Fences

Dear Diary,

I've always thought that fences would make a good photographic series.  There seems no end to the ways we can close ourselves off from our neighbors.  This is a typical white picket fence which is so common in New England.  I have one myself enclosing a small door yard in front of the house.  My extra is a cast iron fence which encloses the town green in the same town.

That fence is a fairly recent reconstruction.  The original iron fence was donated to the war effort in 1917 to be melted down for cannons.  It took the town 80+ years to have it re-created and put back in its proper place.  People seem to feel better with a fence.  You know where you stand with a fence...in bounds or out of bounds, it is clear.

In the inn that you see in that photo I found a sign that I just loved so I include it too as an extra.  It is a great manifesto for living life.  In the chaotic and troubled world of today it might be good to reflect on its message.