Leftovers

Once in awhile even the most intrepid photographer must go through their camera and eliminate the pictures that for whatever reason were not usable. Or so it seems, because often you discover that the unused photos have their own special charm.

For example, from my recent Springfield sojourn is this picture of the battered door to the abandoned, once World Famous Thomas M. Balliet Elementary School. Not a pretty picture, but how many generations of Pine Pointers passed through that entrance?



Here is Pine Point's Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church, which my great-grandfather helped to build. He also built his own house in the Point, which is still standing to this day but is no longer in the family.



While in the Point I went to visit Doyle the Twig Painter, and stopping by for a visit was neighbor Jim Sampson, who has been running Music World on Boston Road since 1965. Sampson himself was a prominent musician in the local music scene in the early 1960's.



Mattoon Street in downtown Springfield. Too bad all of downtown wasn't this well preserved.



The telescope atop the Springfield Natural History Museum.



This Chestnut Street package store was once the location of the George McGovern for President campaign headquarters. A whole generation of Springfield politicians got their start working on that campaign, most notably Congressman Richard Neal.



As you can see from this old postcard, a house used to sit between the City Library and Saint Michael's Cathedral.



The only evidence remaining is this curb opening leading to nowhere.



After years of going nowhere, plans are finally coming to fruition to reuse Springfield's Technical High School building, which was foolishly closed in the 1980's.



However, this back section is not part of the restoration, and will be torn down.



An old tree in front of the new courthouse.



Two ancient sentinels on Lincoln Avenue in Amherst.



Amherst bumpersticker.



A painter tries to capture the timeless serenity of the Old Chapel at UMass.



A Northampton street artist creates a Nietschiean nightmare.



A gambler's losing ticket and empty cigarette pack. Since when have Pall Mall boxes been orange?



A rainbow ship floating upon the downtown breeze.



Here's Kelsey Flynn arriving in her radiomobile this morning for an Earth Day celebration at Pulaski Park.



Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower at Amherst College in 1968.



Rockin' in Northampton.



A couple of my pics got swiped for this video, but I don't mind.