Spring N' Stuff

KERRRRRRR.......



POW!!!



What was that???



Some Spring sights and colors from a late afternoon ride Tuesday. Up one of my favorite roads in the valley, the always georgeous Route. 47...





I don't know what they were spraying on the crops here...



And I'm not sure I want to know.





This little roadside ice cream stand on Rte. 47 has opened it's doors to another season.



And the roadside alligator is back, for another year at Alligator Brook Farms.



I've heard they're trying to make Route 47 a National Scenic By-Way. I've got mixed emotions about that. It no doubt deserves the status. But on the other hand, it might open up the road to all kinds of development that will ruin it's beauty. As it is, they're building a big house and a bakery of some sort on one of my favorite sections of the road, just below the Summit House on Mt. Holyoke.



On other sections, more big new houses have been built alongside old barns and farmhouses, during the crazy real estate bubble of the past eight years. In that respect I'm glad the bubble burst, and development should ease somewhat, giving us a few more years of McMansion-less open spaces...

Of course, if it's private property the owners should be able to do pretty much whatever they please with it. But it's just a shame when new open land is developed, as it's in short supply around here. The development of existing commercial property is perfectly fine by me, though. Like when Andiamo's closed their Northampton location,



to be quickly replaced with another business, and color, called Noodles.



I wonder if it'll be the type of business it's name implies. If so, it might be competition for the very good, long time resident Viva la Pasta, which is on the opposite corner.



Battle of the Linguinies. My mouth is watering already....

I grabbed a coffee and a newspaper, and sat down on the City Hall steps, to watch the night gently fall, on this warm Spring evening in Northampton...







Local Blogger Makes Good...

On Jeopardy! an Amherst college student and blogger for Campus Buzz, Katherine Duke, made an appearance on Tuesday evening's show.



I don't know her, but I thought it was cool enough to mention...