Massachusetts – 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

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

[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

Skyline Trail: Middlesex Fell Reservation – January 2024

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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Tags: Hiking | Massachusetts | Middlesex Fells Reservation | Skyline Trail (MFR)

Posted: January 16, 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

Massachusetts: Mayflower Cemetery – Taunton

Legend has it that people have seen the chair rock and even a ghost of a young girl sitting in the chair. Others have seen glowing lights or orbs around the plot. Her vacant chair. The grave marks the location of Pearl E. French, a child of the age of three who died of spinal

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

Posted: September 2, 2023 by Bananamasher

Massachusetts: Four Star Farms – Northfield

It’s harvest time at the states largest hop farm, Four Star Farms. Now they have their own brewery serving beers made from ingredients from their very own farm.

Tags: Beer | Four Star Farms | Hops | Massachusetts

Posted: August 18, 2023 by Bananamasher

Massachusetts: Garden of Remembrance – Shrewsbury

Ruins and relics of a lush garden, where a mansion once stood, built for an internationally known carpet manufacturer based in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Tags: Journal | Massachusetts | Unique Places

Posted: July 11, 2023 by Bananamasher

Tag: Massachusetts