Journal – Page 3 – BANANAMASHER

Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge – Concord, MA (April)

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: March 31, 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 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, Magnum, Mt. Rainier, TeaMaker, and an experimental field. This year, I

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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

Four Star Farms: Ground to Glass

Along the 42nd parallel, the 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 17 acres, growing several varieties including Centennial, Chaos, Magnum, Mt. Rainier, and an experimental field. A collection of photographs following the

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

Posted: January 31, 2025 by Bananamasher

Tour: GLASSING – From the Other Side of the Mirror (2024)

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. The dates would swing through Canada for a few dates, GLASSING took a small DIY floor gig on the off day before coming back into the

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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

Massachusetts: Ponyhenge – Lincoln

In a small town somewhere between Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts, a graveyard exists surrounded by farmland, a little plot of land with dozens of rocking horses cast about. Supposedly, nobody knows how they got there, nor who rearranges them every so often. Welcome to Ponyhenge. Since 2017, I have been making regular visits here every

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Tags: Journal | Massachusetts | Ponyhenge

Posted: November 8, 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

Vermont Maple Sunday – 2024

A day trip visiting three maple syrup producers in Vermont during the celebrated Maple Sunday, a day when most sugar shacks open to the public. Walk along tubes in the sugarbush, sample fresh syrup inside the humid and steamy shacks, and enjoy everything maple. Maple syrup is a natural sweetener derived from the sap of

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Tags: Journal | Maple Sunday | Maple Syrup | Vermont

Posted: March 24, 2024 by Bananamasher

Tag: Journal