Yesterday was almost as perfect a day as they come. While it was cloudy in the morning, the clouds cleared and the skies were blue for the remainder. The night before, Laura and I decided to head down to the used book store to see if they were selling anything on our lists. I can’t speak for hers, but mine has grown substantially since the last time we made a visit. It’s a far cry from last year at this time. Last year, I couldn’t think of one new book to read. This year, I’ve got about 20 different ideas. I don’t know where they came from either. They just popped in my head. And it’s a list of such random books too. From Star Wars to Sherlock Holmes to The Belgariad. At least they’re all interesting.
So that was the plan – head down to the bookstore, look for some books and then come back home. The thing is, once we left the store, the skies began clearing and for some reason, I began relaxing. Lately, I’ve been in such a rush to get nowhere. I decided that yesterday, since it was the day before Halloween and since it was supposed to rain today (Halloween), I better cool off and relax so Laura and I can enjoy ourselves. If there’s one person who gets in the way of having a good time, it’s probably me. We don’t talk about that though because I shine in other areas. Such as installing chimneys and building roads in the woods.
The book store has new owners. It’s pretty nice now. Not that it wasn’t nice before – it’s just that I can see a difference in the little things. Yesterday, I first noticed that my corner had changed. I usually run directly to this corner because it’s where all the Philosophy books are located and it’s where the Fiction section begins. Half the books on my list are fiction, so I felt it was a good place to start. The corner, that is.
Instead of an empty area, I discovered a chair and a lamp. I though that was a nice addition to an otherwise barren area.
Unfortunately, I was only able to locate one book I wanted to purchase and I wasn’t even the one who located it. It was Laura. She found me a nice hardcover copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Just $6 for that little beauty. I did manage to locate a few other books, but they were all in mass market paperback format and I can’t read those things. The print is just too small for these old eyes. I wear glasses now, you know. I did manage to find a copy of Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, but unfortunately, I didn’t need the civil disobedience part. I only wanted Walden. The search continues.
After a while, we left the store and that’s when I noticed how beautiful it had become outside. That’s when I shed my uptight self and thought it would be best if we walked around town for a bit. After all, Halloween was the next day and we hadn’t yet purchased a pumpkin to carve and really hadn’t taken notice of what a nice town like Farmington had to offer in the autumn of 2019. So we walked around and stopped every so often for a picture or two.
Farmington has a lot to offer. You simply have to stop and look around to see all of it. I’ve driven through this town so many times that I oftentimes overlook all its prettiness. Since I had my camera in hand, I captured what I could to show you. We began by walking through the park.
I wasn’t aware that the park had a name until I saw a sign that displayed it. It’s called Meetinghouse Park. That’s a good enough name as any.
Since it was so close to Halloween, it was only appropriate that we visit the town cemetery. We always manage to capture some of our better photography there. Yesterday, the lighting was good. I enjoyed the fact that the sun was hanging low in the sky to as to offer that long light photographers love so much.
The plan was to walk over to Tranten’s Market to see if they were selling pumpkins this year. We’ve seen pumpkins there in previous years and they’ve been on sale for around a dollar each. Since it was almost the holiday, I thought we’d find the same sale. My fingers were crossed.
To get to Tranten’s, we walked through the back alley to the main road. On the way, I discovered that Farmington has its very own escape room. I had no idea. I’ve toyed with the idea of doing one of these things, so we might have to try it out. This one is called The Underground.
We also noticed that someone had painted the alleyway orange and hung some lights as well. It was somewhat of a festive scene, even though we were the only ones there.
I guess Tranten’s made mo money on their pumpkins when they previously sold them because we couldn’t find even one in the store. There used to be a huge box with them all piled up, so I was especially disappointed. Because of that, we were unable to carve pumpkins this year. Not to worry though because we’ve already got big plans for next year.
The last item on our itinerary was to make a visit to Renys to pick up a few food items. I buy some ingredients for lunch in this store, so it’s in constant demand.
Yesterday, we were wondering what this building used to be. We suspect it may have housed some sort of school.
After Renys, we were off. We walked back to the car through the back way near the cemetery. The day was perfect. The weather, the vibe. Everything. Even the smell of those autumn leaves in the air.
Since I was in a different kind of mood, I thought I’d shake things up by taking an alternate route home. We usually drive on the busier of the two roads that lead to the same place, but since things were going so well, I figured a ride through the hills would be nice. It wasn’t until we were almost past another park that I decided to pull in for a quick five minute hike. Boy, I was really full of surprises. So spur of the moment.
This one is called Powder House Hill Trails and it’s got some great looking White Pine and Hemlock trees inside. It’s very well maintained and so beautiful.
And it’s in this park, my friends, that I decided to pose for a photo. I felt like the small bridges were calling my name. I still can’t figure out how to smile, but at least I try to look presentable.
In closing, I’d like to say how pleased I am with owning a camera. It’s brought me such pleasure over the past few years. Where I used to hop in the car to do something or visit someplace with no distinct aim or goal, I now head out with photography and storytelling on my mind. The camera helps me look at things differently. Years ago, I would never have noticed the lights hanging in the alleyway or what the history of Renys was. I may have sat in the chair at the bookstore, but I certainly wouldn’t have thought about telling anyone about it. In the most basic sense, I think owning a camera offers more purpose to a day, albeit not a huge purpose, but purpose nonetheless. One of the activities I enjoy most in life is to sit back and read through my old posts from years and years ago. I look at photos from our first house to hiking in the bitter cold Maine winters to visiting the Connecticut coastline. There’s truly nothing like photographing and blogging and doing the whole thing. So, if you’re interested in doing something like this yourself, I’m full of advice, so please ask. You probably won’t get me to shut up about it, but at least we’ll have some fun going back and forth. Have a great day and thanks for reading!
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