Barbara Delinsky

Look in the distance of the first photo below. That’s the Watch Hill Lighthouse on the Rhode Island coast. First built as a watchtower during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), it was destroyed by storms more than once. The version you see here, which I shot last weekend, was built in 1856, modified and updated, then repaired after being damaged by the Hurricane of 1938. It was automated in 1986.

I’ve photographed it multiple times, though not in winter like this. The barriers you see here are snow fences, which cut the speed of the wind. As snow gathers on the leeward side of the fences, sand dunes are preserved.

Because I’ve visited here so often, one of my own photos was used as the basis for the cover art of A WEEK AT THE SHORE. That'll be the summer shot, the one without snow fences. And the book one? A reminder that A WEEK AT THE SHORE is currently available in hardcover, trade paperback, eBook, and audio. The cheap-o mass market edition? Coming this May 24.

P.S. For you history buffs, the French and Indian War was fought in the North America colonies between the British and the French. It was a dispute over land, over control of the fur trade, and, ultimately, over the balance of power in Europe. Some things never change. (Sigh.)

1/19/2022: Hi, all! Heading into 2022, I'll post book updates here, so do check back. In the meanwhile, I'll be regularly sharing photographs from my INSTAGRAM account:
https://www.instagram.com/barbaradelinsky/ (just click - you don't have to have an IG account to see my postings!).

A note from Rachel at BadRedhead Media (Barbara's social media manager):

January 2022: Hi everyone! Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything. Please follow Barbara on IG to see her updates going forward.

Barbara Delinsky (@barbaradelinsky) • Instagram photos and videos 5,544 Followers, 206 Following, 1,893 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Barbara Delinsky ()

The boardwalk at Broadmoor is always a destination. In summer, the snow on the right is open water, home to turtles, frogs, and waterlilies. In winter, well, you see it here. The waterlilies have died off, but the turtles and frogs, while not quite hibernating, are nestled comfortably on mud at the bottom of the river.

Don’t know as that appeals to me. But the lines and light on the surface sure do.

Looking down at the Charles River from my usual spot, ‘round the corner from my house, you can see the difference a couple of days make. I took the first shot January 9, the second January 4. You’ve seen images from this spot before and will see them again. I pass it every time I leave my house, and the light is always different. Sometimes I don’t stop, like if I’m in a rush to get where I’m going, or if my husband is in the car, or if it’s so cold or rainy that I just don’t have the heart. I’ve missed some good ones. My bad.

Today, I post the top top, because it is so very typical of a winter landscape here in New England. The first word that comes to my mind is bleak. What comes to your mind?

Which do you prefer — the first or the second?

They’re the same shot, simply taken on my tripod at different apertures. The first gives greater depth of field (more sharpness), the second less depth of field (more blur). I’m torn. While I love the ethereal quality of the second (especially on a muzzy Monday morning), the first zings in on that front daisy in a riveting way (at least, to me).

There’s one other difference between them, this a matter of post production. Can anyone catch it?

Clinging. Holding on. Hanging in there.

It’s what we do to survive. These leaves won’t make it, but we will. Spring will come. (At least, that’s what I’m hanging on for today, with temps in single digits and wind chill in the minuses.

Stay warm this Saturday!

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Here’s the amaryllis I mentioned to you a bit back. I took these photos (l-to-r) on December 11, December 20, and January 11. When I bought it, that bulb on the left was 3.5” from the base to top. Now, sitting tall here in my office, it is a whopping 18”. Neat to see the progression, yes?

The best part, BTW, was no watering or trimming or arranging. The bulb I bought was encased in wax that somehow or other — I don’t know how — gave it nutrients without my input.

Anyone else growing an amaryllis?

It was comical, yesterday’s hike around Walden Pond.

Given the snow we had Friday and the cold that set in afterward, the path was bound to be icy. So I put crampons on my boots, not the easiest thing, as it takes a lot of pulling and tugging around those sharp steel spikes. We bought them last winter for pandemic winter walking, and they were a godsend — inexpensive and effective, if a bit clunky.

For the last reason (likely a bit of macho also), my husband chose not to wear his yesterday. “The path will be clear,” he said with a dismissive wave and a wry look at my feet, like my crampons were total overkill.

Thirty seconds on the path proved him wrong. Since the trail is narrow and I’m the pacesetter, I strode on ahead, realizing only after a bit that he wasn’t behind me. I stopped and looked back. Waaaaay back. He was slipping and sliding, struggling even with the help of the spiked walking sticks we’d brought.

Whether out of male pride or what, he refused to turn around and go back. So we (he) slipped and slid around the entire lake. Our usual 45-minute walk took an extra 20. But, y’know, it was beautiful being outdoors, there was no one else on the path, and my husband admitted at the end that my instincts had been right.

Crampons today. Definitely.

Can you guess what this blow-up is? (Click to see it full size.)

My imaginative eye sees the torso of a pregnant woman carved from wood.

A lamp stem? Really? Really. This is what you get when waking up to another frigid morning. It's iPhone photography at its most fun!

Not much to say about this image — other than that it’s 10 F here now with a wind chill factor of -4.

No, I did not take this today. It’s from my visit to Broadmoor last weekend. It just felt … appropriate!

Wherever you are, stay warm.