There is a small stone bridge over the Blackstone River where it meets the canal and become two pieces. I photograph it frequently in pretty much every season except deep winter when it’s inaccessible due to snow.
I love that little bridge. Stone bridge. Actually, it’s Route 16 on its way to Milford then Boston then even further out towards Lynn. One long route.
It’s not just a road … a route. It consists of many roads and I don’t know what they call it here, but it’s definitely Route 16!
Bridge over the BlackstonePhoto: Garry ArmstrongStone Bridge over the Blackstone
Stone bridge over the Blackstone River and Canal
When I was in college, I had a nice “little” voice which could occasionally sound pretty good — on a good day if something was in the right key. I have a deep voice for a girl and as I was a music major for a couple of years, I got used to hearing “girls on the right, Marilyn and the boys on the left.” My voice fits better with the guys.
At the Boston Pops
As I got older, I apparently spent too much time shouting and lost most of the voice I had, but I still love the sound of singing, especially duets. There’s something about the interweaving of high and low voices that is a delight to my ears.
There are two expressions that make me instantly wary.
The first is “Trust me.” When I hear those words, my distrust level goes sky-high.
The second is “This product is highly recommended.”
In the first case, I want to know why I should trust you. I want facts. I want to know that you have actually studied the subject, really know something about it. For the second, I want to know if you actually own it and if you do, how long have you owned it? More than six months? Still working?
Today, being the day before Thanksgiving, every company in the world who sells anything is selling it harder than usual. Everything is highly recommended, usually by the company’s sales department. Who else would know?
Even WordPress is having a sale on its upgrades. So right now, I’m waiting for someone to offer a heavily discounted air fryer. I think it’s the only thing I want, except a big hit on the lottery.
More than 40-years in professional broadcasting and Garry still can’t post for a still portrait. He is so used to being shot on videotape or film, he feels he has to move and while that may look good on television, it doesn’t look great on a still camera.
He admits it, too. Point a moving picture machine at him and he lights up like a 100-watt bulb.
But a still camera? Nervous. Tense. Eyes darting side to side. A portrait? It’s like pulling teeth. Yesterday, to get one good show I had to move him physically into position and tell him to put his lips together and smile. Also, keep his eyes open and stop moving.
Isn’t that funny? The man who has stood before cameras for his entire career twitches in front of a still camera.
As for me? I just hate getting photographed. That’s why I keep the camera in MY hands!
I fell in love with Native American jewelry in a tiny store in Boston’s Italian North End. I didn’t even know it was Native American, but I loved it, that first pair of earrings. Many more were to follow. Necklaces and bracelets and rings and things featuring beautiful pieces of turquoise stone.
Eventually, I realized what I was buying and learned more about it. I’ve never loved any other jewelry the way I loved Navajo and Pueblo and Hopi work from our southwest and on my two visits to Arizona, I always got something special while I was there.
I also discovered online sources until I collected quite a treasure-trove of it. Now I’m at the point of beginning to let go of it because I don’t work. We don’t go to fancy parties, either.
Meanwhile, my wrists have gotten allergic (this is a real thing, no kidding) to anything tight against my wrists. It’s called “wristwatch” allergy and it comes from wearing bracelets and watches for a lifetime. Apparently, your wrists get sensitive. Bizarre, right? Thus with few exceptions, I’ve rehomed my beautiful bracelets with the incredible stones in them because they were just sitting in the drawers of my big jewelry dresser. But I’m glad they will get worn.
Big sky in Navajo land
I also discovered fetishes, mostly carved from antler, but some carved in turquoise. It’s not exactly jewelry, but it’s not exactly not jewelry if you get my drift.
For me, it has always been much more about the stones than the silverwork. A beautiful piece of turquoise doesn’t need a lot of fancy silver around it. It speaks for itself.
So when you see my pictures, all the jewelry I’m wearing — these days, usually just rings and earrings — it’s all from the southwest and most of it is silver and turquoise. But there are also various carved shells and other stones too.
Modern pieces, older pieces, I love all of it. I may not get to wear it often, but I love just having it. And every once in a while, I get to wear it, too.
There was a time in my life when every gave me a mug. Usually a mug with some kind of saying on it. Like ” Aren’t you glad you’re 50?” and “Eat dessert first” or some cryptic saying about tea or coffee.
I appreciated they make modestly priced gifts, but it reached the breaking point when one day, I couldn’t close the cabinet door. I donated ALL our standard mugs to the Senior Center. Time has passed and the mugs are back. Gifts, of course, and every time I buy dishes, it comes with a full set of mugs I will never use. The old teacup and saucer have gone the way of all things, it would seem. Just as well since they were even more difficult to store.
Morning coffee is ready
Personally, we’ve switched to Contigo insulated covered metal cups. They will keep your coffee at drinkable temperature all day. Literally an entire day. They never tip over and cover your computer keyboard with coffee, either.
The downside is that instead of drinking some coffee in the morning, we can (and do), nurse it all day. I suppose we are entitled to at least one bad habit … and this is assuming that coffee is a bad habit. With which opinion I do not agree!
Garry has a sweatshirt from the 2013 World Series Red Sox victory. It zips up the front. Last week, it stopped zipping.
I got it to work again, but I think it is on its final legs as a viable zipper. I suggested to Garry that maybe he should wear it open and not zip it. Meanwhile, I improved his mental position in this world by getting him a new 2018 Red Sox World Series Champion sweatshirt — which doesn’t even have a zipper. It’s a pullover.
The good news? The zipper will never wear out.
The bad news? He wears hearing apparatus and eyeglass and he has to remove everything before he puts on the sweatshirt. It looks really good on him and I’d show you a picture, but I forgot to take one. Next time, okay?
Zippers are great until they aren’t and the price you get charged for replacing a zipper often exceeds the price of the clothing in which you are replacing it.
They should use better zippers. Or reinvent zippers so they last longer and zip more smoothly. I mean, really, they are upgrading EVERYTHING else, whether we like it or not. How about fixing zippers?
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