Sunday, November 10, 2013

A Week in Instagram

Boston Public Garden
Last Saturday, two million people and I headed in to the city
at the same time.  They for the Red Sox victory parade and me
for a haircut appointment I had made six weeks earlier...just one
block from the parade route.  There was a parking ban and requests
that people come early, leave late and enjoy the city.

I headed in on subway two hours early and found I had much of 
the city to myself on a quiet, warm and beautiful morning.
  


It's hard to catch a good photo of the post office on Charles Street
without a car or van parked immediately in front but I did it.



The young woman walking her dog was taking advantage of 
the balmy weather we were gifted with.



The colors were perfect on The Public Garden...



...George Washington was dressed up for the occasion.



...and the parade began as I headed back home.



Now that it's dark when I leave work, I've been enjoying
the fall foliage by street light.



The electrical, plumbing and HVAC inspections were
completed and the icynene insulation went in.

If you're not a This Old House watcher, icynene is foam that's
sprayed into each wall cavity, it quickly expands to fill each bay and
is then shaved off so it's even with the studs.



The upstairs porch deck is in and the columns are installed.
Just the railings upstairs left to go

I was having a hard time even remembering what
they used to look like...



...and I'm thankful I've been taking photographs from the very
beginning to see the progress.



I was out and about yesterday and found something I've
never seen before.  On the back of large shopping plaza,
the cement block wall has been painted to look like a quaint
row of houses.  Except for the blue door and the light above it,
all of this is paint on cement blocks.  It's very well done.


Wilson Farms in Lexington was still filled with fall color,
with cider donuts, mounds of freshly picked apples
and a huge bin of beautiful but unwanted pumpkins.

That's my week in pictures.

Follow me on Instagram if you'd like.  It's fun.

52 comments:

  1. Love it!! As a fellow Bostonian, I always enjoy seeing the most wonderful city in the world (biased? maybe, but I think not!) captured through someone else's lens. Thanks for the pics!

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  2. Such great pictures--and that instagram magic gives them a slightly old-fashioned feel that works so well with Boston streetscapes.

    Your porch columns are perfect!

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  3. That is such a huge difference in the two-story porch. Nice job!

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    1. Thanks, Kerry. I'm pretty please with how it's turning out.

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  4. I am a devoted follower on Instagram, but it's nice to see the pictures bigger.

    We hope to see Jen on IG soon.

    xo Jane

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    1. I know. I sometimes have to pull Instagram up on my computer to see some of the photos larger. I think I need a much bigger phone.

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  5. Wonderful pictures of a city I love. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. great recap! Where is that building of tromp l'oeil?

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    1. Behind the Porter Square shopping plaza. I don't think I've ever been back there.

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  7. What a beautiful city.
    I think I need to get out and drive around my town and see if I'm missing something.
    (Or maybe move. Ha!)
    I don't have the phone for Instagram...yet
    so I'm not a Follower but I took a peek at yours.
    Love those cats.
    The columns look fantastic..

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    1. Cynthia,
      You can follow people on Instagram on most computers, you just can't upload photos.

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  8. Beautiful photos Steve. Would love to visit Boston again. Congrats also on your haircut, er, I mean your team's victory.
    Your back porches are looking soooo good. Talk about a gift. You finding this house is a gift to the neighborhood and all of us. Xo

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    1. It was a really great haircut--I mean season for the Red Sox.

      I know! You'd think they'd stop complaining about the noise.

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  9. Steve great work and photography!1

    xoxo
    Karena
    Feature: "House Proud"

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  10. Good morning! These are some great shots, and that back of the building is just nuts -- so well done.

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    1. It's a block long. I can't imagine how long it took to paint. Looks so much more real in a photograph.

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  11. oh love all these fall shots. you really are perfectly placed for the fall.
    love the progress of the back porch too. it looks so good steve.
    i'm dangerously close to getting a cell phone. the pressure is mounting and i'm sure to cave. if and when i do...i'll follow you on instagram! lol

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    Replies
    1. I did the same thing. People were laughing at my old phone. I really didn't want one but I really enjoy sharing images of the area with the world. I've met a lot of new people too.

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  12. The way you have renovated your house makes my heart glad. That porch is perfact. The Urban Cottage Blog is a constant source of inspiration. Thank you for the time, thought and effort that you put into it. Ann

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  13. The lamp in front of the Charles Street Post Office reminds me of gas lamps on Philadelphia streets. My mother told me that a lamp lighter made the rounds as late as the 1940s!

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    1. They might be the same ones, Mark. They are gas but I think they burn 24 hours a day now. No more lamp lighter in the payroll.

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  14. Steve, I want to move into your spare bedroom. It's so pretty there, and your photos are so good! Don't even get me started on your renovation. The porches are awesome!

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  15. I always love your photos of Boston and New England. I live in the Boston area too. And I love following your renovation... so much inspiration!!

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  16. Beautiful photos, Fall has the best colors. The porch looks beautiful.

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    Replies
    1. I think this one was especially good, don't you, Amelia?

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  17. Aaaahhh! Great photos! Take time and smell the bakeries!! franki

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    Replies
    1. There's a really good one on that street that I should have hit. Darn!

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  18. Beautiful photos! Thanks for posting. Moved from Boston two years ago and now living in San Francisco (another great city) but miss the colors of fall in New England. Must have been great fun celebrating the Sox's win in wonderful Bean Town.
    Judy G.

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    1. Judy,
      Glad I could bring you some of the New England colors. You're right, SF is a great city. I love it there!

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  19. The porch looks great. And of course so do your pics of around Boston.The Red Sox helped sooth the wounds in a small way from the Marathon. We're fortunate to have such good teams. How did you make out with the deck and floor colors?

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    1. Larry,
      I think I'm going to have to go more opaque on the deck. I happy to have gotten a coat of something on it before winter anyway. It's fine until spring and I can readdress it then.

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  20. Found you through Instagram and then found your blog. Glad I did. Wish I had an iPhone and Instagram when we restored/renovated our bungalow five years ago. It's fun to watch the progress on your cottage.

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  21. Unbounded talent! Not only do I love your decorating but your photographs are equally enchanting! How lovely it must have been to be in Boston before the crowds. I especially love the painted block walls, what a unique idea. Your house is looking great, I await each step!

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    1. Lana,
      It's really wonderful when you live in a city to find yourself in a place where you can enjoy it alone. I might be getting out and about early a lot more. It was really fun.

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  22. Fun instagrams. I've never been to Boston and it looks so charming. I love the scale of your new columns on the porch..fantastic. Have a great week.
    xo Nancy

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  23. Replies
    1. Oh, thank you. I might have to redo that now but it great while it lasted.

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  24. Thanks for the great shots. The painted wall on the shopping center is amazing.

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  25. Lovely visual tour of Boston! I laughed at those first two lines you wrote, "Two million people and I headed into the city ...". Great progress on your house! What a difference in the before pics and how it looks now. And just wait until you're done! It'll be great!
    Claudia

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  26. What a fabulous transformation of your back porch! You must be thrilled with the results. A man with a vision...

    I'm also digging those beautiful gold letters on the signage around Boston.

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  27. I've enjoyed your week, at second hand, very much, Steve. Leaves under lamplight and house exterior looking great, what a delightful visual diary.

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  28. What a fun and colorful week…especially nice seen through your eyes.

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