Grey winters day

I was feeling inspired by the snowstorm we had yesterday so I thought I'd go for a drive and take a few pictures. All images were taken in Seabrook, NH or Salisbury, MA. 

It appears we are in for a big storm in the next couple days! Not sure if I'm happy about that or not. 

Hope you enjoy : )

SPRING IS COMING!!!

Snowy Tuesday morning

Thank goodness for the time change. Finally I am able to get up and out the door in time to catch the sunrise! 

Since the sky was cloudy when I awoke I didn't really rush, thinking there would be no sun anyway. Thankfully I arrived at the waters edge just in time.

What a great way to start the day! The air was pretty mild compared to what it has been. Eventually reaching the low 50's. 

 A total sweetheart. All she wanted to do was love on me.

After a few pictures at Jenness Beach and Rye Harbor I thought it would be nice to check in on the local resident Snowy Owl. Uh yeah, I think she's still here ...

Sometimes I wonder who's watching who. She seems quite oblivious to all the local paparazzi that visit on a daily basis. Every time I stop by people seem to be giving her a wide berth so as not to cause any stress. 

After shooting for a while then taking a few minutes in my car to warm up I decided to walk back over and see what she was up to. It was quite a sight to see, she was feasting on a bird she'd caught either earlier in the day or the night before. And though I shot some rather graphic images of her eating I felt it might be best to keep them out of this post. 

It's not difficult to tell she has quite a bit of blood on her front feathers, around her beak and eyes. This is all good because it means she isn't going hungry. Something that was of concern for some of the snowy owls along the east coast.

Once breakfast was consumed she started walking around and eating snow, which I didn't expect. A girl has got to get a drink somehow.

Finally, when the snowy was through pruning, snow eating, and scratching she decided to catch a little shut eye. All the while I looked on at how glorious she is, thinking how fleeting her time here will be. Any day could be her last before she heads back up north to Canada.

nap time = time to go home 

York, Maine, Cliff Path

One of my favorite local places ... the Cliff Path in York, Maine.

Have you ever been? If not you really should go next time you're in the area. It's beautiful anytime of year but there's something about early Autumn that I love. The air seems a bit crisper, the water a bit bluer, and the Cormorants are just starting to head south in large formations.  

The path twists and turns along rocks, buildings, gates, and rocky shores. In total it probably takes only about 10 minutes to walk the whole way, but it's 10 minutes of discovery and bliss.

Part of the path is concrete, part of it rocks, and part of it dirt. At about this point it seemed like the perfect place to stop, sit down, and look out towards the ocean for a few minutes. 

It's like the old saying ... 'The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea' ~ Isak Dinesen

Whenever I need peace of mind it's to the ocean I go 

As I sat on the rocks I thought about my close friend, Carrie, who had to move back to the mid-west. I know she wishes she could come home to New England and when the time is right she will. Sitting with my shoes off, looking out over ocean, breathing in the salty air, and loving the view, she was right there in my heart. 

Spectacular New England style home is what you'll see out on the point 

I can't help but wonder if they ever actually use their hammock that overlooks the ocean

At the end of the path you can choose to either go back the way you came, or take the long way and head up a grassy knoll towards the road. I generally like to take the road because I love looking at the beautiful homes and gardens. 

The apples were lying in a driveway I walked passed.  Seeing as how the apples were all still perfectly intact, it left me to assume the house was probably just a summer/week-end residence. 

Love the ornamental grass in these window boxes! Talk about low maintenance! Next year it could be an option for my own. Of course I'd have to add a flower into the mix. Something light and airy. Any suggestions?

So glad I chose to take the sidewalk back to the car ...

A tender moment

Hydrangeas only seem to grow more beautiful with time

I hope your Fall is a beautiful one. Here in New England the weather couldn't be more perfect. Day after day of sunshine, with temperatures in the 60's to low 70's. Nights are crisp and perfect for sleeping. 

This past Wednesday my husband and I spent the afternoon in Wolfboro, NH. I'd hoped to capture some great foliage pictures but was left somewhat disappointed by the color remaining on the trees. Still, I'll have to look at my memory card and see what I came up with. 

Have a great week-end! 

Fort Foster State Park

Located in Kittery, Maine, Fort Foster is a local gem. And I must confess, in all my years of living just 20-25 minutes away this was my first visit. 

At only $10 per car you really can't beat the price. And if you go at low tide, which I highly recommend, you can walk forever.

Fort Foster Pier

Shooting in the middle of the day in full sun is always a challenge as colors tend to be blown out. Adding a little texture here and there, along with some help from Photoshop, provided the rescue these images needed. 

The photos from top to bottom are basically what you would see if you were standing on the beach looking from left to right, starting with the Pier.

The gulls had no problems finding plenty of crabs to feast on. As we walked along the beach their little bodies were strewn about in pretty good numbers. Poor guys. It's not easy being a crab.

Wood Island Life Saving Station

Unless you kayak over to the island this is about as close as you'll get to the Wood Island Life Saving Station. Through the years it's slowly deteriorated to a pretty poor state although there is a group who would like to save it. If you'd like to read more about their plans click here

Directly across the harbor sits the wonderful Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and Fort William and Mary. Want to take a tour? This weekend is the first ever Family Weekend at PHL. Check it out! 

And finally, looking up into the mouth of Piscatiqua river we see the old and quite decrepit Portsmouth Naval Prison as well as the tower of the North Church in downtown Portsmouth. 

See, I told you this is a great place to go! The views are so beautiful! Our visit was a much needed injection of bliss and peacefulness and it felt good to get back to shooting with my camera.

Hide little fella, hide!

Finally summer has arrived here in New England! 

Beach stroll

Last Friday I enjoyed a beautiful late morning walk with a friend along the beach. Although I wasn't going to bring my camera along for the walk, my friend Karen encouraged me to grab it. I know how anxious she is to see a few of the shots I took, so Karen, here you go!

There's nothing like salty air, the rush of the waves, and a good friend to make everything else seem a million miles away.

One of my favorite things to photograph at the shore ... dogs. They always exude such joy. This very happy Golden Retriever had found a shell to call his own and was not going to give it up no matter what.

Brodie, above, was so darn sweet I wanted to bring him home! His mom and I were talking and it turns out her son and my daughter go to the same high school. It really is a small world here along the seacoast.

This little lady is a service dog who puts in time on a regular basis at a local retirement home. Jeff, her owner, spoke in such a loving way about his dog.  You could visibly see the bond between the two of them. 

While walking around Rye Harbor we came across this saying engraved into a large rock

Also in Rye Harbor ... a male merganser enjoying the warm sun. In all the time I've photographed mergansers I don't think I've ever seen one sitting on the beach.

Although I posted this in part for Karen I hope some of my regular readers enjoy it as well. It's been far to long since I've posted. Thank you for stopping by!

First day of Summer 2012

As most of you know it was a very hot day here in the northeast today. It's the first time we've had a day in the 90's since last summer I would guess. Needless to say the local beaches were quite busy.

The house I'm currently working has a beach front property. Just watching everyone out there, sweating and burning, was enough for me! I must be getting old. lol!

See the young lady in the with the dark sunglasses sitting under the beach umbrella? If I were to go to the beach on a day like today, that would be me : )

Keep cool!

iPhoneography: Beachin' collages

It's a beautiful, sunny, but very windy Sunday here in the Northeast. This morning my daughter Elise, her boyfriend, and I all volunteered to help out with one of the water stops at the 'Chief Maloney Memorial Run/Walk'. Chief Maloney was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 12th, the week before he was set to retire. It's been a rather emotional experience for many of the locals. Things like that just don't happen here. Nor should they happen anywhere.

Needless to say it was a great morning! Everyone was up beat, friendly and positive. Willing to do whatever it took to make the run/walk a success. My husband decided to run the race and out of over 2,000 people he came in 29th! The man can move I tell ya!

After a quick nap, a cup of coffee, and a little collage work it's off to the gym for me. What are you up today?

I had fun making the bottom collage on Picmonkey. They don't offer collages yet but if you want to know how to make one manually just head on over to Ashton's blog post on Something Swanky. That girl is one smart cookie!

Till next time, thank you all for the warm response you've given me after being away for so long! It's a real boost to keep me going. My other blog, The Sweetest Days, has a new post as well which you can view here or at the top right of my blog.

Sharon

Linking up with Mary's Little Red House blog for Mosaic Monday