Ice-Out. January 31, 2013
Posted by littlebangtheory in Action/Adventure.Tags: Connecticut River, deerfield river, frazil ice, ice-out, Salmon Falls, Shelburne Falls
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Temps in the 50’s and a heavy rain overnight have flushed the Deerfield clean of its frazil ice, as well as its shoreline shelf ice. All of it went over the dam at Shelburne Falls:
It’s looking a lot like a Spring thaw there; hope that wasn’t it!
As a side note, I had occasion to cross the Connecticut river this afternoon, and got a chance to wave “Buh-Bye” to said ice! 🙂
Rising Waters. March 8, 2011
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: Buckland, deerfield river, mists, rainbow, Salmon Falls, Shelburne, Spring flood
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It’s a sure sign of Spring’s approach when the Deerfield begins to rise, and though it’s not really in “Spring Flood” stage, it’s certainly up from a couple of days ago.
The dam at Salmon Falls:
…and looking upriver from the Buckland side:
Up close it’s a swirling miasma of mists, making one grateful for the railing at the overlook:
That’s a far cry and a deep shudder from the idyllic swimming hole of Summer.
And yet, above the tumult hovers a reminder that there’s beauty in everything, if one looks at it in the right light:
It’s hard to believe the high country is still so tightly gripped by Winter, but it is!
More on that, next.
Up Country. February 26, 2011
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: barns, cows, dams, horses, rivers, Salmon Falls, Spring, trucks, winter
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Trucks sleep up in the fields of Shelburne after the last big storm:
Cattle daydreaming about green grass in Hawley:
A workhorse grown coarse and shaggy for the season:
…while in the valley below, Salmon Falls saves itself for Spring:
It’s a little farther along down in the flat-lands of Franklin County, but even here there’s a change in the air, a feeling that Winter is dying as Spring struggles to be born.
Salmon Falls Sunrise. December 12, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: deerfield river, Salmon Falls, Shelburne Falls
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Saturday’s sunrise wasn’t what I’d hoped for, that is, worth getting up in the pre-dawn darkness on my day off. The skies were primarily densely overcast, with an unfortunate clear band on the eastern horizon.
While it didn’t result in the glory I had witnessed in my rear view mirror on the way to work on Friday, it did make for this interesting reflection shot:
Shooting into the sun is always tricky, but I liked the “ghost” in the lower part of the shot, which rescues the placid waters above the Shelburne Falls dam from being a pointless swath of gray.
The falls themselves were beginning to ice up, and I took advantage of the low light to get this long exposure:
Here’s a closer look at a part of that scene, with the light having come up a bit as I snapped away happily in the brisk morning air:
As morning broke full-on, I headed up river for a day of chasing water and ice.
More on that as I process the pics.
Colors Of Spring. April 3, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature, macro photos.Tags: gneiss, golden, moss, Salmon Falls, Spring
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No, not flowers, though there will be plenty of those soon enough.
Today I have a pair of sensorial opposites. First, the lithic permanence of the granitic gneiss of Salmon Falls:
…the intriguing geometry and variegated colors of which never cease to amaze me; and second, a softer vision – a tiny snippet of a bed of golden moss:
…found glowing in the late day sun, as it is wont to do. The delicate intricacy of this stuff always stuns me, and I’ll doubtless bore you with it as Spring progresses. Consider it a weakness of mine, and forgive me my trespasses, as I’ll forgive those who tread unaware on such delicate beauty.
Ruby Tuesday – Back At The Falls. March 29, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature, Ruby Tuesday!.Tags: dam, glass blower, library, Ruby Tuesday!, Salmon Falls, Shelburne, Spring
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It’s officially Spring, and the Deerfield River is cresting the dam at Salmon Falls, down in the center of the village of Shelburne Falls, MA. It’s a mesmerizing sight, sonically overwhelming and totally humbling to a mere mortal:
The glassblower’s shop provides just enough rubiliciousness to allow me to sneak this one into this meme.
Farther up the hill, the Shelburne Free Public Library radiates yet more Ruby into the cosmos:
The Falls may have been taking liberties with “the ruby thing,” but this one hits that nail more squarely on the head. 🙂
For more Random Rubiage visit Mary over at Work of the Poet!
A Stealth Shoot. January 9, 2010
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: access, deerfield river, half moon, Salmon Falls, sunrise
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The local landmark known as “The Pot-Holes,” a.k.a. Salmon Falls on the Deerfield river, has of late been heavily posted “No Trespassing,” and in fact fenced off with a quite formidable deployment of barbed wire.
I protest.
Yes, I understand that every summer throngs of people descend on it, lying about in the sun, littering like it didn’t matter, and jumping off high ledges into pools of exceedingly variable depth. And yes, I know that almost yearly, some city-boob out to prove that Darwin was right, follows a local kid off a high perch and misses the “sweet spot” and has to be helicoptered out on a long board, and that sometimes they don’t make it.
That, I contend, is the price of freedom, the dance of life and death, the continuing story of existence on a planet fraught with hazards and opportunities, but it is not a valid reason to deprive me (or anyone else) of my right to access to public property.
And year-round waterways are, below their usual high water mark, exactly that.
Here are some legally acquired shots of Salmon Falls, with the circuitous approach managed in the pre-dawn twilight so as not to bother the natives.
A half-moon over the hamlet of Shelburne Falls:
Strangely beautiful disks of ice twirl and spin on their laps ’round the eddies as the eastern sky pinks up:
They gather beneath the falls, witnesses to the new dawn:
…and here’s a redux of the first shot, now in the dawn’s early light:
The skies were less than ideal on this exploratory outing and I lacked a few crucial gear items, but I’m expecting to return soon, having ‘scoped things out and assured myself of the access/accessibility.
See you then.
A Season Of Black And White. December 19, 2009
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: birds on a wire, black and white, deerfield river, Mole Hollow Candles, Salmon Falls, tilt-shift photography
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The Holidays notwithstanding, the weather around here provides a palette of black and white and shades of gray.
Rather than wrestling that into some kind of faux-technicolor, I’ve stripped these shots down to their monochromal essences.
A gone-by Queen Anne’s lace gathers the freezing mist below Mole Hollow Candle Company at Salmon Falls:
And Birds on a Wire above a power station on the Deerfield River:
These were both done with Elliot, my 24mm tilt-shift lens, allowing me to bring in a couple of different elements of each.
Hope you like them.
A Very Fine Day October 22, 2007
Posted by littlebangtheory in Art and Nature.Tags: Mt. Greylock, Salmon Falls, waterfalls
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So today went pretty well for this purportedly lost soul. I slept in a bit (I’m usually up fairly early for work,) then hustled up into the hills in time to see the mist rising off the Deerfield River:
Then, energized by the cool, crisp air, I kept driving all the way to Mount Greylock, highest point in the state (3,491 feet. I know Phy, I’m a flatlander!) Took the Money Brook Trail to just short of its intersection with the summit auto road
It was beautiful, and cool enough to make me want to hustle to keep warm.
Then back home to the valley, where it was… SHIRT-SLEEVE WEATHER!
So off I went to Salmon Falls, ten minutes to the East and a very nice spot on a warm afternoon:
Aahhh, lying in the sun with the sound of the falls sending the troubled world packing. It’s a beautiful place, famous for its glacial plunge-pools (a.k.a. “The Pot-Holes.”)
I noodled around there ’till the air cooled and the sun’s rays slanted perceptibly, then headed for higher ground in time for a memorable sunset:
No camera tricks there folks, just point and shoot.
There are worse places to be alone.
Little Bang Theory 