Friday, November 28, 2008

Goodbye to the Flag, hello to the Ice.

As you can see, the view of Mt. Tom from the 'west bank' of the Nashwannuck Pond is unobstructed once again. Seeing the American flag flying majestically over the pond is cool for a while, definitely around Memorial Day and even through July 4th, but I do miss being able to take shots of Mt. Tom that don't have to be Photoshop'ed to restore the natural view. How do you feel about that flag? Just curious.

I'll try to hold my commentary on that topic, especially since tension is already high with the city's crackdown on all the evil and hazardous sandwich boards in town.

On a lighter note, here are a few shots from today's little stroll around the pond. And another one of my nature videos.

Last I read in the Gazette, dredging of the pond is set to commence within a couple weeks. Perhaps we can consider these 'before shots'... You can be sure I'll be out there capturing all the dredging action. It's hard to imagine the pond all emptied out. I will miss the ice fishing action this winter. And the occasional skate around on the rare spell when the ice is smooth and snowfree.






And a short video, as promised...


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

the video should cut to a Ric Astley video...rickroll

elteegee said...

I think the flag is fine for Memorial Day, the 4th, etc. But I'd prefer it not be out there all the time like it is since it does change the natural view of the mountain. Of course, anyone who dares to suggest that American flags should not always fly on every available venue every second of the day risks all kinds of nutjob comments and accusation of being unpatriotic etc. But honestly, the flag is something I think is cheapened by plastering it everywhere - most especially when people sport weird flag design on their clothing. Given that natural views can also inspire patriotism without a giant flag plastered in the middle of every view, I'd rather see the flag used more sparingly on the pond. That said, it'll never happen because some people just can't see their way past black and white thinking on this topic. Too bad.

Just my two cents! Thanks for the video!

Anonymous said...

I am a avid reader of your Blog and frequent visitor to the shop. I just wanted to say Hi and comment quick. Not on the flag just on the pond. I agree and have also thought about shooting some before and after the dredging photos. It would be a great little series to have. Good luck to you and maybe I will see you out there shooting.

Anonymous said...

Nice photos Jim!

I agree with LT Garcia: the flag over the pond all the time is too much of a good thing (but then again, I'm a little OCD, and have to cut all the tags out of my shirts).

I love the flags hung all down Pleasant Street around Memorial Day and the 4th (and then taken down after some reasonable amount of time), I just think the natural view of the pond & mountain don't need any man-made, brightly-colored "branding" in order to broadcast "I am America." And also, as I mentioned elsewhere, the way it's displayed (unlit at night; left out in inclement weather) is improper.

Ah, well, there is always Photoshop.

Love the blog.

Nicole said...

Isn't it funny that the people who are obsessed with plastering the flag everywhere don't care about the proper way to display it (as Trace mentioned- the lighting, weather, condition of the flag, etc.)?

That view of the range and the pond make Easthampton what it is. I love seeing it unobstructed. For that same reason I wish they would bury the telephone poles/lines. I guess the town's money is going to fix that crater in the bike path first though, eh?