reflections

As I walked through the woods stepping in snow, my eyes glimpsed water. After some careful positioning I was able to peek through the trees to frame this reflection.

delicate

Butterflies are delicate creatures, fun to watch, a challenge to capture in a photo. Sometimes they stay at rest for a bit, moving when you least expect it.

inside out

I find walking to be a good way to refocus my thoughts at work (and play).

During the warmer months it is a simple matter of walking outside of the office, getting a breath of fresh air. For winter quick walks during the work day I often stay inside. My office (OK, it's a cube!) is in one of a set of two buildings connected by an inside hall. I've discovered that a half of a mile passes under my feet if I walk a loop inside both buildings following the outside edge.

a pop of red

Flowers in a greenhouse feed my need for color in this season of chilly air.

wild waves

Today's late morning high tide at Hampton Beach was really high. As I drove towards the shore on Route 101 I saw that the water in the wet areas to the side of the road was higher than a normal high tide. Then I reached a rather large puddle stretching across the road. Not sure of the depth I turned down a different road, reaching the beach a bit further south than my initial route. As soon as I saw the ocean I knew I needed to stop!

The waves were wild, leaving no beach for walking. Hampton Beach has a concrete wall separating the beach from sidewalk and road, providing a walking location for this no beach day. I've never seen the water swallow up all of Hampton Beach before; there is usually beach available even at high tide.

Two women and two dogs ventured through the wet to walk by the edge of the waves.

I saw a bit of beach and started to head down the stairs when I saw the next set of waves crashing higher and higher, covering the very edge of the sand.

I stayed away from the wild water. I stood at the edge of the sea wall, listening to the ocean and watching the waves.

chill air

I feel very lucky to be north of the blizzard line, just flurries here so far.

The cold is a bit surprising though. The temperature this morning was a nippy 21 degrees; since the forecast was for an expected high of 31 I waited until after noon to head out walking.

It's nippy out there. When I finished walking I found that the temperature was still 21, with wind pushing the feel to 6 degrees. Brrr... I guess the weather wizard didn't agree with the forecast.

layered

Look to the sea... the sky is full of clouds, the ocean shows as rolling waves, the beach shows ripples of wet sand.

butterfly wings

A butterfly and a tiny flower...

trees, paired

Trees stand tall, wearing complementary shapes.

in Odiorne Point State Park, Rye, NH

a bit of white

I woke this morning to a clean world. Snow passed through overnight, leaving a couple inches of white on the ground.