waiting

My timing yesterday was superb. I managed a pilates class, a walk to and from the class, and a walk on the beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. I arrived home just as the sky turned black.

While sheltered in the house I watched and listened to a wild storm. There was rain, thunder, wild wind, and hail. Yikes! I can't believe how lucky I was that my badly leaking windows were replaced this week!

The power flickered, then went out completely. When I looked at the power company's web site I saw a projected restoration time of 5 PM. That time came, still no power. I looked again to see that the restoration time was 5 PM on September 9th, a full day after the outage began.

Now, I'm waiting. And I'm hoping the power returns today.

fading

Flower petals fade as the end of the growing season approaches.

black-eyed susans

As the season changes some flowers have faded while others continue to wear bright colors.

Black-eyed susans create a splash of yellow in the garden.

painted slats

A wall outside of Newburyport Art shows a series of painted slats of wood. Each is a separate (and very narrow) painting. Placed together, they almost read as a single piece of art.

still pink

While most coneflowers in local gardens are wearing faded petals, I found one this afternoon that is still wearing pink.

Do you think it held onto the pink because it wanted to pose for a photo?

a spider web

As I walked in a garden yesterday morning I saw a large spider web. Early morning dew highlighted its structure. I saw no sign of the spider creator.

What an intricate creation!

early morning

When my eyes opened early this morning it felt like a good time for a garden visit.

I enjoyed a solo walk through rows of dahlias.

back to the beach

The beach at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge closes on April 1st each year for the piping plover nesting season, remaining closed until the birds are done with it. Both endangered piping plovers and least terns nest on this very narrow beach. The birds deal with encroaching tides and wildlife; they don't need the feet of humans targeting them as well.

On August 18th a small section of beach reopened to people. The sections of beach from parking lot 2 to the north and from parking lot 7 to the south is now open. While that is a relatively small section of beach it was enough to pull me to the coast for a walk yesterday. I arrived about an hour before low tide, a good target time for walking.

The beach is highly sloped from parking lot 1, with the slope easing as I walked to the south. I walked on both sections of open beach, a wonderful return to a favorite spot for walking.

Thank you birds!

exquisite

Dahlias take many different shapes. This flower wears exquisite beauty.

wet

This morning the sky was gray, there was fog in the air, and the forecast called for rain. I decided to walk anyway, grabbing my bright blinking lights so I would be seen and an umbrella in case the rain fell.

The rain started as sprinkles but before I finished my loop it started pouring. It was as if a faucet had been turned on. I was glad I decided to wear an older pair of running shoes; I poured water out of them when I got home!

It was a good walk even though I was very wet when I returned home.

The water in this photo is a flooded section of road at Merrimack College. It was taken hours after the rain stopped; I'm sure it was bigger and deeper earlier in the day.