Holyoke in April

As the saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers," this weekend was a prime example of the consistent shift in the weather. Holyoke may not be directly in the middle of New England, but she does see dramatic shifts in the weather like every other city. Today, while I was strolling the beach in South Boston, there was sun and 70 degree temperatures. On the phone with our studio intern, who was enjoying a day in Holyoke, she reported the light drizzle that was falling. Not a surprise, not something to second guess, or even really think about. With a quick wit and an expression of how I much rather prefer the conditions I was in the conversation shifted back to the original intention for the call, but that is neither here nor there. Over the course of the weekend, Holyoke got its fair share of dramatic weather conditions, each providing a different dynamic in terms of images and conveyed beauty. Below you can get a grasp of just how diverse each day was in terms of the weather and the New Englandness that blew over Holyoke. Hopefully we will not have a rainy summer. I have not confirmed with my grand mother yet, as that old bird can tell you the weather better than, cough, cough, Laughis, err, I mean Lapis.

Meet Will Ferral, the feral cat. Don't you just want to invite him in?

This next photograph is partially iconic as it has a representative quality that goes back to an urban legend.

The "legend" states that during a repair to the dam, a second diver made the attempt to repair the hole. Successfully he did so, never to be recovered from the waters. The diver went down with no safety rope, like the first diver. The first diver's body was recovered via rope. The legend states the hole is closed because of the body of the second diver, (name alludes me and google at the moment), as he was never recovered and because the hole was fixed after he went down. What you believe, is of course, all up to you.

Saturday night there was quite a bit of fog. It rolled in and took stock over the city, leaving a tranquility about the city that other wise wouldn't have existed.

Before Saturday night.

Copy Right Jeffrey Byrnes Holyokeinphotos.com RightclickisacrimeNOTACOMPLIMENT

Holyoke: Blanketed in Fog

Getting back into the city on the later side, I was greeted with a blanket of fog passing by on the streets. It was on the warmer side, not to chilly, the perfect night to capture the fog. With the silence in some sections of the city, it had an other worldly quality about it. The fog added a mysterious peace and beauty to an otherwise seemingly ordinary Saturday night. I stopped at the studio and grabbed my camera and made my way out to a few specific locations I had seen on the way in to grab my camera.

Copy Right Jeffrey Byrnes Holyokeinphotos.com Rightclickisacrime!

Vote Vega: Move Holyoke Forward

This campaign season City Councilor Aaron Vega has a well produced clip that can be seen here. Take a look, and see how passionate he is in moving the city forward.

Vega For Holyoke

Holyoke Fire Department Quickly Extinguish Blaze

I reached for the magazine sitting far back on the shelf of the magazine rack in Barns and Nobel as my phone chimed in. A burst of three text messages interrupted my train of thought as I went to turn the pages. It must have been important if I received three in a row, I thought to myself. I checked. "Fire on Laurel ST", is what I read. "Oh crap!" I uttered aloud. My business parter turned questioning what the exclamation was pertaining to. "Theres a fire, lets go." Moments later we were on our way to the scene. A second text came through. "It must be major, they called for additional equipment." My heart sunk. As we made our way closer to the scene, we couldnt see any smoke. Puzzled, we found an officer blocking a section of the road next to South ST. Parking, in the dry cleaner's parking lot, we headed down the road. A group of fire fighters were taking a small break from fighting the blaze just on the corner before the building. Still seeing no smoke, we assumed something much worse was taking place. At that point we still had no idea what had occurred. We saw not flames, but instead a scene of high emotions. The fire department had successfully contained the blaze and suppressed the flames. We do not know the severity of the damage to the building at this time. The individuals and fire fighter that were taken to the hospital are in our thoughts and prayers. A special thank you goes out to the Holyoke Fire Department and anyone who responded to todays scene.