Love, love, love, if I may be so effusive. :-) You caught the strange quality in the monsoon, of the rain pouring down, without quite really seeing it. I recognize the look of the Sumac leaves being rained upon, and the building in the distance is so handsome. The first image is beautifully balanced, I think I could look at it for a long, long time. It’s very satisfying. And then of course having all the elements behind the screen makes it that much more interesting.
Far be it for me to put a damper (pun intended) on anyone’s effusiveness :)
I feel so blessed (another intended pun) to have that church at the end of my block, almost within arm’s reach from my front porch. It was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, the same architect who did Trinity Church in Boston, the New York State capitol in Albany, and many other notable buildings in the Richardson Romanesque style named after him. Haven’t been inside yet but I understand it has original Tiffany windows.
In the short time I’ve lived in Springfield, I’m blown away by the number of strikingly beautiful churches that dot the city, many with Hispanic congregations now.
First of all, oops, on second look, I think that’s an Ailanthus tree (in the 2nd photo). Maybe you’d like the English name – “Tree of Heaven!” I’ve seen them growing from cracks in roofing materials, on roofs – they can take hold almost anywhere. How fitting that it’s near the church, which is really beautiful. I can see why you’re happy to have it in your view, as well as nearly all the other buildings around – you sure found a fabulous block! Congratulations.
On Staten Island I lived on St. Marks Place, near the ferry, on a block of old Victorians punctuated by an immense Catholic church at the end – a very different sort of architecture, but equally delightful to have nearby, especially when the bells in the bell tower struck the hour. Oh, the pleasures of leafy, civilized streets in old, eastern cities.
Here’s another common city tree, if you don’t already know it: the big one on the left that’s grown up near the church in the Lost New England blog photo, is a Sycamore. Their peeling bark – you must know it – is distinctive, and beautiful in the rain.
Pixetera 
Very pleasant rainy (and screeny) textures to go with those colors and compositions. May a hard rain fall.
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Thanks John. I was tempted to go outside and do more shooting but chickened out. Must be getting old or jaded :)
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Love, love, love, if I may be so effusive. :-) You caught the strange quality in the monsoon, of the rain pouring down, without quite really seeing it. I recognize the look of the Sumac leaves being rained upon, and the building in the distance is so handsome. The first image is beautifully balanced, I think I could look at it for a long, long time. It’s very satisfying. And then of course having all the elements behind the screen makes it that much more interesting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Far be it for me to put a damper (pun intended) on anyone’s effusiveness :)
I feel so blessed (another intended pun) to have that church at the end of my block, almost within arm’s reach from my front porch. It was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, the same architect who did Trinity Church in Boston, the New York State capitol in Albany, and many other notable buildings in the Richardson Romanesque style named after him. Haven’t been inside yet but I understand it has original Tiffany windows.
Here’s a link to a blog post that shows the church not long after it was built: http://lostnewengland.com/2015/02/north-congregational-church-springfield-mass/. As a neighborhood grew up around it, I think it’s taken on a more intimate feeling (see Street View image for a sense of what it looks like today: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.1058744,-72.5863361,3a,75y,297.79h,94.3t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sK2kKK-G1cSzL2ouVIzDmAw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656)
In the short time I’ve lived in Springfield, I’m blown away by the number of strikingly beautiful churches that dot the city, many with Hispanic congregations now.
Thanks, btw, for identifying the Sumac leaves.
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First of all, oops, on second look, I think that’s an Ailanthus tree (in the 2nd photo). Maybe you’d like the English name – “Tree of Heaven!” I’ve seen them growing from cracks in roofing materials, on roofs – they can take hold almost anywhere. How fitting that it’s near the church, which is really beautiful. I can see why you’re happy to have it in your view, as well as nearly all the other buildings around – you sure found a fabulous block! Congratulations.
On Staten Island I lived on St. Marks Place, near the ferry, on a block of old Victorians punctuated by an immense Catholic church at the end – a very different sort of architecture, but equally delightful to have nearby, especially when the bells in the bell tower struck the hour. Oh, the pleasures of leafy, civilized streets in old, eastern cities.
Here’s another common city tree, if you don’t already know it: the big one on the left that’s grown up near the church in the Lost New England blog photo, is a Sycamore. Their peeling bark – you must know it – is distinctive, and beautiful in the rain.
LikeLike