Sand, snow, sunshine, birds!

The last day of 2006 dawned bright and clear.

I had hoped to wander on my bike today, but some of the roads were still wet and white from yesterday's snow. It appears that the smaller roads were not plowed at all, bits of snow and ice still clinging to the road surface. My bikes and I had a quick conference, and they decided that keeping their wheels and drivetrains dry was the order of the day. Instead of riding, I headed to the New Hampshire coast once again to follow my footsteps along the edge of the water.

The ocean was quiet, and the birds were playing. It was a good day for walking, watching, and absorbing my surroundings.

A comfortable - but cold - seat in the snow.

I was standing right next to a large group of gulls when they decided to fly. There are just a few shown in this photo; there were many more in the air. Amazing.

Great blue heron after striding toward the edge of the ice (on the non-ocean side of the road) - posing.

Denise, walking.

More photos from today's wanderings can be found in my photo gallery Sand, snow, sunshine, birds! NH coast for a day

A taste of winter

Today the Weather Wizard brought a gift of snow. I really can't complain though; the start of winter has been very mild.

The snow started earlier than predicted, with white in the air beginning at about 11 AM. It started just as I was about to roll out on my bike, and I quickly rethought my day's activity. At first I thought I'd get in a short ride anyway, but I'm glad I didn't stop with that first thought. When I headed out walking a little while later, there was already a crunch of white beneath my feet. As I walked, the white layer continued to grow.

A good day for walking...

Some days are cloudy but are still light. Today? Daylight seemed dark, and as I walked by this tree snowflakes decorated the air.

I started walking soon after the snow started flying. The pavement and sidewalks gathered snow, and plants along the way provided a canvas for snowflakes.

Visiting birds

Rolling down a silent road, sharing space with birds and very few other humans...

A woodpecker flew by, lighting on a tree trunk just ahead of me. I think he was a Downy Woodpecker; with his wings on his back he was decorated in black and white, almost appearing (at a quick glance) as a skewed checkerboard pattern.

The mirrored surface of a pond was momentarily ruffled by Canada Geese swimming, then taking off with a splash of sound.

I'm so glad that the quiet motion of my bicycle allows me to see and hear, to absorb the beauty of the sights and sounds around me.

Water appearing as a glassy surface, quiet, just before the flight of the geese.

Yes, that bright spot is the sun, attempting to break out of the dense cloud cover.

Wind, waves, CRASH!

Walking along the New Hampshire coast... Waves crashing, receding... Wind...

What's that sound? Although there are stretches of sand beach along the New Hampshire coast, I was walking next to a beach composed of rounded stones. The sound that was decorating the air was created by the stones rolling against each other as the water pulled away from the shore. Then - crash! Another set of waves started the cycle once more.

Wind, powerful, pushing... It was a beautiful day for walking, but there was an added challenge beyond moving forward step by step. A strong wind - probably the reason that the morning gray skies gave way to blue - was focused on pushing all objects in its path, including me. Walking in a straight line definitely required focus.

Ah, but the day provided truly beautiful sights!

Crashing waves, seagull standing, watching, and surprisingly not getting hit by the wild water.

Sun sinking, just beginning to tint the horizon and the water in shades of pink.

A few more pictures from today's wandering can be found starting on page 9 of my photo gallery Glimpses of water - coastal New Hampshire, 2006.

Masquerading, prancing

What do you mean I'm not a reindeer?

I was rolling down a narrow road on my bicycle when I looked to the side to see people on horses at a small riding school. The horses were wearing hats sporting reindeer antlers.

Clearly they insisted on a masquerade for the day.

Solstice pondering

Today is the day of the Winter Solstice, the day that brings us the shortest amount of light. My calendar says that today is the first day of winter, yet in other countries in the northern hemisphere today is known as Midwinter's Day.

So which is it? Start or middle? For my winter sanity, I think I'll adopt the Midwinter's Day designation. The days will (very slowly) start to lengthen by gathering minutes of sunshine, and although we still have a couple of months of cold ahead of us, I will hold the thought that as the days get longer, spring will be creeping closer.

Photo recognition

I did a search for my name on Google today and found that one of the photos in my Nova Scotia journal had been selected as photo of the month on another cycling web site.

That, plus the "see her amazing pictures" comment below the photo really made my day.

Mountains ahead

An early morning optical illusion...

Driving down route 125, woods on both sides of the road opened up to show a view of tall mountains ahead. They showed as a deep dusky blue below a light blue sky that was gaining more color as the sun rose higher.

Wait. Yes, there are mountains in Massachusetts, but the mountains live in the western part of the state, no where near my usual stomping grounds. Today my view was of banks of deep blue clouds that were pretending to be mountains.

Sky paintings

A Monday play-day... I have a feeling that going back to my normal 2-day weekends in January is going to be a real shock, but for now, I'm enjoying my December long weekends.

I woke to a gray day, with raindrops occasionally decorating the ground. One of my bikes insisted on a morning ride to start the day, and then it was time to head to the New Hampshire coast to share some walking with a friend. What? You think I'm getting into a bit of a habit of walking along the New Hampshire coast? True, but it's a good habit to have.

The drive to New Hampshire was accompanied by on-and-off rain. It wasn't heavy, but it was (windshield-wiper) noticeable. The weather wizard decided to be kind today though, because when we arrived at Odiorne Point State Park the rain stopped and glimpses of blue edged through the gray sky, providing a backdrop for both white and dark clouds.

Our exploration started indoors, at the Seacoast Discovery Center. Curiosity drew us inside, and I'm glad it did. Sea creatures in glass tanks provided some fascinating visions. There were strange-looking fish who appeared to be watching us (and who I'm sure thought that the 2-legged creatures peering at them through the glass were strange looking too). There was a skate with its underside pressed against the glass; instead of the normal "top of the creature" view we had a clear view of its mouth and a far away view of the eyes that were perched on its top (not bottom) side. And in the same tank there was a wonderful optical illusion - I think caused by the thickness of the glass. The view from the side of the tank appeared to be totally different than from the front. It almost felt like I was looking at two totally different tanks when there was really only one.

Off to another tank... The inhabitants were fish that appeared flat when viewed from the top (or bottom). These creatures apparently change their coloration to blend in with their surroundings. The ones that we were watching were a perfect match to the sand that lined the bottom of the tank.

Curiosity satisfied, it was time to walk and to soak in the views. A loop to the south following a trail started our exploration, but the rocky coastline beckoned. As we turned and headed to the north and east, we left the trail, feet treading on land coated with rounded rocks - no sand here! The ocean was quiet, and clouds painted the sky.

Walking, stopping to enjoy the views, a quiet ocean accompanied us to Frost Point. Rocks adorned the coast on the southern (ocean-facing) side of the point, a strong contrast to the sand-clad northern side looking into Little Harbor. The quickly setting sun decorated the sky and cast gleaming reflections on the water.

Paintings created by sunlight, by patterns of clouds. Absorbing beauty...

A tree silhouetted against a sky striped with clouds.

I find it amazing that the distinct line in the clouds seems to be reflected in the water.

And a little more late day magic...

More photos can be seen in my Beauty on a gray day gallery.

Cool, warmer, rolling...

Another day of non-winter weather... I like this year's version of December so far.

When I started riding today it was cooler than yesterday, but the temperature eventually edged into the low 50s. The sky managed a similar change; I left home accompanied by a sky covered in clouds, light in some spots and dark gray in others. In fact it was so gray that I used clear lenses in my "sunglasses". The gray eventually parted and allowed some blue to appear. Yes, it was another good day for playing outside on my bicycle.

I think - no, I know - that I'm really getting spoiled. The first day of winter is just around the corner, and I'm sure that it will be a little hard to take when winter conditions hit.

December, relative warmth, bicycle wheels rolling, happy!

I had to stop and watch as this woolly bear caterpillar (what a great name!) slogged across the road, ending in a pile of leaves.

Reflections and ice! The temperature was in the low 50s this afternoon, and while it has been cooling off at night the last few nights haven't been that cold. I suppose that this pond could have frozen in cooler weather earlier in the week; I had to look twice before I convinced myself that there really was ice floating in the water.

This character was doing quite a job of guarding his mail box. From a distance I really thought there was a person standing there.