winter color

A walk in the woods shows many shades of grays and browns.

Luckily pine needles add color with a pop of green.

skim ice

Ponds in Harold Parker State Forest are showing skim ice, the first step in forming a solid surface.

Reflections can still be seen in between the patches of ice.

faded

Wildflowers fade, becoming brittle, lacking color, greeting winter.

Subtle beauty remains.

changing sky

It was a day with a constant changing sky, a day that felt like a good day to walk by the sea before the predicted rain arrives.

I had a wonderful low tide walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. I shared the beach with many birds and just a couple of other humans.

winter

Winter (and December!) is here. Meteorological winter started on the 1st of the month; chill air tells me the season is here.

The ponds at Harold Parker State Forest are even starting to wear a skim coat of ice. The ice can be seen close to the shoreline, interrupting the reflection of the trees.

posed

A sea gull enjoys the sun, standing still in a cool November breeze.

at low tide

It was dry and sunny today, a good day for a walk on the beach.

I headed to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge to listen to the waves, to watch the birds, and to walk.

behind Sand Beach

On the last day of my short Acadia National Park visit earlier this month I wandered down to Sand Beach. The view from behind the beach grasses shows autumn color.

photos! fall mum show

Monday's visit to the 2024 Fall Mum Show at the Botanic Garden of Smith College allowed me to absorb the beauty of flowers in a non-flower season. I thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by chrysanthemums for a couple of hours.

Photos can be seen in the gallery chrysanthemums at Smith College :: 2024.

Click here to jump to the gallery.

chrysanthemums

It's the mid-point of the 2024 Fall Mum Show at Smith College, and it was a beautiful day today. It was a good day for a drive and a flower visit.

The number of varieties of chrysanthemums always amazes me.

photos! Acadia

Wandering in Acadia National Park this week was wonderful. The air was chilly, the rain fell only at night, the sky changed each day.

The park was quiet for the most part. While there were other people in the park I had a lot of alone time to absorb the beauty around me.

Photos can be seen in the gallery late autumn, Acadia.

Click here to jump to the gallery.

morning ramble

I think we were really lucky today. It rained overnight, as predicted. It stopped raining early enough that we were able to walk without water falling from the sky.

There was mist hanging in the air, enough to change the look of the same scenery we walked by on Saturday. We again started walking at Sand Beach, following Ocean Path past Thunder Hole, eventually turning back to return to the car.

I know we'll return again someday; for now it was a good last walk in the park.

--- Rover

a bit of a wander

It was a good wandering day today. We stopped at The Tarn because Denise liked the reflections. Then we walked on Ocean Path for a while, enjoying the rocks and the ocean. Jordan Pond was next, then a quick walk at the top of Cadillac Mountain.

The temperature stuck at 45 degrees while we were at the level of the ocean but it dropped to 40 degrees at the top of the mountain. Brrr.... Luckily Denise had extra layers with her.

Tomorrow we head home. The forecast calls for rain overnight but we are hoping it stops early enough in the morning so we can get a dry walk in before we spend hours driving home.

It's been a good trip!

--- Rover

trees reflecting in The Tarn

along Ocean Path

Jordan Pond

rolly rocks

Do you think "rolly" is a word? I think it describes the rocks on Hunters Beach perfectly. While some have angles, they are rounded and I think they roll in the ocean waves.

I remembered visiting there a long time ago; I asked Denise if we could head there this morning to start our day. Of course she said yes! It was lucky she remembered where it lives on the island because when she put it in her GPS it tried to take us to Little Hunters Beach instead of Hunters Beach.

I enoyed bouncing on the rocks, and my friend Blue enjoyed it too.

--- Rover

Rover & Blue at Hunters Beach

Hunters Beach

looping Witch Hole

The Carriage Roads called to us this afternoon. We headed to the end of Duck Brook Road to find the start of the Witch Hole Pond loop.

It was a good afternoon to walk that loop. It's 3.1 miles, not too long. Denise even got warm enough to shed her light jacket - even though the air temperature was stuck in the mid-40s.

We're pretty far east in Maine so the change back to standard time makes a big difference. I just looked out the window, and it's looking a little dusky already. The sunset here today is at 4:19 PM, wow!

--- Rover

Schoodic magic

The first thing Denise did when she woke up today was to look outside. There were clouds in the sky, and she hoped they would stick around since she likes playing with her camera under interesting clouds. The forecast was for clear skies though, and that's what we had. The air was a bit chilly but it was still so beautiful!

We headed to the Schoodic Peninsula this morning. That's a favorite place to wander, and we even tried a new hike. We bounced up an unmarked dirt road that led to the top of Schoodic Head. Even though there wasn't a "no tree" view from the top, it was a good walk, a good way to start the day.

Our next stopping point was the tip of the peninsula. The rocks there are pretty slanty but still good for walking. We explored there for a bit before returning to the bigger part of Acadia on Mount Desert Island.

--- Rover

to Acadia

Oh! It's the beginning of November and it's time for a quick trip to Acadia National Park.

Denise likes to wait until there are fewer people in the park. That kind of worked this time - while there were way fewer people than there would have been in the normal tourist season, it was pretty busy. Maybe because it was a beautiful day, and it's Saturday.

It was a crisp day with a mix of clouds and sunshine. It rained a tiny bit on our drive but for the most part it was dry.

It was early afternoon when we arrived in Bar Harbor. That meant we had time to walk in the park. Denise walked and I bounced along. It's such a beautiful place! We started at Sand Beach and then followed the path along the coast for an out and back walk.

--- Rover

in case you don't remember me from previous trips...

from our wander in the park this afternoon...

faded

While faded leaves continue to hold onto branches, occasional bright color shows a splash of red.

skinny trees

A bit of remaining fall color can be seen behind skinny, tall pine trees.

at Odiorne

Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, New Hampshire was this morning's walking destination.

The grass along the water and the trees are wearing late autumn colors.

rusty

Wind blows, leaves fly through the air.

Rusty color emerges.

warmth

The sun warmed the air to feel like summer today.

An afternoon walk at Maudslay State Park allowed me to absorb the beauty of both autumn leaves and lingering dahlias.

chill air, bright leaves

I woke this morning to a chill in the air, the temperature at 2 degrees below freezing.

Leaves have reacted to crisp autumn air with a pop of bright color.

color on the coast

While today was gray and somewhat wet I gave in to my desire to walk in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. In honor of National Wildlife Refuge Week the dike in the refuge is open; I walked both the dike and the beach.

It rained as I drove to the refuge and it rained as I drove home. And yet... my walk was dry!

The colors of autumn decorate grasses and trees.

a low tide walk

I shared the beach with birds as I enjoyed a low tide walk in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge today.

green, yellow, red

Autumn colors are taking over the landscape.

Leaves transition.

mixed

Trees continue to show mixed colors as autumn brings us cooler weather.

The edge of Field Pond in Harold Parker State Forest is a good place to absorb the seasonal color change.

sculpture at Pingree School

Yesterday was the first time I visited the Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School. The show is now on my list of things to do for next year!

It was a good wander through the school grounds looking for sculptures. My two favorites were both on the funky side, wire birds perched in a tree, and clear tubes filled with colored liquid that bubbled as the tube was flipped.

Click here to see more photos in the gallery sculpture at Pingree :: 2024.

flitting

As I walked in the gardens of Prescott Park this morning I saw a single butterfly flitting about, feeding on late season flowers.

delightful!

The section of the garden at the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens that is dedicated to dahlias continues to show flowers in prime condition. It was delightful to spend a bit of time there this evening, absorbing the beauty around me.

wet

On the beach, in wind and rain...

It's good that I woke up early today. A beach walk was calling to me and low tide on Plum Island was at 8:27am. Walking just before and after low tide was perfect!

In spite of the cool air and light rain, it was a good morning to walk in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

bright

The leaves of a Japanese maple are wearing bright red, popping against a background of trees that continue to wear green.

changes

While trees are relatively early in the color change cycle, reds and yellows are starting to appear.

outdoor sculpture at Maudslay

I visited the outdoor sculpture at Maudslay exhibit on Monday, wandering and looking.

This year's theme is "Threads".

To see more of the sculptures click here to visit the photo gallery outdoor sculpture at Maudslay :: 2024.

dahlias!

A large section of the garden at the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens is filled with dahlias that bloom in late summer / early fall. I chose the last hour of sunlight on Saturday to wander through the flowers.

The dahlias were delightful, a wonderful mix of colors and shapes.

Click here to wander through the dahlias in the gallery dahlia delight :: 2024.

a magic morning

Halibut Point State Park was my destination this morning. It's a place I always enjoy but one that seems to take longer to get to based on the mileage.

I'm so glad I visited the amazing beauty there today. I shared space with sea gulls and a few other people.

Click here to wander through more photos from Halibut Point. The first 28 photos in the gallery are from today's visit; the rest are from a visit in April.

early color

Meterological fall started four days ago.

The season change has apparently been communicated to the trees in the area. While most of the leaves are still green, a tinge of brown is starting to appear. There are even a few trees wearing colored leaves.

late season coneflowers

While it's late in the growing season many flowers continue to wear bright colors. These coneflowers show some harsh and blackened edges, a bit of decay in the petals.

perched

A butterfly is perched, feeding from a zinnia.

low tide

Yesterday's low tide walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge was delightful. I was accompanied by the sound of ocean waves and the sight of sea gulls and skittering sanderlings.

evening flowers

Late day light decorated the garden as I wandered through the dahlias.

at Odiorne Point State Park

A walk along the coast was on my wishlist today.

I headed to Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH with the hope of walking before the rain came. While wet roads indicated there was rain earlier, it was a dry, low tide walk.

pink

A pink dahlia decorates a late summer garden.

look down!

At this time of year I find I need to look down as I walk through the woods. Wonderful mushrooms are on display!