The New Bombay Beach

Like a full-time Burning Man, Bombay Beach shifted from its origins as a sort of “California Riviera” in the 1950s to something with more the feel of an artists’ colony. The town’s little grid of streets amid the emptiness of the desert valley brings to mind open-world video game maps, but the eclectic nature of the beach itself makes reality (as usual) far more interesting.

The New Bombay Beach

Trinity on a Hilltop Above Hartford

All along the this rise are the buildings of Trinity college: the Raether Library, Clement Chemistry Building, Northam Hall, the Chapel, and High Rise. Looking at them dramatically standing against the setting sun, I knew what I was thankful for this year: being here in Hartford, working at Trinity.

Trinity on a Hilltop Above Hartford

(Just as I can see my home from work, this is evidence that I can see work from home.)

I Can See My House From Here

Peak foliage on Trinity College’s campus looks as effulgent as always, but there’s an added perk in being able to see my downtown-Hartford home in the same shot. (It helps that the building is 27 stories tall, I’ll admit…)

I Can See My House From Here

Low Water in the Lake

A clifftop view of Mohonk Mountain House’s swimming hole shows the impact of last summer’s drought: sections of beach that would be deep underwater are instead showing green sprouts of grasses. Even with that minor asterisk, the setting is idyllic and captures the late-summer pleasures of a little escape well.

Low Water in the Lake

Leaving Before the Fireworks End

Fireworks displays in metro areas always mean serious traffic, but the line of stopped cars along Bushnell Park has clearly formed before the fireworks display even ended. From this vantage point, there’s luckily more to see than traffic; the magenta luminescence of excited lithium ions paints its colors across the buildings and treetops of downtown Hartford.

Leaving Before the Fireworks End