Fossils in the Limestone of Syracuse City Hall

A history of City Hall is here.

Clinton Block by Hall Groat, Hangs in the Syracuse Savings Bank: Detail of a Carriage Crossing the Old Erie Canal

Archimedes Russell and Melvin King: Onondaga County Courthouse

Street Art: Neighborhood Watch

West Onondaga St.: Sandstone Mansion

Boston: Evening in the North End

Boston: Irish Famine Memorial

Boston: Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, 2 views

Boston: Asaroton 1976 by Mags Harries

Asaroton 1976 by Mags Harries

These bronze sculptures and many more, laid into sidewalks and streets in Haymarket Square, mirror the condition of the square after the frequent produce markets in this large open space beside the North End. 

Asaroton refers to an ancient Roman, and earlier, floor mosaic technique and means "unswept floor." This link brings one to a wonderful collection of ancient examples.

Boston: Pilgrim John Eliot Straightens Out the Indians

This and three other high relief sculptures are on the upper facade of Congregational House, 14 Beacon St., the repository of Protestant New England history.

Boston: Street Art, Sculpture, Architecture, a Ghost Building

Veterans Day in Boston: Veterans for Peace

Veterans for Peace march in Boston in a separate parade immediately following veterans who are offended by the idea of an alternative view toward war. They are officially not permitted to march in the larger Veterans Day parade. 

On the progressive side, the LGBTQ group OutVet were allowed to march in the main parade for the first time this year.

New Hampshire: Waterville Valley

The Sky is Filled with Crows

Stillwater: Toward Evergreen Landing

Stillwater: Changeable Weather

Stillwater: Late Afternoon Light

Stillwater: Ephemeral Island Atop Esker

Stillwater: Landing

White Mountains: Mt. Tecumseh (4004')

I am a peak bagger. For many years my goal has been to reach the summits of the 48 peaks over 4000 feet in New Hampshire.

My first peak was Mt. Washington in 1956 with a group of girls from the summer camp in Vermont that I was lucky to attend. Mt. Washington, the tallest at 5288 feet, is the first mountain for many people. It is very high and the hike is above tree line for a long way from any direction, so the views are stunning.

To further the popularity of that area, Washington sits midway along a treeless range, the Presidentials. The views are exquisitely beautiful. The range is very dangerous in a storm and deserves every bit of respect it gets. There are huts an easy day's hike from one another along the range during the summer, which make a long traverse possible. What a place!

I climbed many of the peaks in the 1970s and 1980s, some solo and some with friends, and some more than once, while I lived in Vermont. After maybe 15 peaks, the bug to start counting bit me.

I climbed Mt. Tecumseh in the Waterville Valley last Thursday, alone and in intermittent rain with a bit of white stuff higher up. That's my #35! I have 13 left, some of which are isolated and difficult. I think I will have to move to New Hampshire next summer for several weeks for a big push! 

What keeps me going? The rare sense of complete joy upon reaching the ridge line, which is often near but not right at the summit cone. Reaching the summit gives me other feelings entirely having to do with lunch and the views.

NYC: Statue of Liberty

...from the National Park Service Website:

Liberty Enlightening the World

"The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886.  It was designated as a National Monument in 1924.  Employees of the National Park Service have been caring for the colossal copper statue since 1933.

This sonnet, written by American poet Emma Lazarus, is engraved on a bronze plaque inside the base of the statue:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Archimedes Russell: Crouse College at Syracuse University

Archimedes Russell, Architect

Built 1888-80

Nighttime pictures push the limits of my little camera.

I will return during daylight hours to explore 

this astonishing building inside and out.