Route 28N And The Town Of Newcomb

Still on Route 28N in the Adirondacks, I arrived at the town of Newcomb and saw what appeared to be a town park. I stopped to take some pictures of the high peaks off in the distance:

There was a monument there, not to fallen soldiers or pioneers, but to the mountains themselves which have made the town of Newcomb what it is. I was at the monument when I snapped this photo of yet more high peaks:

And when I turned and faced the other way, I saw two of Newcomb's churches. It was a Sunday morning, after all:

As I drove out of the town, I passed this cemetery with its stone walls. I found it quite a lovely scene and stopped to snap a picture of it. Just then, a state trooper was passing by and stopped to ask if I was in trouble:

As the highway climbs up into the mountains as it leaves the town of Newcomb, more peaks and more lakes can be seen through the trees along the highway:

Climbing ever higher, the road becomes more scenic:

Mountains all around, still with a bit of autumn color:

Notice the peak in the distance. It's already covered with snow. Winter is near at hand:

Beauty all along the roadside:

I passed this small flock of wild turkeys alongside the road, then stopped and backed up to take a picture. It appeared to me that two males were displaying and squabbling, fighting for dominance. Apparently they were too preoccupied to worry about the strange man with the camera and the car full of dogs. The turkey with the big tail appeared to be the winner:

This is social interaction in the world of wild turkeys:

I stayed and watched long enough for them to begin to get nervous about my intentions. One by one, they began to slip back into the woods and I continued on my way:

Driving Route 28N Toward Newcomb

On my most recent drive up to the farm I took a slightly altered route (there aren't very many alternatives, so only minor variations are available). I left the Northway and headed northwest on Route 28N through Newcomb. Though the brilliant autumn leaves are mostly past, the countryside was still lovely. Here's a wetland, lake and mountains alongside the highway:

These small waterways through the cattails: possibly products of beaver activity? I don't know the answer but suspect that they are:

Nearing the town of Newcomb, I passed by this old Adirondack farm and found it strikingly beautiful:

Then, just as I was about to cross over the Boreas River, I saw a small dirt road leave the highway and head off into the woods. It was time for the dogs to have a break, so I turned off onto it. It had no signs of any kind, but clearly people camped there. The dogs liked it a lot:

Seamus may look awkward here, but he was actually moving at a pretty good clip. Notice the blurred legs:

Evidence of camping. This is a concrete fire pit and one of the rare opportunities for me to get all 6 dogs in one photo. I don't know, but suspect that the scent they're all so excited about is bacon grease or some such camping residue. Hot stuff if you're a dog!:

Wren and Winky generally are far behind the pack, and in this case Winky decided to leave his calling card. Wally is belatedly deciding to go join the more adventurous dogs:

And these would be the more adventurous dogs - Casey, Fergus and Seamus. Casey, though quite elderly (and losing both her hearing and eyesight), has had enough time on the trail to know what she's doing and to relish it:

And the campsite was adjacent to the beautiful Boreas River:

Another view of the Boreas River, this one with a small beaver dam:

It's easy to see how these rivers and streams would have been seen as highways into the wilderness by native peoples and by the early pioneers. Even today, a canoe would sure be easier and more scenic than walking (not to mention saving one from carrying all the supplies on one's back). But in this modern era, most of us just take photos from the edge of the road and that's OK too:

Provincetown - Part 8, Sailin' O'er The Bay

After the concert, my duet partner and his husband (they were married in Provincetown 5 years ago, though they've actually been together for 20 years) asked me to join them on an afternoon cruise of Cape Cod Bay aboard a sailing vessel, the Bay Lady. I thought I'd be too tired, having been up before dawn, but then decided it might be a wonderful experience, an opportunity I might never have again. So I ran down to the wharf after the concert, purchased a ticket and boarded the Bay Lady with my friends.

The first order of business was the safety and emergency speech, similar to what one hears aboard an airplane:

We're still docked and preparing to set sail. And these are my two friends, Mark and Steve:

Beginning to unfurl the sails:

Once out upon the bay, we were free to find seats close to the rail where we had unfettered views. It turned sharply colder as we sailed on, and the crew passed out blankets to keep us warm:

Passing Provincetown, the Pilgrim Monument is unmistakable:

Having rushed from the concert, I was still wearing knickers and argyle knee socks. I'm sure glad they don't show in this picture:

Once we were sailing, I had plenty of questions about the sea birds which the captain was happy to answer:

Our handsome young deck hand, Seth - and behind him is the captain, Dave. That's Cape Cod on the horizon:

Beginning in late afternoon, the cruise was timed so that we could see the sunset from sea. As the sun dropped lower towards the horizon, the sky began to glow with rose and golden hues:

We sailed closer to Provincetown as the sunset intensified:

The sea was calm and lovely:

Having watched the sun rise over Cape Cod Bay that very morning, it was particularly thrilling to see the sun set with such vibrancy:

It was almost dark when we docked once again back at MacMillan Wharf in Provincetown. I'd be departing the following morning long before daylight. I'd had a busy and fulfilling day, so I grabbed a bite to eat and headed for bed :

Provincetown - Part 7, A Tisket A Tasket

I only got one video from the concert, that being our trio singing "A Tisket A Tasket." In spite of a rather rough beginning, you get a pretty good view of the ensemble. Besides the fumbling at the start, I goofed in my opening remarks saying "Albany gig" when I meant "Provincetown gig." Oh well, no one probably even noticed.

Provincetown - Part 6, It's Concert Time!

A couple of hours before concert time, the chorus gathers outside the concert hall to promote the performance. That's part of how it's done in Provincetown. Hawkers are accosting tourists all up and down Commercial Street. Remember the woman dressed as an apple tree?

The theme of the concert was "A Time Line Of American Music" and we all wore costumes from various decades. Some of the singers have already put on their costumes and some have not. If you've been following this blog, you are probably wondering if this is the same concert we performed back in May. The answer is that it is indeed a repeat (but a new audience):

A punk rocker from the 2000s, a sailor from the 50s and a woman from - hmmmm, the 40s? Sometimes it was hard to tell which decade the costumes were representing:

A few chorus members out front of the Unitarian Meeting Hall, our concert venue:

An hour or so before the concert, we already have some audience:

Our lighting man, Howard:

Having fun, enjoying the moment:

Olga, our director, discusses last minute details with Matt, dressed in 70s garb:

My costume (with knickers and argyle knee socks) was supposed to be from the 30s. I'm not not sure what decade Joel was representing:

Only about half the chorus was able to travel to Provincetown to participate in the concert but we had enough people to produce a good sound. A chorus member would give a brief reading about each decade as we traveled through the songs from each time period:

From the 30s - Derek, Mark and I sing a humorous version of "A Tisket A Tasket":

And from the 50s - Mark and I sing a really silly version of "Old Cape Cod.":

In full voice:

Provincetown - Part 5

Sunday morning has arrived, I've had breakfast and coffee and am exploring Provincetown. The fishing fleet which isn't working today rests sleepily along the docks:

Most tourists are still in bed following a night of revelry:

But always the early riser, I explore the docks and shoreline:

The Crown And Anchor is just beginning to stir:

And a few people are walking their dogs along the shore:

Some boats are anchored too far out in the water to walk to. One would row out to the bigger boats, but I wonder how they get out to these smaller boats. Hmmmmm:

Looking from the beach up towards the town, I see the buildings along Commercial Street and the Pilgrim Monument in the distance:

Colorful boats alongside Bubala's Restaurant: