Holiday Glow

Boston's Longfellow Bridge was shrouded in fog on Thanksgiving evening (top), and the frozen pond at the Public Gardens (bottom) drew local residents and holiday shoppers onto the ice.

Eating Out, Cautiously

With restaurants suffering during the pandemic, improvisation was key to creating experiences that allowed enough fresh air and space for safe dining. During the summer, tables spilled onto the streets and gave local cities a European look -- replete with opera singers performing from balconies in Boston's North End. As winter drew near, Covid igloos and domes sprang up as warm places to eat with members of the same household.

Essential Workers

Medical personnel, first responders and public retail workers were among the heroes making life possible during the pandemic. (top to bottom) EMT's raking an elderly man taken from a nursing home; a tribute of appreciation to a local nurse; grocery clerks in Chelsea, MA, the epicenter of Covid in Massachusetts for many months.  

Blue Moon

The Halloween Hunter's Blue Moon, as seen from Medford, MA.

Yankee Country

(top) A fiery red Sugar Maple tree and horse farm in Georgetown, MA; (bottom) Ward Hill Church of the King, Haverill, MA looks quintessentially New England, framed in fall colors.

Signs of the Times

A street person prays in Copley Square amid the first wave of Covid-19 in April; a reopened barbershop in Melrose, MA; boys playing catch outside of Fenway Park to the roar of taped fans; an appeal to prayer, Arlington, MA; Black Lives Matter protest, Lexington, MA; a church service in Lynn, MA.
 

Summer Solstice

The sun sets over Bentley University, Waltham, MA.

Lockdown

On March 23, Governor Baker announced his first stay-at-home advisory effective March 24. 

 

Before the Storm

We didn't know it, but Covid-19 had already arrived in the United States. Some last images of gatherings before the world headed into isolation. (top to bottom) 13,000 people at a Bernie Sanders rally, the last major Boston event before lockdown; locals walking up famed Acorn Street; guests at an annual dinner; an audience at Greentown Labs, Somerville.

Museum of Family Prayer

A church service of vow renewals that were televised at the Museum of Family Prayer, affiliated with the Holy Cross Ministries in Easton, MA.The Museum is devoted largely to Father Patrick Peyton, the international missionary who coined the phrase "The family that prays together stays together." I later learned that my mother dictated for him at the Vincentian Institute in Albany, NY.

Boomtown Economy

A variety of public relations assignments for IT firms, pharmaceuticals, colleges and more. 

 

New Leadership

Faculty members at a Boston area college work as educators, mentors and researchers. 

 

Tech Goes Home

From their tiny office in Boston, Tech Goes Home does big things for the cause of "digital equity," bringing hardware, internet, and training to those without real world computer skills.

Last Shows

Concert-going was nearing a long sabbatical. (top) John Doe (X and the Knitters) and Kristin Hersch (Throwing Muses) perform at the City Winery; (bottom) Henri Smith and the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble at the Regatta Bar, Cambridge.

Play Hard

Activity is king at the architecturally alluring North Hill Retirement Community in Needham, MA.

Speaking

Thomas Pickering, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations at Tufts University, and Valerie Tutson, African tradition storyteller, at the JFK Library. During Q&A, in a moment of candor, Pickering said 'There is some kind of an odd love affair between Trump and Putin.' 

 

 

 

 

Ring in the New Decade

Is it a NASA discovery, or fireworks over Boston? Below: Members of the Red Rebel Brigade, a climate change activist group, welcome the New Year.