a year of change

2016 was a year of change for me. The first two months were normal, working and experiencing the cold air of winter. The next months signaled change, from being told I was to be laid off, to deciding to jump into retirement, to growing into my new life.

I continue to pursue my passion of photography, enjoying all kinds of outdoor beauty.

The two volunteer opportunities that I started early in my life transition make regular appearances on my calendar; I was lucky to find two places that I enjoy where I could start to give back.

Staying active is a focus, although an occasional day of just sitting and relaxing makes me happy too.

It was a good year.

on the edge

Yesterday's storm brought mainly rain to my location. The snow forecast maps usually showed my area to be just to the east of the predicted nor'easter.

There was steady rain for much of the day with snow arriving after dark. Snow totals were low, probably between 1 and 2 inches.

Trees were dressed in white this morning.

a dog leads

I shared my coastal desires on Tuesday with others looking to enjoy the ocean and a bit of unseasonable warmth. I loved watching this trio. The dog pranced ahead, turning back to make sure the man and the boy continued to follow.

flipping seasons

The temperature was in the 30s when I went to sleep last night and in the mid-50s when I woke up this morning. It felt like early spring, not early winter. Wanting to take advantage of the warmth, I headed to the New Hampshire coast.

It was still gray when I left home but as I headed to the east the sky started clearing. There were still clouds decorating the sky, sometimes white against blue, sometimes against gray. A strong wind blew the entire time I was out; luckily the warmth in the air counterbalanced the chill created by the wind.

Ponds on the inland side of the road were frozen, wearing just a skim of water on top of the ice. That created a somewhat smooth surface for reflections; if the pond hadn't been frozen I suspect that the wind would have pushed the water into waves.

pieces of a bridge

A quick stop in Portsmouth showed pieces of the new Sarah Mildred Long Bridge emerging from the water. I find it fascinating to watch as the new bridge is constructed.

a walk on the beach

The air was chill, the wind was relatively strong, and the sun was shining. It was a good day for a walk on the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

The sound of the sea is calming. The sight of birds skittering on the beach as the tide rolls in makes me smile, as does the motion of walking next to the sea.

top photos :: 2016

I always find it an interesting exercise to wander through the photos that I've published during the year to find my favorites. It's hard to select just a few; this year's favorites number 14.

From the beginning of the year, here are my selections for 2016.

winter beach day

waves, rocks, and reflected clouds at low tide, Jenness Beach, Rye, NH
water and sculpted rocks

waves, rocks, and reflected clouds at low tide, Jenness Beach, Rye, NH
birds only!

at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, during the annual beach closure for the piping plover nesting season
happy bee

a bee happily feeding on a globe thistle
zinnia delight

a flower posing
fading echinacea

late season flowers
monarch

an exquisite butterfly on a tithonia rotundifolia
sunflower greeting

at Colby Farmstand, Newbury, MA
perched

a butterfly in the garden
expansive

from the top of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park
through the woods

along the Jesup Path, in Acadia National Park
wilted

a dahlia at the end of the blooming season
painted

a lady's slipper orchid
faded

late in autumn, leaves fade

These photos are collected into the gallery top photos :: 2016. If you'd like to see larger versions of the photos or you would like to view them as a full screen slideshow, click here to jump to the gallery.

winter color

There is color to be found in winter's landscape.

Color jumps out in other seasons but seems to hide in plain sight in the winter. It takes a bit of looking to find it; I think you need to train your eyes to see.

solstice

Yesterday marked the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year.

I'm fascinated by some of the solstice facts presented in the Boston Globe article The shortest day of the year has arrived:

In addition to receiving the least amount of sunlight possible, the winter solstice will also see the least amount of solar energy reaching the northern half of the planet. It’s also when the sun is at its lowest point in the sky at noon. If you look at the distance of the sun above the horizon at solar noon, or 11:42 a.m. Wednesday morning, it will only be 24.2 degrees above the horizon — that’s as high as it gets all day. That’s comparable with about 7:30 a.m. on summer’s first day.

That's why my eyes have been telling me that the light has been both angled and harsh.

While I know I won't notice the difference for quite a while, I'm happy to know the days will start to lengthen.

stark

Here is a view of late autumn, a carpet of leaves and pine needles, an old piece of fencing.

in Maudslay State Park

warmth

What a crazy set of weather days! Today the weather wizard presented warmth and rain (to follow the cold and snow). While there is still some snow on the ground, the grass is peeking through again.

The temperature hit the mid-50s today. It is predicted to drop to 13 degrees tonight, and the high tomorrow is targeted at the mid-20s. What a difference!

snow

Our weather appears to be in a state of quick change. Yesterday was bitterly cold. Today brought a slightly warmer temperature and about four inches of snow.

The forecast for tomorrow calls for warmth and rain.

a flower

On this very cold day looking at an image of a flower conjures up a sense of warmth.

approaching cold

I was sitting inside early this afternoon when the room became dark. I looked out to find that the bright sunshine had been swallowed up by a wild snow squall. The squall cleared quickly, leaving blue skies with bright fluffy clouds.

Knowing that the high temperature tomorrow is predicted to be 14 very windy degrees I decided to brave today's dropping temperatures and wind, heading out for a potentially short walk. Apparently I've had enough practice with layers this season; my cold-weather layers were sufficient to keep me toasty warm. Today's walk was a good length at 6 miles.

Tomorrow is predicted to be a brr! cold day with both a high wind warning and a wind chill advisory in effect.

a long walk

Today was the last day of predicted warmish temperatures before we hit the cold freeze on Friday. Given that later in the week will likely bring "exercise inside" weather I headed out for a long brisk walk this afternoon.

How long? My target was 5 miles, but somehow my feet just kept on walking. I finished walking at 7.75 miles. Happy...

an "inside" plant
in the greenhouses of the Lyman Estate

adapting

As the days grow short and the temperature outside drops I am adapting, watching the daylight, layering for warmth, dressing to be seen. It looks like I'll have a chance to test my level of adaptation on Friday when the high temperature is predicted to be 15 degrees. Yikes!

There are a small number of days between now and the winter solstice. While the minutes in each day start to increase at that point I'm trying to remind myself that the lengthening won't be noticeable immediately.

The winter solstice has a daylight length of 9 hours and 4 minutes at my home location. If you're curious about the length of day where you are, I used this Sunrise and Sunset Calculator.

When the air is cold outside it's always good to take some time to visit greenhouses for a touch of warmth and color.

smitten

"Smitten means overwhelmed or struck by something, usually love."

What an amazing name! This is another new-to-me variety of apple, one that is both sweet and crisp. If you see Smitten apples in the store I recommend tasting them. One will not be enough...

seeking color

As the muted grays and browns of late autumn fill the landscape I feel a need for color. A visit to the greenhouses of the Lyman Estate helped me move into a world filled with bright colors.

late rose

There are still a few late blooming roses decorating the landscape. The bright color definitely stands out against late autumn rust colors and early winter white.

autumn, fading

The sky is gray, there's a dusting of white on the ground.

Autumn is fading.

wet beach

It's funny, whenever I look at this photo I see snow. It was taken on a cloudy but precipitation-free day as the tide was receding. Light reflecting on the wet sand shows as streaks of white. That's wet, not cold & white!

first snow

I woke to find snow falling this morning.

About an inch of snow was followed by a light rain as the temperature inched above freezing. Now? I'm starting to see patches of blue sky emerging from the clouds.

dried

Most trees are bare of leaves for the upcoming cold season. This leaf is dried, crinkled, caught in tendrils.

Junami apples

I discovered a new taste treat today, Junami apples. According to the US grower, Rainier Fruit,

"The Junami (joo-nah-mee) brand apple was bred in Switzerland. It is a cross between ldared, Maigold and Elstar, and until recently was only grown in northwestern Europe."

It's a nicely crisp apple with a wonderful taste.

sunshine

Blue skies and (relative) warmth greeted the first day of December.

It was a good day for a walk at Maudslay State Park. The recent rain left some soggy spots but for the most part I was able to find dry ground for my feet.