Stone walls in Massachusetts

Nothing more intrigues me when I am hiking in the woods and I come across a stone wall.  I begin to wonder about the people that built these walls.  Some estimates suggest nearly 260,000 miles in New England.  I wrote about some walls here in Westfield back in March, so I will try to not duplicate those pictures below.  The first batch ...

More recent shots follow and include some foundations ...

Man arrested for Murder on the Appalachian Trail

I am saddened to hear about the murder and wounding of AT hikers this past weekend.  My heart goes out to their family and friends.

From CNN:

"A man who allegedly attacked two hikers on a remote stretch of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, killing a man, will make his first appearance in court on Monday, according to the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia.

James Jordan, 30, of West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, was arrested Saturday morning and charged with one count of murder and one count of assault with the intent to murder, the office said. Charges will be formally filed in US District Court in Abingdon.

Authorities in Wythe County in southwest Virginia, where where the slain man was found, said a machete was used in the attack. A woman survived the attack and is receiving medical treatment, authorities said."

Community Preservation Act needs money

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a smart growth tool that helps communities preserve open space and historic sites, create affordable housing, and develop outdoor recreational facilities. CPA also helps strengthen the state and local economies by expanding housing opportunities and construction jobs for the Commonwealth's workforce, and by supporting the tourism industry through preservation of the Commonwealth’s historic and natural resources. (https://www.communitypreservation.org/)

Current map showing communities that have saved nearly 30,000 acres of open space.

I wrote about this in 2016 and earlier here.

Earth Day 2019

They left the world to us....

How will we leave it for others?

History of Transportation in Westfield

The following are the slides used for the Westfield 350th Presentation at WSU Today 17 April 2019.

Castle Tourism

Had a chance to travel in Wales this past summer and visited several cool castles.  Here are some shots.

For Caerphilly...

Then there is the Ogmore Castle...

And the LLanblethian Castle

Wow Went?

Low cost carrier Wow, is leaving Iceland.  Believed to be a major contributor to Iceland's incredible growth in international tourism, the question remains to see how much low cost travel is important to tourism for Iceland.

Wow's unexpected departure has left tourists stranded.

I mean, Iceland is not a cheap place to visit.  It is not cheap like SE Asia or the Dominican Republic.

But the old saying "you get what you pay for" may be prudent here.