clouds, reflected

The sky was blue and it wore white clouds, forming a reflection in a local pond.

garden visit

I felt a need for flowers and color this morning. Since the garden near me seems to be in a state of transition this year I headed to Portsmouth, NH and Prescott Park. I walked through a community garden before heading into the park, spending a fair amount of time attempting to capture flowers with my camera. It was a bit of a challenge since the wind never stopped and the flowers were in a state of constant motion.

I'm so glad I have beautiful flowers to visit.

sunflower walk

I've been watching the Colby Farmstand website lately, wondering if they would open their sunflower field this year.

The field opened this week, with an announcement that they would regulate the number of people visiting during busy times. Once I saw the announcement I made plans to visit in the morning on a weekday. I arrived early yesterday to spend some time walking around and through the sunflowers.

It was wonderful to find spots to be alone with the flowers.

a happy bee

A bee happily feeds from wildflowers.

The nectar of a flower clearly has more attraction for the bee than the flesh of a human.

open

I don't know what made me check the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge site yesterday but I'm glad I did. I was delighted to find that the entire beach is now reopened. After checking the tide chart I made plans for a long beach walk this morning.

The beach at Parker River closes each year on April 1st for the nesting season of the endangered piping plover. Both piping plovers and least terns nest on the beach. Here's the final plover update from the refuge biologist for the 2020 season:

"This year we had 34 or perhaps 34.5 pairs of piping plovers. (I think one male lost his mate early on and re-nested with a different female, hence the half-pair.) This is well below last year's record high of 50 pairs, but preliminary reports indicate that the plover population increased statewide this year. And although we had fewer pairs of plovers on the Refuge this year, productivity (chicks fledged per pair) was above average, with a total of 44 fledglings."

I arrived at parking lot 3 at the mid-point between high and low tide. There were a few people sitting on the beach and a few people walking. I headed south, soon finding myself alone with sanderlings and sea gulls, walking, listening to the sound of the ocean.

It was a delightful walk.

More photos from today's walk can be seen in the gallery Parker River, and... 2020 starting with this photo and ending here.

hope

I don't think we have lived through a presidential race in our past with the significance of this year's race. It scares me to think of the continued destruction of our democracy if the current inhabitant of the White House wins again this year.

The convictions held by speakers at the Democratic National Convention left me with a sense of hope.

We must continue fighting, we all need to vote, and all of us who are voting absentee either need to mail our ballots very early (as in the day we receive them) or we need to drop them in ballot boxes in our communities. I delivered my primary ballot to the drop box in front of our town hall, and I will do the same with the ballot for presidential election on November 3rd.

Eleven Films published a short video following the DNC, with this announcement:

BREAKING: The #BlueWave2020 Trailer
Coming November 3rd, America will take back our democracy!

Click here to watch #BlueWave2020.

beach grass

The green of beach grass contrasts nicely with sand.

at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge

late season clematis

A clematis in pink adds color to the garden.

inland green

The inland side of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge is wearing green.

back to the beach

It's mid-August, the greenhead flies are gone, and endangered birds have released a small portion of the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge to human visitation. I headed to Parker River this afternoon for a walk about an hour after high tide.

The sea gulls were happy to share their beach.
It was good to be back!

from the side

A Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherokee Sunset' posed for me today.

coneflowers

Coneflowers are a sign of summer, emerging and staying.

These beautiful flowers posed for me in the gardens of Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH.

It was a wild windy day... I think it was pure luck that these flowers are in focus!

an essay on hope

I came across an essay today written by Connie Schultz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and professional in residence at Kent State University's school of journalism. It's a statement on hope rising after the last four years of living in a mismanaged country.

Click here to read Connie Schultz's words "Finding Hope in Her Ambition".

What do you think?

pink

A flower in the garden provides a splash of pink.

to Halibut Point

Today was a good day to visit the coast. With the prediction of a hot day I headed to Halibut State Park early in the morning. A light wind helped keep the air comfortable initially; the heat poured in as the hours passed.

through trees

A trail in Harold Parker State Forest wanders through trees.

bellflower, open

Bellflowers create a splash of purple in the garden.

in a field

As I walked along River Road in Topsfield this afternoon, I passed a field full of sheep. Most of the sheep were resting in the shade, munching on grass.

rudbeckia

Rudbeckia hirta 'Cherokee Sunset' decorate the garden in colors that remind me of autumn.

a touch of red

It's early August. While most trees continue to wear summer green I have seen the occasional pop of red.

an artist's take

A quick video on Twitter caught my eye this afternoon. It shows President Trump in moving water surrounded by COVID-19; the White House is visible in the background.

The video was created from Time Magazine's cover image for the August 17 / August 24 2020 double edition.

This amazing work was created by Tim O’Brien as part of an award-winning series of covers. You can read about it in the article The Story Behind TIME's 'Plague Election' Donald Trump Cover.

courtesy Time Magazine

To see the cover as a video, click to Time's tweet here and click the play button.

by the sea

Yesterday was a good day to walk at Odiorne Point State Park on the New Hampshire coast.

There was a light wind blowing, creating a comfortable environment for walking. The visit was a combination of walking and sitting on rocks by the sea, both excellent activities for absorbing beauty.

In case you're planning to visit, the park currently requires a reservation for parking, an easy process from the park's web site. All I needed to do when I arrived was to provide my name to the gatehouse staff.

floral decay

It's the time of the season when some flowers have moved past their prime bloom.

Even as they approach decay, wild roses are beautiful.

yellow

I don't know what name these bright yellow flowers wear but I know they always surprise me. Instead of living close to the ground, the flowers start at about my eye height with most of the blossom way over my head.

mill buildings

Blue skies highlight old mill buildings along the Merrimack River in Lowell, MA.