Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Ever Heard of Waitt's Mount? Me Neither.


Never a dull moment in the life of a freelance writer. This morning I received a request from a Tony little design agency in Cambridge, MA. Could they use my photograph of poison ivy on a sign they were designing for a park?

As a poison ivy hater and park lover, I said sure, go ahead.

"It's called Waitt's Mount and it's in Malden MA.," the designer told me. "The park has been derelict for a long time and they are making it usable again. The panels will be near the parking area and tell the natural and historical story of the site. I can send you a picture when it is installed (not until next fall, I think)." You can see the proposed panel site about 20 to 25 seconds into this YouTube video, somewhere between the trash can and the gate.

Just think! A photo of poison ivy taken in my front yard (with my name in the credit line, of course! See those tiny white blobs along the upper left edge of the second photo?) is on a sign that will be located in the parking lot of the tiny geologic-outcropping-turned-park. According to the landscape planners, Waitt's Mountain was used by spectators to watch the Battle of Bunker Hill. Today the park boasts spectacular views of the Boston skyline. You can read more about the refurbished park on the architectural firm's website.

Cool, huh? Maybe I'll have to search it out some day. Or if any of my Fifes and Drums friends get to Middlesex County, MA, before I do, would you take a picture for me?

My blog post about "How to Identify Poison Ivy" seems to rise to the top in a lot of search engines, especially if you're searching for images. So far it's gotten more hits than any other blog post by the Williamsburg Wordpecker. I also wrote a post for Suite 101 about how to get rid of poison ivy that's been popular on that site too. Well, being a freelance writer isn't making me rich, but what the hey. Actually, if enough of you click over on my Suite 101 post, I might make fifty cents on this deal! Get clicking, folks.