are away. MMM

Real Men

Pet Rock Festival- Worcester, Massachusetts

PLLLLFFFFFTT!

Pet Rock Festival- Worcester, Massachusetts

"Hey down there...Mr. Pit Bull- Your mother was a bitch!!

HA HA! NEYH NEYH...You can't get me....PLLLLFFFFFTT!"

Little Moment

Pet Rock Festival- Worcester, Massachusetts

There were hundreds of dogs and humans in attendance along with all of the craziness that goes with that combination.

This was a nice little moment at the end of the day.

Night On The Town

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

A little mineral makeup, and some serious lip liner and she'll be ready for a night on the town.

Missing

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

1. Missing him so much she wears his hat.

2. Missing both arms.

3. Missing her blouse.

Pile Of G. I. Joes

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

I don't know about you, but the guy in the shadowy background- the one looking over G. I. Jake Gyllenhaal's shoulder is really creeping me out.

The "Deluxe Model"

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

Irving & Betty slowly came to the realization that they should have spent the extra money for one of the "deluxe model" retirement condos that had actual walls.

Drink

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

Good advice all around.

Patina

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

Dreaming

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

Some dealers were less busy than others.

Yoga Pose Gone Horribly Wrong

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

Find your center.

Remember to breathe.

Slowly touch your ankles to your ears.

Oh Deer!

Brimfield Antiques Show- Brimfield, Massachusetts

Back out there today.

What could I possibly say to enhance this?

The Meter Reader Eater

Cochituate, Massachusetts

Just kidding.

Sort of.

Gandhi

The Peace Abbey-Sherborn, Massachusetts

Gandhi's statue is part of the Pacifist Memorial located at the Peace Abbey.

I've driven past this statue hundreds of times over the years.

Today I finally stopped to learn what Gandhi was doing in this bucolic Boston suburb.

Labor Day

Somewhere under Boston, Massachusetts

A tired MBTA employee sleeps standing up while riding the Red Line home.

Ironic

Cochituate, Massachusetts

About 6 years ago a semi-reclusive neighbor decided to stop mowing his back yard. Over the years I've watched the grass grow higher and the bittersweet vines, weeds and animals take over.

Last year I thought about calling the town...not really to complain...more out of curiosity to ask exactly what the rules were, if any...about mowing your yard. But I believe any American homeowner should be free to paint their house fuchsia with a touch of orange trim or express themselves in whatever way they choose on their own property- So that part of me won out and I never made the call.

Good thing. Someone just told me my neighbor works for the town.

He mows the lawns in all the town parks.

Dirty Water

A few feet above Logan Airport- Boston, Massachusetts

"Well I love that dirty water

Oh, Boston you're my home."

Fall Colors

Westford, Massachusetts

My pal lloyd Thayer at an end-of-the-summer blues festival.

Imperfection

Farmers Market- Natick, Massachusetts

Sometimes what looks imperfect on the outside can be delicious on the inside.

Especially if you add a few grains of salt.

Farmers Market

Natick, Massachusetts

The old Lab waits expectantly at the farmers market.

Bonita 2000 - Present

Cochituate, Massachusetts

We rescued Bonita from a filthy inner-city municipal dog pound in May 2001. She was incredibly frightened, extremely ill and she cost $5.00. We saw her face on Petfinder.com, drove to the shelter with all our paperwork proving we were home owners. We even brought photos of our fenced in back yard and were prepared for the usual grilling given to prospective pet owners.

No one asked for any paperwork…All they asked was, “You want to see her before you take her?” I thought “Ummmm…yeah….I’ve never owned a dog before, dude.” But instead smiled and said “Yes please!”

We took her out of her kennel past dozens of barking Pit Bulls and walked her around in the parking lot. I opened up the tailgate of the Jeep to see if she’d traveled in a car before. She jumped in and laid down. That was it. She came home with us.

Bonita has taught me a lot of important lessons over the past 5 years. One is illustrated in this photo I took today in my office: On gorgeous August days when the weather is neither too hot nor too cold it is important to position yourself to keep your face on the cool floor and your belly in the warm sun.

Miscellaneous Cat

Framingham, Massachusetts

Circa 1983

From one of my Cat Of The Month photo shoots.

This shot was a little too edgy to make the cover of the newsletter-

We used a different, softer photo and the little spit-fire hellion got adopted.

I'm sure he gave his new home a run for their money.

Max 1984 - 2000

OK- When it was time to think of getting another cat I went to a shelter that was being forced out of their current location. They needed help placing their cats so I told them my tale of adopting Mugsie. They had me pegged in an instant. I was immediately grabbed by the elbow and whisked past all the adorable fluffy, bright eyed kittens and escorted into a solitary room. Five year old Max was sitting in what, for many years into the future, I would call “the meatloaf position.” (That is- displaying a perfect meatloaf/brick shaped body with legs and tail tucked under, out of sight.) There he sat on his bed with classical music piped in around him. He looked like he owned the place.

Max was a two time loser. He was originally brought to the shelter as a small kitten by a kindly person who “cat burgled” him from her neighbor after one too many signs of abuse. He was pathologically afraid of other cats and waited at the no-kill shelter for over a year before he was adopted by an elderly woman who wanted only one cat. He lived with her for 2 years before she died. Her family brought him back to the shelter and there he sat for another year…in his semi-solitary-classical-music confinement due to his fear of his own kind.

Clearly he was a favorite at the shelter and had the run of the place once all of the evil, scary, kittens were safely locked away. I’ll never forget the shelter owner trying to conceal her tears in his fur when she handed him over to me to bring him home.

Mugsie 1968 - 1989

Eric's recent Old Cat haiga got me thinking about some of my past feline friends.

Mugsie was 15 years old when she adopted me. She had a weird inoperable growth over her right eye where fur refused to grow. She had an amputated left ear that had to go after losing a battle with frostbite. The shelter said they found her in a blizzard wandering around outside Mugsie’s Farm Stand. She lived to the grand old age of 21 years old. This is her “glamour shot” :-) that I took in the shelter right after she apparently made the decision she was going to live out her golden years with me.

In the early '80s I did volunteer work for a humane society. I shot the adoptable “Cat Of The Month” photos that were featured on the front cover of their newsletter. I made it very clear to the organization that I lived in a teeny-tiny NO PETS studio apartment and could not own a cat, let alone 10 cats like the rest of the volunteers seemed to have. I’d go to the shelter, photograph the cats, provide the photos and that was that.

The shelter’s policy was to never put an animal to sleep, so Mugsie had been there for 2 YEARS. Featuring her as Cat Of The Month was a bit of a joke they played on me because she attacked everyone who came into her cage. Over the years she had many interested little old ladies who felt pity on her and wanted to take her home. Mugsie was having no part of it. She’d claw and hiss at any potential new owners. Not a great presentation on adoption day.

Then I showed up in her cage with my camera. She jumped down off her perch and rubbed my leg. She purred- she posed for photos. The volunteers proclaimed this a “Kitty Miracle” of some sort and insisted that I take her home. I refused and reminded them that we were on a 5 month roll where the “Cat Of The Month” always got adopted. I was sure that the right family would come along once she was on the cover of the newsletter.

I was wrong.

I bought a carrier and all the necessary cat-owning paraphernalia and headed to the shelter. Shortly after that I got busted by my land-lord but Mugsie actually won him over- (I think it was the missing ear/pity vote thing) and he simply said “You can keep her, just don’t replace her when she goes.” We had 6 great years together and she was always at my side during a very change-filled period of my life.

I still keep this photo of her on a shelf in my living room.