at high tide

This afternoon's wander at Halibut Point State Park was close to the time of high tide. That allowed me to sit on rocks closed to the ocean's edge without the worry of getting wet.

visiting

Walking a loop in Topsfield that we call "the critter walk" provided an opportunity to visit with some donkeys. They walked close to the fence and this one even agreed to pose for me.

trees

While it's still too early in the spring to see buds on deciduous trees, evergreens lend a touch of color to the landscape.

paddling

As I was walking in Harold Parker State Forest yesterday I came upon these Canada geese paddling in a pond.

dwarf iris

Yesterday's surprise was seeing dwarf iris in a garden that I passed during my exercise walk. Yes, I really did go back later with a camera!

snowdrops and snowflakes

I headed back to Maudslay State Park late yesterday afternoon to share the tiny flowers with a friend.

We discovered that one of the two flowers we thought were snowdrops were actually spring snowflakes.

These are spring snowflakes:

And these are snowdrops:

We looked inside the petals of the snowdrops to find an intricate design.

trio

A trio of crocus in purple emerge from the grass.

back to New Hampshire

Today was the first day of the state's next stage of reopening. One of the new rules states that quarantine on entry to MA is no longer needed if you are "returning to Massachusetts after being out of the State for fewer than 24 hours". That meant today was a good day for a wander on the New Hampshire coast. It's been a long time since my last visit there.

I headed to Odiorne Point State Park for a wander along the coast and through the woods.

Before I entered the park I headed to a small rocky peninsula just south of the park where people have left stacked rocks above the tide line.

women on a wall

This mural was created by Mariela Ajras for the Beyond Walls festival in Lynn in 2018.

A statement from the artist:

"A mural about the female universe. An embrace. An implied sisterhood among every woman. A net of support when times continue to harvest inequality. The expression of deep frustration when our bodies are still a field of political forces and are still subjugated to those in power who wish to control every inch of it. and in the middle, our spirits, resilient and resisting, screaming with strength of history, for a revolution of the mind."

My first glimpse of this beautiful piece was during my wander in Lynn this past Wednesday. I'm not sure what made me walk down the street where it lives but I'm very glad that I did!

daffodil miniatures

The tiny daffodils scattered in the grass at Maudslay are perfect replicas of their bigger relatives.

Bigger daffodils in the garden next door are wearing buds; I imagine they will be opening soon.