On October 4, 2011, I received my 1500th approved waymark! Since August, no new states were logged. The majority of the postings were in Massachusetts, but some were in Rhode Island.

Here’s the breakdown: Waymarks logged: 1500 Waymarks visited: 581 Waymarks have been placed in all 15 “Divisions” (The last, Animals, in Dec. 07) Different Categories Posted: 496 Number of states/provinces/regions with Waymarks logged/visited: 12 states (U.S.), 3 provinces (Canada).

Officer of six Categories: Massachusetts Historical Markers, Rhode Island Historical Markers, Vermont Historical Markers, Manitoba Historical Markers, Engineering Landmarks and Quarries.

Highlights include:

Electric Fire Alarm System – This was a pleasant surprise while lurking around Old City Hall.

Looff Carousel at Slater Park – The first carousel that went around fast enough to make me significantly dizzy afterwards!

Centennial Commons – I had seen this being constructed.  In fact, I parked in the parking lot that was there!

Springfield, Mass Hit by Tornado – I am mesmerized by the video of the tornado forming over the Connecticut River every time.

Monson Public Library  – A really nice library building…battered by a tornado.

142 Newbury Street – One of the best examples of Frieze Art that I have found.

Bunch of Grapes Tavern Sign – Interesting how there is a connection with Ohio!

U.S.S. Constitution -  The last of its kind, and a rich story. Now I feel that my collection is complete…maybe.

1200 WM

1200 was attained some time while in Seattle, Washington, likely the Totem Pole at Pioneer Square .  Places logged included:  MA – Framingham, Cambridge, Attleborough, Norwood, Westwood, Walpole, Norfolk, Natick, Boston, West Bridgewater, Dover, Hingham, and Easton; and WA – Bothell, Munroe, and Seattle.  Some Waymarks include:

Stony Brook Dam at Blake Reservation – I had a  member of the Blake family contact me about this location.

Brook Farm – This was an experimental (utopian?) location for the Transcendalist movement. I’m sure that this location, now within the city limits of Boston, was considered ‘in the country.’

North Easton Historic District – This village has some outstanding buildings, including the Ames Shovel Shop buildings.

Western Heritage Center - This place has all sorts of old equipment and appliances!

Other facts:
Waymarks visited:  444
Different Categories Posted: 403

1300 WM

1300 WM was attained some time while I was at Newport, RI, likely the Newport City Hall .  Places logged include: WA -  Seattle and Kirkland; AK – Anchorage (city), Anchorage (borough), Kenai Borough, Homer, Mat-Su Borough, and Seward; MA – Boston; and RI – Newport.  Some Waymarks include:

Most Westerly Highway Point in North America – Touristy as all heck, but still a pretty cool place to stop.  I even have a certificate!

Resurrection Bay Scenic Boat Tour – This was an all day boat tour that included stopping at the face of a glacier, and several other locations to see animals.

Musk Ox Farm – Where else can you pet a musk ox?  During the tour, I found out that the farm had started in Vermont.  I’ll have to look further to find out where it was.

Seward Highway Terminus - Every highway should end at a gorgeous place like this!

1400 WM

1400 WM was attained in Northampton, MA – at the Gasworks Building .  Places logged include: AK – Anchorage Borough;  RI – Newport; MA – Marlborough, Sudbury, Framingham, Boston,  Attleborough; RI – Pawtucket; and MA - Norwood, Ashland, Milton, Natick,  Springfield, Sharon, Holyoke, South Hadley, Hadley, and Northampton.  Some Waymarks include:

Viking or Newport Tower - Of the list of possible builders, it was likely NOT the Vikings, but no one today is sure.  It is probable that Benedict Arnold (ancestor to the infamously known Benedict Arnold) had it built as a mill, but it doesn’t look like a mill!

Consulate-General of Japan – After the earthquake in Japan, I made a visit to the consulate in the Federal Reserve Building in Boston.

Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine – This reservoir pump had been  inaccessible to the public for several years. Now, it is part of a museum – the picture was taken during the open house.

Springfield Armory – Much remains of the buildings, and the museum is well worth the time spent – whether you are a gun fanatic to view the largest small arms collection in the country or love to learn about how small arms were made over time.

The trip was taken in late August to early September to see friends and relatives. While I have been to Seattle before, Alaska was an entirely new experience.

In Seattle, we had two touring days, and two partial days.  There was one very rainy day with temperatures in the 50s, while the other days were bright and sunny in the 70s. 

In Alaska, we had eight touring days.  The weather varied, almost as much as the terrain that I toured.  But, in every side trip, there seemed to be stretches of good weather that followed foggy or rainy weather.  So, I saw Alaska in several ‘moods’ – sometimes the weather  shines and brings out the beauty in all its brilliance and detail, and sometimes it dulls and obscures the landscape, making it mysterious.

On the rainy day in Seattle, we decided to the Evergreen State Fair, one of the state fairs in Washington State.  I’ve been to several state and county fairs before, including the ‘Big E’, Ohio, and Topsfield.  I especially liked the ecclectic agricultural museum that is open all year.  The next day, we walked downtown Seattle from the WaMu Center to Pikes Market, to Pioneer Square and then the bus station back.

Some of the waymarks posted include the following:

Cinnamon Works Bakery - We were helping one of us choose from the selection of gluten free cookies, wondering which one would be best, when some ahead of us said that she was buying three of the one with just about everything in it for the plane trip home. We didn’t think twice after that, and weren’t disappointed!

Manhole Cover by the Underground Tours – It is a fitting cover for a tour that spends most of the time one level below the present street level – but I love it for the portrait of the group on it – such characters.

Gerhard Johan Ericksen – Speaking of characters, how many towns put their’s on the walls of the downtown buildings?

Western Heritage Center – This is the attic of attics and barn of barns! It’s a place where old appliances and large agricultural equipment ends up.  There’s a lot packed into this place, many of which either you can interact with or can be demonstrated by one of the ‘curators.’

On the first day in Achorage, we acclimated to the new climate.  The time zone change wasn’t much:  one hour from Seattle vs. 3 hrs from Boston to Seattle.  However, daylight hours were really different – while the morning sunrise was about the same, it wasn’t dark until about 10 pm.  But, we were given a tour by car, mostly between the point by the airport and downtown, then we walked through downtown to the Anchorage Museum.  The next few days were spent in the Homer area, a fishing port at one point of the Kenai Peninsula.  After that, we went north to the Palmer area, and finally to Seward via the Alaska Railroad before returning to Anchorage and home through Minneapolis.

Some of the waymarks in Alaska include:

Turnagain Heights Slide at Earthquake Park – The evidence may be getting harder to see in the landscape, but the earthquake of 1964 that struck Prince William Sound was most damaging in Anchorage.  The more I studied this earthquake, the more I was intrigued by the event.

Flattop Mountain – This modest sized mountain is one of the most climbed in Alaska, and its vista is just wonderful.  At the foot of the mountain was the city, and behind were the larger peaks of the Chugach Mountains.   I was at the vista just as twilight was falling and saw the lights of the city coming on.

Most Westerly Point of a North American Highway – I’m sure that they have roads in Barrow, and Nome, but they aren’t numbered highways!  So, this marks the most westard point on the globe that I have been at.   I even have the certificate as ‘proof’ that I was there!

Kachemak Bay State Park – This was about as far from civilization as we got.   The nearest real town was Homer, across the bay.   There was no electricity, and the ranger had left the ranger station the weekend before.  It was great!!  We saw so much, of the flora and fauna, from the cabin we were at as well as the trails we walked and the water taxi to and from Homer.   The cabin had a deck where we could look out into Halibut Cove and see dolphins jumping about and sea otters  lazily floating around.  We even spotted black bears.  My wife spotted one just outside our cabin window!

View of Mt. Illiamna and Mt. Redoubt from Kenai Peninsula – On the way down to Homer, it was thickly cloudy with periods of rain, so we didn’t get any good views.  On the way back from Homer, however, all clouds disintegrated, and we had fine views of them  For the moment, they are sleeping.

 Independence Mine State Park – This historic park is located just within the Talkeetna Mountains.  It is the remains of one of the more successful gold mines in the state.  It also marks the most northern I have been on earth.  It was at the Talkeetnas that I was able to see the subtile beauty of Alaska tundra in the fall.  The fireweed on the slopes turn scarlet, giving the mountains a reddish hue.

Aialik Glacier – While at Seward, we took an all day scenic boat ride around Resurrection Bay.  It was another great trip.  One of the stops along the way was Aialik Glacier, where the boat was parked for twenty minutes while we saw and listened to the glacier as it made its final advance to the ocean.

Seward, Alaska – We stayed at a hotel in Seward.  We spent quite a bit of time at Seward, from eating at restaurants, to staying overnight at the hotel, and visiting the aquarium.  I learned about the man that the city is named after.

Rosenberg Spirit House – There were several opportunities to learn about living in Alaska, including the Russian and Native American cultures there.   The Anchorage Museum in Anchorage had great history and culture exhibits – we could have spent at least another hour there.  In Ninilchik, we saw graves by a church that included fences and laid stones.  In Eklutna, graves were differently decorated.  Most of them either had blankets over the grave or wooden structures  that were spirit houses.  The belief that the soul of a person would live on the earth for another year and needed a place to stay.  The one I waymarked was the most ornate of all.  Most are windowless boxes painted in the family colors.  This one was a miniature house!  But even this change reminds me of how cultures are still changing today due to interactions with other cultures.  Hopefully, the attention to culture preservation today will keep older traditions from becoming lost forever.

Highlights of animals seen:

Washington:
- Black velvet slug
- Banana slug
- Coots

Alaska:
- Beluga whale
- Various salmon
- Brown rabbit
- Moose
- Bald eagle (many!!)
- Magpie
- Stellar jay
- Sea otters
- Porpoises
- Black bear
- Sea anenomea
- Boreal chickadee
- Fox sparrow
- Sandhill cranes
- Pica
- Puffins
- Dahl sheep
- Stellar sea lion

The plane trip home also had spectacular views of great mountains and glaciers.  We had a three hour layover at Minneapolis.  We spent the time riding the people mover, and I had my picture taken by Snoopy.   We landed in Boston, and we had to adjust all over again.

So, it was off to find new work, but it wasn’t going to be easy.  Last job really left me with no ‘killer app’ (‘must have’) skills.  In my previous job, I had been an analyst and techical communicator.  I combined elements of both jobs to become a generalist which allowed me to be adaptable in being able to work in a variety of work, but it didn’t make me a ‘go to guy’ for anything specific. In a late recession/early anemic recovery phase, this was deadly.  How can I distinguish myself in a job market where there was about 9% unemployment, with many in the extended period?   To keep it personal, I’m going no further on the specifics.  But, it seems to me that there is a void in the corporate responsibility of investing in its own employees for anticipated needs. 

By January 2010, I realized that the work situation was serious.  So, I decided on a new direction – one that I had been exposed to years before but didn’t pursue further until then.  My new direction?  Geographic Information Systems (GIS).   I enrolled in a graduate program and for the next year and a half, dedicated many nights and weekends.   That ended just last September, so I now have a Masters degree.   I also have been interning and have been learning a lot and enjoying it.  It’s fine for now, but I’ll be spending time figuring out the long term.

I have Waymarking/Geocaching to  thank for keeping that idea alive, as I use GPS to find neat objects and places and log them.    I always knew that I have been geographically minded and have loved maps.  Now, I can do it every day!

A little over a year ago, I was out of a job and made a trip to Alaska. Today, I’m in a new career, starting over – for about the third time. Between these times, there have been significant weather events and personal events. I’m still trying to find my place and hope that you stop by some time to check my progress!

A few trips are combined into one in this blog.

Nice stained glass windows in the original edifice in the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston – http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9QXD_First_Church_of_Christ_Scientist_Boston_Old_Edifice_Boston_MA_USA – Will it be around around by the next millenium?

Nice rose garden in Boston’s Back Bay Fens – http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9JT3_James_P_Kelleher_Rose_Garden_Boston_MA

Out in the West Roxbury section, there is the site of Brook Farm, an important utopian village of transcendentalists. Only one building and a few foundations remain – http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9QQC_Brook_Farm_Boston_MA

On the road to a cemetery from the Brook Farm site, there was this memorial, where Robert Gould Shaw joined with the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry before leading the 54th Colored Infantry. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9QQT_Second_Massachusetts_Infantry_1861_1865_Boston_MA

At the Gardens of Gethsemane Cemetery at the end of the road, there is a cannon that was once on the U.S.S. Constitution – http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9QRB_USS_Constitution_Cannon_Gardens_at_Gethsemane_Boston_MA

Beyond the cemetery, there is a trail that leads to a park on an old landfill, called Millenium Park. It has a boad access point for the Charles, and has nice views – http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9JM8_Millenium_Park_Boston_MA

In Newton, where residential, commercial, and industrial areas meet, there is a small cemetery that dates back to before the American Revolutionary War. Unfortunately, the gates are locked most of the time, and the cemetery looks out of place. Some years ago, I was part of a group that did some yard work there – http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9R82_South_Burying_Ground_Evergreen_Cemetery_Newton_MA

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9JT9_N42_W71_West_Bridgewater_MA_USA – I had at one time perused GoogleEarth to find out locations of the points closest to me that were not claimed in the category, yet. I found out one that was not only nearby, but it seemed to be positioned right in the center of a road. So, I finally found a day to go for it. Despite how easy it was to access, I had the usual luck of getting close, but seeming to always find the wrong road and travel in a completely different direction. Finally, I found the road and parked my car on the side of the road. It was on a residential road which connected between major roads. Actually finding the point was rather easy, and exactly were GoogleEarth and a topographic map indicated. While walking around to get the exact point, I noticed that the owner of the house where I left my car had looked down my way a couple of times. I wonder a) if he knew what I was doing, and b) how many other people stop to do the same thing!

I’ve been to North Easton a few times before. It is a beautiful little village, with several Richardsonian Romanesque style buildings and several long, stone multi-storied buildings. It is a great example of an industrial town that had a family of company owners who bestowed much of their earnings back to the town.

The factory was for the Ames Shovel shop http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9QXT_North_Easton_Historical_District_Easton_MA . The waymark provides more information about this. The company, now Ames Tru-Temper, is based in Pennsylvania, and the company has long since vacated the buildings. Now they are somewhat occupied by a variety of operations, including a YMCA: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9R78_Old_Colony_YMCA_Easton_Branch_Easton_MA .

There is a historical society museum in the old stone railroad station. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9R4B_Easton_Historical_Society_Museum_Easton_MA . In the past, the museum has been closed, with no indication when it would be open. But, this time, it was open for visitors. In it was a person talking with a couple about things. Then they left and he turned to me. It was a great conversation that brought me up to date. In short, the museum was now open weekly. The shovel shops were not too long ago threatened with demolition or radical reconstruction. In one year, these buildings were placed on the Massachusetts Historical Society’s list of endangered buildings. In the last year (before August 2010) literally a crane was brought in to do the work, but an injunction was placed to prevent destruction. In the last few months, the property changed hands, and the new owners plan on a different kind of development. This is still in the works, but the museum curator felt that this was good news.

Other buildings and features include these waymarks.
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9R43_Unity_Church_Unitarian_Universalist_Easton_MA
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9R3M_The_Rockery_Memorial_Cairn_Easton_MA
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9QY0_Oakes_Ames_Memorial_Hall_Easton_MA
The Ames family, which lived in town and were well liked by their employees, either gave money to have things built or hired architects and had the buildings built. They spared no expense, hiring Richard Hobbs Richardson, who brought in Fredrick Law Olmsted to do landscape design all over the village. The Rockery is a lasting example of his work.

I will be checking back in the future. I hope others will visit and keep me posted on changes in the meantime.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9PTJ_Dover_Depot_Dover_MA – Nice former depot, which was an antique shop for some time before just recently becoming a real estate office.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9QK6_MY3646_Pegan_Hill_Survey_Disk_Natick_MA – This survey disk I had discovered on Pegan Hill a few years ago. I finally got around to find it again, along with a couple of the reference disks discovered by another benchmarker recently. Pegan Hill was used to define the boundary of Natick, originally the first, most populated, and longest lasting of Rev. John Eliot’s “Praying Indian” towns. I imagine at one time that the hill had a view – now it is tree-covered.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9J1Z_A_Sensory_Trail_for_the_Blind_Stony_Brook_Reservation_Norfolk_MA – Mass Audubon has been installing these sensory trails for the blind at selected sanctuaries.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9JAJ_AGGIE_RAMS_Norfolk_County_Agricultural_HS_Walpole_MA Go Rams!

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9JDZ_Clapboardtree_Church_Peace_Pole_Westwood_MA When walking around the front of the church, I found that this peace pole was part of a several items in a Sunday School project about peace. It was also installed only a few months before I found it.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9PJ5_Railroad_Bridge_over_Dean_Street_Norwood_MA A nice stone railroad bridge in Norwood. There is another bridge to the southwest, but it is harder to get to, and a river passes through.

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9Q5X_Westwood_MA Nice town hall [Westwood].

The Turkey Hill Reservation, part of a cluster of land owned by the Trustees of Reservations, has a great view of the area, including parts of Boston Harbor. The other reservations are Whitney-Thayer Woods and Weir River Farm. I had been here several years before doing benchmarking and geocaching. I managed to do a tri-fecta on this trip.

At the top of Turkey Hill is a concrete bunker that was part of the Nike site that was there. The Nike sites are relics of the “Cold War” era. These were ground to air missile launching facilities that were installed on hills to protect against air invasion.

Near the concrete structure, by the parking lot at the top of the hill, is a boundary marker for the Hingham-Cohasset line. I had missed this marker as a benchmark (MY4146) the first time I was up here. It was hard finding it this time, so I don’t know how I missed it before.

The Weir River Farm was not open to visitors while we were there. However, we did walk around on the trails. One of the trails was lined by fences on both sides and went through the pasture. At one point, there was a set of gates where we had to pass through and crossed the pasture. Just prior to reaching the gate, the horses in the pasture came down the hill and passed by, heading toward the barn. They must have heard the dinner bell. It was interesting to see the horses interact with each other on the way. We then walked along the edge of the farm in the woods, where a pig stye was. We paused and saw the farm family come out with food for the pig. We conversed briefly before traveling our separate ways.

We will have to return soon.