opening

The gardens of the Stevens-Coolidge Place needed a quick visit this morning to check on the iris. The bearded iris are just starting to bloom; there are many buds and just a few flowers.

tree peonies

When I visited Long Hill last week the tree peonies were wearing buds. This afternoon they were in full bloom, gorgeous!

on the wall

Today was gray, cool, and damp. In spite of that I felt a need to wander with my camera.

I headed to Salem to enjoy the murals. My last visit back in January was shortened by the cold; this time the temperature was more reasonable (in the high 40s). Luckily the heavier rain didn't start until I was driving home!

There is a section of murals on a wall around a utility. The wall is made up of discrete blocks so each mural uses a single section of the wall. Here are two of the murals that caught my eye today.

blue and green

It appears that today may be our last blue sky for a bit; the weather wizard is predicting a rainy week. Almost smooth water created a reflecting surface on a pond in Harold Parker State Forest, a showcase for trees and the soft blue of the sky.

a reminder

I received a strong reminder today to always watch for beauty around me.

I was following a trail in Harold Parker State Forest when I looked down and saw a flash of pink. A lady's slipper orchid popped out of a carpet of last year's dried leaves, a beautiful surprise.

bluebells

As I wandered the gardens of Long Hill on Thursday my eyes were drawn to bluebells. I liked the contrast between closed flowers pointing up and open flowers tipped down.

Maudslay magic

Yesterday afternoon I headed to Maudslay State Park, hoping to walk trails covered with azalea and rhododendron. When I last visited in early May the color was close to the ground, pops of yellow, white and purple from crocus, daffodils, and periwinkle. Yesterday the color was everywhere!

The park was originally the 450-acre Moseley Estate. The estate was acquired by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1985, renamed Maudslay and is maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. It's a wonderful place to visit at any time of year, with the months of May and June highlighting the azalea and rhododendron bloom.

Signs at the entry to the trails showed an expected schedule for spring bloom. Here's the list for May: flowering dogwood, hawthorn, pink azalea, lilac, Dexter hybrid rhododendron, Catawba rhododendron, and lily of the valley. Flowers expected in June include flame azalea, swamp azalea, lady slipper, ox-eye daisy, mountain laurel, and Rosebay rhododendron. Can you guess that I plan to continue visiting through the month of June?

delicious

Lilacs are in full bloom, decorating the landscape with color and a delicious scent.

photos! Acadia

Last week's visit to Maine provided quiet time to wander in Acadia National Park. I always treasure the time I spend there.

Photos can be viewed in the gallery spring, Acadia.

first iris

Today is garden volunteer day at Stevens-Coolidge Place. While I was hoping to see iris in bloom there, I found plants with bright leaves and tightly furled buds. Soon...

As I was out on my exercise walk later in the day a few bearded iris showed in full bloom. I made a point of remembering where they were so I could visit later with my camera. I'm continue to be amazed at the intricacy of these flowers.

flowers on trees

This is a magic time; there are flowers on the ground and there are flowers on trees. I love to watch the changes as the flowers appear and then fade away.

redbud

The delicate flowers of a redbud tree create a pop of pink.

clouds on Cadillac Mountain

When I woke up this morning I saw some blue in the sky. There were clouds too, but I hoped for a clear view from the top of Cadillac Mountain. We walked a bit first, then hopped in the car and headed up the mountain. On the lower sections I could see the land and sea below us. Before long we drove into the clouds. The wind blew and the clouds hid the view.

There was a different kind of beauty at top of the mountain today, almost a bit eerie.

The weather wizard welcomed us home this afternoon with blue skies and warm air.

--- Rover

a wet day

The weather wizard was sort of wrong with today's forecast. He predicted rain but said that it wouldn't start until into the afternoon. It was wet when we headed out this morning, and it stayed wet for most of our wandering time.

Denise said it's just a continuation of our wet spring weather. She pulled out her rain jacket and we headed into the park. We walked on rocks and we walked on trail, staying low, opting for flattish trails.

I told Denise that I wanted to bounce a bit at the top of Cadillac Mountain but we didn't go up the mountain today. The temperature close to the ocean was only 46 degrees and the clouds were pretty low. It would have been colder at the top, and I think we wouldn't have been able to see anything because of the clouds. Maybe tomorrow morning will be a better time to visit.

Acadia is beautiful, even on a gray and rainy day.

--- Rover

from Carriage Roads to Schoodic

We had a very busy day today!

Denise thought we should start our day by driving to the Schoodic Peninsula but I convinced her to start with a hike instead. The morning was sunny, a bit nippy but a very good temperature for a walk. We headed up Duck Brook Road until we reached a barrier across the road, a perfect place to leave the car. We bounced across the Duck Brook Bridge, then walked the Carriage Road that looped around Witch Hole Pond.

It's still early in the visiting season for Acadia. While we saw a few other people walking the same path, we were alone much of the time. And oh! I got to see some hawks flying overhead and then landing on a tree not too far away. We saw a piece of wood in a pond that served as a perch for a bunch of turtles. I should have counted them; there was very little wood showing between them.

When we finished our morning hike we jumped in the car and headed to Schoodic. The sky was blue when we left the island. As we drove to the northeast the color changed to shades of gray. Funny things, when we headed out on the Schoodic Peninsula it changed again. Looking straight south a bit of blue sky reappeared, but when I looked toward Mount Desert Island the sky was decorated with clouds in shades of gray. I think I'm starting to understand Denise's preference for cloudy skies. They can be very interesting.

It was a good day.

--- Rover

pond along New Duck Brook


on the Schoodic Peninsula

reflection

Light rain stopped falling long enough to capture a perfect reflection.

looking across the water, Somesville, ME

moving backwards

It seemed like we were moving backwards in time (from a season standpoint) as we moved further east in Maine. Most of the trees at home are wearing leaves in a light spring green color. Some of the trees here are wearing leaves but many are showing bare branches with a bit of spring color started to pop out. I guess spring flowers and leaves appear a little later here.

Brr... the air was chilly and we drove (and walked) in and out of raindrops. We reached the island by about noon and Denise decided we would do a little wandering on the west side. I was glad I could duck into the camera bag to avoid the wet.

I'm always happy to wander at Acadia National Park!

--- Rover

view from the end of Wonderland Trail

tulips standing tall

Three weeks ago I visited tulips in two gardens in the Philadelphia area. This week the tulips in gardens near home (in northeastern Massachusetts) are in prime bloom. It appears that our spring growing season is at least 3 weeks apart. I find that amazing!

It was definitely a treat to experience tulip season more than once this year.

buds

While some trees are wearing full flowers, some show buds about to pop.

practicing

It's mid-May. That must mean it's time for a visit to Acadia National Park.

I will introduce myself in case we haven't met before. My name is Rover; I'm a little red dog who travels with Denise. While she focuses on absorbing the landscape and trying to capture it with her camera, I help by writing blog entries for both of us. I try to remember to sign my name but if I forget you can always tell it's me writing because I always use slanty text.

It's been a while since I posted in Denise's blog... I figured I'd better practice before we leave home.

I've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast for Downeast Maine, hoping for some non-rainy days with a reasonable temperature for walking. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and cold but the weather wizard says that there may be improvement later in the week. I told Denise to cross her fingers for better weather because we are going!

--- Rover

a daffodil smile

One of many types of daffodils, the poet's narcissus always makes me smile. This one was captured on a hillside in Maudslay State Park.

azalea emerging

This afternoon I headed to Maudslay State Park for a stroll through spring flowers, from tiny viola sororia and daffodils to newly emerging azalea.

listen...

Can you hear the sound of the ocean?

I headed to the New Hampshire coast this afternoon, arriving at Hampton Beach as the tide was rolling in. I planned to enjoy a long walk on the beach, staying close to the water to find the smoothest sand. Walking next to the ocean worked until I hit a section where a worker from the state park was pushing sand (using a tractor-like setup) around in sections running perpendicular to the water line. There were long smooth sections separated by mounds of loose sand. Since the tide was coming in it was hard to find a reasonable section for walking without getting wet. I headed back inland, walked down the sidewalk to avoid the unwalkable section, then headed back to the ocean's edge.

Walking by the ocean and listening to the waves created a peaceful space for me.

another garden

I headed to Long Hill (in Beverly, MA) yesterday to wander through the gardens. Peak bloom in the gardens there is usually May and June so I thought it might be a good time to visit. There were daffodils in many colors and sizes scattered through the gardens, and I found some tiger lilies in yellow too.

Long Hill is on my "must return" list for later in the month.

tulip Monday

Today started with gray sky and a bit of drizzle but by afternoon the temperature had edged up a bit and the sky was wearing blue.

I headed to the gardens of the Stevens-Coolidge Place for a walk through the tulips.

across the river

The lack of blooming azalea and rhododendron at Maudslay State Park tells me we are still early in this year's flower season. In spite of the lack of bright color it was still a good day for a walk.

The almost calm Merrimack River showed reflections of trees with ripples replacing a view of mirrored houses.

resting

When I drove by a small lake earlier today I saw a pair of mute swans in the water. Their necks were curled back, heads resting on body, floating.

rabbit, rabbit!

It was early evening when I looked through the window to see a rabbit happily eating grass.

When I slid the door open to get a better view it stopped, sitting still. When the door was closed the rabbit went back to eating once again.

raindrops on tulips

It was a gray day, chilly and rainy. Raindrops decorated tulips in the garden.

curved

The curved edge of this opening tulip shows the color that will soon appear.