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Welcome!

"Sharing my writings

and all that inspires me."

BILL CARAWAN

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AWARD FOR 2024

BILL CARAWAN

"Excellence of

Artistic Presentation"

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"Your content is really compelling."

(compelling): evoking interest, attention,

or admiration in a powerfully irresistible way.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

A web technician told me this, after looking at my website.

This to me was a huge compliment, considering the fact that

he spends all of his workdays looking at websites!

My site gives me "statistics" for the number of visitors to the site for the previous day, seven days, and thirty days. The highest totals have been 34 visitors in one day, 53 visitors in seven days, and 161 visitors in thirty days. For three months in a row it stayed around 160 visitors each month. It has been very well received.

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Before you start reading...

if you would like some lovely mood

music...click "Forever In Love" - Kenny G.

A beautiful "blues" saxophone piece which

I have chosen as the musical theme

for my website.

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NEEDHAM TOWN HALL

GEORGIAN REVIVAL STYLE (1902)

PARK (1884)

NEEDHAM TOWN SQUARE

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PROFILE

I found the beautiful painting of "Herons" by N. C. Wyeth (top of page-above my trademark WORDS OF WILLIAM) a few years ago and was totally surprised, because it is so different from what he usually painted. His lovely illustrations of many of the "Old Classics" such as Robinson Crusoe, Kidnapped, Robin Hood, etc. are dearly loved by readers. He lived and worked for some years in Needham, Ma. About a dozen of his paintings hang in the Public Library there. When our family first moved to New England we settled in Needham, and I've gone into that library on many occasions just to enjoy his paintings.

Needham Public Library

N.C. Wyeth Room

All of my writings are self-published by WORDS OF WILLIAMTM. Although I have been writing poetry all of my life, I recently had a great idea for a short story. As a result of that idea...THE REDCOAT is my first adventure (see navigation bars) into story writing, and AN INDIAN LEGEND is my second...("MY BLOG"/Post 11).

Writing seems to be a family affair since my wife Shelley also writes short-stories, and our middle daughter Cathy has published several books and poetry. They are both...very gifted writers!

Shelley and I and our four kids made a job-related move in November of 1986 from South Carolina to Boston. It is hard to believe...that was over thirty-seven years ago! From day one we all fell in love with New England and its seasons, especially autumn. After enduring the heat, humidity and thunderstorms of the south for so many years, the summers of New England are fantastic, by comparison. And as far as the winters...we still enjoy a beautiful snowfall.

In 1995 Shelley and I took advantage of a great job opportunity in the mid-west. We were in Wisconsin and then in Michigan for altogether about four years, before returning to Boston. If you go and click on ENCHANTED DOOR it shares our experiences in Wisconsin. And then if you go to "MY BLOG," (Post 4) MARLBOROUGH it shares our experiences in Michigan. The mid-west is very beautiful! And we cherish the experiences we had...but it was fantastic to get back home to Boston.

New England has provided a lot of inspiration to me as far as my writing...so I am very

excited about the opportunity to share with others, on this website. Also, my love

of music will become very obvious. Hope you enjoy the journey!

BILL CARAWAN

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LISTEN!

WHILE READING

THE FOLLOWING.

OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS IN NEW ENGLAND

WAS IN NEEDHAM ENJOYING THESE BEAUTIFUL

BLUE LIGHTS IN THE TOWN SQUARE.

"HOMETOWN"

Needham town-square,

covered with snow.

Lights of "Blue Tree"

deep sapphire glow.

"O HOLY NIGHT"

from carolers near.

With peace in our hearts,

CHRISTMAS is here...

ALL OF THE YEAR!

Bill Carawan

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OUR WATER-FRONT HOME

AYER, MA. (2018)

FLANNAGAN POND SANDY POND

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OUT IN THE COUNTRY

ON A QUIET ONE-WAY LANE

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OUR SON'S NAME

FOR OUR HOME

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The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

Psalms 16:6, 9–11

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FRONT PORCH GARDEN

Includes three peach trees, rose bush, forsythia bush,

azalea bush, and hundreds of flowering plants.

RECENTLY WE COUNTED

FIFTY-SIX ROSES ON THIS BUSH.

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The three by four foot large painting which Shelley and I

chose to hang in our great room over the sofa.

This canvas beautifully fills that space.

Of course I am shopping

for a red canoe!

This painting seemed very appropriate since our home waterfronts

Flannagan Pond on the west, backs up towards Sandy Pond

on the east, and has a small pond on the south.

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FROM THIS SWING WE ENJOY GORGEOUS

SUN-SETS OVER FLANNAGAN POND.

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A GATHERING OF LILIES

First came the idea. This particular gathering was conceived of shortly after we moved in. The plan involved moving lilies from two other locations in the yard to an area behind the garage/shed. This would enhance a group of about fifty lilies growing on the gentle brow of a hill which over-looks beautiful Flannagan Pond. The moves resulted in a total cluster of about a hundred and twenty flowers. Once they were in place, then began the creation of walls for a hillside rock-garden.

Using a pick-axe and hoe I uncovered and excavated a recently discovered cache of large stones at the bottom of a slope. Many were too large to lift into a wheel barrow so they were patiently rolled using a pickaxe, up the slope and then maneuvered into place. On this particular day I was being refreshed all the while by steady rain showers, which were much appreciated.

Total time for this project was about a week. After incorporating these large stones, rocks, pavers, marble chips, red mulch, gazing ball, night-lighting, birdbath, windchimes, and a sculpture of three metal spheres…this lovely little garden was created. By this time the flowers were way past their peak. Next thing you know it seemed we were easing into Autumn. Followed by a long snowy Winter.

The next Spring came very late, therefore there were many weeks of waiting, watering, and watching buds swell and swell. Suddenly they began to burst into bloom...like a fireworks show! Each morning would reveal more and more blossoms! Finally, the lovely rock garden was well established.

Each evening about half an hour after sunset, six exquisite solar lanterns inside the garden blink on within a couple of minutes, bathing this little garden in lovely patterns of light through-out the night, only to wink-out with the stars at daybreak. Another special night to enjoy this scene is with full-moon illuminating garden and ponds.

Bill Carawan