D.W. Field Park

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D. W. Field Park is located in the middle of the city of Brockton, Ma. I have heard of the park but I hadn’t been there before today.

I dropped Smokey off at the vet first thing this morning and wanted to stay close to home incase they called so I gave my friend Nancy a ring to see what she was  up to for the afternoon. I was thinking of going over to the Fuller Craft Museum where there is a pond on the grounds.  I thought I might be able to get some pictures there.

Nancy lives in Brockton so through the wonder of miscommunication she thought I wanted to go to the D. W. Field Park that surrounds the Fuller Craft Museum. Sometimes things have a way of working out just right!

I picked up Nancy and her 5-year-old  daughter Dawn and we headed over to the museum. I missed the turn into the Museum parking lot but Nancy assured me we could get in at the next left.

 I found myself pulling through an iron gate set in a stone fence. A paved road led us on into the park. As we drove Nancy pointed out picnic tables and pull offs for parking.

The park itself is over 700 acres of woodland and ponds that support a wide variety of native wildlife. There are over 7 miles of paved roads that wind through the park along with paths and trails for walking and hiking.

As we drove along we spotted a pull off across from one of the ponds. There were benches and loads of ducks, geese and swans. There were even some pigeons. I’d never seen a  brown/red pigeon before but there was one in this flock.

Dawn found some fuzzy caterpillars and seemed more interested in the bugs than the birds although she did feed a whole loaf of bread to the riotous avians and watched the feeding frenzy that followed.

We walked a little way along the pond until we came to a man-made waterfall that is the out source for the pond.

It’s a really beautiful area. It’s hard to believe you’re in the heart of a city. Once the leaves really start to change color this is going to be worth a return visit!

We wrapped up our afternoon with a visit to Asack’s Turkey Farm where they have 24 flavors of soft ice cream. We had the ice cream first then considering the time picked up Turkey pockets for dinner..yummm! The Turkey pockets have turkey breast, stuffing and cranberry sauce. The pockets are really stuffed full. They don’t skimp on the turkey, an excellent value.

Our bounty in hand I dropped Nancy and Dawn back at their home. Young Alex, Nancy’s 7 year old son, had just come home from school so I said my good byes and headed on to my other errands.

What a nice afternoon break!

Fall is in the Air

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Yes Labor Day has come and gone and with it we reached the traditional end of summer. It seems strange that it could be so hot and sunny one day and the next have a nip in the air but that’s New England for you.

The nights have been very chilly even though the days are warmer, not hot. These are beautiful days. Warm enough not to need a jacket so you can still travel “light”. One of the things I hate about winter is the way you have to bundle up to keep warm.Those extra layers make me feel like a stuffed sausage..barely able to move. Hopefully we still have a month or so left before we have to break out those winter clothes.

There’s a beautiful moon right now. I think they call it the Harvest Moon. Like I said, the nights are cool but that makes for good sleeping weather, no need for air conditioning when an open window lets the fresh air in.

Driving into work I noticed that the air temperature is cool enough in  the morning to create the fog layer on the river.

 I love those wispy mists and the effect they have on the landscape.

Those billowing clouds mark the location of the brooks, rivers, ponds and lakes of the area giving away their hiding places in the valleys and glens.

Spring and fall are the only seasons we get that effect.

We’re not quite into leaf peeping season but the signs are there. Some of the trees are getting a hint of color foreshadowing things to come.

 Squirrels and chipmunks are busy gathering in the last seeds of summer getting ready for the sparseness of the winter months.

As I stood admiring that full moon tonight I mentally checked off items from my summer bucket list. There’s more on it than crossed off but there’s still time to try to get a few more things in. I didn’t get to Salem. Remember I was going to take the Harbor taxi. I don’t know if it’s running now but I can still drive up there and October is a big month for Salem. Maybe I should really try to fit a day trip in.

Apple picking season is upon us too along with the Fair Season…Marshfield Fair & Topsfield Fair come to mind and I know there are others. One of the biggest is the Big E in Springfield Ma. That runs from Sept. 16- Oct 2. It’s a bit of a hike but it might be worth a day trip.

I have this feeling that I should take a day trip to Narragansett RI. I don’t know why. I just have it in my head. I’m not even sure how far it is from here or how to get there but RI is just a few minutes away from Taunton and RI is tiny. So how long a drive could it be? I bet it’s an easier day trip than the Connecticut River trip I took last March!

All in all I think there will be plenty of things to do and places to see before I head off on my next vacation in January. You can be sure I will share them all right here! 🙂

9-11

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We will never forget!

There are many memorials to those we’ve lost in war or tragedy. From the ruins of Pompei to Pearl Harbor to the Oklahoma City Memorial. Each and every one as well as the Vietnam Wall and all the others move me. But the one that strikes me with the most horror and vivid memories is Nine Eleven.

It’s the one event that I had a front row seat for. It is burned into my memory and my emotions as if it had just happened.

I remember getting up that morning and turning on the television for the news. There was video of smoke pouring from the Twin Towers. As I watched fascinated the first tower crumpled. I thought it was a trailer for a movie, it couldn’t be real. Things like that don’t happen here. But then the horror hit me. It was real and it was happening right before my eyes.

I was stunned…numb. I stood in my robe with my eyes glued to the TV screen. I couldn’t think. I could barely breathe.

Most of the rest of the day was a blur of emotions. But the image of those planes and the blue sky and the smoke will be with me forever. It’s the day America lost its innocence and I don’t think life has ever been the same again. It was the day civilians became the victims of a terrorist war. It was the day my generation learned the hard lesson that other generations had learned before.

The Older generation knew from  Pearl Harbor that evil and danger can invade but that was wartime and it was before “my” time. This was real, this was close, and this was a different kind of atrocity.

September 11th marks the death of innocence, New York, Pennsylvania, the Pentagon.

September 11th immortalized acts of heroism in the face of terror.

I will always remember September 11th.

WE will always remember!

Taking Responsibility

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I saw a great quote while I was on Facebook the other day.. I reposted it as my status and I’d like to address is a bit more here.

“I’ve arrived at this outermost edge of my life by my own actions. Where I am is thoroughly unacceptable. Therefore, I must stop doing what I’ve been doing.”
Alice Koller

What caught my eye about this quote is that I need to accept responsibility for where I am in my life and if I want something different then I am going to have to change or make changes. That’s something I am slow or even resistant to doing.

I may not be happy with everything in my life but I am content and as secure as I can be in these uncertain times. But some changes need to be made as retirement is looming on the horizon and I am not ready financially. Don’t get me wrong, I am more than ready mentally! 🙂

So I am stuck “working for the man” in a less than satisfying position just to pay the bills.  Granted there are many  people less fortunate than I am who would give anything for my position and  I am not unaware of this. So I need to get myself motivated to develop other skills that will open doors to another alternative.

Health: Oh I have been so lazy! I have let myself go. As I have gotten older I have exercised  less and eaten more. The result a very rotund body accompanied by joint aches and pains and other weight related illnesses. This is definitely within my power to correct. I can get myself off the couch!

There are a lot of benefits to getting in shape. I can get back to activities that I’ve put on the back burner…scuba diving, kayaking & canoeing, and hiking to name just a few. I do a little hiking and I use the term hiking loosely. It’s more like casual walking. The flume gorge hike was a good example of how out of  shape I’ve gotten.

So the bottom line is that I need to address my current skill level and get myself to the gym. Since I’ve put it out to the public like this I guess I’ll have to live up to my goals now.

Just think, with a nice slim figure that’s not just thinner but stronger too, I’ll be able to have all that many more adventures to share with everyone here.

That was then:

This is Now:

Where will I be in 6 months?

 

Day 2 of the Great Kitty Collection

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Well It’s day 2 of the so far fruitless pursuit of a urine sample from Smokey. 

 I’ve decided that I am not going to bother separating the cats. Yesterday was too stressful on all 3 of us. Rocky still isn’t eating which is not good for cats. When I got up (earlier than normal) I checked the cat litter hoping to get to it before Smokey let loose a flood but no luck. The Litter with special pellets is now sitting in the middle of the living room so I can keep an eye on it. I have to make sure Rocky doesn’t use it.

Of course Rocky is the cat who is showing interest not Smokey. He keeps going over and sniffing it. I keep calling him away. Of course that’s the way it’s going to be. If we aren’t successful today I won’t get to try again until next week because of my work schedule. It might be easier on all of us if I just take Smokey to the vet after all.