I dont know if it's just me or because I have what most would say a, "Creative/artistic Mind" but for the last year or so I've taken a more scenic ride into work in the morning. Living in Western Massachusetts I travel on Route 5 North which takes me through North Hampton, Whately, and South Deerfield. The scenery is prodominantly farmlands and local produce growers.. It's become the best part of my day as I dont think about work but take in every detail I can. Every day I seem to see somthing new I hadnt seen before. Several Barns are scattered about this 10 - 15 mile streatch. Over the year I've seen the bare leafless trees spring to life, the farms bustling with activity with the crops of the upcomming season... empty feilds of black tilled soil slowly show specks of green budding through the surface. Some barns are in disrepair as others patch up holes and loose boards from the previous winters storms. Early spring has arrived and grey rainy days seem gloomy? who wants to be out in that right? I 've learned to really appreciate the beauty of a rainy day in early spring or late fall. Dark rain laiden clouds with the bare trees against the skyline. Trees that take on tones of blue grays and rusted burgandy in their bark. As Summer approaches farm stands pop up along the road sides selling fresh blueberries, strawberries, corn, water mellons and cellary. This past summer I photographed an old defunct gas station of an era gone by, the roof caved in from its own weight and time, rusted shell's of gas pumps remained to date it back to the early 1970's I'd guess. It became the motivation to one of my paintings and I'd smile each day I passed it. The farms were in full gear by July as I passed a large tractor with a water cannon watering the crops. as it arched across the sky 50 60 feet in the air it created a rainbow effect. Lucky timing in my day? late summer approached with some crops now harvested. Corn fields so green it looked like pictures of Ireland. and along the road side 6 foot tall sunflowers sprouted up almost over night? Green fields bright yellow sunflowers against the Red barns in the distance, Grazing cows and horses, wild turkeys darting in and out of the tree lines.... Amazing imagery! Early October arrived before I knew it and all the fruit stands from the summer had been replaced with pumpkins, squash, and Indian corn stands. The sunflowers wilted and withered as quickly as they came and vast fields of pumkins were hidden behind them. Orange and white pumkins, yellow squash, Hundreds of jet black Crows littered the ramains of the harvested corn fields set against firey orange and brilliant golden leaves on the trees. The autumn wind robbing them of their gold as they rained down from the branches. Meanwhile vast flocks of Geese flew over head in their recognizable "V" formations headin south. Their unmistakable honking breaking the morning silence. And now here we are approaching late November... The remaining pumkins have been tilled over as compost to help fertilized the soil for next Spring. The farms are boarded up, barren as the stands on the roadside are too, winter is on our doorstep. And now Spring is upon us again.

Remember that gas station I mentioned earlier? Well it was bulldozed two weeks ago. It made me sad to see it go, so many people in the area were familiar with it and it was popoular with area photograhers. Now it's gone and so many people will never see it. Luckily I snapped a few shots one of them is above.

My point to all of this is there is so much going on around us if we just choose to open our eyes and look? People on the highway nearly killing each other driving in excess of 80mph talking on the phone seeing only the car they're tailgaiting? What a waste of life! This is just a tiny little part of Western Massachusetts, imagine what else there is to see in the rest of the world?I would say to everyone who reads this to take the slow way into work some time. If there's back roads then take them, slow down to 40 mph, put down the cell phone for 15 minutes, and occaasionaly look to your left abd right... you might just see somthing amazing that makes your day? Like the American bald eagle I saw today pearched atop an old birch tree... Simply breath taking !!!!Slow down, appreciate life, for it is far too short.