Naumkaeg

 

Tanglewood

Spent a lovely several hours in the Berkshires attending one of the Boston Symphony Orchestra's (BS0) rehearsals at Tanglewood. Recorded just a snippet of Yefim Bronfman "practicing" Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 3 with the BSO while lounging on the lawn in the shade of a tree and snacking on crackers and cheese.

Ticks!

I've read that ticks are a growing problem here in western Massachusetts as well as many other places around the United States. I didn't discover any after hiking this trail, but only days later, I did pull one off of my ankle after hiking another trail. You really can't be too careful. 

Enfield Look Out

Yeah, okay. I know it doesn't look like that much. But that's because the town of Enfield was flooded to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir. It used to occupy the land just below that hill (Mt. Ram?) in the center background. A branch of the reservoir actually stretches between those trees in the foreground and the hill beyond. This map does a great job at explaining what you're seeing.

Hairy Parchment?

I'm still not able to positively identify more than probably a handful of mushrooms, if even that many.

What I have learned to do, however, is to pay close--well, closer--attention to the details surrounding said mushrooms. In the case of the mushroom shown above, I 'm pretty sure that it's attached to the what remains of a deciduous tree. That alone, I understand, whittles down the possibilities. Now, as to whether it is actually a Hairy Parchment mushroom, who knows? It certainly share a number of its characteristics. Spotted along the Enfield Lookout Trail near Ware, Massachusetts.

DCR

No matter how long or short the trail, I find that I am almost always relieved to know that I'm still on the right path because there have been times when, unbeknownst to myself, I have somehow managed to go astray, either because there was no sign or--God forbid!--the sign's directions were not entirely clear or, in fact, in some cases, even misleading. All of which is to say, my hat's off to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and its good works!

Ferns

Enfield Lookout Trail

Ware, Massachusetts

???

Enfield Lookout Trail, Ware, Massachusetts

I'm always curious about the stuff I find lying on forest floors. In this case, I couldn't quite figure out what this was. I found it on the trail along with almost countless fallen acorns. Any guesses as to what it might be?

Enfield Lookout Trail

After hiking the length of Winsor Dam and back, I decided to hike the Enfield Lookout Trail. Enfield was one of the towns flooded to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir. 

Winsor Dam

 

Nothing quite prepares you for the size of Winsor Dam. 2640 ft (805 m) long, 35 feet wide (10.7 m), with a maximum bottom width of 1100 ft (335 m), it's breathtaking. 

 

 

Built to help create one of the largest unfiltered water supplies in the United States, the 412 billion gallon reservoir covers 39 square miles with 181 miles of shoreline.

 

Nothing I did with my iPhone camera could adequately capture it's vast dimensions. But in this last photo, if you expand it, you might just be able to make out the form of someone hiking in the shadow of the trees along the trail in the center right.

  

The Beneski

Fascinating to think about and to actually see artifacts related to the natural history of western Massachusetts and the earth. That's what makes a visit to the Beneski Natural History Museum at Amherst College such a treat. Thousands of these objects are on display here, while thousands more are stored away for use by both students and faculty around the world.

Cross Path Road

I know that visually this probably is not the most interesting photo. I was just curious about the street's name as it--ahem--crosses the Norwottuck Rail Trail in Hadley, Massachusetts. I mean, it's pretty straightforward as street names go. Sort of like Main Street or High Street. There's a street near me called Center Street, which I suppose got it's name from the fact that it runs smack dab down the "center" of a subdivision, even though it is--if I might say so--rather tangential to everything else around it, now that I think about it. 

What about the street names near you? Got any zingers? :-)

Bridge

I've photographed this bridge many times over the past few years. The last time was last year on the Fourth of July. It's become something of a go-to destination every time I visit this region.

According to Wikipedia, the "Norwottuck Rail Trail Bridge is an eight-span steel lattice truss bridge. It crosses Elwell Island in the middle of the river, providing no access to the island in an attempt to keep the island otherwise untouched. Riding over the bridge shows eight spans, with two of them over Elwell Island. It was built by the R. F. Hawkins Ironworks Company. The bridge was redesigned by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. of Watertown, rebuilt by MassHighway, and opened in 1992 to bicycle and foot traffic as part of the Norwottuck Rail Trail."

View of the Connecticut River and Elwell Island

Fly or Drive

Honestly, I debated long and hard about whether to fly or drive to Massachusetts this year. I drove last year after several years of flying. What finally convinced me to fly again this year was the convenience. I REALLY like to hike every day, up to five miles or more a day. But driving to Massachusetts almost certainly meant spending more time in the car rather than on the trail. The cost, I figured, was about the same. What's more, by flying, I was able to fly AND hike in the same day, even with the unexpected delay this time in getting out of Richmond. On this particular trip, I was able to hike again one of my very favorite sections of the Norwottuck Rail Trail (above).

Close Call!

It was a really close call. My plane landed in Philly shortly after 11:30am. I thought the gate where my next plane was waiting was right next door. Nope! Turned out it was on the far side of the adjacent terminal. Oh jeez! 

So I basically power walked to the next gate and arrived just in time to find that all the other passengers already boarded and the plane on the tarmac primed for flight. Sheesh! 

Still, I made it. Moments later, as soon as I was safely settled into my seat, we were barreling down the runway on our way to Hartford, Connecticut.

Flying over Freehold, New Jersey. That's the Atlantic in the background.

Weather Delays

Went away for a few days over the holiday. Caught an American Airlines (AA) connector flight from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Only the flight out of Richmond, originally scheduled to leave at 9:40am, was delayed because of all the bad weather last week in the southeastern United States. In fact, I was on my way to the airport when I got word that my own flight was going to be delayed until 10:40am. That presented me with a problem, because my flight from Philadelphia to Hartford, Connecticut, was scheduled to leave at 11:43am, leaving me almost no time to hoof it across the Philadelphia airport to my flight out. Probably not the best idea.

What to do? Well, an AA agent kindly looked up some alternatives and suggested that maybe I should catch another flight out of Richmond leaving at 9am. Well, that would have been great . . . except for the fact that even that flight was delayed until--get this--EXACTLY 10:40 am. So there I was back to square one.

Well, what to do? Again, the AA agent went to work and suggested that just maybe I could still catch the Philly flight out if she seated me at the very front of the plane, so I could make a quick exit. I was a little dubious. But short of any better alternatives, I took her up on her suggestion.

Find out in tomorrow's post what happened. :-)

View from my 10:40am flight out of Richmond, Virginia.

Operation Columba

I think there must be something about the nature of war that occasionally causes those involved to think out of the box. Ukraine's recent attack on a Russian air base using drones launched from trucks strikes me as an example. But so, too, does the idea of using pigeons (aka Columba livia) as couriers in wartime, because that's what Gordon Corera's book, Operation Columba, is about. 

During WWII, smuggling information out of Nazi occupied territories in Europe was hard, if not impossible. So some creative minds in Great Britain hit upon the idea of dropping homing pigeons into those territories to aid the process. The pigeons would be delivered by planes, resistance fighters would attach specially prepared information to tiny canisters attached to the pigeons' legs and send them on their way back across the channel where the information would be conveyed to whomever needed it the most.

Operation Columba, as it was called, evidently proved surprisingly helpful to Allied forces in numerous ways. And Corera's retelling of that story drew me in deeper and deeper, page by page, and chapter by chapter. So much so that I'm now hot on the trail of some of Corera's other books. 

Operation Whisper

The neighbors next door--how much do you really know about them? For all you know, they could be just who they say they are. On the other hand, they could be, they just might be, spies. 

Turns out, that's exactly who Morris and Lona Cohen were, operating deep under cover for years both in the United States and in Great Britain.

Very well written, Carr's book made me think twice about what motivates people to betray the very same countries to which they owed so much. 

Hitler's American Friends

There are many who believe Trump's appearance on the national stage marks a disturbing trend towards fascism in America. But as Hart points out in Hitler's American Friends, Americans have had a peculiar fascination with fascism since the 1930s. A precursor to Rachel Maddow's more recent treatment of the subject in her book Prequel, I found Hart's earlier account as readable as it is informative.

VA Democratic Primary

Served as an election officer in yesterday's Democratic Primary here in Virginia. Here are my takeaways from yesterday's turnout:

1) People really need to check to see where they are supposed to vote BEFORE they go to the polls! I wish I had a dollar for every voter who showed up at the wrong precinct. 🙂

2) People also need to check to see if they are properly registered to vote, especially if they have recently changed addresses and/or names.

Corpus Clock

This last image from England was taken just moments before I hopped into an Uber ride after dinner at King's College: 

"The Corpus Clock, also known as the Grasshopper clock, is a large sculptural clock at street level on the outside of the Taylor Library at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom, at the junction of Bene't Street and Trumpington Street, looking out over King's Parade. It was conceived and funded by John C. Taylor, an old member of the college.

It was officially unveiled to the public on 19 September 2008 by Cambridge physicist Stephen Hawking. The clock was named one of Time's Best Inventions of 2008." -- Wikipedia

Nat Turner

 

 

Did you know that Nat Turner was a Methodist? No? Then this account of what became best known as Nat Turner's Rebellion may interest you. A little too speculative an account for my taste, but a good review, nonetheless, of this dark moment in our country's development. 

Wesley House

After singing at Great St. Mary's, I happened to pass by the Wesley House. Curious to see more, I was very cordially welcomed by the staff and even given a brief tour.

"Wesley House was founded as a Methodist theological college in Jesus Lane, Cambridge, England. It opened in 1921 as a place for the education of Methodist ministers and today serves as a gateway to theological scholarship for students and scholars of the Wesleyan and Methodist traditions from around the world. It was a founding member of the Cambridge Theological Federation, an ecumenical body of theological colleges in Cambridge which is affiliated to but independent of the University of Cambridge." -- Wikipedia

Cambridge

Panoramic view of Cambridge University from atop Great St. Mary's tower.

Stephen Hawking

Interesting note: Stephen Hawking's (1942–2018) funeral was held here at Great St. Mary's on 31 March 2018 prior to his cremation and interring of his ashes in Westminster Abbey.

Lunchtime Concert

After tea, it was back to Great St. Mary's for our final performance of the tour.

Entrance to Great St. Mary's choir stalls from the chantry.

Carluccio's

 

 

Took a quick tea break at Carluccio's in Cambridge's City Centre after our rehearsal and before our midday concert at Great St. Mary's. 

Great St. Mary's

From the post office in Cambridge, it was on to Great St. Mary's (aka University Church) for yet another rehearsal.and final concert.

"In addition to being a parish church in the Diocese of Ely, it is the university church for the University of Cambridge. As such it has a role in the university's legislation. For example, university officers must live within 20 miles of Great St Mary's and undergraduates within three. The church also hosts the 'University Sermons' and houses the University Organ and the University Clock. The latter chimes the 'Cambridge Quarters' which were later used by the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament ('Big Ben')." -- Wikipedia 

Post Office

So, whilst in Cambridge,  I sought out and found an actual post office! I came away with the distinct impression that post offices in England provide quite a wide variety of services other than just postage.

Octagonal Tower

Ely Cathedral's large stone octagonal tower, with its eight internal archways, according to Wikipedia, "leads up to timber vaulting that appears to allow the large glazed timber lantern to balance on their slender struts. The roof and lantern are actually held up by a complex timber structure above the vaulting which could not be built in this way today because there are no trees big enough. The central lantern, also octagonal in form, but with angles offset from the great Octagon, has panels showing pictures of musical angels, which can be opened, with access from the Octagon roof-space, so that real choristers can sing from on high. More wooden vaulting forms the lantern roof. At the centre is a wooden boss carved from a single piece of oak, showing Christ in Majestry. The elaborate joinery and timberwork was brought about by William Hurley, master carpenter in the royal service."

Just so that you know, none of our choristers sang from "on high." I don't think I could have recovered from vertigo long enough to sing. 😵

Lady Chapel

We ended our rehearsal at Ely Cathedral by moving from the high altar to Lady Chapel to hear for ourselves the much praised acoustics. 

Ely Rehearsal

Choir members arriving at Ely Cathedral to rehearse for a midday concert in front of the high altar.

Ely Cathedral

According to Wikipedia, Ely Cathedral "can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 672 by St Æthelthryth (also called Etheldreda). The earliest parts of the present building date to 1083, and it was granted cathedral status in 1109. Until the Reformation, the cathedral was dedicated to St Etheldreda and St Peter, at which point it was refounded as the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely. It is the cathedral of the Diocese of Ely, which covers most of Cambridgeshire and western Norfolk, Essex, and Bedfordshire. It is the seat of the Bishop of Ely and a suffragan bishop, the Bishop of Huntingdon."

Tea & Croissant

 

 

Speaking of tea, this is how they serve it and almond croissants at The Fitzwilliam. So utterly civilized! :-)

Tea Set

 

 

So utterly civilized!

 

Staffordshire: William Adams, Tunstall, c1799-1800. Blue jasper with white reliefs. -- The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge