Evocative landscape and artistic photography.
Archive for December, 2007
Beacon Hill First Snow 2
Dec 27th
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Here’s a shot I took a few weeks ago during Boston’s first snow. I’ve been slacking lately with the photos mostly because I need the time to unplug. I already posted a “first snow” photo a few weeks ago, but upon examining this one again I thought it was good enough to post. Enjoy!
Snow Flowers
Dec 23rd
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Here’s a quick shot of some “snow flowers” I noticed as I was wrapping presents. The contrast between the red flowers and the snow outside really caught my eye.
Tea by the Tree
Dec 18th
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The lights glisten slowly in the calm of the night, reflecting off ornaments hung with care. Blue green promises of presents to come mix gently with red yellow thoughts of Christmas rum. Eggnog, hot chocolate, and tea are enjoyed by the crackling fire as Christmas music fills the air with spirit. Outside the snow is falling to the beat of scattering salt and the pang of shovels on icy concrete as paths are cleared for family and friends. Snow balls fly through the air occasionally striking their targets as brothers and sisters proclaim short-lived victories over each other. The eve is fast approaching and with it, the realization of countless dreams around the world. And while last minute-shopping and party planning are sure to fill the heads of everyone, fill your hearts instead with peace and calm. For this is a this time to dream, a time to give, and a time to sip a little tea by the tree… Relax.
New Mexico Sunset
Dec 16th
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Here’s one last shot from New Mexico of the sunset. The sunsets were in general less hazy than the sunrises, hence the crisper mountains in the background. You can expect the next shots from me to look a lot colder and more festive for the upcoming holidays. Stay warm…
Misty Mountains
Dec 15th
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Day breaks slowly as the morning frost turns to mist, enveloping the mountains above. Slivers of light carve shapes in the clouds as they hover motionless above the peaks. Like a coloring book the dark night comes to life piece by piece in perfect harmony. Out here the sunset feels like the end of the world, the sunrise like earth’s first breath. A scale so immense that reason fails to quantify its magnitude. One could wander for hundreds of miles yet still spend an eternity in blissful solitude… a solitude marked by the occasional company of giants strewn haphazardly among the desert terrain like a child’s play toys. But these toys are immovable, their sounds silent. The only sign of life on this abandoned playground is one’s own breath. And even that is fleeting as it quickly dissipates into the vast emptiness. This is no ordinary beauty. It is a beauty so lonely that God himself must have left in search of livelier company. But places like this exist for a purpose – they are here to remind us of the timeless peace and calm into which we were all born and into which we all return.
New Mexico Sunrise
Dec 14th
I’m thrilled to announce that I will be returning home to Boston from New Mexico early tomorrow morning. We were originally supposed to stay until Wednesday, but the early conclusion of testing for work has allowed us to return early to the winter wonderland that is now Boston. Why would I want to return to so much snow when I’m in the middle of sunny weather, immense landscapes, gorgeous sunrises, and the best Mexican food in the US? The simple answer is… home is home, and I’m looking forward to a white Christmas and some bad Boston takeout. But first I’d like to share a picture of the sunrise I took this morning in Las Cruces New Mexico… a sunrise we never see in Boston. I hope you enjoy it as I woke up at 6 in the morning to take it! 
London Nightscape
Dec 10th
These photos were taken while I was half asleep during the early morning hours of the night so please excuse me if they aren’t up to par… I tried. I almost didn’t go out to take these shots, but I somehow mustered up the energy to leave the hotel, which is a good thing because otherwise I would have come back from England with only photos of my hotel. The Cavendish Hotel where we stayed was located near Piccadilly Circus and so that is where these photos are from.
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This guy is popularly referred to as Eros, but he is not. In actuality he is an archer representing the virtue of charity and is dedicated to Lord Shaftesbury. I’m not sure how shooting arrows is charitable, but I’ll take his word for it as he’s been there a lot longer than I have. He’s also got a great view as you can see.
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Here we have the horses of Helios which are in fact Greek. Helios was the Greek god of the sun. He drove his chariot from east to west across the sky every day with the help of his four horses: Pyrois, Eos, Aethon, and Phleyon. These bronze versions of the horses probably don’t fly, but they do collect coins which are donated to a different charity every year. And to think I almost thought them intimidating.
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Last we have my personal favorite… the wonderful London Underground. For those who are unaware of what the Underground is, let me enlighten you: It is a subway train. Moving past the overly creative name for a moment, we can stop to fully appreciate the infamous warnings that are echoed over the loudspeaker at every stop: “Mind the gap…. please mind the gap.” In English that’s “watch your step” and in Boston speak that’s “stand cleaaah of the closin dooahs please.” You see, we’re not worried about the “gap” here in Boston. We just want your ass on the train so it can start moving.
That’s it for the England photos. As fate would have it I am traveling again this week so you should be seeing photos from New Mexico / California in the next few days.
The Cavendish Hotel
Dec 9th
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Leaving the rustic Warminster we arrived in London on the second day of our journey to rest in The Cavendish Hotel. A sharp contrast to the Bishopstrow House Hotel, The Cavendish is ultra modern and sophisticated with a very bright and colorful atmosphere. The two hotels are indeed polar opposites each having their own distinct mood. That’s not to say that one hotel was better than the other, just that they are different.
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Here you can see an example of the extreme colors used in the hotel lobby which give it an almost heavenly feel. I’ve never seen such a colorful lobby, but I definitely like it. To complement the colors there are pictures of clouds hanging up on the wall making for a perfectly engineered utopia.
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No hotel lobby would be complete without Christmas decorations this time of year. The Cavendish is no exception and they chose to celebrate with a contemporary tree which takes after their unique urban style. Not a hint of green can be found on their tree. It stands black and almost bare save for one string of white lights. When bathed in the magenta light from the ceiling the dark tree stands out beautifully.
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Retiring to the rooms one will be greeted by a sleek hallway with minimalist appointments along the way – A nice reprieve from the color fiesta found in the lobby. My favorite part is the entry system. The keys are simple plastic rods that are coded to open the doors much like an electronic card. Sliding the key into the keyhole turns the red light green. Upon entering the room, the key is placed into another keyhole which glows blue and subsequently turns on all the boring white lights in the room. The whole process is quite colorful. If that’s not your thing, don’t worry, the flat screen TV should do the trick.
That concludes the hotel portion of my trip to London. I don’t normally photograph hotels, but the two I stayed in on this trip were quite exceptional and their differences were so astounding that I found it interesting that I could enjoy both. The next photos you see will be of the actual city. I was lucky enough to have a night free of rain and just enough energy to keep me out untill 1:00 AM taking photos.
Bishopstrow House Hotel
Dec 8th
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I arrived back home to Boston from London Thursday night with my colleagues. I regret that I couldn’t post any photographs while I was away but I did find the time here and there to snap some shots. We made two stops in England. The first was in Warminster which is a tiny town 100 miles southwest of London. There isn’t much there except a military base, a few pubs, and the ancient yet classy Bishopstrow House Hotel… which is just that, a house. One would half expect a horse drawn carriage to be parked in front of its door if it wasn’t for the BMW Z3 that sat there in its stead. Ancient, yet elegant, its form is a prime example of the class you normally read about in Harry Potter. The entire building is covered in vines and most of the driveway leading up to the house and the parking lot are made of dirt.
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At first glance I was somewhat worried about what the inside would look like, but my fears were unfounded as I stepped through the door to find the most beautiful lounge I have ever seen. Everything, though old, is in top notch condition. I felt like I had stepped through a doorway in time and into another world. Think Hogwarts, but cooler. In the lounge are a bar and Christmas tree both positioned in such a way that they perfectly complement each other – the towering bar on one end equally matched by the towering tree on the other and both lit up in such a way that simply beckons you to pause for a drink…
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And what a place for a drink. Though I didn’t have time to order one, I was perfectly content photographing the selection available. More than the selection though, it’s the way in which it was presented that really caught my eye. I’ve seen some pretty cool bars before, upscale and modern, with mirrors and blue lights everywhere. This was not one of them. This bar screamed simplicity and class. And coming from someone who normally prefers only the most modern of offerings, that means a lot.
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So the tree and the bar are both nice, but I’ve left out my favorite part… the fireplace positioned directly across from the two. Perpetually burning the stock of firewood stored to the left, the fireplace not only warms the entire room with its heat, but with its light as well which serves to enhance the already present soft yellow glow emanating from the light fixtures above. Positioned on either side of the fireplace are two tables with chairs that are in all likelihood considerably older than myself. But with age their comfort has somehow been enhanced. With time, their inexplicable power to hold you there admiring everything around you, made stronger. Again… simplicity and class are the name of the game.
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Last, but certainly not least we have the staircase leading to the chambers above. It would be inappropriate of me to call them rooms as they exhibit far too much class for such a title. And while the chambers are certainly nice, its the paths one must take to get there that I find most interesting. The house is like a maze and I got lost multiple times trying to find my room / escape to the outside, but the scenery along the way was just like the rest of the house… simple and classy. This staircase was one of my favorites, even though the only reason I happened upon it was because I was lost. In actuality my room was on the first floor, but while trying to find my way back to the lobby I mysteriously found myself on the second floor… don’t ask.
And that concludes the Warminster portion of this trip. I would have liked to take more photos outside (we passed by Stone Hedge on our way to the hotel), but the incessant rain prevented me from doing so. Stay tuned for the London portion of the trip where we depart from the old and classy and enter the ultra modern and sophisticated.
Beacon Hill First Snow
Dec 3rd
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I said in my last post that the photo I was posting would be the last one from Boston for a few days. That’s before I stepped outside and realized that Boston just had its first snowfall. Such a thing necessitates at least one photograph, so here it is… and I’m off to work.