Just one word:

BREAD!

(Well, ten words: homemade whole wheat bread for less than $1 a loaf!)

Tree down

High Road (Route 1-A)

Newbury, MA

I saw this man chopping wood next to his house, so I stopped to ask if I could take his picture.



I assumed the wood was from a fallen tree from the recent storm, but I didn't see a tree stump nearby.

When I asked where the tree fell, he pointed across the road.


The DPW guys said he could have all the wood he could haul away. Free firewood!

Someone else who had stopped was busy counting the rings. This tree was about 120 years old!

Time travel

Archival Center

Newburyport Public Library

Here is what I did for fun today- time travel!

I got to mess around with antique maps at my volunteer job.

These maps go back to when the native people lived here! Newbury was settled in 1635, and the town of Newburyport was established in 1764. The building I work in was constructed in 1771.

I've only been here since 1974, so I am a newcomer. I have a lot to learn about this place.

Looking up

Newburyport, MA

My Aunt Rose used to describe herself as an "up-looker" because she was an optimistic person. Sometimes, I remember to look up because of her. Within a few blocks of my house, this is what I saw today when I started looking up.

The Screening Room

Newburyport, MA

This little (99-seat) independent movie theater has been a favorite of mine since it opened 27 years ago- just a few blocks from where I live.

Oak Hill Cemetery

Newburyport, MA

Now THIS is love and devotion. The person buried here has been gone five years.

Skiing

Maudslay State Park

Newburyport, MA

"Whose woods these are, I think I know...."

Robert Frost

Mine! All mine .....because I am a Massachusetts taxpayer! After an eight-inch snowfall decorated all 500 acres of the place, I felt like an heiress, skiing along the miles and miles of trails in MY state park. Can you find Castle Hill on the map?

That's where I found a nice long hill to ski down (and climb back up!)

(These photos are from the website of Friends of Maudslay. My camera battery died.)

Sarasota, FL

No, I didn't fly south for the weekend! This photo from a visit last fall just made me laugh today. I had gone to the beach with my sister and a couple of friends at the end of the day for a huge drumming/dancing gathering when I noticed this couple fussing with their chairs. I swear they kept at it for 15 minutes, missing the entire beautiful sunset. For all I know, they're still there!

Newburyport, MA

6.5 miles from the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station

I LOVE my new t-shirt, from Kate Hudson, the creator of a whole line of shirts with the theme: Life Could Be Better.

(I've always had a tiny bit of a problem with those "Life Is Good" t-shirts. )

I needed a new NO NUKES t-shirt, too, because all I have left of my old Seabrook No Nukes shirt from the 1980s is this:

Ipswich Bay, MA

It was a relatively warm (35 degrees) clear day today, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to see a guy out digging clams, (but I was!)

COFFEE

Newburyport, MA

I ran out of coffee today, but fortunately, I can walk to a great little coffee shop in ten minutes (Nice setting, huh?) where I can buy a pound (not 12 oz!) of the most gorgeous, oily black French Roast Colombian organic, fair-trade coffee beans for only $9. I am frugal in other areas (I try to make a tank of gas last a month) so I can indulge in delicious coffee.

Winter picnic

Allliance Park on the Merrimack River

Amesbury, MA

The temperature was in the mid-30s this afternoon, so here is where I ate my lunch. It didn't take long for me to remember why I don't go on picnics too often in February.

Wind power

1/4 mile from my house

Newburyport, MA

This is what a wind turbine looks like up close.

This one was put up while I was away, and it does add interest to the landscape.

Some people don't like it because it's too big, but I enjoy having it in my neighborhood. It sure beats a nuke, and I can always tell how windy it is just by peeking out my window.

Pants on the ground....

Dunkin' Donuts

Walked into Dunkin' Donuts not expecting much, and this young man presented me with the biggest gut-laugh I've had in a while:

Train station

Newburyport, MA

I didn't get on this train headed into Boston this morning, but I have enjoyed this ride many times. It's a great 55-minute trip , with views of the salt marshes, small towns, horse farms, small cities, and then The Big City. I love that the station is only 4 minutes (walking) from my house.

COOKIES!

My favorite cookie jar filled with my favorite cookies- oatmeal chocolate chip walnut.

Kim

Newburyport, MA

My cousin Kim from Martha's Vineyard came to Newburyport today for a visit! Like sunshine on a cloudy day. She enjoyed the silliness of this sign with a backwards USA advertising MAPS. Something tells me not to trust this outfit to point me in the right direction.

Public park

Newburyport, MA

This is a photo from the website of Moseley Woods, a park along the river where I like to spend time. Tonight I went to a meeting of the Moseley Woods Commission. There are openings on the commission right now, and I was invited to apply. I found out that it takes a lot of work to keep a park operating and available for people. Should I include in my letter of interest that I'm a fan of the TV show Parks and Recreation?