After the Rain

Glory of the Morning to You

Just for fun - quick, before it pours rain. "I can hear that thunder in the distance, like a train on the edge of the town..."

Milton Jeffers

A recent query, by a young relative of Milton Jeffers' seeking photos of his late uncle, turned up these gems, taken circa 1975 in his welding shop on Pine Street.

In 1974, when Paul and I were first married, we rented Milton's little house off of Pine Street - that tiny cottage on Norton Orchard Road, next to the old train track, was a first house for many Edgartown young people - and before we moved in, we painted the place and fixed it up quite a bit. The rent was something like $50/month, but since we had done all that work, Milton wouldn't let us pay him for the longest time. "I'll let you know when your rent is due." I'm pretty sure it was at least a year before he let us pay him.

Paul and I spent quite a lot of time in Milton's shop - wow, what a happy mess that place was! - while he made our scallop drags, a couple of stainless steel dip-net frames, and other projects, all of which required a certain amount of nudging on our part since Milton was as fond of talking and telling stories as he was of working. Milton was one of the old timers who had a theory that the construction of the Cape Cod Canal changed our weather. A most interesting gentleman. These are scans of the original prints, shot on Tri-X and developed and printed in my home darkroom.

Venus, Jupiter, and the Moon

Venus and Jupiter were in very close conjunction this past week, and last night - a rare, clear Vineyard night - I was able to grab a shot of this celestial event. I thought I'd have to drive somewhere exotic (South Beach? Bend in the Road?) for a good view, so threw the tripod in the car and headed out. I got to the end of Green Avenue, though, and there they were, twinkling away, directly above Oliver Street (I boast a bit about not having to drive anywhere to do or see anything - everything I want or need is within walking or biking distance from home - so this worked out to my liking).





Meanwhile, behind me, this was happening:

Food for the Journey

New Food for the Journey post here.

Faith, family, friends, and music - it ain't the hoky poky, but that's what it's all about.

Easter Eve

I was able to break away from my pre-Easter cooking on Saturday evening, ultimately in search of the blood moon I'd been hearing so much about. The moon shots didn't work out as planned, at least to my satisfaction, but I did end up with a few images that I'm pleased with. The moon was beautiful, however, rising large and ominously blood-orange behind the light house. Unfortunately, I was not able to do it justice. Next time.

Love at the Lighthouse

My photog daughter​ and I went for a walk on Monday evening, cameras in tow (of course), down through Sheriff's Meadow, out past Eel Pond, then along the beach to the lighthouse, and just as we were thinking, "Not much going on around here - how many more photos of this lighthouse do we need," we came across a young couple at the Lighthouse - newly engaged, as it happened, out enjoying their brand new status along with the glory of the evening, so what could we do but give them a little mini shoot to help them celebrate. Both Asad and Michelle are physicians, in the process of moving from Chicago to Boston (and now planning a wedding). Lovely. Ironically, our first thought upon seeing these two frolicking beneath the lighthouse was, "Darn, they're in our shot," but it turned out to be a really fun encounter and photo session. This is what it's all about for me, folks - people and connections, and is one of the big reasons I love living here.