Packed!

Two days to go, and Denise's "stuff" has turned from piled to packed. You don't know about Denise's packing habits? She learned a long time ago that packing the night before a trip makes her a bit crazy. She says that she would rather have a day to pick up things she is missing - but I can't remember the last time she was missing anything. Calm is good though, and packing a day early keeps her calm.

I suppose I'm lucky; I don't need to pack lots of layers because my red fur keeps me warm. If it's really cold or wet then I can always jump into Denise's pocket (especially if she's wearing fleece!) or I can ride with the cameras.

Oh! Don't tell Denise that I wandered over to the Icelandic Meteorological Office website while she was busy, and it looks like the weather when we land Thursday morning might be a bit wet. If we go to the Blue Lagoon she's going to get wet anyway...

Denise isn't really all packed - she still needs to organize her camera gear. She says that's easy and not stressful, so that can wait until tomorrow.

--- Rover

Seed by wisp

I was trying to catch some of the wisps from a purple thistle gone to seed. The wisps kept moving in the wind, going from still to moving.

Then I looked down. Wonderful!

Morning ride, afternoon wander

My day followed a pattern that I've fallen into this summer, a morning ride followed by an afternoon wander to the coast for a bit of camera play. There are times when taking my camera with me as I ride feels like the right thing to do, and there are times when I'm happier splitting my passions into two.

I rode a loop within a loop, enjoying the cool morning air. Then, as the afternoon ushered in warmer air, I headed to the New Hampshire coast.

I started with a visit to Fuller Gardens, a place that has become a favorite of mine. I can see that starting next year I need to purchase an annual membership instead of paying by the visit. Many of the perennials are well past their prime, but the roses are still amazing. When I spoke with one of the gardeners on my first visit there she told me the roses often continue to bloom well past the garden's closing date in October.

A bit further up the coast, I stopped to scramble across some rocks. Careful, careful - it's slippery in spots! Later I stopped at Odiorne Point State Park and then along the outer edges of Portsmouth.

It was a good day!

More photos from this afternoon's wander can be seen at the beginning of the gallery New Hampshire's short coastline - 2010.

Leaf confusion

Three days of wet, of cool temperatures, and today I noticed patches of color. Some yellows, some reds, some leaves totally colored, some wearing painted lines...

It's still August, much too early for autumn to waltz in.

Think layers

The unseasonably cool days this week have brought me a bit closer to packing reality. The temperatures this week (so far) have topped out in the 60s. I expect the days in Iceland to be 10 degrees cooler - but feeling 60 degree days brings me closer to remembering the right layers for 50 degree days and cooler nights.

My packing mantra... layers bring warmth.

Yes, the temperatures shown are in Celsius. The temperatures are as predicted for this time of year, ranging between 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you're curious and want to check out the weather yourself, click to go to the forecast on the Icelandic Meteorological Office website.

Listen...

...to the sound of the wind in the trees, to raindrops falling on leaves, in puddles, hitting my rain hat as I walk on a wet, gray evening.

So excited!

Denise is out walking in the rain right now. That means it's a good time for me to jump onto her computer to start sharing words about our trip.

I'm counting the days before we fly to Iceland. Did you know those days are down to single digits now? I've been reading about different places in the country, looking at photos too. Somehow I don't think the time we have to spend there will be enough. You do know about Denise and her visiting places habits, don't you? She says that if she likes a place that one trip is never enough. Hmmm...

I wonder where we're going to wander. I think I'd better do a little more reading in case Denise needs help deciding on a destination. She's always happy when I jump in with suggestions.

I think we're going to go to the Blue Lagoon at least once. Denise thinks that soaking in a geothermal spa sounds like a good thing to do after our long plane flight. We'll need to do some wandering first though; the Blue Lagoon opens at 10AM, and our flight gets in at 6:30. Yikes! I think I'd better figure out a way to help Denise sleep on the plane. I can always sleep on planes, but Denise can't always convince her body that sleeping on a plane is a good thing to do.

I'm so excited!

--- Rover

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Oh! I wonder if there are some new readers here. Just in case you haven't met me before, I travel with Denise. I wander with her closer to home too, but traveling! so wonderful.

Here's a photo of me on our trip to Acadia back in June...

Tendrils

Between the raindrops

Light rain was falling as I drove to the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge this morning. Yes, I know, it probably would have been smarter not to head for the coast when rain was forecast for today - but somehow I felt a need to walk along the coast.

I haven't been to Parker River since the beach was closed for the season. It closes April 1st and usually reopens in last July or August. Apparently the piping plovers have been busy this year because the refuge beach is still closed. No matter, I walked on the inland side, and I was able to walk on the beach at Sandy Point State Reservation on the southern end of Plum Island.

It was a day of dodging raindrops, of enjoying the beauty of Parker River. I started on the inland side of Plum Island, startled at how little water was in several always filled ponds.

There were colors... marshy areas still wore green, and sections of yellow and pink-purple blossoms were evident, pools of water on the beach reflected the clouds. What a beautiful place!






More photos from today can be seen at the beginning of the gallery Parker River through the seasons - 2010.

beyond Bath... photos

Last weekend's wander to Bath was a good one, both because it's a great place to wander and because it gave me enough variation to help me become more familiar with my new camera.

More photos can be seen in the gallery beyond Bath.