simple

A simple plant wearing flowers decorates the landscape. As I walked down a path at Halibut Point State Park yesterday a flash of pink caught my eye, clover in bloom.

foggy

It was a chilly day today, with a sky covered by a solid layer of clouds. Given that tomorrow's forecast calls for heavy rain I decided to head to the coast this morning. As I got closer, fog rolled in. There are some windmills on route 128 in Gloucester; today I could only see the bottom of one of the blades.

My wandering destination was Halibut Point State Park. On a clear day it's possible to look over the quarry and see the ocean beyond. Today that wasn't possible.

There was a little more visibility once I walked out on the rocky coastline.

More photos from today's coastal wander can be seen in the gallery Halibut Point :: 2016 starting with this photo and ending here.

pure purple

Late in the afternoon I headed to Stevens-Coolidge Place for a garden visit. It seems like the warm air brings very quick changes to the floral occupants that create a feast for our eyes.

Many varieties of iris were in full bloom. This one wearing pure purple made me smile.

tiny

As I was walking in the garden at Long Hill a tiny splash of color caught my eye. It's amazing how little flowers pop and insist on being seen.

pop!

When I visited the gardens of the Stevens-Coolidge Place on Sunday there were just a few poppies open. Today I was greeted by a sea of orange.

peonies

It's amazing to see the changes in a garden in just over a week. Yesterday I walked the gardens at Long Hill and was greeted by peonies in bloom.

looking down

As I was walking yesterday I looked down to see a carpet of tiny flowers at my feet.

first iris

I was delighted to see iris in bloom when I visited the Stevens-Coolidge Place this afternoon. There were a couple of varieties in bloom; many more were wearing buds.

to Bedrock Gardens

This weekend is the first open house of the year at Bedrock Gardens. A desire to wander among sculptures drew me to Lee, NH for a visit.

I plan to return again as the temperatures grow warmer and encourage flower bloom.

More photos of this fabulous place can be viewed in the gallery Bedrock Gardens :: 2016.

If you live in the vicinity of southern New Hampshire and you enjoy creativity I highly recommend a visit!

delicate

I love the delicate flowers of spring! These were captured at Long Hill just over a week ago.

a walk in the woods

Maudslay State Park was a horticultural and agricultural estate before it became the property of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and was transformed into a state park. Azalea and rhododendron are scattered through the property; this is the time of year when the flowers start to appear.

When I visited the park just over a week ago it was still early. Today I saw bright flowers on both types of plants. Some are still wearing only leaves, some are wearing early buds, and some are bursting with bright blooms.

I know I'll need to visit often over the next few weeks to watch the transformation. I'm happy I discovered just a few weeks back that I was eligible for a lifetime Senior MassParks Pass for $10. That pass now lives in my car so it will always be available when I need it.

as tulips fade

Tulips retain their beauty even as they drop petals at the end of a too short blooming season.

a poppy bud

Tulips are fading amid signs that new species of flowers will be opening soon. Poppy buds are still completely closed, and iris buds are starting to emerge.

I'm looking forward to the next splash of color.

on the wall

I'm still working through selecting the contents of my newly painted walls. Some photos and artwork that lived on the walls before are jumping back on the walls, some are not. I'd like to think I've evolved as a photographer over the years. As part of that I've become more selective.

It's funny, there are a couple of photos that I took a long, long time ago that have been re-hung.

Most of my later work was printed on either metal with a block on the back causing it to float off of the wall or on canvas wrapped around a wooden frame with part of the photo visible on the sides of the frame.

I had a large canvas print (20 x 30 inches!) in my office that was flat mounted on a board. It was sitting on a small surface-level easel leaning up against the cubicle wall. I moved the print home and quickly realized that I wouldn't be happy with the flat print simply attached to the wall, time for a frame. Luckily the local frame shop had a 50% off sale when I walked in; I had forgotten how much framing something can cost. I chose a metal frame in a rusty color to complement the photo. Since the photo was printed on canvas I opted to leave it natural, no glass. I picked up the framed photo and it jumped onto a wall. I'm happy!

There are more photos to hang, all printed on metal. It will a bit more time for me to focus on the right locations.

a view from high in the Lake District, framed canvas print

late tulip

While many of the tulips are in an unfolding or wilted (end of season) state there are still a few standing tall, wearing bright colors. This beauty in pink caught my eye.

opening soon

As I wandered the gardens of Long Hill I saw many tiny flowers in bloom. These beautiful purple buds will be opening soon.

unrecognized danger

I always shocked when I see people who clearly don't respect the forces of nature. If you look closely you can see someone standing on the low rocks to the right in this photo. It was high tide with waves occasionally washing over the outcropping.

Perhaps I am too cautious but I'd like to think having a healthy respect for the ocean is a good thing. I'm happy to enjoy the scenery from a safe distance.

early azalea

Maudslay State Park was a horticultural and agricultural estate until it was turned over to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in 1985. The grounds include a large collection of rhododendron and azaleas that provide a splash of color from spring into summer.

I headed to the park yesterday afternoon to see if there were any new blooms. It's still a bit early for more than the tiny ground hugging flowers of spring although there were a few azalea beginning to wear pink.

photos! Acadia interlude

Photos from my recent wander in Acadia National Park are available for viewing in the gallery Acadia interlude.

on the Schoodic Peninsula

Interested in words too? My ramblings are in the blog entries tagged Acadia 2016-05.

pink

Walking to the garden to visit the flowers always makes me smile. Different seasons bring different varieties; the tulips of spring are a favorite.

rabbit morning

As I looked outside this morning I saw a rabbit happily munching on grass. It was kind of him to consent to pose for my camera.

shower with a door

When I headed out on Thursday for my quick escape at Acadia National Park the folks from Traynor Glass were here installing the shower door. The first thing I did when I arrived home yesterday was to run up to see the finished door.

It's so nice to be able to use my new shower. Happy...

a morning walk

It was foggy and a bit chilly this morning. I thought we might bounce up a short trail or two but with the fog we decided to walk along the ocean instead of following a trail only to see fog at the end. We started at Sand Beach, walked past Thunder Hole and then on towards Otter Cliffs.

Walking was good. Listening to the ocean was calming.

--- Rover

misty

There was mist in the air this afternoon giving us reasonable walking conditions. We bounced along the coast on a trail named Ocean Path, stopping when Denise felt pulled to absorb more of our surroundings.

Our first stop was Sand Beach at high tide. There was ocean water pooling around the bottom of the steps that allow access to the beach. We stood on the stairs long enough to see that we weren't going to get stuck on the beach by the very high water. I wish I had grabbed Denise's phone to record the sound of the ocean - it was simply amazing!

As we bounced down the path and wandered over the rocks we watched the ocean crashing against the rocks.

Eventually we turned around and retraced our steps. We jumped back into the car and continued around Park Loop Road. I was happy when Denise stopped at Jordan Pond. It's such a magic place when there are cloud and fog decorations.

It was a very good day!

--- Rover

solitude

This morning felt like a good time for a walk into the park.

I followed quiet roads until I entered the park and headed down Jesup Path to Sieur de Monts Spring. I didn't see another person until I was almost to the Wild Gardens of Acadia. Instead I saw several pairs of deer calmly munching, looking around. I was careful to walk quietly; the deer looked at me but didn't move away.

Schoodic interlude

The weather wizard provided a gem of a day today with emerging sunshine and temperatures reaching into the low 60s by the middle of the afternoon. It was a good day for a drive, an even better day for a walk in the park.

I reached the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula just after noon. I shared that beautiful place with a few other people, some sitting enjoying the sun, some walking on the rocks.

I love wandering across the rocks, seeing the shapes of rocks and pools of water, listening to and watching the ocean. I like that the scenery changes with the weather. Separated from the main piece of the park, the Schoodic Peninsula is one of my favorite places in Acadia.

a quick escape

I was about to nudge Denise (a couple of weeks ago) to tell her we needed an Acadia visit when I heard her talking to Evin on the phone. Oh! we were both thinking the same thing!

Today we're headed east in Maine for a quick escape. We're stopping to visit with a friend in Yarmouth, then tomorrow we'll drive until we find Acadia National Park. Evin's Holland Inn in Bar Harbor will be our home away from home for a couple of nights. I'm happy! I like staying there, and I like bouncing on the rocks that line the coast at Acadia.

The weather wizard told me there is a chance of showers for most of our wandering days. I think that will be OK since Denise likes gray days for playing with her camera. She has a good rain jacket, and I can hide in a jacket pocket or jump into the camera bag if it's really wet out. Don't tell Denise; I've figured out how I can look out even when I'm protected in the camera bag. I'm careful not to let any water get to the camera and lenses (even though Denise doesn't worry if they get a little wet).

--- Rover

in the rain

It was a gray, cool day. By the time I headed out for my walk, rain was falling steadily. On days like today, I'm happy to have a good rain jacket to keep me dry.

Walking in the rain can be quite calming.

bright

Here's a bit of color to brighten a gray, rainy day.

This tulip was kind enough to pose for me as I wandered in the gardens at Long Hill on Saturday.

spring leaves

Emerging leaves, delicate...