On the way to Nantucket: Sights I saw as I walked through Revere, looking for a cat
Friday, March 26, 2010 at 10:26AM 
"Write us a story about a cat, Dad," Lisa demanded, many years ago, as I was preparing to climb into my little airplane and take off on one of my trips into Northern Alaska. So I did. Not long after that, I happened upon a cat out in Rural Alaska and so I photographed it. After I returned home and developed my film, I scanned an image of the cat into my computer and then called the girls into the office so that I could show them this cat, and tell them what I had learned about it.
Ever since, I have tried to photograph a cat or two or three wherever I travel to. I am in Nantucket now, and will certainly find cats to photograph here. Before I boarded the airplane from Boston to here, I took a walk in Revere where I had overnighted, right near the Boston Logan International Airport, to see if I might happen upon a cat.
At the very moment that I stepped out of the hotel, before I had even adjusted the settings on my camera for daylight or even taken it out of my pocked, I saw this hearse passing by, with a casket in the back and a procession of mourners following.
Someone - man, woman, Elder, youth... I had no way to know... had finished this life's journey.
A short distance beyond, I saw these two, zooming by.
I stepped into a residential neighborhood, thinking that if I walked long enough I would see a cat sitting on a doorstep, walking across a yard or looking out a window. Soon, I came upon these two professional yard keepers, raking someone's yard.
Just beyond the rakers, I saw a man pick up a green tennis ball. "Is this your ball?" he asked a lady who was standing in an open doorway alongside a little dog.
"Yes," she answered, although I suspected the ball belonged to the dog and not the lady,
So the man carried the ball up the steps, handed it to the lady and then turned around walked to the car with the American flag license plate.
"Thank you, Joe," the lady said.
"You're welcome," Joe responded.
Then I came upon this house. You simply do not see houses like this in Wasilla, or anywhere near Wasilla. So it was an interesting sight. I wondered what kind of things had happened inside. Surely, many cats must have lived in this house.
Perhaps cats live in there right now, but I was looking while walking and was not going to knock upon doors.
Not far from the house, I came upon children, frolicking in a school playground.
And then came these middle school students, walking with a woman who appeared to be a teacher.
Soon, I saw a woman on the other side of the street wearing a headset, raking a lawn. "Maybe she has a cat," I surmised to myself. So I crossed the street and walked up to her, but she did not see me coming because she was concentrating on her raking. She did not hear me coming, because of the headset.
Suddenly, she saw me and was so startled she damn near fell over from fright.
"Do you have a cat?" I asked after she regained her composure.
"No," she said. "I have a dog."
Her name was Brenda and she was very friendly and we talked for awhile. She was amazed to learn that I am from Alaska and asked me what I thought of this place.
I told her that it appeared to be a very pleasant and peaceful neighborhood.
Yes, she agreed, she had once moved just five minutes away, but it was not so pleasant and peaceful there. It was noisy, lots of traffic. So she had moved here, back to peace and quiet.
Then I saw a squirrel running across the ledge of wall. But it was not a real squirrel at all, and it was going nowhere but the spot it was in.
I came upon a memorial for Sgt. Bellofatto, "American Hero." I wondered who Bellofatto was, where he had fought, how he had died and if maybe that was his house in the background. I googled his name, but did not find the answer to my questions.
Next, I came upon a place of worship.
And then a postman, delivering mail.
I saw this gentleman delivering heating fuel to a house where a shrine stood in the yard.
I found a park where people go to be amused.
Someone had lost a shoe. I wondered how such a thing happens.
I spotted a man, walking in front of me.
I came upon a protestation of war.
Next, I came upon this flag. It hurt to see it like this.
;)
I did not know what to do with the flag, but I could not leave it lying there. I am a patriotic, left-leaning, liberal American who dearly loves his country and it's flag, so I had to do something, but I was in no position to do a proper disposal. I picked up the flag and began to walk in the hope that the answer might come to me.
Then I came to this tree, in front of this bar, with the cleaner but wind-frayed flag at left tucked into the wires to some Christmas lights. So I tucked the old, battered, in next to it in the hope that the bar owner would see it and give it the respect it deserves.
A bit further beyond, I found these flags flying.
It was time to go to the airport, so I went back to the hotel and found my shuttle driver, watching President Obama talking about the health care bill.
It seems some ugly, un-American hateful acts have been happening in America since the House first passed the act.
I know that there must be plenty of good cats in Revere, but I did not happen upon a single one.
I apologize that this post is coming up so late. I actually sat down to do it late last night in plenty of time to have it appear at the usual time. Squarespace is the cause. My bloghost. The creators of the worst, most troublesome piece of software that I have ever encountered since I began to use computers in the mid-1980's. If any readers are thinking of starting up a new blog and see mine and are tempted to go with Squarespace, I suggest that you reconsider - especially if your blog will be photo-oriented.
As established as I am at this address in the search engines with all kinds of links all over the place, the day is coming and soon when I am going to have to find the time, make the leap, lose half my readers and all my links to start over again somewhere else.
Squarespace is just horrible.
Horrible, horrible, horrible. It is a time waster. I am fed up with Squarespace.
Reader Comments (7)
Great post! Our guided tour of Revere, where there are apparently no cats!
When you decide to move your website, maybe you can start the new one and link to it so we can find it. Or are you hoping to shake us off :)
You won't lose us, Bill, if you decide to change. We will find your new blog! I was a computer support person in a time that now seems a very long time ago, and I have been frustrated more with bad software and miserable computer problems than anything else experienced in my relatively long life. Thank you for dealing so nicely with your frustrations. We love your photos and your stories (and your cats!)
Your stalkers will follow you, never fear.
We have snow on the ground. It was covered this morning. Still patches out there, when I look out the window. I believe this is your fault, Bill. I believe you brought that stuff along with you on your way down. I'd call you a name, but it's hard to do, because I think you're such a likable charactor.
And because Rhianna is reading.
Those two things.
I live near Revere, MA. There are not many cats but there are lots of Chinese restaurants. Coincidence?
((sigh)) Such mixed emotions reading this entry. The first photo made me weepy, as the last 2x I was back in MA it was for my Grandmas funeral(6-9-08) and then my Grandfathers (5-8-09).Then the photos of the architecture made me smile. As much as I love Alaska I do miss the character and style of New England homes. Saltbox style is my favorite--keep an eye out for those! Such beautiful and interesting looking homes they are! And of course, the people of MA....I cant tell you how much I am enjoying these scenes from a state that has always had a special place in my heart, even though I havent lived there for 24 yrs.
did you read the headlines: 2 WORLD-FAMOUS ALASKANS GO VISITING IN THE LOWER 48: Sarah Palin to Arizona and Bill Hess to Nantucket.
Why Nantucket? Perhaps I haven't been following closely enuf. Loved the New England clapboard house. A classic. Loved the plane shots. As always, you make everything interesting!