Indoor Getaway

Pouring rain sending us indoors, we took the opportunity to get a look at Mt. Holyoke College's art museum recently...



There's an exhibit of famed photographer Lisette Model and her disciples (going on until Dec. 13th), that I'd been wanting to check out. Model was famous for her dead-honest, 'warts and all' style of photography of otherwise un-noteworthy folk. Her work and teaching spawned a whole culture of like-minded photographers in the early and mid 20th century.

I made sure that photos could be taken before I went in, and the girl at the desk said sure. There's no real charge, but a suggested donation of 4 bucks is, well, suggested...

The museum surprised me with all the stuff it has; way more than I was expecting.



There's plenty of fantastic artwork and artifacts from across the globe and across the ages, set up in a multitude of differently themed and colored halls.







Classical jewelry and adornments...



Wall murals, direct from ancient Roman villas...



...and a room over, a huge glittery piece from Andy Warhol...



Away from the artifacts, the museum opens up into the painting halls. Again, items from all places, eras and religions...





There's some gorgeous landscape painting to be found here, making me already miss the passing of the season...



And some of the landscape work is from the local area.



Like these cool paintings of the beloved Mount Holyoke range, rendered in simpler times...



Beautifully captured long before the dawn of the mega pixel, or even colored film. A couple of them very faithfully represented...



...or leaning to the abstract, if you prefer.



In another room, the second main exhibit is going on; themed Dance & Dancers. There's some stunning photography of said subjects in action...



...as well as a deliciously macabre collection of dance-themed pieces, timely and in keeping with the coming Hallows' Eve...







...also some carvings, very old and not so old, but no less bizarre.





Next up, I spied the Model exhibit in an adjacent room. As I lined up to take this photo below, the curator-guy, (who I had a feeling was watching me the whole time and waiting for the opportunity), immediately chirped that the Model exhibit was off limits to photography...



Ok, got it... (hmm, that's kind of ironic....)

So I had to holster the camera and keep those viewings to myself leaving you Oh, faithful readers, to go there and check it out for yourselves.

You won't be disappointed...

McCray, I Say

We headed out for a couple of rare sunny hours on Sunday afternoon...



Rolling along leaf peeping without really having a destination in mind, we came upon McCray's Farm in South Hadley...



With so many farms struggling these days, some intrepid farmers like the folks at McCray's have diversified by opening up their farms -and more importantly a bit of the 'farm life'- to visitors. This particular farm, already known for it's ice cream stand during summer, also has a neat little petting zoo for big and little kids.





It's small but set up nicely with some interesting specimens of peacocks, llamas and billy goats, alongside more livestocky fare like ponies, calves, pigs and hens.



On the other side of the landbound animals is a pond where the waterfowl roam, within feeding distance of the visitors...







The animals were very kid-friendly and eager to entertain as we waited for the wagons that would take us out into the fields, where we can select our own pumpkins.



(There were plenty of prime selections on display out front, but after all, what fun is that?)



We hopped aboard the next wagon ($3 each - bloggerettes ride free), and were soon putting broad acreage behind us; jostling along in the breeze...





McCray's is positioned perfectly near the nexus of the Mt. Tom and Mt. Holyoke ranges, with perfect views of both bordering the horizon to the west and north...



After a nice sunny jostle, we reached our designated pumpkins patch, and were set loose on the countryside, spreading out in search of conquest.



There is much to deliberate, when considering the perfect gourd.



Fortunately, the young don't bother with rumination too much and are prone to make quicker decisions...throwing ripeness to the wind.



(That's where a little parental guidance and experience can come in handy, and a more orangy choice can be negotiated...)



There was no rush and the crowd took their time before reboarding the wagon with their selections. The tractor driver took the long way back passing through the rougher parts of town, where the fields are done up for McCray's famous, night-time-scary, Haunted Hay Ride...



...it's another ingenious, and profitable, use of their farm land; during the slow months between farming.



It was a fun time; the weather was perfect, and we wound our way back home under blazing foliage...



Such a beautiful season...I wonder if New England can get any New Englandier...

Sunset Ridge

When short on time and long on weary, we shoot up to the western end of the Mt. Holyoke range, where the M&M trail picks up again after crossing the Connecticut river.



There's a clearing here where some power lines cut over the mountain, exposing some rocky outcroppings and ledges with great views.



It's about a 15 minute ascent; just enough of a hike to get the ol' neglected heart and lungs pumping, and also just high enough to give a fairly commanding view to the west, where the sun generally prefers to touch down...



If you've got more than 15 minutes to spare then there's the M&M trail tacking further east, next to the summit house about a mile away, with more excellent scenery all along the way.



But in a pinch, the trail from rt.47 to the power lines for the sunset is such a quick and easy trek, and with such a great payoff...



...it almost feels like cheating.

In The Absence Of Light

Monday night being the summer-like treat that it was, I skipped out for a little night drive. With the moon just a sliver in the sky, it was really dark on the poorly lit farm roads in South Hadley down by the river.



I parked on what I thought would be a deserted road and took out the tripod setup. If you have the camera shutter open long enough, you can turn this...



...into this...



I think it's the dream-like, almost eerie cast that low light pictures take on that I like. And the peacefulness of being out at night...For a short while it was just me, the vehicle, the sliver moon and the stars in the dark sky...



Every few minutes a car would come down the main road, and invariably turn right down the narrow street I was on. They would all turn on the high beams on for a second as they whipped by, briefly illuminating the strange sight of someone taking pictures in the pitch blackness...



Only one person actually stopped, and apparently thinking I was broken down, asked if I needed help. I told him thanks, just taking pictures. I couldn't see his face but I could see him nod, and he rolled off without saying anything else...

A few more pictures, and I was ready to pack up and go...



I don't know if it was that last guy, but one of those passerbyes apparently took a keen interest in what I was doing, and before I was a quarter mile away, I saw a cruiser whip by, quickly u-turn behind me, and sure enough...blue light special. Again.



They said they had a report of someone taking pictures in the dark, and while the police didn't run my name or plates or anything, they did think it was a suspicious enough call to pull me over and ask what I was doing. I explained my hobby/near-obsession, and even volunteered to show him the pics. The officer thought they were cool, and let me go about my business without further ado. I almost mentioned that this makes the third or fourth time the police have taken an interest in what I was doing, but thought better of it. It's probably best to keep police encounters short and sweet...