Blogging 'Round the Globe (Linking to SkyWatch)

An amazing, almost miraculous thing happened around here today. The sun came out for the first time in six days of rain.

Linking to SkyWatch

Picture for One Moment - Sky Watch - Blogging 'Round the Globe

Hello, Welcome!  In the new decade, I'm committed  to being...how shall we say...hospitable?    hehe. Not an easy task for a sphinx.  ;-)

Picture for one Moment and Blogging 'Round the Globe are my own little titles to head-up things I post, and not to be confused with the massive appeal of SkyWatch, which is truly global. Go take a look and hang on to your berets because you are in for a whirlwind tour of international skies!

The photo below is a result of a solo photo excursion I took last Sunday - a drive, with several stops. My timing was good for a bit of a sunset. Nothing dramatic in terms of a sunset, but when you add Mount Sugarloaf, it's a pretty impressive view. 

I touched the photo up a bit but only to see if I could capture it a bit more as I recall seeing it. Or maybe it was just my rose-colored glasses.  ;-)

Pagan Sphinx Photo 2011 © All Rights Reserved

 This is South Sugarloaf (The original Native American name for the mountain is Wequamps (or Wequomps)

Here is a bit of information about Mt. Sugarload Reservation:

Mt. Sugarloaf offers a commanding view of the Connecticut River, the Pioneer Valley, and the Pelham and Berkshire Hills. Consisting of two peaks, North and South Sugarloaf, the Reservation offers picnicking, scenic viewing and hiking. An auto road winds to the summit, making South Sugarloaf Mountain accessible by private automobiles. Available on the summit is a pavilion for scenic viewing and picnicking.

Mt. Sugarloaf, composed of a prominent sandstone rock called Sugarloaf Arkose, is a fine example of the Connecticut Valley's geological history. From its summit can be seen some of the best scenic views of the broad agricultural landscape of the Connecticut River Valley. More here.

And a song for you, too.  A much listened-to piece of angst from my youth. If you've lived a little, you know how that goes, right?   ;-)

SkyWatch Friday

All the Memes (A lot, anyway)

Hello and welcome to the Pagan Sphinx blog, from which I will be launching my entry to a handful of photo memes I like to participate in. Mainly I post my photos to the Pagan's Eye, as TPS is mostly an art blog. But every once in a while I get a wild hare and switch things around a bit. I thought it would be nice to show my Pagan Sphinx visitors a slice of my surroundings, if they don't usually visit the Pagan's Eye Photo Blog. (Though you should check the haunted house in my neighborhood). 


For those who are not familiar with them, a meme, in this case, is a photo sharing game between bloggers, usually around a specific theme and posted weekly on a consistent day. I'm combining themes in one post:  Sky Watch, Water Wednesday, Yard Art and My World.  Most of these are international and it's always a blast to see other people's lives, their skies, their water and views. 


At the end of the post, all the memes will be linked to their respective sites, should you choose to wander over and see for yourself the gorgeous photographs that people post from around the globe.


Below are some recent shots I took in my front yard in western Massachusetts, on a quiet street with lots of trees and mostly well-preserved houses built in the early 1950's. Our house is across the road from a clearing that shows off a panoramic view of the Connecticut River Valley. I'm not sure that I can ever completely leave this river valley home, despite the harsh winters. 

Have a great weekend.

Peace and love,

Pagan Sphinx 

The same view as above, but from a lot further back. We put up the plastic skeleton every year and the red object in the tree is a birdhouse we bought in Nova Scotia this summer.

And my mums and gourds to keep me company.  ;-)

Pagan Sphinx Photo © All Rights Reserved

SKY WATCH

TODAY'S FLOWERS

WATERY WEDNESDAY

Sky Watch Friday

I can't resist posting yet another Nova Scotia sky.  I think I've featured sunsets so far, so let's take a look at a blue sky filled with fluff, shall we?

Cape Split
Nova Scotia

It was cool for July and very windy, especially when a large cloud passed over.

SkyWatch Friday

Enjoy your skies; both virtual and actual and have a great weekend

Love and all Groovy Things,

Pagan Sphinx

Sky Watch Friday

 

Nova Scotia Sunset

Huntington Point Beach

Hall's Harbour 

Nova Scotia

2010

Skywatch Friday is a worldwide internet photo event. It's free, it's fun, it's fantastic!

Today's Flowers, My World, Sky Watch Friday, Camera Critters and Watery Wednsday

It's a lot to bite off in terms of photo memes, but I believe that this will deliver to all five memes!  :-)

A Walk Along Lake Pleasant

Sunday, May 23, 2009

Lake Pleasant was once (see full correction in comments) a reservoir for public drinking water for the residents of Turners Falls and Montague, in lovely rural Western Massachusetts.  Though it is considered trespassing (sush, don't tell anyone), a few townsfolk hang out there once in a while - literally a couple at a time. Overall the area is respected and kept wild and untarnished.

I now take you on today's walk. Watch your step - there may be Lady's Slipper under-foot! 

Looking up toward the sky...

a mixture of sun and fluffy clouds.

Discoveries along the trail...

A painted turtle that my hawk-eyed and determined mate caught for a photo op. It was quickly released back to the lake.

A wild turkey wing

and these guys.

Today's Flowers

Sky Watch Friday

That's My World

Camera Critters

and

Watery Wednesday

My World, Watery Wednesday and SkyWatch Friday

 My World

Watery Wednesday

Sky Watch Friday

 The Great Falls Discovery Center

Great Hall Meeting Room

Turners Falls, Massachusetts

taken end of April, 2010

Visit the Great Falls Discovery Center and learn about the Connecticut River Watershed's rich natural, cultural and industrial history.
The Center is fully accessible and is housed within a complex of old mill buildings and includes open habitat exhibits, fish tanks, and a multipurpose program room.
Exhibits highlight various habitats found in the watershed, timelines put perspective on today's view of the threats to habitats and what we can do to safeguard them.
The four-acre park that surrounds The Center has butterfly gardens, native plantings views of the canal and river as well as safe play areas. This park is linked to a railtrail that runs from Turners Falls to Deerfield, a walking tour through downtown Turners Falls, and the watchable wildlife areas of Barton's cove and along the canal.

Just a short walk from the discovery center is the Gill-Montague Bridge with way too much traffic and way too many structural problems to be photogenic, but the view of the Connecticut is really glorious on a bright, clear day.

 Looking over toward Unity Park 

It was a beautiful day in the Happy Valley!

Canal Side Bike Trail

the old railway bridge portion of the four-mile bike trail in our town

(taken on April 23, 2010)

Sky Watch Friday

The pink of the sunrise reflects what we can see of the river from our doorstep. And that is exactly where I was standing on that frosty morning in December. My last SkyWatch shot of last year.

Photographs of international skies can be savored by clicking here and looking for the list of entries

Whatever sky you're looking at, may peace be with you and with yours, whererever you can find it.

Love,

Pagan Sphinx

Sky Watch

Skywatch is being posted from The Pagan Sphinx this week. If you usually visit me at The Pagan's Eye for Sky Watch and you have never been here before, a warm welcome.

Skywatch is hosted by Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy and Louise

click to enlarge to good viewing size

This is my daughter's dorm on the campus of what will be her alma mater on Sunday, when she graduates from Mount Holyoke College. More photos to follow. I promise I won't bore you with post after post but it is indeed a very proud moment in our family. Many sacrifices have been made and much sleep lost all around but it's really quite an accomplishment for SG1.

Who Will I Give My Twenty Bucks To?

National Rally Against Prop 8
Northampton, Massachusetts
November 15, 2008

Don't get me wrong about Barack Obama. I supported his campaign by sending a little dough and I hoped with everything I had that he would make it. He's the single most inspirational American politician to come along in my lifetime. I hold out a lot of hope that he will work hard to get this country back on its feet economically and that he will work through diplomatic chanels before resorting to more violence in with Iraq.

Despite this, today I was confronted with two emails asking for money. One from the Obama campaign asking for a donation toward making the inaugaration a success and one from The Human Rights Campaign asking for money to keep on fighting for equal rights for all Americans; including marriage equality. Anyone who knows even a little about me can probably guess which campaign I sent money to. It was only $20 but I'll keep dishing it out in dribs and drabs for as long as it takes.

Because when it comes to GLBT issues, the Obama campaign and transition team have been a large disappointment. Not that I held much hope that this issue would have much backing from Obama and Biden, both lukewarm supporters of civil unions; which don't do nearly enough to socially sanction GLBT partnerships, never mind protect them legally.

And then there is the matter of Rick Warren's participation in the inauguration. Yeah, I'm still sore about that. I think it's inappropriate that someone who has said such negative things about marriage equality should hold any position of importance and relevance at the inauguration of a president whom I thought would, at the very least, not give homophobes a spotlight at such an event. I already posted about this here, so I won't go on and on.

Suffice it to say that if our new president was the living embodiment of Martin Luther King Jr. and he held the position he does, I would still get after him on the issue of equal rights for GLBT people. Especially and not in spite of, the fact that Obama is African-American. Since it wasn't too long ago in our history that black Americans weren't allowed to marry; nor could a white person marry a black one.

This inability to see marriage in a progressive light is either due to religion or bigotry or both. If a president who is supposed to represent change can't see that civil unions discredit GLBT relationships when what they're asking for is marriage; when a president invites a known anti-marriage figure to perform a convocation on his behalf; when a California constitutional amendment that allows GLBT people to marry is torn to shreds by bigots with lots of money; we know there is a long, uphill battle ahead. We'll get there but I'm afraid it won't happen when my daughter and my gay brothers and sisters are still the victims of vicious intent on the part of religious right-wingers and benign neglect and dismissive actions on the part of a new president.

On a happier note, if you'd like to see what I believe is the last great sunset of 2008 (at least in my neck of the woods, check out my Sky Watch post at The Pagan's Eye. See you there!

Sky Watch Friday

My Western Massachusetts town is on the Connecticut River. Below is a picture one of the last surviving paper mills in a town that once had a mile's worth of them along the river. I was standing on the narrow sidewalk of the bridge, facing North East. This was taken during the 4 p.m. rush hour; I walked down to the bridge from my car which was left parked in a local lot.

I was mostly focused on the sky and didn't think to photograph the canal on the other side of the mill building.
Instead, I crossed the bridge and photographed a rather nice sunset. I drive over the bridge I described daily on my way to and from work. It's obviously not the nicest part of the river but I've got some other shots to share next week!

Thank you to this week's guest host, Linda from the blog 7MSN Ranch.

Sky Watch Friday

Five Islands
Nova Scotia

Sky Watch Friday

This is my first Sky Watch post.

New England Peace Pagoda
Leverett, Massachusetts

Bowing Deeply With Palms Together