Another Rainy Weekend

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Another Rainy Weekend

The forecast is for high winds and torrential rains. Warnings of possible flash floods. This is the rainiest start to July in 100 years! Last weekend wasn’t a wash out and I had all good intentions of writing a post but somehow by the time I got 5 minutes (and believe me it takes me more than 5 minutes) the weekend was gone. So I had big plans for this weekend so I would have something interesting to share. But it looks like mother nature has other ideas.

Rainy weather, the inscription rainy on the sweaty glass.

How Do I plan my Weekends

If it ever stops raining I have plenty of ideas for weekend adventures. I bought 2 “Adventure Books“.  One is Lighthouses of New England and the other is Massachusetts State Parks. Both books are huge. If I went to every lighthouse I’d have years worth of places to visit. Add in the State Parks and I don’t have to travel to find something new to see. Toss in the Sand Castle events from Hampton Beach to Cape Cod and a whale watch or two and I’ve just booked myself for the rest of my life! 

So what’s up with This Weekend?

A friend of mine bought a farm recently. So far they have chickens and donkeys. They almost got a horse but that didn’t work out. Today they are having an event of some kind with crafts and vendors. I planned to drop in, say Hi and check out the goods for sale. But so far my day has not gone as planned. I woke up to no electricity so that got my day off to a slow start. I stuck my nose outside for a temperature check and wow! It’s a jungle out there. Hot and steamy and not even 7 am!

I need a haircut and have to do some grocery shopping. Then I’m free to head over to my friends event- if the rain hasn’t started by then.  So I’ll just play it by ear. Sunday is supposed to be a washout so I really hope the rain holds off so I’ll have some pictures and stories to share next week.

 

May be an image of horse and nature

There’s Always the Cats

Of course I never mind being stuck at home too much. I always have entertaining company with Banner & Balboa!

 

 

Happy Birthday America

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Photo by Deb Neumann

Happy Birthday America

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE

Unidentified photo from the web

I’m not going to make this into a political post but the Good Ole USA really took some lumps this past year. Not the least with the uprising on the capital. Happy Birthday America! You made it! So glad you are still the home of the brave and the land of the free! 

 

Rain Rain Go Away

It looks like we’re going to have another rainy weekend. I keep making tentative plans and Mother Nature keeps putting a damper on them. I bought the Massachusetts State Parks Adventure Book. My plan is to  explore my home state on the weekends. First I’m amazed at how many state parks, forest, reservations and monuments there are! More than enough to fill every weekend for many summers. I’ve looked though the book quickly and there are a few that I’ve been to Like Bash-Bish Falls.

Bash Bish Falls 2017

There are 2 trail heads to the falls, one in Massachusetts and one in New York. The trail from the Massachusetts side  is pretty steep and rough, or at least it was in 2017.  It looked like it was downhill going to the falls. I figured easy to trip and fall going down and a real tough hike going back up. The trail from the New York side is a slight incline most of the way and in 2017 was well groomed and easy walking. That was the way I went. If I were going today I’d do the same thing.

Travel plans

With Covid restrictions being lifted I’ve started getting some travel plans on the books. I’m heading back to the Great Smokey Mountains in September when I visit North Carolina. I wanted to stay on the coast but couldn’t get accommodations when I wanted to travel so I’m “settling” for Sapphire NC, just outside  of Ashville. The Biltmore Estates is on the top of my to do list.
It was  also a 2nd choice for Colorado. I ended up booking  my vacation for July 2022 in Breckenridge, Co. To get into any of my top choices I would have had to go in winter. Not my idea of a good vacation. 

Now I’m looking for someplace warm for February. I was hoping for a new state but maybe I’ll end up going back to Florida or just staying home with my kitties for that vacation.  We’ll see. There’s still time to find something.

Dolphins Photo by Deb Neumann

The Call of the Loon

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Loons return to New Hampshire

It’s springtime in the lakes region of New Hampshire and the haunting warble of the loon’s call has returned too. That means it’s time for me to begin my quest for a decent photo of the common Loon.  The Common loon once was plentiful in New Hampshire waters but now sits squarely on the endangered list mostly due to man’s disruption of their habitat and lead poisonings from fishing lures and sinkers. 

I know finding the perfect photo is a lot of luck when it comes to wildlife photography. Wild Things don’t present themselves on demand! It took me years to get a decent moose photo and I had to go to Wyoming to get it.

A Moose heading for the trees

Moose in Maine

Moose in the afternoon

Moose in Wyoming Grand Teton

 

But even with that photo I feel it could be better. But I’m giving moose a break and turning my attention to the Common Loon

So last year I took my first loon photos on Lake George. They weren’t very good.

Lake George Loon 2020

Lake George Loon 2020

Gray and fuzzy but we all have to start somewhere. I’m going to try my luck at Squam Lake this year. It’s chick season now so I’m heading to New Hampshire.

On Golden Pond

Little Squam Lake was the filming location for the 1981 movie, On Golden Pond. It’s a beautiful lake. There are actually 2 lakes. Big Squam and Little Squam. Our Loon Cruise would take us into Little Squam where there are nesting platforms for the loons. It’s chick season now and I’d love to catch a glimpse of some of those little guys. When first hatched they can’t regulate their body temperature so they often hitch rides on their parent’s backs.

Loon with chicks- Unattributed from web- (wish it were mine)

 

But that behavior only lasts for about 2 weeks. Not much time to catch them in action

The Call of the Loon

Little Squam Lake 2021

The Loon Cruise

I drove from my Home in Taunton to Squam Lake , about 2.5 hours one way, for a 90 minute cruise then drove home after the cruise. It was worth it. We had a naturalist on board who specializes in Loons.  Her stories and tips really explained the behaviors we got to see.

The Call of the Loon

 

We spotted 2 adult loons right away near the first nesting platform.  You can see one of the adults on the nest here.

At the next stop there were 2 tiny chicks, just hatched. They were too small and too far away for me to get a picture but it was exciting. It was also at this spot that we saw a display of territorial behavior. The 2 adults were trying to send a 3rd loon away. They were splashing and flapping their wings. Right before they all took flight we heard them call. That was amazing. I love to hear the call of the loons.

The Eagle and the Cormorant

We stopped by another nesting site but it didn’t seem to be active. Still is wasn’t a total loss.  As we pulled away we spotted a bald eagle.

The Call of the Loon

Bald Eagle- Squam Lake 2021

 

We picked up speed to head back to the dock and right in front of us we spotted a Cormorant. So of course we had to slow down and watch him for a bit. Unfortunately I missed his take off when he decide to leave.

The Call of the Loon

Cormorant – Squam Lake 2021

 Not Done Yet

It had been a full trip with lots to see but we weren’t done yet. As we neared the end of the cruise we spotted a great blue Heron on a rock. It was being harassed by 2 loons who clearly did not want Mr. Blue in their territory.That was a great ending to a fun cruise.

So maybe I didn’t get that “Iconic” Photo but I got some good memories.

3 adult loons taking off – Squam Lake 2021

 

Things are Happening Here

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Things are Happening

I may have been MIA the past 2 weeks but that’s not to say things aren’t happening here. Where should I begin? Maybe with the excuses on why I haven’t posted lately. 

The Annual HOA Meeting

The first miss was 2 Saturdays ago. I had planned to write something after the HOA meeting. I hate these meetings but go because I think owners need to be aware of what their board is doing. We just had an assessment for new decks but nothing has been done so far and I wanted an update. I never dreamed that before the meeting was over that the police would be called when a 40ish unit owner provoked a fight with our 70 year old property manager. Basically we have two loud mouth bullies that hijacked the meeting. They yelled over everyone else and were disrespectful of our board. Our 1 hour meeting lasted 4 hours! In the end the new owners were intimated into voting most of the old board off the island. I am sick over it. If I could sell my unit and move I would.

So what about Sunday

2021 Equinox

Well I could have taken time for a post on Sunday but I had an appointment at the car dealership. I guess there is a big demand for used cars so the dealership called me to see if I’d like to upgrade to a 2021 vehicle. I agreed to take a look at what they had available on the lot. My last 2 cars had been a dark gray and a black but I’ve always loved white cars. Sure enough, they had 1 white Equinox left. I couldn’t say no. So after about 4 hours of doing paperwork and a short test drive we moved my personal belongings from my black 2019 Equinox to my new 2021 White Equinox. It always amazes me that I can just drive right off the lot with the new car. Of course I’ll need to go back on a weekday to get my inspection sticker but other than that, I’m good to go. 

Basking Shark

Meanwhile off Cape Cod

Captain John’s Boats are posting lots of Whale pictures. One research boat spotted a Basking Shark! Very rare in Cape waters but the big news was the lobster fisherman who tried to imitate Jonah. Yup Unbelievable. He actually got “eaten” by a humpback whale.  The whales feed by opening their mouths and lunging though schools of fish scooping up anything in front of them. He was in the wrong place at  the wrong time. Luckily he was spit back out with only some bumps and bruises. Now he’s telling his story on the late night talk shows.  

So you see, in spite of my silence, things are happening here!

Humpback Whale feeding