on the river

Clouds and blue sky were painted on the waters of the Piscataqua River today.

flowing water

Walking in the woods today really highlighted the amount of rain that has fallen. The trail on the east side of Collins Pond in Harold Parker State Forest had a stream of water flowing up the middle, and Field Pond was outside of its normal boundary in some places.

a sense of calm

The water can be quiet or calm, at high tide or low. I find that walking next to the ocean provides a sense of calm.

recipes!

Someone referred me to the website Forks Over Knives a while ago. It's a site focusing on a plant-based diet, offering recipes as well as articles and some fee-based courses / planners. I wandered through the recipes when I first connected with the site, bookmarking it for future reference.

Last week I tried my first recipe from there, a split pea & cauliflower soup. It was interesting; while the split peas were softening (cooking!) it said to "sweat the vegetables... until the cauliflower starts to brown and the onions become translucent". The term was explained, and the directions were quite clear.

The soup was tasty! I know I will be playing with more recipes from Forks Over Knives; I need to decide which recipe is my next target.

If you're interested in trying the split pea & cauliflower soup, click to the recipe.

photo courtesy of Forks Over Knives

a very high tide

High tide on Plum Island this afternoon was at 12:38 PM.

It was an unusually high tide. I passed over the Parker River on Route 1 on my way to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge at about 1 PM. The river was swollen, with water flooding areas that are normally dry.

I entered the refuge a good half hour after high tide. Water approached the edges of the road on the inland side of the island. What an amazing view!

bright

It was a picture-perfect outdoors day today, a wonderful day for walking outside. Before I headed out walking I decided I needed a visit to the greenhouses of the Lyman Estate; floral color beckoned.

I was delighted to find some camellias in bloom. While the camellias in the greenhouse are in full bloom during one of the winter months, some of the plants were wearing flowers today.

A brisk afternoon walk followed my visit with the flowers.

a cold wind

While the winter solstice is still a month away today feels like a winter day. When I headed out for my exercise walk this morning the air temperature was 12 degrees and the wind was howling.

My second walk today was in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Although the temperature was up a few degrees, reading 18 when I stepped out of my car, the wind was even stronger than it was earlier. I felt the wind pushing me. Walking south was almost reasonable; walking to the north was very difficult. My wind- and temperature-dictated beach walk was shorter than I had planned.

I shared the beach with sea gulls. Some were flying, some walked the beach, and some were floating in the water. It's always a good day to walk by the ocean!

afternoon light

While the winter freeze has started on this pond there was enough open water to create a peaceful reflection of trees and blue sky.

squalls

This morning's first surprise? Snow squalls!

Based on the forecast last night I expected to see rain mixed with a bit of snow this morning. Instead I opened the door to heavy snow squalls. Snow continues to fall, coating the grass with a layer of white and leaving slush and puddles on paved surfaces.

It's going to be a messy morning walk!

gray

It was a cool gray day with rain filling the morning hours.

Raindrops were still falling when I arrived at Harold Parker State Forest for a bit of camera play. I found water overflowing the banks of Field Pond; the small circle I often walk was inaccessible today.

Dodging raindrops was easy; keeping my feet out of the mud was a little harder.

morning blue

It was midway between high and low tide when I arrived on the coast this morning. I stopped at Jenness State Beach for a quiet walk on smooth wet sand. There were a few other people walking and a number of dry suit clad surfers braving the cold ocean waters.

The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and the air wore a comfortable layer of chill.

a messy day with happy feet

The snow that started falling late in the day yesterday continued into the early morning hours before changing to rain. Before the switch there was 8.5 inches of snow on the ground. The snow compacted quickly leaving snow-covered surfaces, puddles, and generally messy walking conditions.

Since I have a strong preference for exercise walking outside I try to make sure I have the right layers for all weather. While I wear running shoes whenever possible, sloppy weather sometimes means that is the wrong choice. My first backup is my hiking shoes but on cold wet days like today that's not the right answer either. It was time for new winter shoes!

I've been very happy with my New Balance running shoes. Since I was pretty sure they had a winter walking/running boot I headed to the factory store (in the summer) to see if there were any boots hanging out on the shelves. No boots there...

It was time to turn to the New Balance web site. I ordered a pair of Fresh Foam 1100 Boots, described as "an ultra-modern sneaker boot". I crossed my fingers for a good fit and happy feet, waiting for winter weather to confirm their utility. Today was my sneaker boot maiden voyage, a wet and messy 5-mile (fast) walk. My feet were happy, warm, and dry!

transition

Last week's walk in Jenkins Arboretum showed leaves wearing a combination of autumn colors and green, showing a transition into a colder season.

Today and tomorrow the temperature is forecast to hover around freezing. Snow is predicted for tomorrow night before changing back to rain. I don't think I'm ready to face snow yet but that choice is not up to me!

orchid delight

As I wandered through the conservatory at Longwood Gardens last week I spent some time in the room where the orchids bloom. I think the rich color of this flower is delightful.

relearning layering

As the thermometer edges into cooler ranges I find that I need to think about the right layers for exercising (outside). My goal is to be comfortable, not sweaty; it's OK to be a little cool starting out. It's a bit of a guessing game at the start of colder weather each year.

By the time I headed out to walk the air was in the low 40s. My layers were perfect! The next challenge will be Wednesday when the forecast is for a high in the mid-30s.

photos! Longwood Gardens

Photos from last week's quick visit to Longwood Gardens can be viewed in the gallery Longwood Gardens :: 2018.

My visit coincided with the annual Chrysanthemum Festival. It's amazing that so many different flowers wear (variations of) the same name!

red

It was a rainy afternoon, a good time for a walk in the woods at Jenkins Arboretum. A pop of red stands out, celebrating autumn.

unfurling

It takes visiting a chrysanthemum festival to realize how many different varieties of the flower exist. I wandered through the conservatory at Longwood Gardens this morning, looking at flowers and smiling. This beauty, in the process of unfurling, was one of my favorites.

garden cat

As I was leaving Longwood Gardens today I saw a beautiful gray cat walking through the visitor center. He was kind enough to stop walking, to sit by the door and pose for a photo.

Longwood houses a number of cats; some live in the visitor center while others roam the property.

in the park

It was a good afternoon for a brisk walk at Valley Forge National Historical Park. I walked in sections of the park on both sides of the Schuylkill River. Some trees were still wearing colorful leaves but some wore bare branches.

waiting and hoping...

It's the day before Election Day; activists all over the country are working to get voters to the polls. I'm so glad that I started volunteering with People Power months ago; as the election inched closer I became more and more involved. I needed to feel like I was doing something to help.

I will continue my volunteer efforts as I wait and hope.

caught

A fallen oak leaf is caught by a plant still wearing green.

late bloom

A few tiny flowers continue to show a pop of late season color.

red, yellow, green

Sometimes autumn colors are bold, coloring everything in sight. Sometimes they are more subtle.