I take my camera everywhere I go - even on simple walks to get lunch. Sometimes I get time to post these photos. Sometimes I don’t. When I don’t, I put them into file folders called “MMDDYYphotodump” and then I forget about them. I just went through a few of these file folders and am pulling out some images of Western Massachusetts. I hope to do this more often in my blog. We’ll see.

The first photo is of the exterior of the Wistariahurst Museum. I took it on the afternoon that I went to hear a talk on Holyoke resident Anna Burns Sullivan. Sullivan was a prominent union organizer for the local mills in the late 30s and continued to be an activist until her death in 1983.

The photo of Commercial Street was taken the day after the Parsons Mill fire. As you can see from the next photo, the fire was still going one day later (and even longer).

The Galley in West Springfield will be closing as of June 30, 2008, according to the big sign in the window. It’s located on Riverdale Street between DiGrigoli Salons and the big truck repair shop.

The federal building in Springfield will be vacant once the new federal building on State Street opens. The city needs to think hard about what to do about this space.

Second to last photo: The view on Main Street, heading towards Hampden Street. Hippodrome sign beckons ahead.

Final Photo: Shakago Bar on Hampden Street, Springfield, Mass.