early snow

Yesterday's weather went from snow to freezing rain and back to snow again. The freezing rain removed some of the snow depth.

While it is meteorological winter I didn't expect to see snow on the ground this early in the season.

wicked windy

It was chilly and it was wicked windy, a good day for a walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

I saw a few other people and a handful of birds.

I saw sand blowing across the beach.

I felt the wind pushing me, trying to control my forward progress.

afternoon light

Today was a day of unseasonable warmth and an ever-changing sky.

Clouds moved from dark to lighter then moved aside a bit to allow some blue to peek through.

skim ice

It's been chilly during the day and cold overnight - cold enough to start forming a skim coat of ice on some of the ponds in the area.

As I walked in Harold Parker State Forest this afternoon I noticed signs of emerging ice.

a changing sky

It was good day for a low tide walk in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. The sky showed blue with changing clouds, moving from bright white to dark gray and back again.

While it was chilly and windy, it was wonderful.

rust-colored leaves

Rust-colored leaves stand between empty branches and evergreens.

transition

As the weather transitions to late autumn a few trees cling to some leaves showing occasional pops of yellow and red.

Trees, some bare, some clinging to color...

photos! Acadia

Wandering in Acadia National Park this week was wonderful. The air was chilly, the sky changed each day, and many trees continued to wear autumn color.

The park was busy when I arrived on Sunday afternoon but the rest of my time there was quiet. It was a wonderful visit.

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

a last morning

I enjoyed a cloudy last morning in the park before it was time to drive home. I walked along Park Loop Road, listening to the ocean, looking at the rocks, absorbing the beauty.

Sometimes a short trip is perfect; this one made me happy.

late day light

We walked in Bar Harbor as the sun was setting.

The light was amazing!

--- Rover

wicked windy

Wow, it was wicked windy today! There were times when I had to jump into Denise's camera bag so I wouldn't blow away.

It was a day of wandering, of stopping whenever something interesting grabbed Denise's attention. Once we were done with quick stops we bounced down two different trails.

First we did an out and back walk on Wonderland Trail on the southwest side of the island. Later we circled Jordan Pond.

It was another good day!

--- Rover

a Carriage Road loop

The forecast for this afternoon was a bit iffy, and while it did sprinkle a bit the heavier rain waited until we finished our walk in the park.

I chose the Witch Hole Pond Loop on the carriage roads. I like that because the carriage roads are wide which leaves a lot of bouncing space for me. I did jump back into Denise's camera pack when there was water in the air.

There were lots of red and yellow and orange leaves. Denise said she wasn't sure that the leaves would seill be on the trees when we arrived here, how great that we got to see the autumn colors!

--- Rover

to Schoodic

It was a funny weather morning. Clouds followed us as we drove to the Schoodic Peninsula but once we arrived we bounced under blue skies with some white fluffy clouds.

Oh! I haven't written in Denise's blog in a while so maybe I should introduce myself. My name is Rover and I'm a little red dog. I travel with Denise and with my friend Blue. Oh, and I always use italics instead of regular letters so you can tell it is me writing.

Denise really likes the rocks and pools of water at the tip of the Schoodic Peninsula. While she walks carefully there, I like to bounce and scamper around. It's probably good that Denise is careful about where she places her feet; it's best to stay upright!

--- Rover

a drive & a walk

It's getting close to the end of October, late enough that it felt like a good time to visit Acadia National Park.

Acadia always calls to me outside of heavy tourist season; this week is late enough to have a good (low!) level of visitors. While there are still quite a few people wandering in the park it was relatively easy to find quiet space for myself.

My day started with a long drive - not terrible, but 4 1/2 hours still feels long!

I arrived in the park by early afternoon, leaving me time to wander.

looking east from a spot on Mount Desert Island north of Acadia

a changing sky

Wednesday's walk along the coast was accompanied by a changing sky.

As I walked south I saw dark swirls of clouds. When I turned back to the north I saw long lines of bright white interspersed with the darker blues.

coastal color

Autumn colors pop in unexpected places.

Today I saw bright colors in trees growing in sand just a bit back from the coast in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

red

Red berries pop against still green leaves, a sign of the changing season.

flying horse sculpture exhibit

On Wednesday I headed to Pingree School in South Hamilton, MA to visit this year's Flying Horse Sculpture Exhibit.

I wandered the campus with a friend, moving from sculpture to sculpture. It was a delightful walk.

Click here to see photos in the gallery sculpture at Pingree :: 2025.

rudbeckia hirta

While many flowers fade into autumn, this rudbeckia hirta maintains its bright color.

low tide

A walk along the coast in the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge sounded good to me today. Low tide was at 9:43 AM, perfect!

I drove there under clear blue skies. The weather wizard listened to my wishes though; the sky was decorated with patterns of white clouds as I walked.

wet

The rain eased up this morning triggering me to wander outside with my camera. As soon as I started walking the rain returned.

It was a wet walk but it was good too.

a subtle change

Green leaves hang in front of a leaf transitioning to autumn yellow.

asters

Asters in lavender create a subtle pop of color.

a pop of red

While most maple trees in the area continue to wear green one tree shows a pop of red at the tip of a single leaf.

pink tops spiky

A thistle in pink tops spiky parts of the plant.

It decorates a garden as autumn creeps in.

late afternoon, low tide

I don't know what triggered me to check the tide chart for Plum Island yesterday afternoon but I'm glad that I did. Low tide at 4:27 pm created a space for a good walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

As always, it was beautiful!

autumn flowers

Meterological autumn started yesterday, a good time for an early evening walk in a garden. While flowers continue to bloom, colors are darker or fading.

This deep beauty is a dark purple drumstick allium.

sharing

I shared the beach with birds this morning. There were gulls, cormorants, and (I think) tree swallows.

It was a good morning to walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

giant

A giant coneflower stands tall in the garden.

late echinacea

An echinacea in pink is fading, showing ragged edges and uneven color.

It's late summer, a time of change in the garden.

a sea of yellow

The gardens of Portsmouth, NH are bursting with color. Late summer is a great time to be wandering through gardens.

Here are some false sunflowers in yellow interspersed with purple salvia.

another dahlia

I'm amazed at how many different forms dahlias take.

Some have spiky petals, some have rounded petals, so many different dahlias!

partially open

I'm so happy that I checked the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge website yesterday. It told me that the piping plovers have allowed humans to return to a small section of the beach. While the nesting birds still remain on most of the beach I was happy that a small section has reopened.

Walking next to the ocean, watching birds and people, listening to the waves... I had a very good walk.

Fuller Gardens

I headed to the New Hampshire coast on Wednesday to visit the dahlias at Fuller Gardens. While the garden is mainly a home for roses, a dahlia display garden spans the side of a greenhouse. It contains many colors and varieties of dahlias.

It was a good visit, a chance to enjoy both dahlias and roses.

Click here to jump to the gallery Fuller Gardens :: 2025.

dahlia in pink

A dahlia reaches for the sky, a splash of pink in the garden.

a dragonfly

As I wandered in Maudslay State Park yesterday afternoon I stopped in the garden to check flowers in bloom. Most are past peak but they were enough to attract dragonflies.

This is a Halloween pennant dragonfly.

photos! Bedrock Gardens

Even though summer heat shimmered, Wednesday was a good day to visit Bedrock Gardens in Lee, NH.

Photos are in the gallery Bedrock Gardens :: 2025.

Click here to jump to the photos.

fabric, painted

A painted strip of fabric hangs from a line.

Colors include blue, teal, green, and purple interspersed with white. They are wonderful!

garden dance

False sunflowers dance in the gardens of Prescott Park in Portsmouth, NH.

bridges

I walked across Memorial Bridge in Portsmouth, NH this morning. As I reached the halfway point I looked north to see the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge and the I-95 bridge carrying traffic across the Piscataqua River.

a walk by the ocean

The ocean called to me today; I needed a walk by the water.

I headed to the New Hampshire coast early this morning, stopping and parking at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH. I walked just south of the park, then did a loop in the park.

It was a good brain reset!

photos! flitter, flutter, butterfly

Photos from yesterday's visit to the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory are in the gallery flitter, flutter, butterfly! 2025.

Click here to jump to the photos.

butterfly, posed

I needed a change of scenery today so I headed west across the state to visit the Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory.

Standing, watching, feeling butterflies land on me and fly past me... it was pure magic!

summer flowers

Seeing coneflowers in bright pink signals summer to me.

blazing star & butterflies

As I walked through a garden at Maudslay State Park this afternoon a patch of flowers caught my eye. The bright purple color of the blazing star flower attracted both butterflies & bees.

solo

A single flower pops out from behind a fence, decorating the sidewalk with a bit of color.