Notes from Mosquito Hill » family

Do It Yourself

mack505 — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 02:05:59 +0000

50 year old camera: $20 on eBay
fully equipped darkroom: $100 on Craigslist
Epson film scanner: $75, Craigslist again
Spending time with my daughter, capturing images like these, and being able to say we did it all ourselves: PRICELESS

Old Town Hill by Mack505 on Flickr

Olympus 35RC follow up

mack505 — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:15:34 +0000

A nice fat package arrived from the photo lab today. I’ve spent much of the evening importing, tagging, and correcting dates. My notes aren’t really what they should be.

As promised, here are a few highlights from the first roll through the Olympus 35RC. I’m very pleased with them.

“End of Trail” but not really. Cross at your own risk, though.

Bridge

Shutterbug

Spring!

Paradise.

It’s not as versatile as my big SLR’s simply because it does not have interchangeable lenses, but its small size weighs heavily in its favor. This one will be high on my regularly-carried list.

Birds

mack505 — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:07:12 +0000

Birds.

I usually don’t notice them. Spring has suddenly returned, though, and I hear them everywhere. Shore birds populate the trees and dunes behind me, the occasional gull swoops past, and a pair of cormorants bob peacefully in the channel.

Small waves lap gently at the shore while the river gurgles past the jetties. I have lived all my life virtually within sight of the ocean, yet I fail to appreciate it. I’m a mountain person; my solace is found in trails and trees.

Yet here this morning with the sun on my face and the breeze at my back, with the smell of salt in the air, facing the limitless expanse of the mighty Atlantic, I can steal a few moments of peace.

Salisbury Beach by Mack505 on Flickr

————————-

I’ve written before of my first experience with critical incident stress. Tonight I had occasion to attend another debriefing. I felt pretty good going in. I knew we’d had an awful call, but I was still feeling OK. I feel I have a good support system. I rode the emotional roller coaster, learned a few things, had other things affirmed, and gained some insight into how the other side works.

The debriefing was a good experience, but I could still do without the triggering event.

It’s a beautiful night. Today was sunny and 82 degrees. As I was leaving the hospital, one of our units pulled up beside me in traffic. The sound of the Diesel, the warm night air, George hanging his bare arm out the driver’s window. Suddenly I wanted to be up there, in that seat. These are my people. We take care of each other as much as the city.

Summer nights have a magic in the city, and we are nocturnal. I’m in the middle of 4 days off, and suddenly all I wanted was to be back in that truck.

The light went green and they drove away before I could shout a hello. I’m sure the city will survive a few more days without me. I’m off to enjoy the night air and try my hand at photographing stars.

Project 366 – week of 2/11

mack505 — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:35:08 +0000

2/11 – One for me, one for her. If you’ve been reading the blog for very long you know which is which.

2/12 – Going ‘commando’ at work. Sweater, that is. My sweater has been with me since my first winter in EMS those many years ago. I finally had paramedic and company patches installed on it this past week.

2/13 – coming later. It’s still in the FM2 right now.

2/14 – More on this later.

2/15 – It’s a miracle!! (seen randomly on the sidewalk)

Fire and ice, and a dog. (Project 366)

mack505 — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:36:47 +0000

January 21 – Home alone for the evening, lounging in front of the pellet stove.

January 22 – Cold day at work. This grew throughout the day. I kept waiting for the rig to hit it on the way out the door.

January 23 – My family says the dog is a good luck charm and she has to wear the shirt through the Superbowl. Cricket is not impressed.

January 24 – The Howe is finally safe at home. The trip was much longer and more expensive than planned. Details to follow.

That’s her older sister, Engine 2, in the background.

I sure wish I had those ladders.

Eight years (P366 – 1/10/12)

mack505 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 03:17:56 +0000

Eight years ago. . .

The fog of life

mack505 — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 04:47:48 +0000

Slightly less than a year ago, I departed for my first shift of 2011 through thick fog. It broke dramatically that morning, signifying hope and promise.

If I try to be objective it was a decent year. 362 days later I’m still working a good job with a good employer, my family and I are healthy, and our finances are in better shape than they were a year ago. Second grade is going fabulously!

Emotionally it’s been rough though. Mrs. Mack505 suffered the loss of two family members. My Public Safety family has been rocked with multiple losses, both on duty and off.

I was not there personally, but I was on duty and listened live as a firefighter lost his life. I’ve held my breath with each subsequent radio transmission and felt the ice in my gut as it became apparent what was happening. I’ve looked into the eyes of the crew who worked to save him, and of the good friend he relieved at shift change that morning. I can happily go the rest of my life without ever repeating that experience, thank you.

The fog returned this morning, bookending the year in gray. Goodbye, 2011. It’s a new day tomorrow, and I’m on duty at the best job in the world.

Stay tuned.

Light a candle

mack505 — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 00:55:23 +0000

So the shortest day came
And the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries
Of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the New Year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing, behind us – listen!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise weakens in the sleeping land;
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
–Susan Cooper

It’s been a rough year and a rough month for my little corner of the public safety world. I count 6 deaths and 3 serious injuries this month alone. Things are feeling pretty dark around here today with the news of Peabody firefighter Jim Rice killed in the line of duty.

Carpe diem. Cherish the time with your families. Say those “I love you’s” and “I’m sorry’s.” Read the NIOSH reports and learn from them. Work out, eat better, watch your partner’s back. Wear your PPE, stop at stop signs, and don’t drive like an idiot.

Light those candles, shout, sing, and live for the day.

Rest in peace Patti, Sarah, Jon, Jim, Frank, Robert, Tim, and Kristen.

And thank you, Phil, for forwarding the poem when I needed it. Serendipity. . .

Worcester, again

mack505 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 01:04:52 +0000

A little over a week ago it began as just another day at work.

Yesterday it ended with thousands of firefighters, a hundred bagpipes, and the obligatory television cameras.

(turn your speakers all the way up)

Career or volunteer, big city or small town, FDNY or Oquossoc, ME; when the tones drop we all accept the same risks. We all feel the same pain when one of us doesn’t make it home.

I met a few old friends and missed meeting a lot more. I rubbed shoulders with the Chief of Fire from Syracuse, NY and with jakes from the ‘hood in DC. We were the proverbial Sea of Blue in support of our brothers and their families in Worcester. I hope we did them proud.

Rest in peace, FF Davies.

Make it stop!

mack505 — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 03:33:59 +0000

Sunday night we were in a Christmas mood at work. We dug the tree out of storage, hung the lights, and took a few embarrassing photos for Facebook. Then we started to notice the updates.

A Fallon ambulance was struck head-on on the other side of our metropolitan area. We followed live on FB, Twitter, and the Internet radio stream as the events unfolded. I listened as the crew was airlifted to Big City hospitals.

Overnight a NH State Trooper crashed his cruiser and was seriously injured along with his K9. I saw the crash site in my travels before I knew what happened.

Monday morning, a police sergeant in one of our cities was struck on the highway. He was seriously injured but is recovering in Big City Trauma Center.

Wednesday night, a Worcester firefighter was killed in the collapse of a burning three-decker. John Davies, a 17 year veteran, was searching for a missing civilian when he and his partner were trapped. His partner survived.

Services are next Thursday.

This evening I learned that FF Sarah Fox of Portsmouth, NH, lost her hard-fought battle with cancer this week. I’m not feeling much holiday spirit right now.

Tomorrow is a new day. . .