Thursday, April 30, 2015
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
to the sea
It was a day for a calming walk by the sea.
I headed to the New Hampshire coast without a specific stopping point, knowing (hoping!) that something interesting would catch my eye. I hopped out of the car at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH, choosing to walk a loop starting along the coast and following an inland trail to return. The trails in the park are easy walking, the coastline not so much.
I wanted to get close to the tide pools which meant traversing the very loose rounded rocks along the coast. It was close to low tide when I arrived, slippery seaweed exposed. I walked across still brown sea grass and onto what appeared to be dry mud flats. I hoped the dried mud was in a state to hold a human walking. I was very lucky that it was; I had images of sinking up to my ankles in mud!
It was a wonderful day to walk along the coast. As I looked to the east and south I saw blue sky decorated with white clouds. Later interesting patterns of gray emerged, especially as I looked inland. I love the combination of an interesting sky and coastal scenery.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 7:41 PM
Saturday, April 25, 2015
before the leaves
It's late April, just over a month since the spring equinox. Trees are just starting to show a blush of color, flowers before leaves, a celebration of spring.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 5:13 PM
Friday, April 24, 2015
flurries
What's that I see? Snow?
As I neared the end of my drive to work this morning I started to see bits of white hitting the windshield. A few snow flurries were decorating the air.
The forecast for today is for early spring temperatures topping out in the low 50s.
No snow!
No, I wasn't imagining snow. Take a look at the Boston Globe (online) article:
You call this springtime? Yes, it snowed this morning in Boston
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 7:26 AM
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
magnolia, open
Spring has been slow to paint the landscape with color this year, making the emerging flowers especially precious.
A magnolia reaches toward late afternoon light showing shades of pink.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 6:10 AM
Sunday, April 19, 2015
colors emerge
It's a month past the spring equinox; plants are waking up, starting to show their colors. This afternoon I saw a single forsythia wearing yellow and one magnolia tree wearing bright pink. Other plants of the same varieties are still wearing bare branches.
I was happy that a few plants decided to share bright colors today.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 7:04 PM
Saturday, April 18, 2015
a wander at Maudslay
It was a sunny day, a day of wind, blue skies, and a temperature that brought a hint of spring.
I headed to Maudslay State Park for a walk in the woods with a hope of seeing flowers. It's still early in the season but I did find color adorning the ground. Some of the tiny flowers of early spring were flourishing, daffodils were in bloom, and skunk cabbage was showing (new) bright green leaves.
More photos from today's wander can be seen in the gallery Maudslay State Park - 2015.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 6:16 PM
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
focused flight
This bee knew exactly where to find pollen. The early spring bloom of a crocus is a good target for his focused flight.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 6:06 AM
Sunday, April 12, 2015
tiny flowers
My morning walk destination was The Stevens-Coolidge Place. I headed there with crocus on my mind; I was rewarded by seeing crocus popping out of a grassy field.
Today's flowers were all small, wearing purple, white, and a bit of blue. I was happy to see crocus, snowdrops, and glory-of-the-snow.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 6:54 PM
Saturday, April 11, 2015
to Halibut Point
With the temperature edging into the 50s and the wind howling my thoughts turned to finding a good walking destination for today. We're coming into mud season; I wanted a place that didn't involve traipsing down wet and muddy trails.
My choice? I headed to Halibut Point State Park in Rockport for a circle around the quarry and a walk on the rocks by the sea. The wind was so strong that it was hard to stay upright at times. Luckily the inland part of the park was a little calmer.
I don't know why I was surprised when I found the water in the quarry was still wearing a coat of snow and ice.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 7:27 PM
Friday, April 10, 2015
Wednesday, April 08, 2015
Tuesday, April 07, 2015
dreaming
It's time to dream of traveling. Denise has a long weekend visit to Acadia planned early in May but she hasn't made any plans for any further away destinations. I guess I need to start looking into interesting destinations and leaving the information showing on her computer. What do you think? Would that help her decide?
As always I'm looking forward to wandering in Acadia. That's one of Denise's favorite places, and it's turned into one of mine too. I do hope that there is enough warmish weather between now and when we head out to uncover the ground in the park.
As of April 2: All areas of the park are covered in heavy snow and unusual amounts of ice. Most areas of the park are inaccessible for this reason. Please use extreme caution while traveling in this area.
--- Rover
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 6:04 AM
Labels: Acadia 2015-05
Monday, April 06, 2015
in the window
I love the animals who live in the window at Canine Cupboard in Portsmouth, NH.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 6:04 AM
Sunday, April 05, 2015
slow melt
Today was a bit calmer than yesterday with a matching temperature and slightly less wind. It felt like a good day for a walk along the coast.
I headed to New Hampshire, stopping just south of Odiorne Point to walk on both the ocean and the inland side of the road. Although most of the snow is gone there are still swaths of white under trees and along the edge of the road, with ice continuing to cover the edges of (inland) pools of water.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 7:18 PM
Saturday, April 04, 2015
Thursday, April 02, 2015
amazing journey
It was April 1st when I read an article in the Boston Globe about a tiny bird called a blackpoll warbler. At first I wondered if the article was an April Fool's joke; finding a research submission told me that it wasn't.
I find it amazing that these tiny birds leave from New England and eastern Canada and fly to South America without stopping.
Tiny blackpoll warblers make mind-boggling migration
For decades, it’s been the stuff of birding legend: Each fall, fist-sized songbirds called blackpoll warblers leave the spruce forests of New England and eastern Canada and fly south across the open ocean toward South America.
Now, improbable though it seems, the rumors have been proven true. A research team led by an ecologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst outfitted five birds with tiny geolocator backpacks and found that each completed the incredible journey, flying up to 1,721 miles in one go.
from the Boston Globe story, written by Carolyn Y. Johnson
Curious? There is quite a bit of information in the Globe article; it's well worth reading.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 10:19 PM
Wednesday, April 01, 2015
waiting for spring flowers
It seems to be my focus lately... I'm waiting for spring flowers!
Here are some bright daffodils from an inside garden, a bit of color for today.
Posted by Denise Goldberg at 5:52 AM