Bud Part II and then some

Yesterday yielded something interesting. Today, even more so.

I was out of town last week when Holyoke sustained the fires. Normally I would be found on scene. But, being in Boston for the weekend, I was unable to respond. I stopped in passing today. I was driving by the Main St building that had went up. I met a worker installing a new door on the adjacent building. The Fire Department had made their way through the existing door to extinguish the blaze next door. He said there was no fire damage to that building and gave me a tour of interior. It was quite interesting. I made a few photos on scene.

It is a real shame to see more buildings going up. Just another victim of abandonment and memories tarnished and burned to ashes in the flames of destruction.

Ye Old Bud

Today while passing by working on a project the front door was wide open. The lock was cut and the gate has been broken into. The ply wood that was barricading the door has been unscrewed. The Bud, as it appeared, was open for business. I poked my head in and made a few photographs. The Bud was a backdrop back in 2009 for a project I have been working on Yoga In Unusual Spaces. Since then I have heard lose stories and bits of information. Until today, I had never seen the interior space. It was a walk back into time.

There is a certain charm and aesthetic to this building. To my knowledge, this charisma has already been sought out before me. I advise, with strong caution, please do not enter this space. The conditions of this building are very poor. The middle section of the building has folded in on itself, on every level except the ground level. Very shortly the front gate will be relocked.

It is an Exhibit

Vacancy is hung. The opening is tomorrow evening (Jan 6th) from 6-8pm at the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, MA. These are two interior panoramas just after I hung the photos. Please excuse the quick edit, color difference.

Interview and write up about Vacancy

The Night Before New Years Eve

Last Sunday we had a nice dusting of snow. During the height of the "storm" a friend and I were making our way up Mt. Tom. It was an adventure quite honestly, not as dangerous as one would think. There was a little bit of wind, nothing to major. When we were on the mountain, the wind was sweeping the tops of the trees. The snow was falling, but not as think as it was on the main roads. We were guarded by the thick of the trees. We did not make the summit like anticipated. It was this night that inspired me to again attempt the summit of Mt. Tom of 141. However, on Thursday night the attempt was cut short by nature. In a very close proximity to where we were hiking we were able to hear the playful yelps of a pack of coyotes. The sounds of the dogs cheerfully expressing their presence was enough of warrant to vacate the mountain. So, instead we made our way back to the studio, but we were side tracked by the blue lights that dotted the Canal Walk. It was getting more cold, the air was very thick with the stench of burning plastic. I was very skeptical where that was coming from. We meandered around looking around for the images that would best convey the moment. Off in the distance we heard a few soft pops and the rumble of cars making a haste get-a-way. Just another night in Holyoke. Here are a few photos from some time spent in the cold.