Fitting End to the Summer

Steve and I drove to Mashpee to bike a trail with Linda Lee. It was a perfect day; not too humid, big puffy clouds, and few tourists. We set out a little after 1:00pm. I stopped a few times to take pictures along the way. I had my old camera...not enough power to capture detail or the egrets dining in the marshes. If I can outfit my bike with cushioned bags to hold my Nikon, I'll definitely haul it on our Fall trip. Yes, we are already dying to go back there, it was such a nice ride. We would like to stay a few days and bring the kayaks.


We stopped for lunch in Woods Hole (Landfall Restaurant)...lobster roll, french fries and a jumbo Arnold Palmer iced tea...excellent. After we ate Steve got some bottled water for us and we headed back to Mashpee. The sun was a few hours from setting. It felt like an autumn afternoon. All along the trail there were rabbits and their offspring munching away....very cute.


We made one final stop near the end of the trail and that was to get ice cream. I highly recommend the Shining Sea Bikeway.

Global Warming???

I just read an article titled "Global warming hastens arrival of springtime," (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23709253/ ). The author, Seth Borenstein, cites some signs of Spring that are happening months ahead of time. For example, a butterfly that typically emerges in April/May has been spotted recently "fluttering" in California. He mentions that various trees are budding much earlier than usual. This reminds me of a situation that happened last year. Steve and I noticed that the Wisteria was loaded with blooms in early Spring. I never thought anything of the timing though. I just couldn’t wait to see the pergola covered in beautiful orchid tendrils. A week or two later we had a heavy frost….that was the end of all those buds. The Wisteria bloomed later…but it wasn’t the spectacle we originally anticipated.

With the calendar announcing Spring approaching, in less than 24 hours, I wonder how the plants and creatures will fare. On my morning walkabout, I noticed a sure sign of Spring, but now I worry that it’s way too early for the Bullfrogs to emerge. I didn’t have my camera with me at the time, so no photo today of the very healthy looking frog. However, I thought my nature loving friends would like to hear the sound of the backyard babbling pond. Steve just jump started the filters yesterday. The fish are quite active now that the water is moving.

Trees and a Little Reminiscing

It’s beginning to look like a pretty nice day. No jobs for school…however, I’ll make the best of the day. I have a house plant that needs repotting. A trip to Home Depot is in order for a nice clay pot and a fresh bag of soil. Oh, yes, the African Violets are complaining about stale soil and cramped quarters too. Hopefully I can find specialty soils at HD.

This morning, as I was looking for a (per diem) job, my mind drifted to ways I could motivate kids to write. I found some interesting sites which I have bookmarked, but one site stood out. It has beautiful pictures of trees and sun kissed wooded paths, poetry, folk tales, lessons, and much more.

My love of trees probably began when I was very young. Our family home was surrounded by fields and wooded areas. My siblings, neighborhood pals and I could explore for hours, with nary a house in sight. It could be scary if you were alone!
My best friend Brian (there weren’t any girls my age in the neighborhood) and I had a camp in the midst of a circle of Birch trees. The camp floor was a thick, green moss…more luxurious than any rug could ever be. We loved that camp, but like everything else, its time came to an end. Soon a road was built and many new homes sprang up. To this day I still think about that enchanting space in the woods. I would like to create an area somewhere in my backyard. Unfortunately acreage is something Steve and I don’t have. I might have to settle for a mossy area under some Pines.

Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Please enjoy this site…… http://www.spiritoftrees.org/spirit_of_trees.html