Hospital Gate

Tewksbury State Hospital gate.

Tewksbury Sunset

The sky over Tewksbury was lit up nicely. My mother always said that her fisherman father, my grandfather, was fond of the old saying, red sky at night, sailor’s delight. That fit well last night.

I Used to Live Here

I just dropped off my key to my parents house in Tewksbury. The house is empty. A chapter of my past is closing this week. I feel like there will be a time in the future where I am able to look back on my time in that house fondly, but as of right now I cannot see past the last few years there when I was just miserable. Fortunately there was Jennifer waiting for me like a light at the end of the tunnel.

I took a few pics. I don’t know why. The lights in this one look kinda groovy.

Shawsheen River in Tewksbury

I was expecting the Shawsheen River to be super low, but I guess the rain we had over the last couple of days filled it up. It was actually a little bit over the bank at this spot.

You get to this spot from the parking lot of the K of C hall where we had our wedding reception. Romantic, eh? The bridge is route 38, which is the road the house I grew up in is on.

There are a couple of other spots on the Shawsheen that are accessible. I’ll save those for another day. Up next is more Merrimack River, this time in Lowell.

Long Pond in Tewksbury

I went out to run an errand and snuck away to a few spots to snap a few more pics. These are Long Pond in Tewksbury. This is just down the street from the house I grew up in, but the parking area and the nice, neat little park is new.

I messed around with a polarizing filter. Here we can see it removing the reflections off of the water…

…and here it is not removing the reflections…

Up next will be the Shawsheen River, also in Tewksbury.

Another View

Another couple of looks at the old gate to the Tewksbury State Hospital.

Here’s one that I think I prefer the black and white version.

For the record, you can probably tell this on your own, I am not just taking a color picture and then editing it to black and white. They are both separate pictures of the same thing because I am one thorough nerd, you know?

Second Saddest Place on Earth

These are from the Tewksbury State Hospital Cemetery in Tewksbury, MA. All of these graves are nameless. People who weren’t important enough to include their names on the grave markers. It is soul crushingly sad. I used to think this was the saddest place I’d ever been. Now it’s the second saddest place.

It’s also the first time I tried messing with black and white where the color pics are unquestionably better. Oh well. I’m curious how the film will look.

Picture Day

I had a quick little photo morning today. Just three quick little stops. There would have been four but I forgot the damn key. Never mind.

From the old gate in front of the Tewksbury State Hospital. One color, one monochrome.

More fun to come.

Tomorrow

What do I want to do tomorrow? Besides the 0.75% of a band practice. I don’t know.

Visit my mother? I could use a little of that. I saw dad today but it’s been a week since I’ve seen mom.

Work on the 50 songs in 90 days thing? Maybe. Probably not.

Get up at sunrise and mess around with cameras again? That would be fun, but where would I go? I’ve hit my favorite spots in town. Maybe downtown Lowell? Maybe the river walk in Lowell? Maybe the Shawsheen river in Tewksbury? I know a couple of good spots, but if the Shawsheen there is as dry as the Spicket here it might not be worth it. Boston? Too far away.

Stay in bed constantly refreshing eBay all day? I’m still the highest bidder but there are 22.5 hours remaining.

Pet the kitty all day?

Finish Umbrella Academy and start Stranger Things or Orville or Westworld or….

I don’t know. In the immortal words of Traffic, from their second record, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring?

New Fire Station

Tewksbury has a new fire station. I’ve only been away for a few months and they snuck this in.