Journal – BANANAMASHER

Birding: Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge – Concord, MA

Spent the afternoon birding in a spot known to be a hotspot for common and more unique feathered and flying vertebrates. Roughly 85% of the refuge consists of freshwater wetlands, attracting migrant and local species of perching songbirds, waterfowl, marsh breeders, and shore birds to the cultivated conservation area. A warm and sunny April day

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Tags: Birding | Journal | Massachusetts | Wildlife

Posted: April 15, 2025 by Bananamasher

Concerts – 2025 March

Most rad month of concerts ever! Spent most of the month accompanying Pelican while touring with Russian Circles throughout the Midwest and West Coast. Upon arriving back home to Boston, I went right back out for two more days for Cave In and Glacier as they played around New England. Legendary riff lords, Pelican are

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Posted: April 4, 2025 by Bananamasher

Concerts – 2025 February

Another light month as I prepare for a busy spring. I’m not sure why I did not attend more shows this month; perhaps it was just a mixture of timing and circumstance. These few concerts still packed a punch! Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats would perform their theatrical new release, ‘Nell’ Ora Blu’, in its

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Posted: March 2, 2025 by Bananamasher

Four Star Farms – Ground to Glass: January 2025

Along the 42nd parallel, the hop and turf farm is located by the Connecticut River surrounded by farmland with rolling hills towards the west. Four Star Farms has the biggest hopyard in the state of Massachusetts at roughly 17 acres, growing several varieties including Centennial, Chaos, Crystal, Magnum, Mt. Rainier, TeaMaker, and an experimental field. At

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Tags: Beer | Four Star Farms | Hops | Journal | Massachusetts

Posted: February 12, 2025 by Bananamasher

Concerts – 2025 January

Only caught a few concerts to start the year and none were at a typical venue; two at a brewery and the third at a museum. The theme for the month was quality and not quantity. The year kicked off at Widowmaker Brewing in Braintree, Massachusetts for two nights off riffs for the Hopsmokerfest Invitational,

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Posted: February 1, 2025 by Bananamasher

Tour: GLASSING – From the Other Side of the Mirror (2023)

In late winter of 2023, Austin, Texas-based post-whatever band GLASSING would bop their way up to Cambridge, MA to meet Morne and Author & Punisher for a 10-day tour. It’s here I would meet them and hop into the van for the longest tour I have yet to go on. The dates would swing through

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Tags: Glassing | Journal | Tour

Posted: January 6, 2025 by Bananamasher

[GUIDE] Skyline Trail: Middlesex Fell Reservation

Located about 10 miles north of Boston, The Middlesex Fells Reservation is a public recreation area where you can hike, bike, cross-country ski, and kayak along the lands and waters. Covering more than 2,200 acres of forest, wetlands, and rugged hills in Malden, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, and Winchester, Massachusetts, the large hilly wooded area offers

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Posted: December 9, 2024 by Bananamasher

100 Miles Through Massachusetts: Midstate Trail Thru-Hike

The Midstate Trail is a scenic footpath that runs 92+ miles through Worcester County, Massachusetts, from the Rhode Island border to the New Hampshire border. The northern terminus of the Midstate Trail is located on the New Hampshire border on the Ashburnham/Ashby Massachusetts town line just north of the summit of Mount Watatic. The southern

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Tags: Hiking | Journal | Massachusetts

Posted: October 1, 2024 by Bananamasher

Christmas Lights: 2023

The more I drift away from the ages of childhood, so go the traditions once looked forward to all year long. Traditions once celebrated with family and loved ones, some of whom have since departed. Things change, and life moves on. It can be easy to lose the holiday spirit, especially if you lose what

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Tags: Christmas Lights | Journal | Massachusetts

Posted: December 26, 2023 by Bananamasher

Massachusetts: Burial Place Hill – Reheboth

The longest epitaph in the United States was written by Simeon Martin, a captain during the American Revolutionary War, which can be found at Burial Place Hill in Rehoboth. Simeon was born to an old family who had lived in Rehoboth going back to 1665, five generations, with the graveyard not far from his home.

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Tags: Journal | Land of the Dead | Massachusetts | The Bridgewater Triangle

Posted: October 4, 2023 by Bananamasher

Massachusetts: Quincy Quarries – Quincy

Granite from this former south of Boston quarry was used to build the Bunker Hill Monument. The location, though being a historical site, is an area favorite for graffiti enthusiasts and rock climbers. A place with so much character, scenes from the movies Gone Baby Gone (2007) and The Invention of Lying (2009) were filmed

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Tags: Hiking | Journal | Massachusetts | Unique Places

Posted: September 15, 2023 by Bananamasher

Tag: Journal