View from UMass Amherst today

UMass Amherst is constantly in a state of flux. Buildings come and buildings go. The campus is an old one and the map is always changing. I got a tip that the horse barn was being hauled away so I went up to the 23rd floor of the library with my camera in hand to see what I could see. While I was there I decided to do a lap around the building and get photos of many of the other changes as well.

 So first off we have the horse barn next to Blaisdell house being torn down. It's supposed to be rebuilt in North Amherst but what we're seeing here is just a pile of kindling. I don't think THIS pile is being rebuilt.

 

Then we skip over to the parking lot by the Mullins Center for those of you who haven't been on campus in a ocuple of years. A solar canopy was installed last summer and it's pretty nice under there.  In the far back you can see what we used to call the "mud lots" and today they have cars in them as our beloved Jehovah Witnesses are on campus for the weekend.

Back for another look at the horse barn and then down to Commonwealth College. Commonwealth College sits on land that used to be parking lots and tennis courts. Again, it's not brand new but if you haven't been around in a few years maybe you'll be surprised by it.

Here's some new construction over in front of the Fine Arts Center. It's Isenberg School of Management getting a MAJOR expansion. I haven't walked over to see this up close yet, but from the library it looks massive.

 Do you think the days of this athletic field are numbered? I'm always kind of surprised to see it's still here, in prime real estate, at the heart of campus.

Below we have a view of the Old Chapel. Hard to tell from this side but on the side away from the camera they have done a major overall. It's a mix of modern and history.

 Another shot of the field and then a view of the three fountains in the campus pond. Not sure if they are working right. Pond is looking kind of gross at this point in the summer.

 Moving on we have a fairly new classroom building. It's got a grass roof and is tucked right next to Hasbrouck and the Campus Center. Below a closer view of that roof.

 If you haven't seen the new design building all finished then here it is. That rectangle in the background is next on the Umass chopping block. Hills will be coming down shortly.

 Couldn't resist a picture of the view facing toward the uphill side of campus. It's just such a pretty day out there. Below another shot of the Metawampe Lawn and the newish construction there.

 Looking at the Lederle Graduate Research Tower (LGRT) and there is just a hint of green smidge in the picture. That's more construction. New science space.

 Mount Sugarloaf in the distance. Nice day for a view... and then another attempt at that green smudge but not much of a view from here for it.

 And I guess that's it!

Pretty foggy August morning

Beautiful chilly morning outside today. I didn't see any herons on the lake, only fog. Didn't think that was picture-worthy. When I got to the center of town though I saw a deer grazing gently across the street from the highway department. I've seen deer and moose here before so I wasn't surprised. I took pictures with my new phone. They are kind of small I think. Maybe not the best-

This has me thinking that even though I CAN take pictures with the phone it doesn't mean I SHOULD take pictures with the phone. Def not the best for sharing.

Later I was driving past Haskins Meadow on the Amherst/Leverett line. It was a pretty morning as I said. Typical. I past this scene every day and it's gorgeous. I looked at the clock as I drove by and then turned around and parked the car and got out. This time I reached for the camera in my bag instead of my phone. Much better quality and the walk along the road was worth it. I imagine my fellow morning commuters thought I was nuts. Sometimes I see deer or turkeys here. Today it was just the tractor, no farmer even. Still beautiful!

What do you think? Camera wins over the phone, doesn't it? Maybe I should do something more with these. Not sure what.

Forget-Me-Not Season at Lake Wyola

I've had this blog now for about five years and sometimes it's challenging to decide when to post and when not to post. I didn't post all winter because I've posted pictures of winter at the lake before and I didn't want to seem too repetititive.

Spring is here now, with summer around the corner. Yesterday we stopped by the state park in the afternoon to enjoy the forget-me-nots so I thought I'd share (and of course I had to sneak one picture of the fishing dock on the beach too.)

And one more of the boat on the shore just because the water is still kind of low ...

 Across the street at the parking lot I took a few more. I've posted similar pictures before but couldn't resist doing it again--

 When I checked this phone booth a couple of months ago it wasn't working. I'm thinking it might get activated again around Memorial Day. I will give it a check at the end of the month..

Birds by the river

Took my daughter to Unity Park in Turners Falls last week which is along the Connecticut River. I'm not sure how visible they are but there were some swans that caught my eye as well as some other birds. I did my best with pictures but it wasn't easy. I had one eye on the playground and one eye on the river as I did this.

First the swans...

Then a pair of ducks...

The view with Barton's Cove in the distance...

Geese on a piece of wood...

There is something out there on one of the orange buoys but I couldn't tell what it was. I tried different angles and I gave my wimpy zoom all the zoom I could but I still have no idea what I was looking at.