The Poet's Perspective

The Wonders of Autumn

Photo Essay-Monarchs, Sunsets and The Zen of VW repair.

Welcome to The Poet's Perspective. Today I'll be presenting a photo essay of autumn scenes and shots  from this morning's adventure.

Enjoy!

                                                                 Monarchs In Hyannisport

Fall colors-Harwich

East Reservoir-towards Bell's Neck

Hacker Conservation Area,  Harwich

Sunset at Gray's Beach, Yarmouthport

       It's strange how items from the past can revisit us. For me it culminated with an e-mail from a woman who saw this blog, and asked if I had sold her husband a VW Bus in 1998. Indeed I had. Her husband, John, had unfortunately succumbed to cancer several years ago.

She insisted that John would want me to have the Bus, so she offered it back. It was most likely good only for parts, in serious disrepair, but my excitement was still brisk.

I purchased this Bus 19 years ago, as an 18 year-old who had big dreams and scant resources. I installed an extended roof and called it home. Being young, scared and homeless seemed far less gruesome with this home on wheels.

     As time passed I eventually sold it to a friend, who fell ill and lost it at a storage auction. My cousin won the auction. I purchased it for the second time.

       I then resold it to John in 1998. According to his parents, he drove it all over the country. At some point he succumbed to cancer and the vehicle sat for a few years.

I  took in the orphan  last week and saw that my old riveted bodywork held up.(I hadn't yet learned to weld) I still saw signs of its past life, and remembered harder times when it carried me where I needed to go.

    I have been slowly dismantling it for useful parts

                         This morning's mission was to pull the engine.

                                 Lining up the necessary equipment-  8AM

                                                       Basic connections removed,

                                                       Raised and Supported-  8:40

Engine out-9:45 AM

My love for old VWs continues.

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The Old King's Ghosts

Poetry and Photos for October

By Jonathan Mayo

Welcome to The Poet's Perspective. I have always been fond on October, Libra as I am.

Today I'll be sharing a new poem for Halloween on Cape Cod, some other recent work and photos from Osterville to Brewster.

Enjoy!

The Old King’s Ghosts

Now we’ve all heard the tale of old Ichabod Crane.

But what say you of local hauntings with lesser claims to fame?

They come this time of year, when the leaves turn yellow and red.

A grisly procession of clicking bones, the sinewy corps of the dead-

They prefer the Old King’s Highway, 6A as it’s known today.

Where with darkness dwells an evil so hellish, you’ll swear you can smell the decay.

The cemeteries sit high on the north side, although…

Its occupants repose in sodden holes, clammy, cold and low.

What tragic lives they led, mere mortals may ne’er see.

But these addled ghosts at their lookout posts keep eyes out for you and me.

On Cobb’s Hill in the village the bony skeletons walk.

With no tongues inside their bright white skulls, they all are loath to talk.

So instead they moan dryly, and haunt the villagers so.

So beware O’ children on all Hallow’s Eve, be careful where you go.

In the marshes dwell the ghosts of many shipwrecked souls.

Who relive their final moments as the mighty ocean rolls-

Go not therefore beachside on All Hallow’s Eve.

Lest ye catch sights so frightful, your eyes refuse belief.

At Scargo Hill, the dastardly demons know the drill.

From tower-top they belly-flop, explode and scream so shrill.

In Sesuit Harbor, a ghostly floater bobs and dips at the whims of the tides,

His grey self bloated, and features exploded, in the pickling only fine brine provides.

In the bonny flats of Brewster dwells a clammer who one day was stuck.

Drowned by the tide, with his bucket beside, Do hide! He now runs amuck!

So Beware O’ Children, of the Old King’s Ghosts-

Who patrol the coast in search of new hosts-

Be wary of what you see and believe.

Keep your guard on this All Hallow’s Eve!

                                               The Detective of Joy

To seek joy oft seems a detective’s task.

Trenchcoats collared high to cut the wind.

When the seeker learned long past not to ask-

It’s an ancient art to know how to begin.

Slinking forward to peer ‘round crumbling corners-

Looking into the eye of the sky and the tides-

Joy’s detective begs questions at the borders.

To know the inner peace such joy provides.

But the detective’s task is never done.

Across hills and dales elusive joys run-

To chase such culprits yields a thrill few will know.

The emptiness of failure, most would sooner forego.

But the detective isn’t in it for bling-

As the birds need no gold to coyly sing-

 Faithful Maidens

She awakes to the stillness of the waters at dawn.

Slippers on, then shoreward her feet are drawn.

She glimpses the horizon in hopes of a return.

Half a hemisphere away, he tends his powder burns.

Morning greeted by the smoke of ordnance.

Browning street-blood, teeth-clenching vigilance-

She reflects on the sweetness of the letters he’d send.

He spits sand and questions if he’ll ever feel again.

The story is repeated in boroughs near and far.

Faithful maidens cry, seeking answers from the stars.

All text and photos Copyright 2009 Jonathan Mayo

From Top-

1.Yarmouth

2.Nickerson State Park, Brewster

3&4. Micah's Pond, Osterville

5.Nickerson State Park, Brewster

6. Grasshopper- Nickerson State Park, Brewster

7.Beech Leaf Island-Centerville

8&9.Nickerson State Park, Brewster

     I am accepting new work  for winter garden preparation, bulb planting and fall cleanups. Contact me for details.

Here you see what a little love can do-deep seeding+careful maintenance= perfect grass.

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The Opulence Of Highfield Hall

Welcome to The Poet’s Perspective. I recently had the opportunity to visit Highfield Hall in Falmouth. This Queen Anne style mansion was built in 1875 and restored impeccably between 2001 and 2007.

    The place has an opulence rarely seen, correct to the tiniest detail. The first thing I noticed upon entering  Highfield was the lack of creaks that so often plague older houses. It seems the restorers made sure every joint was tight.

   The history of Highfield Hall is worth noting. James Beebe, a dry goods magnate, purchased 700 acres in 1872, just uphill from the recently built train station in Falmouth. The train was integral to area’s new development, as now wealthy summer folks could arrive quickly and comfortably.

    Beebe’s Children then built Highfield.

“Brothers Pierson and Franklin and

sister Emily built a lavish "summer cottage"                      

in the Queen Anne stick style modeled after

 the British Pavilion in the great 1876

Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Highfield Hall was completed in 1878, and its sister mansion, Tanglewood, where the J. Arthur Beebes took up residence, was finished in 1879. Thus began over fifty years of Beebes living and entertaining in their "summer cottages"at Highfield. In its heyday, the hill must have been a bustling scene. The miles of carriage trails, riding trails, gardens, two huge homes, and numerous outbuildings required a small army of servants to maintain. The Beebes even started a farm on Shore Street to provide produce for their Falmouth

and Boston residences.”  

http://www.highfieldhall.org/history.htm

     This is how I remember Highfield looking when I frequented the area as a teenager in the mid 80’s

Photo Courtesy of  Highfield Hall

The Restoration of Highfield Hall was an enormous undertaking.

Read details here.

http://www.highfieldhall.org/history.htm#Restoration

The following photos are from my recent tour.

3 comments »

Keep Walkin' Old Man

Photos and Poetry

Welcome to The Poet’s Perspective. I’d like to share some recent photos and poetry.  The Cape Cod Autumn is in full-swing. Recently I have visited the Fort Hill Area, where I enjoyed a stormy Saturday’s walk, marveling at the colors in the pasture just above Nauset Marsh.

     In the Red Maple Swamp a hawk perched on the highest branch and posed there for over 15 minutes, angling his or her wings this way and that, perhaps to dry them, exercise them or to merely show off. Regardless, the hawk’s eminence was without argument. The bird saw farther and wider than any creature around, and seemed to enjoy that perch.

    Nickerson State Park is great this time of year. I have been riding all the way out to area 7, where the beauty is now more open to appreciation.

    In the Hacker Wetlands of Harwich, the foliage is beginning to turn, and the area’s resident Great Blue Heron seeks the quiet corners.

    It’s important to for us all to find that little place where peace dwells.

Keep Walkin’

Keep walkin’ old man; circle ‘round the lane.

Tell me of the days before the motorcar came.

I know why you walk, for to stop would be unwise.

These elder days on sunny lanes therefore come as no surprise.

 You walk all sage and silent so.

  And though my stride is thrice as wide-

The wisdom I sense is dense and ergo.

I wonder at what brilliance time will deny.

So keep walkin’ old man, worry not for me.

I have my own glories and losses to foresee.

Atop shoulders like yours I’ll seek a new view.

Prodded forth by modern times, so too goeth you-

Autumn Pasture

Rose hips. Luscious red, rosa rugosa-

Yellow ragweed, the genus once dubbed “ambrosia”

Wild purple aster, of rarest beauty in a dewy mist-

Deep earthy tones of ferns gone past, a shade that shan’t be missed-

Deep scarlet shows itself, rhus radicans,

Mimicked by the saplings of hopeful sassafras-

Yellow bittersweet berries hang sullen and slack.

Grapevines all scatter, ropelike and black.

Virginia Creeper snakes through it all.

The elements join in a festival of fall.

Amongst the thorns the birds can hide.

Or wing fancifully thru pastures far and wide.

To bring songs just as timeless as the marsh from which we came.

We pray that ages hence, some bits remain the same.

Forever 30

Why must you be forever 30?

Your first breath drawn in ’53-

I wish you the grace of greater age.

To see the world beyond ’83-

Oh so much has changed, do you know it to be true?

At times I spy a tumultuous sky and look for signs of you.

As once did a boy, looking skyward in despair-

Propelled then celestially in hopes you rested there.

Calmly watching o’er the flock.

Photos and Text Copyright 2009 Jonathan Dean Mayo

Index of Photos From Top

                     Namskaket Creek, Orleans

                      Hawk poses at Red Maple Swamp-Fort Hill.

                       Hacker Wetlands and Harwich Sky

                       Pasture above Nauset Marsh

                    White Pine Grove,  Nook Rd. Trail, Nickerson State Park, Brewster

2 comments »

YFD Carnival- Safety & Fun

      Welcome to The Poets Perspective. Today I'll be sharing material from the Fire Prevention Annual Carnival, held October 3rd at West Yarmouth Fire Dept, 520 Buck Island Rd.

       Representatives from YFD, The State Police and The DCR conducted demonstrations, gave safety tips and supervised fun games for the kids, including a moon bounce, ball tossing games and dunk the firefighter. Thankfully the dunkee had a wet suit.

Refreshments were served for free, including popcorn, hot dogs, candy and much more.    

                   Here we see the Fire Safety House, which helps train firefighters.

 This firefighter described for children the dangers lurking in the houseshold.

This control room allows trainers to  produce smoke, or kill the lights whilst training firefighters for cramped, low visibility exercises.

Many portions of the trailer feature 4 foot ceilings. The kids thought it was very cool!

              Lt. Jamie Armstrong, who deals with Fire safety and training, manned

a booth where interested folks could get information and handy reference

 materials for emergency response.

       Firefighter Kevin Enright ran a booth concerned with car seat safety. He described the program, which started 8 years ago and is staffed by volunteers. Among its community-based activites are classes for new parents, held at Cape Cod Hospital. We applaud these efforts on behalf of the community.

Seth Sullivan, Assistant District Fire Warden for The Bureau of Forest Fire Control, poses with Smokey The Bear. He took the time to show his Apparatus, which features off-road capability, 250 gallons of water, 8 gallons of foam and a plethora of firefighting equipment.

    Mr. Sullivan, A Brewster native,  shared the little-known fact that SE Massachusetts is second or third to California, in terms of forest fire frequency.

     He described the huge fire of 1957, which started in the Miles Standish State Forest and burned over 15,000 acres, after jumping across Route 3. 

Below we see his apparatus.

 A State Trooper showed his accelerant sniffing dog, a playful Yellow Lab/Golden Retriever Mix.

He sought some volunteers and placed a drop of kerosene on one shoe.

The dog alerted to the kerosene.

Later he acted as a canine vacuum cleaner, snuffling up bits of popcorn that had been dropped on the floor.

Representatives from Canco showed sprinkler options. Servpro and Disaster Specialists discussed their fire restoration services.

I want to offer thanks to the firefighters, DCR, State Police, volunteers and other contributors.

The kids were able to learn valuable information while having fun. It doesn't get any better than that.

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