The idea for "The Hidden World of the Nearby" began with an assignment for "New England Monthly" magazine in 1987. I had photographed one previous assignment in 1984 of pictures taken from the Massachusetts Turnpike. It was called (naturally): Pike Pics.

This assignment was to photograph Beaver Brook (see the story called "Ceremonial Time") for one year to accompany an essay by John Hanson Mitchell. 

I had driven to Beaver Brook in Littleton, Massachusetts dozens of times at sunrise, but this time was to be during the day to photograph the brook from a small road under which it passed. I invited to come along my (indispensiable) printing assistantant, Michael Conrad, to aid indirecting traffic. 

As we left at the end of the afternoon to get onto Interstate 495 to go home, Mike said "did you see that?" I looked to the right and saw that Beaver Brook run under the interstate and made quite a beautiful site. We circled back around for a closer look and I decided I would come again at sunrise (almost invariably the best time to shoot). 

There were power lines across the brook spoiling the view. Nevertheless I photographed it several morningings until one day a fog obscured the power lines. That morning I made the photograph Dreamed Brook.