sand dunes in white

Friday's storm left snow covering the sand dunes on Plum Island.

ice on the beach

I walked the northern tip of Plum Island this afternoon about an hour before low tide.

Remnants of ice decorated the beach along the Merrimack River as the tide flowed out. Some ice was in piles of flat pieces, some appeared in larger chunks.

snow

Yesterday's snow left white behind, covering the ground and sitting on trees.

warmth

What a crazy weather week! Today the temperature was in the mid-60s; tomorrow it is predicted to be 30 degrees colder.

It felt wonderful to be walking outside in light clothing. Today's destination was the rail trail in Newburyport by the Merrimack River. There were lots of people out, even some who shared their dogs with us.

Warmth today is predicted to give way to snow on Friday.

trees on a hill

Knowing I might find muddy trails I still headed to Maudslay State Park this afternoon. A combination of mud and ice confirmed my thought that it might be too early to walk there; I chose to walk down the road instead of dodging the mud.

My eyes were pulled to a stand of trees at the top of a hill.

pink

I've felt a need for color lately.

Luckily there were flowers in bloom when I visited the butterfly conservatory just over a week ago.

flowing water

Pooled water from high on the beach flows back to the ocean as the tide moves out.

smooth sand

I took the spring-like temperature this afternoon as a sign that I should head to the beach. A walk at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge satisfied my need to listen to the ocean waves, to enjoy the changing scenery.

The tide was heading out leaving smooth (and packed) sand for walking.

painted

The wings of this Cairns birdwing butterfly are painted in bright colors.

windy

It felt like a good afternoon for a walk at Crane Beach, but oh! it was chilly and windy.

The wind kicked up as we were walking. Once it was strong enough to feel that it was pushing us forward it was time to turn around. It was a challenge to walk back leaning into the wind.