Fences

Fog

Sunrise through morning fog.

Circa 1850

Antique red farmhouse circa 1850 complete with apple orchard, split rail fence and my favorite, beech trees. To the right of the front door is a sign indicating the age of the home. You see these signs on old houses all over Sudbury. Some of the earliest date back to the 1600s.

Flint Field

Looking east, one sees a field of corn stalk stems, ready to be plowed under for a new crop. But, if you were to turn the corner and look north, you would see a hillside vineyard. Yes, Lincoln boasts a vineyard run by Turtle Creek Winery. Among their offerings are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Riesling. Somehow New England doesn't conjure up the image of other grape growing regions such as Italy, France, Australia and Napa Valley.

North or South

It appears that 3 of these geese are ready to fly north for the spring while the 4th wants to go south to Florida. I sense a little dissension in this group. Notice that the 3 are all standing on one leg. What's with that?

Bend in the Road

The snow has all melted on this southern facing bend in the road.

Hen Party

Nancy's brood. It was finally warm enough for the girls to come out and play.

Ducks on a Pond

Two ducks float into a reflection of Pierce House in Lincoln.

Mud, Glorious Mud

After a light snowfall, followed by rain, it's wall-to-wall mud at Codman Community Farm! Can spring be far behind?

Greenhouse

This amazing greenhouse belongs to the Sudbury Valley Trustees. There appears to be a giant pile of snow inside so I don't think it is currently being used. Too bad.

Patriot #4

Looking to the southeast, the statue looks down upon the Presbyterian Church, The Grange and The Old Town Hall.

Patriot #3

The Patriot looks down upon the Revolutionary Cemetery. Inscribed on the back of the statue is the following:

Erected 1896
in honor of
the
Soldier and Sailors
of
Sudbury
who fought at
Lexington, Concord,
Bunker Hill
and other battles of
The Revolutionary War
1775 - 1785

Patriot #2

A closer look at the statue reveals a tricorn (three cornered) hat and a pony tail.

Patriot #1

I pass by this statue every day. It looks down from a hill onto Concord Road. Inscribed on the base is "Tribute of Sudbury to the Revolutionary Patriots."

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy 95th Birthday Sittoo.

Lincoln Old Town Hall

Yesterday, 2/12/09, was President Lincoln's 200th birthday. You would think that I would have posted this picture then in his honor. However...Lincoln, Massachusetts has the dubious distinction of being the only town of Lincoln in the U.S. not named in honor of President Lincoln, rather Lincolnshire, England from where it's early inhabitants had come. Lincoln was settled in 1650 as part of neighboring Concord and incorporated as a separate town in 1754, many years before Lincoln's birth.

The building now known as Old Town Hall has served many functions during its lifetime. It has even moved locations twice. Originally used as Town Hall, the building later became the town’s first high school, and then the town’s first public library. The building became privately owned in the 1890s, and today serves as Lincoln's Post Office.

Tree on Tomb

Early morning sun on tree and tomb. Have you ever noticed how trees seem to thrive in cemeteries? Hmm.

Sashimi

Lunch at Fugakyu Cafe in Sudbury. I was adventurous and chose sashimi, totally raw fish without the little rice bundle underneath it. Wasabi does a great job of covering up the fishy taste. My friend played it safe with a vegie tempura Bento.

I just love the little chopstick holder.

Blue + Yellow = Green

These bold blocks of primary colors pop out from the white backdrop of snow.

This new construction of a BMW dealership is a welcome addition to Sudbury. There is a very small commercial tax base here and as a result, the citizens of the town bear a huge tax burden. However, in this economy, I'm not sure how many people will be buying BMWs.

People of the Book

Sunday I was walking through Concord with my camera. At the last minute I decided to pop into The Concord Book Shop. I noticed a huge pile of a book called People of the Book and asked if the author, Geraldine Brooks, would be speaking some day soon. Yes, in fact, she was speaking in an hour. How serendipitous! I just finished reading the book and am about to host book club where we will be discussing this very same book. Ms. Brooks won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for her last book, March, which takes the story of Little Women and follows Mr.March, the father, as he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War.

I felt conspicuous taking this picture during the book signing and felt I was imposing on the author. As a result, I didn't take the time to really focus and compose the shot.

Nashoba Brook Bakery #2

The entrance to Nashoba Brook Cafe is practically blocked by racks of cooling bread. Is it French, Sourdough or Rye? Too bad you can't smell it.

Nashoba Brook Bakery #1

Today I went to lunch at Nashoba Brook Bakery in West Concord. Not only does it supply wonderful breads to local grocery stores, but it also has a cozy restaurant with fabulous sandwiches. As you walk in the front door, to your right the first thing you see is the heart of the bakery - the mixers. Check out that giant Kitchen Aid in the far corner! Since it was noon, the work had been finished for the day.
I once thought it would be an adventure to make artisanal breads so I inquired about job openings here. They told me they would love to have me and to be there at 3:00 a.m. No thanks.
More from the bakery tomorrow.

Old Manse

The Old Manse was built in 1770 by Rev. William Emerson, grandfather of famous transcendentalist writer and lecturer Ralph Waldo Emerson. From his farm fields adjacent to the North Bridge, Rev. Emerson observed the fight between the Minute Men and the British which started the American Revolution, while his wife and children witnessed the fight from the upstairs windows of their house.

In 1842, the American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne rented the Old Manse. Friend Henry David Thoreau planted a vegetable garden for the newly married Hawthorne and his wife. The garden is lovingly recreated to this day.

The property is maintained today by the Trustees of Reservations.

This image was quite monochromatic in its original so I thought I would experiment with sepia to convey the history of this home.

Pots and Pans

More from The Concord Shop. If you don't have enough shelf space, why not use the ceiling? I did't notice until I looked at my photos that the lighting in the shop is provided by randomly placed table lamps. No wonder it has such a warm and cozy feel instead of the harshness of fluorescent lights.

Hardware Store for the Kitchen

The Concord Shop on Walden Street is a place to browse in nooks and crannies, and buy all your kitchen needs. This is such a comforting place of organized chaos.

Verrill Farm

Haunting reminders still remain of the fire that destroyed the farm stand of Verrill Farm such as the bones of this greenhouse. Verrill Farm has long been a role model to smaller farmers of sustainable farming. Steve Verrill practically invented the practice of supplying top Boston restaurants with freshly grown local produce. They are currently doing business out of several mobile units but hope to have a new "green" stand ready by June.
The Verrills have turned the old stand foundation into a skating rink. All are welcome to use the rink day and night as well as ski and snowshoe their property.

Off the beaten path

How desperate would you have to be to use this?

Theme Day: Paths and Passages

Is this skier working hard, posing, or, about to fall? Whatever, as long as she stays on the path.

We managed to get ourselves lost on this day. It didn't help that the map reader was reading the map of a totally different forest. It's amazing that we're still not out there lost in the wilderness suffering from hypothermia.

This forest and its paths and passages are maintained by the Sudbury Valley Trustees. SVT is a regional land trust that conserves land and protects wildlife habitat in the Concord, Assabet, and Sudbury river basin for the benefit of present and future generations.

Tomorrow I may show you what lies just off the path.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants around the world of February Theme Day.