Denise Goldberg's blog

Friday, April 29, 2011

Evening tulips

I escaped from the office a bit earlier than normal this afternoon, answering the call of the sunny sky. My goal was a good long walk. Home, and out of the door, walking...

Because of my early (exercise) start there was still plenty of light in the sky when I walked back into my house, enough time to head out again to check the gardens at the Stevens-Coolidge Place. When I was last there just two weeks ago there were daffodils and some low-lying wildflowers in the grass. Today? There were tulips!

tulips

tulips pushed by the wind

More photos from today can be seen in the gallery Spring color... 2011, starting with this photo and ending here.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Bare legs & flower petals

Ah, the warmth of a summer-like day...

April is the month when I usually switch from cold-weather attire, legs clad in tights, to bare legs. The "when" is dictated by the temperature, later than usual this year. With temperatures forecast to be close to 80 degrees, today was my first bare leg day of the season.

As the warmer weather settles in, more colors are emerging. Today's color? Purple!

purple, daisies

Monday, April 25, 2011

Monday, car

Oh! Denise came home with her (our!) new car tonight. I bounced out to look at it, to see if there are good spots for me to ride when we use it to get to interesting wandering spots. I like it! but I haven't gone for a ride in it yet. I think I'll plant some day wandering ideas in her mind for one day next weekend; that should be a good excuse for a ride!

Maybe I can get Denise to take some photos of me watching through the windshield. She told me she can only take photos when the car is parked though.

--- Rover

Sunday, April 24, 2011

In motion

Today seemed like a day of non-stop motion. I headed out for a brisk walk early this morning, a good way to greet the day. By the time I returned home the temperature had risen to the low 60s. I was planning to head to the coast with my camera, but first my bicycle was calling. Ah, that felt good, pedals moving in circles, wheels turning, sun shining, warmth.

By the time I left for the western edge of Maine the sky had changed from blue to shades of gray, clouds entering. I headed to Fort Foster Park in Kittery, Maine. The park isn't open for the season yet but luckily there was plenty of room to park on the entrance road. I entered the park by ducking under the gate, joining many other folks in the park enjoying a taste of summer-like weather.

It was a good day for walking.

water's edge, Fort Foster Park, Kittery Point, Maine

pier, Fort Foster Park, Kittery Point, Maine

A few more photos from today can be seen in the gallery South coastal Maine - 2011, starting with this photo and ending here. You'll know when you've reached the end of today's photos when you see snow (since the last time I wandered in this area was in January)!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Tropical

This morning was cool and rainy, as expected. As I sat wondering how to escape for a bit I remembered that there is a butterfly "garden" not too far from home. Ah, that's it! I headed out, arriving at opening time. It was fairly quiet at first, just a few photographers. I think I was lucky to have a quiet 45 minutes before the place filled with children. I stayed a solid two hours, fascinated by the butterflies.

Some of the butterflies perched on flowers quietly. Some continued to flutter their wings even when they weren't flying, like this one...

butterfly fluttering, moving

Some wore different clothes front and back. Would you believe these two photos are of the same butterfly?

butterfly top butterfly bottom

It was so nice to be warm! The garden was kept at butterfly temperatures, humid and in the 80s. Taking photos had to wait a bit until the moisture (from the humidity) cleared from my camera lens. One of the other wandering photographers told me about Magic Wings, a butterfly conservatory and garden just a couple of hours drive from here. Hmm... I suspect I'll head out there to visit more butterflies in the not too distant future.

butterfly under flower

tropical flowers

More photos from today's butterfly visit can be seen in the gallery Flitter, flutter, fly.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Before the rain

Tomorrow is supposed to be a rainy day. There are flowers calling to me, isolated pops of color...

I decided to take advantage of today's sunny late afternoon, changing my walking routine a bit to be brisk walking sandwiched with stops to grab a few photos. I'm still waiting for the tulips, but today's flowers were special too.

Ah, I'm not imagining things. I just checked last year's photo galleries, and I have photos of tulips dated the 11th of April. Right now I don't see anything other than the early-emerging miniature tulips. Patience Denise, patience!

pink! magnolia blossoms

yellow, forsythia

Soon...

Oh! Denise just bought a new car! She doesn't have it yet so I haven't been able to check it out, but I did find a stock photo to share with you. What is it? A Toyota Prius.

It really seems like she doesn't think about big things like this. From the outside it looks like she snapped her fingers and the decision was made. She's been thinking about this for quite a while though; I was surprised she didn't buy a new car toward the end of last year.

I can't wait to find my favorite riding spot in the Prius!

--- Rover


stock photo, gray metallic Prius

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Wild water

The forecast called for rain today. It rained hard overnight, the wind howled, and the storm blew out to sea. This morning started with blue skies, then gray and a bit of rain returned. My morning walk was accompanied by a bit of water, heavier rain starting again after I returned home. I thought it was going to be a stay-at-home afternoon, and then...

By mid-afternoon blue had returned to the sky and the temperature was edging close to 60. Ah, a quick trip to the coast felt right. I grabbed my camera and headed to the sea.

The ocean was absolutely wild today. Waves on top of waves, frothy, white, wild...

I usually hit the coast and head north a bit before stopping. Today the wild waves made me stop in Hampton Beach almost as soon as I reached the coast. I walked, I watched the crashing waves, fascinated by the surfers in the water. A bit later I headed to Jenness Beach State Park for some more beach walking and a quick visit with the birds.

crashing waves, New Hampshire coast

crashing waves, New Hampshire coast


More photos from today can be seen in the gallery Along the New Hampshire coast - 2011, starting here and ending with this photo.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Chill air

A chilly day, cool temperatures made cooler by a howling wind...

I headed to a local garden in the middle of the afternoon, hoping to find some color. It seems that the flowers are a bit late this year, but there were a few patches of color. A few crocus are still standing although for the most part they are past peak. Daffodils have emerged, and a carpet of small purple blossoms spread across the ground.

tiny, purple, flowers

Monday, April 11, 2011

Portraits of...

A weekend visit...

Saturday afternoon was sunny, edging into warmth, a good day to sit outside and relax. I watched Bailey as he walked and watched and slept. Birds flitted in, grabbing a seed, flitted out. Red squirrels scampered up branches, stopping to pose, watching. A chipmunk hid, peering at me from his visible hiding spot.

red-bellied woodpecker

white-breasted nuthatch


A few more photos of Bailey (my dachshund buddy), birds, a red squirrel and a chipmunk can be seen in the gallery Portraits of...

Bailey, watching

Bailey, dachshund

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Impatience

The vernal equinox passed over two weeks ago, and at this point I'm quite anxious to be overwhelmed by spring color. The crocus popped up out of the snow providing some early color, a good (and early) start. Now? my impatience is showing.

Driving through the Berkshires this afternoon, I could still see occasional patches of snow between the tree. Some ponds were still wearing a covering of ice, remnants of winter.

As I got closer to home I saw a hint of spring colors emerging. Some trees wore a haze of red, early buds, a tease before the leaves emerge. Willows have started showing a hint of pale green.

Soon...

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Hawk, watching

Early evening, walking...

I saw a hawk perched high in a still bare-branched tree, looking, watching. I watched the hawk, the hawk watched me.

Sunday, April 03, 2011

A mid-tide walk

Low tide in Wells, Maine this morning was just before 6 AM so this morning didn't feed my preference of walking on the coast as the tide is going out. It was a mid-tide walk, midway between low tide and high tide.

I arrived at the Wells Reserve to find a thin layer of snow still remaining from Friday's storm, snow disappearing as I moved closer to the coast. There was still a good width of beach for walking although the stretch of beach to the south of my entry point had already disappeared. I walked north to the estuary, around the bend, back again, all under a clear blue sky.

rolling waves

waves breaking

A few more photos from today can be found in the gallery Wells Reserve - 2011, starting with and ending with

Saturday, April 02, 2011

Surviving (blooms)

Yesterday's storm dropped several inches of snow here, covering the early spring flowers and all of the new spring green. Crocus is a hardy plant; as the snow melted away the colors emerged once more.

yellow crocus

Today's taste treat

Morning, time to wander to my local Whole Foods to see what food items catch my eye...

I know it's spring when I see a bin of English peas. Sweet, crisp, ready to be shelled and popped into my mouth. Cooked? No way! These are a wonderful raw treat!

Just a bit further into the produce section there were nicely ripened Maridol papaya waiting for me. I acquired a taste for papaya when I first visited Hawaii many years ago. When I'm in Hawaii the local papaya are a must have. At home I go for papaya from Central America; it seems to travel better.

Peas and papaya, both flavors that stand alone, both favorites and welcome treats. Yum!

Friday, April 01, 2011

April foolery

All week I was hoping that the weather wizard was playing an April Fool's joke with the prediction of snow overnight and into the day on April 1st. When I looked outside this morning I found it was no joke!

Just after sunrise:

snow covered trees on April 1st


Forty minutes later with a bit more light:

snow covered trees on April 1st

And no, those splotches in the sky aren't caused by dirt on my camera lens, they are big clumps of snowflakes!