A tiny bit of rain overnight left clouds in the sky early this morning. That, combined with a low tide at 8:38 AM, convinced me to head to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a walk.
While my preferred walking time is 1 to 2 hours before low tide, arriving just as the tide changed worked too. It was a good morning for a walk by the sea. The clouds and light were pure magic.
On Thursday I headed to Salem for to walk by and enjoy the murals. I found new murals that were created for the annual Mural Slam not too far from Old Town Hall in addition to the murals that live in The Point neighborhood.
This one is a favorite that lives high on a wall in The Point, part of the Punto Urban Art Museum.
Katherine, by Paola DelfinIt was a good farm stand visit this afternoon. They had a favorite early season (local!) apple, Zestar!. While I am not really ready for the season to change I am always happy to find good apples.
Zestar! is a early season apple that comes from the University of Minnesota breeding program (trademarked, USPP#11367). It is a good solid early apple, with a sweet-tart taste and a hint of brown sugar flavoring. ...It is one of the parents of the new popular US variety, Sweetango. Information courtesy of https://www.orangepippin.com/varieties/apples/zestar
The forecast yesterday was for a foggy morning followed by rain later in the day. I headed to the New Hampshire coast early, focusing on a bit of a coastal wander before a Portsmouth garden visit.
While clouds were the predominant sky feature I did see a bit of blue as I looked to the south.
On Thursday I visited the sculptures scattered through the woods at Andres Institute of Art in Brookline, NH.
What an interesting place to wander!
It's dahlia season!
I've been so lucky this season to see many colors and varieties of this intricate flower this summer. Here's another one from the gardens of Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH.
Rain was predicted for yesterday. In spite of the forecast I headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for a morning walk.
Water did not fall from the sky; it was a dry - and beautiful - walk.
I headed in to Boston Sunday morning to visit the murals "Underground at Ink Block".
This urban park is an interesting use of the space under the highway.
A section of the community garden at Strawberry Banke contains strawflowers in various stages of bloom.
I feel lucky to have been able to capture strawflowers just opening, fully open, and releasing their seeds.
A dahlia wearing shades of pink brings a bright pop of color to the garden.
I'm always amazed at the beauty of these flowers.
As I was walking early this morning I saw sunflowers in a garden. When I headed back with my camera a bit later I was greeted by a tiger swallowtail butterfly feeding on a butterfly bush near the sunflowers.
I was delighted that the butterfly agreed to pose for me!
Today I walked on the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge for the first time since April 1st.
The beach in the refuge closes on April 1st each year for the piping plove nesting season, reopening when the birds are done with it. This past weekend the very tips of the beach reopened for people to visit. Even with the continued very hot weather I knew I needed a beach walk. I arrived 2 hours after high tide, sharing the open section of beach with other people and with ever-present sea birds.
Coneflowers bring a splash of color to the garden.
The flowers provide a gathering place for happy bees.
This afternoon I attempted to ignore the heat as I walked in the woods at Harold Parker State Forest.
It was a short walk, so hot!
This notice outside of a store in Portsmouth, NH is perfect!
I didn't go inside to verify that a dog was present, next time...
While Fuller Gardens (in North Hampton, NH) is primarily a rose garden it has a wonderful bed of dahlias that is currently in full bloom.
I visited on Monday to spend some time with the dahlias.
When I first saw this flower I didn't know its name.
This is a canna, also known as a canna lily even though it is not in the lily family. The flower is large and resembles an iris. It's beautiful!
A walk along the coast in Odiorne Point State Park today was sandwiched between visits to two gardens.
It was a good day for a coastal wander.
