I'm sitting inside listening to the rain.
My walk today started dry. Luckily I wore my rain jacket since a light rain started about 2 miles into my 6-mile walk and continued to the end. The forecast for tonight calls for rain, with new precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. That's a lot of water!
It was a gray and rainy day.
I headed for Harold Parker State Forest when the rain stopped for a bit. It started again as I was driving so my walk in the woods turned into a walk in light rain.
I had quinoa on my mind today; it seemed like a good starting ingredient for a pot of soup. I searched for a starting point, finding a recipe for quinoa corn soup. My soup didn't match the recipe but it made me happy.
Quinoa, carrot, and corn soup:
I combined the water, quinoa, and spices, placing the pot on high heat until the mixture began to boil. I turned the heat to low, cooking the mixture for about 15 minutes. I then added garbanzo beans, corn, and carrots and continued cooking until the carrots were a good texture. Done!
12 cups water
3/4 cup quinoa
1 can garbanzo beans
1 bag of frozen bi-color corn
8 carrots, sliced
cumin
coriander
red pepper flakes
garlic
freshly ground black pepper
a bit of salt
I walked on the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge yesterday afternoon as the tide was flowing out. The sound of the ocean creates a peaceful environment.
I'm always fascinated by the movements of sanderlings. They run back and forth across the sand, often as a group. I wonder how they communicate their direction changes.
Photos from last Friday's visit can be viewed in the gallery Longwood Gardens :: 2016.
Baxter likes to walk some of the time. At other times he plants his paws and refuses to move.
He enjoyed Saturday afternoon's outing to the Valley Forge National Historical Park, happily walking on the wide pedestrian bridge to cross the Schuylkill River.
What luck! I managed to wear the right light layers for walking in the chill wind this afternoon.
The first cold temperatures of the season often make me think I need more layers than I do; that wasn't an issue today. A lightweight long underwear shirt topped with LLBean's Polartec Power Stretch Hoodie and a wind jacket stopped the wind-driven cold air from reaching me. Today's layers were right for comfort.
It was a driving day today, a time to head home from King of Prussia.
I took the long way down, following the Mass Pike all of the way across the state to the New York Thruway. I was delighted with the (newly implemented) all-electronic tolling on the Mass Pike, no stopping needed!
Today I took I-84 from Suffern, NY to Sturbridge, MA, dropping south a bit before veering to the north and east. This was a shorter drive, but I have to say I preferred the longer route. While I-84 is a limited access road it passes through heavily populated areas with many exits, constantly changing speed limits, and sections of crossing traffic. Interestingly enough there was less than a half hour time difference between the two routes even though the Mass Pike to the NY Thruway route was a good 55 miles longer.
As I crossed the border between New Jersey and New York I started to see a bit of snow cover. The roads were dry, but there were lines of snow on the shoulders, a clear sign that there was enough white stuff to need plowing.
My thoughts of repeating the longer route on the way home disappeared once I saw that there was a winter storm warning for the western part of Massachusetts. Driving through a snow storm didn't sound like fun.
It was a day of flowers, a visit to Longwood Gardens. The Chrysanthemum Festival presented many varieties including some that I assumed were some other type of flower.
It's always a good day to wander among flowers.
Bright sunshine and quickly warming air provided good walking conditions, and Valley Forge National Historical Park provided a good place to wander.
Yesterday was a very windy day. When I looked outside this morning I found many trees wearing bare branches. The yellow leaves have pretty much dropped but there are still some reds and browns hanging on.
I headed to Harold Parker State Forest this afternoon to see a bit of color still sandwiched between the evergreens.
I really liked my Microsoft Band 2 but its battery life didn't like my level of activity. I went through 4 of the trackers over the past year as the battery misbehaved. Microsoft provided replacement bands at no charge, allowing me to continue to use the device. There were rumors that a new version of the band would be announced in October; instead it appears that they have stopped development. Hmm...
I've become accustomed to wearing a fitness tracker, to knowing the distance my feet have covered when I'm walking for exercise, when I'm hiking, or just when I'm out and about. I thought about just carrying my phone and using the MapMyWalk application created by Under Armour, but I prefer to wear a tracker. Sometimes my phone walks with me, sometimes not.
I started looking for a replacement, focusing on trackers that include GPS and that were similar in form factor to the band I had been wearing.
My choice? I am now the owner of a Samsung Gear Fit2.
The length and width of the case pretty much matches my old device. It is a tiny bit thicker but that can pretty much be ignored since the Band 2 had a thick clasp (containing the battery) and the Gear Fit2 does not. It has a soft band which is noticeably more comfortable.
The case crystal is Corning's Gorilla Glass 3. I wanted a scratch-resistant face; Gorilla Glass meets that requirement. The device has an IP68 rating which means it’s water-resistant in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. I don't think I'll test that, but it's good to know it won't be a problem if I'm caught walking in a downpour.
The device pairs with the Samsung Gear and S Health apps on an Android phone.
I'm still seeing occasional flowers even though the calendar is well into November. Last weekend's walk along the New Hampshire coast took me to a patch of wild roses that were still in bloom.
I love the painted look of this lady's slipper orchid.
Orchids are simply exquisite, aren't they?
There was frost on the grass this morning but the temperature quickly warmed to the low 50s. My plan to attend an exercise class this morning was quickly discarded in favor of outdoor exercise. I decided on a longer walk today, targeting a distance 6 miles, walking almost 8.
Later in the day the beautiful weather tempted me with thoughts of a walk by the ocean. I headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, arriving as the tide was rolling in. The ocean was playing music. A muted roar in the background was accompanied by the crashing sound of waves. It was wonderful.
I was heading home from the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge just as the sun was dropping to the horizon. Looking to the east I saw a splash of muted autumn color highlighted by the late day light.
There were clouds in the sky and a chill in the air. It was a good day for a walk along the coast in Odiorne Point State Park.
What luck! I saw an announcement in the Boston Globe last weekend for The Massachusetts Orchid Society annual orchid show and sale, running from today through the weekend.
This afternoon I headed to the show to wander through the beautiful flowers.
It's amazing to see the quick change from autumn leaves to bare branches.
Here are photos of the same spot in Harold Parker State Forest taken just over two weeks apart.
What a glorious fall day!
Late in the day I headed to Harold Parker State Forest for a walk in the woods. Water in Field Pond was perfectly still, creating a mirror for the trees.
The air this morning was chilly, dropping just below the freezing point before the sun started a warming trend.
It was a good day for a walk in the woods.
