
Went for a drive to see some eagles again. A dreary day weather-wise but a day out. Saw a beautiful Bald Eagle from a distance, the photo is not worthy of sharing. So here are the other birds that got close enough.
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Went for a drive to see some eagles again. A dreary day weather-wise but a day out. Saw a beautiful Bald Eagle from a distance, the photo is not worthy of sharing. So here are the other birds that got close enough.
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There is little I do not like to take photos of, camera in hand and I am happy, but there is something about shooting football. The challenge of getting faces in helmets, showing grit, finding the ball, telling both sides of the story, I love shooting football. Last time I shot a football game was TB12s last regular-season home game at Gillette Stadium in 2019. Fifteen months later I got to shoot my other favorite team the Medway Mustangs, who were off the field longer than me. They started to practice this week for a quick season with games starting in a few weeks. All masked up with no one else around, just me and a really long lens yards and yards away I got to get a few pics at today’s raining cold practice. It was great to see them on the field. I need the practice too. Hope they get the season they deserve. Twenty seniors on this team, nice to see them get some normalcy before High School ends. Roll Stangs.
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Took some photos of Medway Fire Departments Ice Rescue Training at the local pond yesterday.
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Town Hall got quieter today, it’s Queen Maryjane White retired. Town Clerk for the town of Medway for three decades. I was one of the few lucky ones at her small, covid style open house today. Though knowing her, I am sure she preferred the smaller version, with less attention, though she deserves so much more. Town Clerk for 30 years, also on the Town’s Selectboard, which she will continue to be, she has done more for this town than many might realize. Her passion, her dedication, and her sense of humor will all be missed.
She processed my marriage certificate, she handed me my first business permit for Tim Rice Photo, many dog license renewals, but more than that talked to my daughter about politics. Congratulated my son this past year as he handed in his first ballot, and was willing to answer any of my town questions I had. Multiply that by a whole town and she has touched the lives of everyone here in one way or another.
What I did not do much of was take her photo. We had an agreement. I would ask if I could take her photo every time I saw her, and she would say no. There was a one-sided benefit to the agreement, but I kept up my end as much as I could. I was “allowed” to take some today, and I am promised she will come to the studio to be in my We Are Medway Project, and I will hold her to that, the project would not be complete without her addition.
Congratulations on the well-deserved retirement MJ. Thank you for all you have done for this town.
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Needed to get away from the desk this afternoon so I took a walk to the park with the drone. Some 360 views of the pond for fun. All from the same spot, just three different heights – 100 above, below 300′ and 10′.
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Sides to the corner.
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One of those days.
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Late morning on the Merrimack River at Deer Island, watching for eagles. They were there, all young ones, riding the wind, just far enough out of range for detailed shots. Other birds around closer though, the Red Breasted Merganser kept everyone busy showing off for the cameras. Just an excuse to play with the new camera and get out of the house for a bit.
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These unused tickets are from a taping of the Late Show with Letterman 25 years ago today, Monday, February 19, 1996. Tonight’s guests X-File’s Star Gillian Anderson, Opera Singer Cecilia Bartoli and famous for being famous (?) Kathy Lee Gifford. I was supposed to be in the audience with my then-girlfriend, now-wife Barbara.
I am not sure she even knows parts or the whole story. I assume she reads the blog, so she might now. I found these tickets while cleaning out some old things a few weeks back. In 2021 cancel culture Letterman is not having a good week, but he was the man back then – at least to me. I was a fan since I was a teen and Late Night Days. This was the new show on CBS days. It took up to 6 months to get tickets to the show. You had to write to them – pen, paper, and stamp – for tickets. They were free, but you were given the date, and it was not changeable.
Barbara and I had been twice in previous years. We watched his show nearly every night together. At one of the shows we attended in 1995 – the one with Kevin Spacey (another thing aged badly) and Crash Test Dummies – Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, it occurred to me, I want to get engaged at the show. It seemed like an easy thing to do. I will just write to them and explain how it would work. How can they say no? Even back then, I kind of just did things. It would be great for his show, right? I am doing Letterman a favor really. At the very least, we could do it before the show.
I was not asking to be a guest. I mean, if he wanted to bring me on stage, I would be happy to do so, again whatever is good for the show. Having been there a couple of times, I knew how it worked. Dave comes out, talks to the crowd, casual, joking, etc. It would be a perfect time to ask her to marry me. Dave comes out, picks on me in the crowd, back and forth, banter, we play off each other, all planned – “What brings you here, young man?” “Well, Dave, thanks for asking… ” boom down on a knee and engaged! Roll credits, Dave comes to the wedding, maybe officiates? We could work around his time off. I wrote all this in the letter, very detailed, bullet points, etc. hardly any work on their part.
Now, as I said takes about 4-6 months to get the tickets. I had just started the process to try to buy a business, and I was finishing school. If I request at the end of January, that will put us in April-June. This could work out, it all could be worked around, plan a trip to NYC in the spring, and we had done it before, so it made sense would not seem suspicious. Wrote letter and mailed it. Ten days later, TEN…. I get a letter back with two tickets for February 19 – mere days away. I am not ready, and this was not the plan, the spring trip was mentioned in the letter on page two. And there is NO mention on my plan. Not even a “got it Tim”, just a form letter some intern probably typed out.
All these thoughts – the tickets are numbered, will they know it is me? How? Would we have to rehearse, but she is with me. I could send her to the M&M store. Will I get the script to learn? Why would we go in February? She is going to say it’s cold to wait in line in NYC. I got school, three jobs, she had work, it’s a Monday. I don’t have a ring yet! That was a big part, no ring. Needless to say, we did not go. I could not even tell her. It would have given away I was going to ask her to marry me. So that was it, not getting engaged at Lettermen. Hid the tickets and did not talk about it for 25 years. I watched the show that night. She sat beside me, the whole time wondering if they were looking for the couple with tickets 229 and 230. I doubt it, but we will never know. Though they just tossed me the tickets as fast as they tossed my letter and well-thought-out plan, I am sure.
We got engaged that summer. That’s a whole other story that will be celebrating the 25th anniversary in a few months too.
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Bob and friends.
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Sitting on my shelf is my rubber band ball. I worked hard on it while making $4.10 an hour working in the maintenance department at Roche Bros. in ’88. Since then it startles me when the outer layer lets go on the ball one band at a time. Today two were tragically lost- two, I think over 33 years we have lost half of an inch in diameter. It is still the size of a softball, so it should outlive me. It is nice to have things to pass down to the kids.
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A moment, then another one. Same spot, different light.
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