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Not too long ago I did a series on special places, mentioning that a person’s hometown is a special place for most, whether it’s good or bad special. I was debating on continuing my fall series when via twitter, and due to photos I posted on 500px of my hometown, one of my earliest childhood friends contacted me. Decades have passed since the last time we saw each other. I was very surprised and took it as a sign. I’m posting fall images from my hometown of Bristol, RI. Two birds kind of thing.

This image is one end of a body of water that was always called the Mill Gut. I have no idea why that is, there was never a mill there, and I have always found the name to be odd. I googled it and now know that is the actual name for this tidal marsh, maybe any tidal inlet. I don’t know the origins and most references to that term are of this place. A childhood mystery remains.

In summer many people could be found here digging for clams and quahogs (a Rhode Island thing). At one end of it is a beautiful stone bridge (1906) and the other end is what you see here, these little stone structures. Behind me is a small living farm museum, Coggeshall. Any time I was back in town for a visit, I came to this spot. The water is shallow but the memories are deep.