on the bridge

on the bridge, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

The girls peek out from the bridge. Taken in Forest Park, Springfield, MA on April 27, 2008

Barney mausoleum

Barney mausoleum, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

This is the mausoleum near the carriage house that I mentioned the other day. It has elaborate stone carvings, iron & bronze work, and a carved sphinx at either end. The staircases are also on both ends, and they split at the bottom. You can see more shots of the mausoleum in my Flickr set of Forest Park. It's surrounded by a high iron fence, an unfortunate necessity in the city.

Taken in Forest Park, Springfield, MA on April 27, 2008

first apple blossoms

first apple blossoms, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

These delicate pink apple blossoms were found in Forest Park, Springfield, MA on April 27, 2008

carriage house

carriage house, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

This is the carriage house for the old Barney Estate, now Forest Park in Springfield, MA. You can rent it out for parties, receptions, and such now. It's in a lovely spot, surrounded by trees and flowers. The estate house itself is now gone, but the family's mausoleum is nearby. Taken on April 27, 2008

first dogwood

first dogwood, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

This is the first dogwood in bloom that I've seen this season. Taken at Forest Park in Springfield, MA on April 27, 2008

burst

burst, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

I found this lovely flower last Sunday in Grandmother's Garden in Westfield, MA. Taken on April 20, 2008

pink and blue

pink and blue, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

The crabapple trees are in bloom down at Heritage Park in East Longmeadow, MA. Taken on April 25, 2008

fiddlin'

fiddlin', originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

Fuzzy ferns emerge from the leaf litter at Heritage Park in East Longmeadow, MA. Taken on April 23, 2008

signs of spring

signs of spring, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

The progression of spring: the life of a daffodil. The above was taken on March 9.

This one was taken on March 26:



This one on April 6:



And this one on April 22:



All taken by the chapel in Pine Hill Cemetery, Westfield, MA

look at meeeee!

look at meeeee!, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

Gorgeous white daffodils (or are they narcissus?) in front of the chapel in Pine Hill Cemetery, Westfield, MA. Taken on April 22, 2008

starz

starz, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

I found these lovely little flowers in the woods at the wildlife sanctuary by Stanley Park in Westfield, MA on April 20, 2008

crossing, and not

crossing, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

I went back to the wildlife sanctuary by Stanley Park yesterday, and the stream was back down to a trickle. I was able to cross over to the island and roam around in the woods there.

This is what it looked like two weeks ago, in the same spot:



Taken in Westfield, MA on April 20 and April 5, 2008

pillowy

pillowy, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

The magnolia is in bloom at Grandmother's Garden in Westfield, MA. Taken on April 20, 2008

fuzzy

fuzzy, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

I"m not sure what type of tree this is, but the overall effect of these fuzzy catkins was like a soft green halo. Found at the borderline of Stanley Park and the wildlife sanctuary, Westfield, MA, on April 19, 2008

petaled

petaled, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

Warm, sunny weather the past few days has brought out the tulips in Stanley Park. Taken in Westfield, MA on April 19, 2008

Foggy's Mountain

Foggy's Mountain, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

This is a really interesting gravestone in Pine Hill Cemetery, Westfield, MA. It's been there for at least as long as I've lived here, which is six years. Foggy himself passed away last year. It's a scene of a mountainside, with "Foggy's Mountain" carved on the bottom. The detail is incredible:











All taken on April 15, 2008

painted with the sky

painted with the sky, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

I took a walk in the cemetery around sunset yesterday, and the way the light caught this urn was just lovely. Taken at Pine Hill Cemetery, Westfield, MA on April 15, 2008

I took this one a few moments earlier, and from a different angle:

fuzzy and yellow

fuzzy and yellow, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

The first dandelion of the season! Taken in East Longmeadow, MA on April 15, 2008

lined up

lined up, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

More daffodils from yesterday at Stanley Park. They're so cheerful! Taken on April 12, 2008

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth

pair

pair, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

At last, the daffodils at Stanley Park are in bloom! Taken in Westfield, MA on April 12, 2008

old mill building

old mill building, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

This is the back of the old mill building at the Mill at Crane Pond. There are shops, offices, and other businesses in there now. Taken in Westfield, MA on April 9, 2008

Crane pond

Crane pond, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

I took a walk down to the mill at Crane Pond yesterday, where the trees are budding and the water reflects the sky. Taken in Westfield, MA on April 9, 2007

shaded

shaded, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

Reflections of a tangle of branches at the edge of the Little River in the wildlife sanctuary near Stanley Park, Westfield, MA. Taken on April 5, 2008

heh

For a photo blog, this is pretty good:

TV Reviews

free

free, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

A bridge in the wildlife sanctuary by Stanley Park in Westfield, MA, takes you across the stream, which is very high right now. Taken on April 5, 2008.

Here is the same bridge three weeks ago, still covered in ice & snow:



Taken on March 16, 2008

placid

placid, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

Reflections on the Little River in the wildlife sanctuary by Stanley Park, Westfield, MA. Taken on April 5, 2008

I can has veggieburger?

I can has veggieburger?, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

This is what happens when I spend too much time looking at Lolcats: I'm inspired to make one from one of my own photos. Taken in the driveway of my apartment complex in Westfield, MA, on October 14, 2007, and made with fd's Flickr Toys. See the original here.

fooled me!

fooled me!, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

I was walking through the cemetery the other day, when I spotted bright yellow through the trees on a hillside. Excited, I clambered up through ankle-deep dead leaves and numerous saplings, only to find that it was fake daffodils that had most likely fallen from one of the gravesites above. I took a picture of them anyway, to have something to show for all my trouble. :)

Taken at Pine Hill Cemetery, Westfield, MA on March 30, 2008

melted

melted, originally uploaded by LizzieBelle Too.

The ice has finally melted from the pond at Stanley Park in Westfield, MA.

I didn't notice until today that it looks like there are people standing on the roof of the covered bridge; they're actually on the hill behind it. :)

Taken on March 30, 2008