Blue Hour at Quabbin Reservoir

Quabbin Reservoir, Belchertown MA
Photo by Linda Repasky

You are forgiven if you think this is some far flung body of water in some distant land. (We thought so too when we first received this photo submission for our 2024 calendar!) Turns out, this is just “blue hour” at nearby Quabbin Reservoir. According to photographer Linda Repasky, “Shortly before sunrise, the sky and water at Quabbin Reservoir took on a delightfully blue hue. Pure magic!”

The jury initially struggled over whether to include this photo in the calendar, not because it isn’t extraordinary, but because we tend to prefer “recognizable” local scenes. At the same time, we also encourage fresh takes on familiar locations – in Emily Dickinson’s words, we favor photos that “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.”

With Emily’s words guiding the final selection, Repasky’s photo became the featured photo for April in the 2024 Head in the Clouds Amherst wall calendar. No question, this is an absolutely perfect addition to this year’s calendar!

Partial Solar Eclipse - Western Massachusetts

Near-total solar eclipse (95% coverage)
Hadley MA - Photo by S. Vardatira

A series of minor mishaps as I was leaving the house this afternoon resulted in my forgetting my tripod at home, which, in turn, meant that none of my "eclipse" photos are worth a darn. But here's the thing - it doesn't matter at all. Happily, I still had my eclipse glasses, and every "bite out of the sun" view was thrilling. Took this photo in Hadley at the moment closest to totality for us (sun 95% covered). No, you can't see a sliver of sun - that's how bright even 5% of the sun is - but the optical effect courtesy of the eclipse was very cool, nevertheless. Clouds, sun, beams of light. Grateful for all of it!