Category Archives: animals

Jackson Falls

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I may not have gotten the photo I had in mind when I drove to Jackson NH but all was not lost.

Over lunch at a local restaurant several people asked me if I’d been to the “Falls” yet. I told them no and asked where it was. Turns out, not far from the center of town at all.

So having chased the snowless sleighs around for a bit I decided to give that a rest and see if I could find Jackson Falls.

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Just after making the turn by the  Wentworth Inn ( I think that was the name) I drove up a hill.  At the top was a place to pull over . There were quite a few cars there considering it was quite cold and beginning to spit some snow flurries. It turned out to be a wedding party getting their photos done. I didn’t want to intrude so decided to drive around some more and come back in a little bit.

I completed a circle that passed lots of scenic farms and finally brought me back to the covered bridge.

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I figured that was enough time for the photo shoot to end because the bride had to be freezing but I was wrong. The bride and groom were still there. Most of the rest of the wedding party had left. Trying not to intrude I wandered downstream away from the photo shoot but when I turned to photograph the falls I couldn’t resist a shot with the bride and groom standing nearby.

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This is one of my favorites from that day’s adventures.

In Search of the Perfect Christmas Card

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Its hard to believe another Christmas has come and  gone and the count down to the new year begins.   One of my favorite parts of the holiday traditions is making my special Christmas Cards.

The photos I use are always from the year before. In other words, I will use a photo from this year for next year’s card and so on. I do this so I won’t feel too stressed out looking for a last minute holiday picture. Usually I have something in mind. Last year I planned a trip to Disney World with the sole intention of finding a picture for my card this year. The result was the train.

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A few years ago I wanted to use one of the decorated homes in town.

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One year I was trying to get a good candle picture for my cards.

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So with a possible card theme in mind I took off to Jackson NH for a day trip.  Now a drive to Jackson from Taunton is about 4 hours.  I figured I’d have about two hours there to get the  special picture and then I’d need to head back home.

What I had in mind was a sleigh ride drawn by a team of horses. “Dashing through the snow”…but when I arrived in Jackson, there was no snow! Oh Oh. Strike one.

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Strike 2 was that to go on the Jingle Bell Chocolate Tour you had to be staying at one of the Inns. There was no room at any of the Inns, not that I really had time to stay overnight.

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Strike 3 was no sleighs (since there was no snow) well, in a way there were sleighs. They were mounted on wagon frames.

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To make a long story short, I didn’t get the photos I had visualized and at this point I don’t think they will make the cut for next year’s card but you never know. It all depends on what other shots I come up with. I had a good time and met some nice people and that’s what’s really important.

Maui Ocean Center Revisited

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Vacation was nearing its inevitable conclusion. Time was running out.

Kathy had leave the next day. It seemed suitable to attend a Luau for her last evening on Maui but we needed to keep busy until then.

First stop was Lahina to pick up some souvenirs.

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A pair of grass skirts and coconut bras for the little grand girls would be perfect.

From there we made our way to the Maui Ocean Center. I know we told you about our previous visit but Kathy hadn’t arrived then. It was time to show our cuz the cute aquarium.

It’s taken a quarter of a century for the aquarium to grow to its current size. Maui Ocean Center isn’t just an aquarium, it focuses on the flora and fauna of the oceans surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. Many of the species are found no other place on earth.

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All of the exhibits faithfully replicate the natural environment. Its one of the only aquariums that specialize in caring for live corals. In the living reef building all of the corals are alive, not imitations.

The official sate fish of Hawaii is the reef triggerfish.

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Its Hawaiian name is Humuhumu-nukunuku-a-pua’a. It means trigger fish with snout like pig. Now That’s a mouthful!

The Maui Ocean Center takes part in the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle Educational Loan Program. They host baby sea turtles from hatchlings up to 2 years old when they are released into the ocean.

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That’s just touching on the Aquarium, from surge zone to ocean depths it’s all here for you to see and experience.

 

Shark!

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You hear about shark attacks. California, Florida, Hawaii even Cape Cod but the shark attack off a Maui beach while we were there seemed to carry more punch.

Maybe that’s because the headline “Woman bitten by shark off South Maui beach” was on the front page, above the fold on Tuesday , November 15. Guess what I was scheduled to do that day?  I was going snorkeling. Yup I was going into that shark infested water to do my imitation of a great white whale.

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I wasn’t even sure I could still swim! Its been so long. I tested out the pool first and found that I’m pretty buoyant. Its all that fat you know.

Don’t laugh, I kid you not! When I used to scuba dive I’d start the season with 30 lbs on my weight belt. As the season progressed and I toned up and lost weight I dropped not only  body weigh but lead weight from my weight belt. By the end of the season I’d be down to around 18 lbs of lead at my waist.

Right now I have more to fear from a shark attack than I do drowning. I bounce right back to the surface! Should be an interesting afternoon.

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But back to the Shark bite victim.  Karnaole Beach is 31 miles from Ka’anapali Beach where we were staying. That’s if you follow the coastline, less if you just flip that tail and make a bee line.

She was 58 years old but she was a tough cookie. She told everyone to get out of the water as well as getting herself to shore! She was quoted as saying this wasn’t going to keep her out of the water. I guess most shark bites off Maui occur in October so this was a straggler.

Well, that’s all I have to say on the subject of sharks. I plan to get back to all the fun we’re having.

Until then,

aloha

The Long Way Home

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Hi Again

Lots more to tell you about Maui but it was a long series of flights to get back home. We left Maui at 7 pm on the 18th and finally  landed in Albany at 8 pm on the 19th. After a night at my sister’s house I left NY in a snow storm arriving at my home in Taunton, MA about 2:30 pm Sunday 11/20.

It was a warm welcome from my furry friend Rocky.

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I’ll get back to my Maui stories real soon.