folded

This almost opened poppy wears an interesting shape. Two petals are fully open, two fold inward.

still waters

The quiet waters of a pond in provides a canvas for reflections.

in Harold Parker State Forest

from petals to seed pods

I find it interesting to see the transition between flowers in full bloom and the next stage of floral life, seed pods. Visiting tthe same garden across the seasons allows me to see the changes.

summer's iris

One of my favorite flowers is iris. It presents an intricate bloom encompassing a number of variations. When the earlier in spring varieties have disappeared the flatter topped Japanese iris (also known as Iris ensata) are a delight to see.

kinetic

Yesterday I headed to Lowell for a walk along the canals, an exploration of sorts.

I was fascinated by a moving sculpture, Pawtucket Prism, created by Michio Ihara. The sculpture was created 30 years ago and it was restored last year.

Created by sculptor Michio Ihara, of Concord, in 1987, the old silver- and gold-colored cubes were water-powered, intended to be spun by water. But the cubes had corroded with the water-powered system too difficult to maintain. The metal cubes are now new and balanced in order to be moved by the wind, the work done by Ihara. from the article Pawtucket Prism reborn in the Lowell Sun

I stood for a bit to watch the movement of the cubes. It was both mesmerizing and calming.

Photos of buildings, canals, and assorted art jumped into my camera as I walked. You can view the photos in the gallery a walk in Lowell, 2017.

cactus flowers

My sister has some cactus blooming in her garden, a misplaced but thriving plant in the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania. My first outside cactus blooms popped up today; as I was driving down a street not too far from home a splash of yellow caught my eye.

I didn't expect to see flowering cactus thriving outside in northeastern Massachusetts. What a wonderful surprise!

green

As I headed to the area of Maudslay State Park where stands of mountain laurel flourish, I walked by the end of Flowering Pond. Reflections of trees in the still waters of the pond created serenity.

mountain laurel

One of the things Maudslay State Park is known for is "...one of the largest naturally-occurring stands of mountain laurel in Massachusetts". I had never before walked in the area of the park where the mountain laurel live; today I set out to correct that lapse.

It was simply amazing to be in the woods surrounded by a sea of exquisite white flowers.

solstice

It seems that the flowers in the garden know that the summer solstice has arrived. The beauties of late spring - the iris and the peonies - are faded and almost gone. Summer blooms are starting to arrive.

While I prefer the cooler temperatures of spring and autumn, the longer days of summer can be a treat. Technically the solstice started at 12:24 AM today, making yesterday the longest day of the year.

If you're curious about the solstice you may be interested in the article Summer solstice is here. What does it mean? in today's Boston Globe.

back to the beach

Today felt like a good time to visit the completed sand sculptures at Hampton Beach. While the light later in the day would have been kinder from both a photographic and a looking point of view, I chose to listen to the forecast of a severe thunderstorm watch for the afternoon, heading to the beach in the early morning.

I headed straight for the sand sculptures, comparing the in progress work in my mind with the finished creations waiting to delight the eye.

I walked on the beach for a while, eventually moving to the sidewalk as the water encroached on the sea wall. The air inland was a bit muggy but there was cool air rising from the ocean, a wonderful feeling.

Photos of the finished sculptures can be seen in the gallery emergence :: Hampton Beach 2017 starting with this photo.

delicate

Tiny flowers appear in a cloud of white.

emerging from sand

This is the week of the annual Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Classic. The solo competition runs for three days, with the sculptors set to work specified hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Since I enjoy seeing the work in progress, I headed to Hampton Beach in the middle of the day yesterday.

The sculptors were on their lunch break when I arrived. That meant I could see the sculptures at a quiet point, and that I was able to watch some of the creative process a bit later. As always, I'm in awe at what these skillful sculptors are able to create from sand.

Keep in mind that the sculptures in the photos below are works in progress; work time left included Friday afternoon, and Saturday.

Look at the eyes in the second sculpture below, simply amazing.

The full gallery can be seen by clicking emergence :: Hampton Beach 2017.

My goal is to head back within the next few days to see the finished creations.

watercolor

I was about to head for home when I looked up and saw an impressionist painting, a reflection on the surface of a pond at Harold Parker State Forest.

I moved closer to the water, looking, enjoying the beauty.

a busy bee

As my eyes seek the color and shapes of a beautiful garden, bees feast on the nectar of the flowers.

leaves

You can see a glimpse of the pale purple flowers of a false blue indigo in the background. This evening the green of the opening leaves caught my eyes.

calm water

Yesterday afternoon I braved the heat for a walk along the water in Portsmouth, NH.

It's always interesting to see the current state of construction on the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge between Portsmouth and Kittery. There are more connected (or almost connected) bridge sections in place than there were the last time I visited.

The new bridge is scheduled to open to traffic in late September or early October, with project completion in June of 2018.

If you're curious, check the MaineDOT page The Sarah Mildred Long Bridge Replacement - The Regional River Crossing .

rabbit

I spotted a rabbit happily munching on grass this evening. Somehow I managed to sneak outside without startling him; moving closer was not an option.

purple

Purple shines in this beauty of an iris.

encounters

This afternoon I followed an urge to walk at Maudslay State Park. I had no flower expectations although I suspected I would find color popping in the woods.

It was peaceful. Although there were other people walking and mountain biking, I found solitude in the woods.

As I turned a corner on the trail I heard a crashing noise. I stood still, quiet, looking around. As I turned my head to the left I saw a deer looking back at me. We both stood silently for a few minutes, watching each other.

Later, my eyes caught some bright flowers, azalea in wonderful shades of orange. Oh look! A butterfly, enjoying the flowers, stayed on its floral perch and posed for me.

early evening

Yesterday's visit to the garden early in the evening framed flowers in magic light. An iris standing tall shares wonderful color.

in the wind

Focusing on delicate flowers can be a challenge as they dance in the wind.

spring green

Trees in Acadia were dressed in light green shades of spring. The growing and leaf season starts a little later there than it does at home.

photos! Acadia

Photos from my recent wander in Acadia National Park are available for viewing in two galleries, one focusing on my wanders in the park and the other focused mainly on outside-of-the-park gardens (with a few additional images).

Start your viewing by clicking to the top level gallery Acadia :: May 2017 or by clicking on one of the photos below to go to a specific gallery.

wandering Acadia

gardens, and...

raindrops on iris

Light rain fell early this morning. When it stopped I set out to visit the iris. I found beautiful flowers dressed in droplets of water.

what's next?

I think our trip to Acadia was a great success. We had sun and clouds and a little rain too. Denise really prefers changing weather, so the weather wizard's changing conditions made her happy.

Denise is still sorting through the photos that jumped into her camera, and I am starting to think about another away from home wandering spot. I'm not sure where that will be but it's always good to dream.

--- Rover

standing on a big rock at Jordan Pond

edged in purple

This iris wears a painted look with petals edged in purple. I'm in awe at their beauty.

blue behind clouds

On my last morning in Acadia I could see blue behind clouds as I looked to the center of the island. Once I reached the coast the blue sky disappeared.

dreamy

In the time since my last garden visit just five days ago the iris have started to open. Some are in full bloom, others wait to provide decoration a little later.

This cluster of white iris creates a dreamy image.

morning walk

For our last morning in the park we chose to walk a portion of Ocean Path. It runs along the coast from Sand Beach all of the way to Otter Point. We actually walked a good chunk of this trail on Tuesday; today we walked a different section.

It's funny, when we left Bar Harbor this morning to head into the park the sky was clear. As we drove on Park Loop road we started to see some clouds. When we looked out over the ocean we saw what looked like fog. The misty gray didn't extend inland; it seemed to be hovering over the sea, filling the sky with gray. I thought it was interesting.

Denise & I had a good wander - we both really like Acadia.

--- Rover