A New Year

With my Dad's illness, passing and helping Mom with the transition, I really haven't spent much time with my camera over the last couple months. The new year, brings new starts. Today, I first went to Town Hall with my wife Amy to watch as she took out nomination papers to run for Town Clerk. Then since I've got a new wide angle lens it was off to Great Meadows to test it out. Walking around the impoundments seemed like a good way to ponder my New Year's resolutions and goals for 2011.

It was a brilliant, sunny but cold day. Much of the Christmas week snow storm has melted. The paths are well trodden and the footprints have all turned to ice. At first it seems like not much is going on, but as you stop, listen and observe you slowly start to see life. You'll hear birds rustling in the reeds. Waiting patiently finally some Chickadees will start to make themselves clear as the feast upon the tender core of cat o nine tails. Geese huddle on the ice to stay warm, but then move on swimming away. A red squirrel forages for food.

Walking to the far end of the lower impoundment, I meet Michael Kolodny another photographer who was watching a Great Blue Heron feed in the outlet stream to the Concord River which was not yet frozen over. Unfortunately, the space between the path and the heron is crowded with branches, so it was tough to get a clear shot.