mixed

A camellia in bloom wears mixed colors. Part is fading to brown while the rest of the flower continues to show off a pale shade of pink.

emerging

A tiny crocus in yellow, emerging.

along the edge

Tiny flowers are starting to pop along the edge of still snow-covered spaces.

clouds

The tide was low, the ocean quiet. Clouds formed interesting shapes overhead, reflecting in pools of water on the beach.

It was a good day for a walk by the sea.

on Jenness Beach, Rye, NH

first flowers

There's still snow on the ground but I took a chance on a short walk at Maudslay this afternoon. I walked where others had been before, staying on a snow-covered path and avoiding patches of mud. My destination was a hillside that usually is a sea of crocus in the spring. I didn't know what I would see but I thought it was worth a walk.

A small section of the hill was clear of snow. There was a single crocus in bloom along with a number of miniature daffodils. It was wonderful to see emerging color.

changing

As I wait for the season to change I continue to find color in greenhouses. This flower is past prime and has dropped from its blooming position; even as it changes the bright color brings smiles.

hiding

Looking out to sea, enjoying blue sky and reflections on wet sand, it could be any season.

I'm hiding from the snow that covers the sand dunes behind me. I'm hiding from the forecast of a snowstorm that appears to be heading our way later this week.

I'm looking forward to spring weather. I wonder, will this be winter's last party?

from the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
before the birds take ownership of the beach

fading

Orchids show beauty even as their color fades.

While the shape and colors of the emerging flowers are wonderful, the fading flower edged with drying browns creates another form of beauty.

mystical

The tide was heading out, the sun was playing hide and seek with clouds, and the wind was howling.

It was a perfect afternoon to walk on the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. I walked south first with the wind on my back, leaving the battle of leaning into the wind for the return trip. I wandered between inland pools and streams of water as they emptied into the ocean.

I love the mystical appearance of the ocean, the beach, and the dunes.

camellia morning

Prime camellia blooming season in the greenhouses of the Lyman Estate is from late February through late March.

Today felt like a good day to visit the flowers.

I spent time in the section of the greenhouse where the camellias live, then wandered through the other spaces to see what else was in bloom. While it doesn't seem to be a high bloom time of year, the flowers were beautiful.

dreaming

As the snow slowly melts outside, I'm hoping that the "potential" storm next week either brings rain (not snow!) or simply tracks out to sea.

I'm dreaming of spring.

a tiny iris, captured at Smith College

a sea of white

By the middle of March it often feels like spring is about to emerge, changing the landscape to one wearing bright colors. That's certainly not the case today as I look out of the window to see a deep layer of white. Snowfall totals for yesterday's storm posted by the National Weather Service shows that there is just over 24 inches of snow (24.6 inches!) outside of my window. Yikes!

Graphic from 1:10 AM shows a total of 23.8 inches.
Totals posted at 9:02 AM show 24.6 inches.

I wonder how long it will take to melt.

snow

The third nor'easter in less than 2 weeks has settled over the region bringing heavy snow and freezing fog.

On days like today I feel lucky to live next to a small college campus. It provides a place to walk where there is no need to dodge motor vehicles (other than paying attention to the snow removal equipment). Walking in circles on the campus provided a reasonable exercise walk before my fingers decided that cold was creeping in; that's when I knew it was time to head for home.

I hope that this is the last of the snowstorms.

quiet

Quiet weather with temperatures edging into the 40s helped reduce the depth of the snow cover today. Hopefully there will be continued melting tomorrow before the next (predicted) nor'easter arrives Monday night into Tuesday.

outside in

A nor'easter decorated outside space with snow while spring flowers thrived inside. The Spring Bulb Show at Smith College was well worth the drive; conservatory spaces filled with spring colors and shapes whet my appetite for the coming season.

For an early glimpse of spring, click to the gallery seeking flowers :: Smith College.

a window cat

As I walked across the Smith College campus on Tuesday I spotted a window wearing an interesting sign. The sign announced the presence of a window cat. It made me think that a real cat hangs out in the window but I didn't see one. I only saw the sign and a stick drawing of a cat.

I wonder if a cat lives here. I'll have to remember to check again on my next visit.

half power

I was hoping that last night's very wet snowstorm wouldn't knock out power. No such luck... I woke up this morning to partial power - the furnace and (I suspect) the hot water heater don't have power. The stove and refrigerator have power, the microwave does not. Some lights work, some don't. My computer works but my normal Internet connection does not. Luckily I have access via a mobile Jetpack. It's not fast, but it does connect. Funny, I've thought about canceling the contract for the Jetpack since I don't use it that often - but now I'm very glad to have it.

Yesterday we had a dusting of snow followed by a few hours of rain. It started to snow again in the evening; this morning there is a sea of white outside.

I think I'm lucky to have partial power since some of my neighbors have no power at all. And I'm happy that I have a battery backup for my gas fireplace - at least that provides some warmth.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a fast restoration of full power. Given that it took 4 days to restore all of the power from last week's outage I suspect it will be longer than I'd like. It will be OK, whenever it returns.

If you haven't experienced or heard of partial power, the electric company tells me this is a normal outage. Hmm...

---

Full power was restored at 3 PM. Yay!

purple

I walked this afternoon in snow, both heavy and light. It turned to rain a couple of hours ago but the forecast calls for a return to white overnight.

Remembering yesterday's floral color is a good activity on this day filled with cold snow and rain. Here's a bit of purple for a smile.

a preview

The Botanic Garden of Smith College holds a spring bulb show for two weeks every March, starting on the first weekend of the month. I targeted today for a flower visit. Luckily the weather cooperated with the possibility of a winter storm tomorrow and dry weather today.

Two sections of the greenhouse were filled with spring flowers. There were tulips and daffodils, hyacinth, lilies, and tiny dwarf iris. The scent of fresh flowers filled the air as colors and shapes delighted the eye.

I thought I'd share a splash of tulip color as a start. More photos and blog postings will follow as I sort through the photos.

flooded

I don't think I've ever seen this much water in the Wilson Saltmarsh, an area I drive by weekly as I head to Parker River. As I headed home yesterday I knew I had to stop, to look, to try to capture the beauty of the flooded marsh.

powerful

Exceptionally high tides were a part of last Friday's storm. I knew there were 3 tides (Friday and Saturday) that were expected to be very high but I had no idea that the coast would continue to be battered today.

I headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge mid-day today, arriving an hour before high tide. I followed the boardwalk to the ocean, finding that the waves were crashing up against the sand dunes. Usually I can manage a beach walk even at high tide; that wasn't the case today.

Watching the power of the ocean was amazing.

meteorological spring

Did you know that today is the first day of meteorological spring? It precedes astronomical spring by 3 weeks.

I'm happy to greet spring early!

My desire for color still needs to be satisfied with indoor flowers. Luckily there are a few relatively nearby conservatories to help meet that need.