Progress of the Progress*

This morning I'm leaving Barrington Rhode Island, a satellite of Providence, where my brother and sister-in-law and niece live. Barrington is a lovely little Eastern community threaded around inlets of the sea. My brother is a psychologist and his wife a scientist, and my niece a fifth grader. Their neighborhood is very close to the city, but very private and quiet, and their house, which is the perfect size for three people, strikes a balance between simplicity and graciousness and welcoming comfort. I got to drop in on a typical day. We picked up my niece at school, went for ice cream, then watched her at karate class, where she did her routines with the fluid confidence of a dancer. Then home for a truly homemade dinner. Scott and Tetiana are among the few people I know who eat only real food.

I've mostly left the camera alone so far this trip, preferring to experience things without its mediation, and I haven't taken a good picture so far. Normally, my shooting is about split: half a striving for pictures that work as pictures, and half simple journaling, recording a few of the things that go by. So far, this trip, it's all been the latter type.

My 24mm lens failed miserably at karate class; I really needed that 12-35mm zoom I want.

In an hour I leave for Cambridge, Massachusetts, to visit my dear mother, who is now 80, and my stepfather, who is the same age but still works at Harvard. Later tonight I'll leave Cambridge headed for Vermont.

I've been blessed with a lovely drive so far, with amenable weather and relatively little traffic. Upstate New York is gorgeous, especially with the fall color nearing peak. With all the talk that this country generates around the world and here, one thing we frequently don't bother to mention is what a beautiful place it is. Even with the population increasing, there are still vast tracts of relatively open land between the ribbons of highways and the far-flung cities and towns. Especially where the hills grow steeper and wide you can appreciate this. America really is "the beautiful."

Mike

*In the old sense of "a going on, the action moving forward." In the 16th century, a "progress" was an entourage moving about the countryside. Of course I don't have an entourage; it's just me in my slick little ultrahonda with the smooth stick shift.

ADDENDUM: I failed to credit Kye Wood for the tip that resulted in yesterday's post. Sorry, Kye, and thanks. And see Stan Rogers' comment to that post; he explains my position well (note that I'm not featuring comments during my trip.)

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Comments

[Bron]

Lo, much time has passed since the threat to divulge the identity of the new "Topmobile". My interest in cars and cameras is unabated, and this "aside", this brief hint of some "uber Honda" with a MT. Well, Sir, do tell! Speculation runs rampant. 8-)

[Michel]

Mike, glad you enjoyed our sleepy little town. We have called Barrington home since moving here four years ago. I continue to be thrilled that one option when I set out for a dog walk is to head to the beach.

[BH]

Mike, you haven't adjusted your sense of distance to Rhode Island standards. Barrington is "across the bridge" from Providence, and we only go there for special occasions. If I we're to move 20 minutes west to Barrington, I'd go from seeing my friends and family on a weekly basis to quarterly visits.

Hope you enjoyed your brief stay in our little state!

[Jerry Eisen]

I just got back to my home in Central Florida after a 7000 mile road trip that included the full length of Route 66. I must say, that we should all see the beauty and splendor of the USA before we rave about and tour the rest of the world. There is so much beauty to see in this county.

[Chris Mielke]

Isn’t that always the case when one has been lusting after a lens that we find all sorts of venues where it would have worked far better than what we have on hand.

[John MacKechnie]

Where are you going in VT. The leaves are early this year. You're in for a treat.

[dale]

Not sure where in upstate NY you are headed, but "Olana" is a neat side trip.

[David Bennett]

"..I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: All times I have enjoy'd
Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those
That loved me, and alone, on shore, and when
Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vext the dim sea: I am become a name;
For always roaming with a hungry heart.."

[Earl Dunbar]

As a (transplanted) resident of western New York (we distinguish ourselves from "upstate", which is a term most frequently used by denizens of NYC who consider any place where one cannot see the skyline as "upstate",) I can speak to how truly beautiful and wonderful New York state is. And so much of it is rural and wonderful. Sometimes I just drive south from Kodak-ville to achieve elevation and isolation, the 4x5 in tow just in case. And I seek out a real diner for breakfast either before or after exploring gravel back roads, depending on how early a start I was able to make.

As a former resident of Ontario, it is almost home. The Adirondacks have higher peaks than anything at home, but overall Ontario has more geographical and geological diversity and more water -- even though NY has a fair amount of waterways and lovely aquatic ecosystems. When I stop and consider, I realize how fortunate I am to have had the good fortune to live in both places.

Good travel, Mike.

[Edie Howe]

Be sure to visit Ha-vahd Square, and look for the law offices of Dewey, Cheetham & Howe. (No relation.)

[Ed L]

I own the Panasonic 14mm & 20mm primes and the Olympus 45mm & 75mm primes. You probably want the 45mm prime for Karate. And it's cheaper than either the Olympus 12-40mm zoom or the Panasonic 12-35mm zoom.

[Dennis Huteson]

Oh Mikey-Mikey-Mike. It's not the 24mm lens that let you down, it's your legs. Move forward =35mm...move backwards =12mm...simples.

[Steve Smith]

So Barrington is real? I thought it was just a town in Family Guy!

[Bruce]

"I've mostly left the camera alone" WOW!! take your time out to smell the roses.... but fill us up when you get home

[Stanley Ulbrych]

I'm in Riverside, next door to Barrington. No other comment, except sounds like you are having a good trip. Enjoy

But remember what Dorothy said "Theirs no place like home."