Allens Pond Trails

A few days ago I started telling you about a new Wildlife Sanctuary, well new to me anyway…Allens Pond in Westport. So much happened between my first post about Allens Pond and this installment that it’s hard to believe its been less than a week.

Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary is 595 acres that includes a coastal salt-pond, a salt marsh, a barrier beach, shrublands , forested wetlands and grasslands.

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The sanctuary consists of 6  miles of trails where you can wander along the Buzzards Bay Shoreline, cross an old pasture or climb among giant boulders.

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On my visit the sun was shining but the wind off the bay was blustery and made it cold in spite of the sunshine. Because of this I only explored half of the Beach Loop trail which was only a tiny part of the trail system.

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The section I explored took me along a dirt road with Allens Pond on my left and Buzzards Bay on my right. Most of the time I could see the pond but the view of the bay was blocked by the shrublands or what I would call shrubland. These low but thick bushes are nesting areas for several protected species of birds. Piping Plovers and a couple of species of terns are known to nest here and the area is clearly marked as protected.

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As you first encounter the pond from the trail you will see an Osprey nesting platform. To my right were smaller nest boxes more suitable for Eastern Bluebirds or other small, grassland birds. I saw plenty of ducks including a merganser with its fluffy looking head of feathers but no action at the Osprey Nest while I was there.

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A bit farther along it was clear that the swans were here. About 6 white spots floated on the blue water just beyond my camera’s range. In the soft sand in the road I spotted the distinctive split hoof print of a deer.

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It must have passed through just before I came along because the way the wind was blowing the print wouldn’t stay visible for long.  In fact by the time I had turned back it was gone,  filled in by the sifting, blowing sand.

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By now I was pretty wind burned but it had been a nice little walk. I didn’t walk back along the shore because the round rocks were pretty unstable underfoot and I was only wearing sneakers so I retraced my steps back along the road.

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There are many more trails to explore so I bet I will be back and maybe next time I’ll see that deer!

Spring is in the Air

Boy the last couple of days have been busy! As you probably figured out from my recent posts I made a trip to Newport for my “Mystery Monday” and then grabbed the “T”  into Boston for one of our first really nice days which also happened to be OPENING DAY AT FENWAY.

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Baseball is back in Boston! I also attended an all day seminar in resume writing and job hunting and applied for a position as a travel writer. Wouldn’t that be a nice gig?

Meanwhile back at Fenway  I didn’t have tickets and wasn’t about to spend $50 for one of the “Cheap Seats” but it was fun to be a part of the  excitement. Boston is a sports town where excitement always runs high but the Home Opener at Fenway Park is always something special.

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Once most of the shouting mob was in Fenway I slipped into Uno’s in Kenmore Square for lunch and missed the best moment of the opening…the   Fly Over! I’m not sure what kind of planes but as I was being seated I saw it on the big screen TV. What I wouldn’t have given to be outside to try to get a picture of that! It caught me completely by surprise!

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But now I needed sustenance so over steak tips and salad I chatted with my waiter who hailed from South Africa. Must add a trip or two to that county to my bucket list.

From Uno’s I headed back to Park St.. The previously crammed subway cars were now empty making for a much easier ride if not as exciting.

I was now on my quest to see the “Duckling” statues. You remember the story Make Way for Ducklings? Well I had heard that someone had outfitted them with spring bonnets and I wanted to see this. Since rain was in the forecast I knew if I didn’t go right away they would be a wilted mess. Hard to believe that it was going to rain when I looked at the brilliant, cloudless blue sky.

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I’ve seen the statues before but of course I couldn’t remember where in the public garden they were located.

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Like most things that are lost, you find them in the last place you look.

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In my case it was after I had walked all the way around the Boston Common.

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But it was worth it.

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Those little Spring Bonnets were just the cutest touch! 🙂

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Newport Tower

Our Mystery photo from Monday was the Newport Tower. Located in Touro Park in Newport, RI. The tower masquerades under many names : Round Tower, Touro Tower, Newport Stone Tower and Old Stone Mill.

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I got to thinking about this tower because it was recently featured on a program on the History Channel called America Unearthed.advertisement In AMERICA UNEARTHED, forensic geologist Scott Wolter, trys to reveal that the history we all learned in school may not always be the whole story.

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For years the tower was thought to have been built in the 17th century as a windmill but  more recently there has been speculation that the structure is really  centuries older. Some of the current theories are that the tower was built as an observatory.

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Another theory by the author Gavin Menzies is that the tower was built by a colony of Chinese sailors and concubines from the junks of a Chinese explorer. This  theory is said to have been debunked.

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There’s also the theory that Portuguese navigators built the structure as a watchtower.

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But my favorite theory is not the most popular but maybe the most “romantic” and it is the theory that  Scott Wolter tries to prove in his episode about he tower. That theory is that the remnants of the Knights Templar came to the New World and built the tower as a signpost for other to follow. He highlights the astronomical alignments and draws comparisons with known Templar built structures .

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I have a soft spot for the Templars and would love to have this theory proved true however remote the chance. But even if the tower is  eventually proved to be something as mundane as a windmill it will have been fun speculating about its origin.