Happy feet!

I walk in running shoes, in hiking shoes, in winter walking boots, and in (athletic) sandals. My choice of footwear usually depends on the weather and on my mood.

Lately my hiking shoes have been getting quite a workout. My running shoes needed replacement and for the first time in many years replacing them with a new pair of the same brand and model that I had been wearing didn't work. Someone at the shoe manufacturer (Mizuno) apparently decided that toes don't need room to move, changing the toe box of the shoes to be narrower and to have less height. Ouch! My feet said no, and the shoes went back.

It probably would have made sense for me to head to a store to try some shoes - but shopping in brick & mortar stores doesn't appeal to me (lately). I took time yesterday to check some running shoe reviews online, then I turned to Zappos to place an order. My "I hope they fit, I hope they work" new shoes were waiting for me when I arrived home today. I slipped them on and headed out for a long fast walk. Ah, happy feet!

Oh, your feet want to know which shoes my feet like? The model is the adidas Supernova Glide, very comfy.

Highlighted

Unneeding warning?

I always wonder when I see a sign like this. The water may look inviting, but the bridge is high above the water surface, water that ebbs and flows with the tides.

Sand sculptures, waves, reflections

I woke up this morning and turned my day upside down. I was planning to ride this morning and to head to the New Hampshire coast this afternoon, but wet roads and a predicted beach afternoon convinced me to head to the coast first. The annual Hampton Beach sand sculpture contest ended yesterday, and I needed to see the creations of some fabulous sand artists. Coastal visit first, ride second...

It was a morning of sand sculptures, a high tide walk watching the waves, seeking reflections.

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

Dripping

Listen...

It's early Saturday morning.

Listen to the sound of heavy rain, of thunder, of water pouring off of the roof, pounding into the ground. Listen...

Solstice

Do flowers have a front & a back?

Some flowers - like tulips - show what I would consider to be the underside of the petals. Others have a top and a bottom where the bottom is often hidden to the eye. Still others are oriented with the front and back on a vertical plane. I've found that the back can be as beautiful as the front.

Color behind color

More photos from this morning's visit to Stephens-Coolidge Place can be found in the gallery Summer days... 2011 starting with this photo and ending here.

Local strawberries

What a treat! I picked up a quart of local strawberries yesterday, fresh, sweet, perfect for eating without any additional toppings, nice touched with a bit of yogurt too. Yum!

Reflecting light

Once I was satisfied with absorbing the sight and smell of roses, I continued up the coast. My first walking stop was at the eastern end of Odiorne Point State Park. I followed a trail through the woods, popping out of the trees to walk along the shoreline. My next stop was along the water in Portsmouth. In both places the surface of the water was decorated with reflections.

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

Roses in bloom

On my last visit to Fuller Gardens two weeks ago the rose bushes were wearing buds but no blossoms. Today there were roses!

More photos from today can be seen in the gallery Petals pop - Fuller Gardens 2011 starting with this photo and ending here.

10,000 photos

When I pulled the photos off the memory cards after today's wander I was surprised to see two (lower level) folders on the card instead of the normal one. Ah, look, the numbers have started over.

File names on Canon cameras (at least all of the Canons that I've owned) are made up of "IMG_" followed by a 4-digit number. 4 digits = 9,999. That means I've managed to shoot over 10,000 photos since my 7D arrived last August. I've been enjoying this camera, playing, grabbing images.

Here's the photo from today wearing number 1 (again):

Rabbit

Late day light

Standing tall

Misty

It was a wet weekend, starting a bit earlier than the weather wizard predicted. Saturday's initial prediction of rain late in the day was off; rain was already falling when I woke up. The weekend? a day of rain yesterday, a day of mist today.

I walked in the rain, I walked in the mist. In spite of the wet weather I found a camera slung around my neck as I headed out this afternoon. I'm always fascinated by the patterns of water drops on flowers.

More photos from today's garden visit can be found in the gallery Spring color... 2011, starting with this photo and ending here.

Clouds before rain

Wild storms blew through here early this evening. Before the storm, the clouds appeared to be painted on the sky.

Beneath a willow

Wednesday's purple

Fallen

Daisies by the sea

Coastal walk

After satisfying my need for flowers the coast was calling. I stopped at Jenness State Beach for a beach walk, returning on the inland side to enjoy a different body of water. I drove a bit further, starting to walk again just south of Odiorne Point State Park, walking north through woods and along the shore. I had a quick conversation with some Common Eider before retracing my footsteps. Oh, you're right, I was talking to them but they weren't answering!

The air was crisp, the sky was blue, the ocean was quiet. It was a good day for a walk.

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

Garden morning

I feel very lucky to have beautiful gardens to visit. This morning's was Fuller Gardens in North Hampton, NH. It was still too early for roses but there were more perennials in bloom than my first visit of the season three weeks ago.

More photos from today can be seen in the gallery Petals pop - Fuller Gardens 2011 starting with this photo and ending here.

Light through leaves

A day for...

Temperatures on the cool but comfortable side, a clear day, a good day for spending time outside. I walked, I rode, I visited my favorite local garden. And oh! the iris are still in fabulous form!

More photos from today's garden visit can be found in the gallery Spring color... 2011, starting with this photo and ending here.

Purple

Magic light

Acadia... yes, photos!

Photos from my 3-day wander in Acadia National Park are loaded into galleries and ready for viewing. Start with the top level gallery, Acadia, May 2011 or click on the photos below to enter a specific gallery.

Calm, beautiful, Acadia:

Gardens... flowers & ferns:

Interested in words? You can find my ramblings in my blog entries tagged Acadia 2011-05.

Wednesday's iris