The bees are very active, flying, landing, feeding on the nectar of flowers in the garden. It's easy to stand and watch without worrying about the bees; they are so interested in the flowers that they don't seem to acknowledge any human presence.
Friday morning brought low tide, blue skies decorated with clouds, reasonable temperature.
It was a good day for a walk along the coast. I headed to New Hampshire, stopping whenever something interesting caught my eye, walking a loop in Odiorne Point State Park.
Blurred orange of zinnia in the background provides a perfect complement to the bright pink of this dianthus.
Provincetown is a place that my mom & sister enjoy visiting; this week it was time for their multi-day wander at the tip of the cape. While I'm not fond of towns that are packed with people, heading down for a day (and night) allowed us to have a good visit.
We spent the day outside, visiting Mass Audobon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary as well as several beaches in the Cape Cod National Seashore.
A cosmos flower moves in the wind. Its delicate petals create a bright splash of color.
Here's another offering from Lynn's Beyond Walls. When I saw this mural by Cedric "Vise" Douglas I felt the need to stand and look for a while. What a stunning portrait!
Listening to NPR brings me more than news. On July 13th, a story aired that talked about the Beyond Walls Mural Festival in Lynn, MA. The focus of the 10-day festival: "19 international and local artists will converge on the city's downtown to turn 15 blank, brick walls into towering, outdoor works of public art".
I immediately knew I needed to make at least one trip to Lynn to see the new murals. I chose to visit yesterday while the artists were still at work on their almost completed creations. Some of the art is on walls extending to ground level; some is high above the roofs of surrounding buildings.
The murals were simply amazing!
Summer warmth encourages flowers. That means it's a very good time to walk in the garden, to see the newly opened (and opening) blooms.
A pair of mute swans enjoy the quiet inland waters at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
As I walking in the woods a flash of bright red caught my eye. When I looked closer I saw small red berries adding a bit of brightness to the green leaves.
Seeing the first dahlias open each summer is wonderful; it's a good reason for a garden visit.
Echinachea always leaves me with a feeling of summer. I think this flower is a good symbol of the season. Do you agree?
An ad for an outdoor sculpture exhibit at the Wells Reserve caught my eye a few weeks ago. I haven't visited in a long time; that ad reminded me it was time.
I headed to Wells, Maine last Friday under a cloudy sky, hoping that any rain I encountered would be reasonable for walking with a camera. Luckily before I headed out of the door I grabbed some bug dope; the non-oceanfront part of the reserve was teeming with mosquitoes.
I enjoyed the Power of Place sculptures as I walked to the coast and back again, taking time for a beach walk between the two sections of the exhibit.
If you're interested in seeing the sculptures yourself, the exhibit is scheduled to run through early October.
More photos can be seen in the gallery Wells Reserve :: 2017.
As I moved to the inland side of Plum Island (during my visit on Tuesday) the light changed. Calm waters shimmered, creating a magical look.
Red clover pops up in many places. This one lives on the inland side of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.
It shows a simple beauty.
Globe thistle (Echiops ritro) initially emerges in green. Its response to living in bright sunlight is to morph into a beautiful shade of purple.
I enjoy watching the transition.
I woke up yesterday morning with thoughts of walking along the coast. My departure was delayed by rain; as soon as it stopped I headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. The beach there remains closed for the piping plover nesting season so my ultimate destination was Sandy Point State Reservation, a state park at the southern tip of the island where the birds share the beach with people year-round.
I looked into the very quiet beach in the wildlife refuge. The closure was well-signed, with large signs at the top of the beach and stakes stating "no entry" marching to the water's edge.
It's not often that I see herbs that I enjoy as a tea growing in the garden.
The flowers of chamomile create a pop of color.
There is a rocky spit curving away from the New Hampshire coastline just south of Odiorne State Park. Many sets of stacked rocks imply that this small piece of land must sit above the high tide line.
It would be interesting to know how long these stacked rock "sculptures" have been there. I can't remember a time when I didn't see them.
When I picture daisies I always see the common daisy, a flower with white petals and a yellow center. I was delighted to see African daisies in the gardens of Prescott Park, daisies wearing bright colors. The purple of these just opening flowers caught my eyes.
It was a gray morning, a good time to satisfy a need for a walk along the coast. I headed to the New Hampshire and was quite lucky to have some relatively dry walking time before the rain came.
The waters of Rye Harbor were quiet with moored boats creating a peaceful scene.
Funny, when I arrived at Prescott Park in Portsmouth today I saw what I thought was an oddly placed pile of mulch. Luckily I approached it from a different angle when it was time to head home.
With a face and spines along its back, a mulch monster lives in (and guards) the garden!
As I walked through the garden a bed of daisies caught my eye. It's always interesting to look at flowers from different angles; crouching down and looking from the side created an interesting perspective.
A new leaf emerges, curled before opening fully. Its bright green color is highlighted by a purple edge.
Today felt like a good day for a walk at Tower Hill Botanic Garden. I headed out with the goal of arriving right at the opening time, hoping for a reasonably quiet visit on this July 4th holiday.
Some summer flowers were present; others had not yet started blooming. I'll plan a return visit as summer continues to unfold.
Berries in shades of red and orange provided a pop of color as I walked in Halibut Point State Park.
There are a number of places not too far from home where I can satisfy my need for an ocean visit. Early yesterday morning I headed to Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, MA. I had the park almost to myself; what a treat!
The park is a former granite quarry. There is a path that circles the water-filled former quarry and a path that leads to the rocky coastline. No human access to the waters of the quarry are allowed. While I visited I had a view of the many sea birds (gulls, and ducks) resting on rocks close to the surface of the water.
It was a good morning for a quiet wander in a beautiful place.
