The Cormorant, the Dragonfly, and the Bee: walk

Showing posts with label walk. Show all posts

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Season of Color

Deb and I went for an autumn walk at Whitehall Reservoir in Hopkinton. We'd done paddle boarding there, and thought we'd check out the path around the reservoir. While we didn't have time or energy to go around the entire body of water, we did go partway, and I took some photos. Deb took a few of these as well, but we're not entirely certain exactly which ones.

I took the last few shots in this collection at the Ashland High School.

Reflecting on Fall

Floating Expanse

Stick in the Water

We encountered another hiker/walker with his dog. He said he was okay with me photographing Baxter, who seemed polite enough around us, even if he half hid behind a tree. Baxter has a certain charm, don't you think?

Baxter

Dancing Green

Center Stage

We sat down on a dock, warming in the sun, and took several pictures from that vantage point. Deb took it, and I post-processed it.

Floaties

We think Deb took this one as well, maybe by accident. The camera movement may not have been intentional, but the result is quite satisfying.

Fire Down Below

Half and Half

My zoom lens allowed me to get in close - not nearly as close as this photo would suggest - as this dedicated kayaker went paddling by. His identity is unknown. He seems very engaged in the task at hand.

Paddling Dedication

A Simple Peace

Communicating Kayaks

As mentioned earlier, these next two photos were taken at the high school. This fall color is seen immediately adjacent to the brick building, which is a nice plus for the students.

Bursting on to the Scene

Color Toppers

Monday, October 4, 2021

Diverse Impressions

As I review my photos taken over different days, sometimes I feel the need to share just a few, even if they're not necessarily related to one another.

Perhaps a photo that speaks to me will speak to you as well.

Here's a cell phone shot taken of one of my favorite sections of the walk around the Res. Whenever I'm there, I feel like the trees are inviting me to walk among them.

Trees Show the Way

Back home, in our garden, bees get speckled with pollen on them as they go about their business.

Pollinator - Top View

Pollinator - Side View

This lily looks a whole lot better than it smells. We had a blossom from this plant inside for a few days, but the smell became a bit strong! Certain lilies are best enjoyed outdoors.

Lily Life

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Restful Res

We are so fortunate to live near the "res." I find that the local reservoir provides welcome peace and tranquility when I walk there. Here are some cell phone photos I recently took during one such outing.

Walking can be quite meditative in a location like this. It just takes an awareness of the present to notice;)

Water Dimples

Rock Islands

Res at Rest

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Daily Constitutional

In an effort to keep healthy, and to maintain my general spirit and sense of well-being, I go for walks. Lately, I've been walking almost every day.

In these days of Covid-19, it is sometimes challenging, but necessary, to attempt to vary one's habit at least a bit. I keep trying to find new walks from home, or variations on the same walk, and today was no different.

In this case I literally took "the high road" on part of a walk that I usually take the "low road" on. I rather liked the high road perspective, and it is likely I'll keep the new route for a while.

I had my phone with me and thought I'd blog a few cell photos. These are hardly breathtaking spectacular photos; they're a few quick snapshots of everyday scenery.

This is one end of the local high school football (and track) field. I did see a few runners getting in their laps; none when this picture was taken.

One Thru Six

Standing Tall

In the past, I've walked the just visible "low road" along the dirt diagonal path seen in the lower left-ish portion of this photo.

"Five Man" Football Sled

I was pleasantly surprised to come across this creation adjacent to a tombstone in the graveyard.

Gravestone Accessory

I don't know how many times I've walked here without ever noticing this sign! From all appearances, it is a genuine sign and likely to remain in place for many years. It is in the town-owned cemetery, and so, evidently, they can take some liberties with signage, as it's not on a public road.

Extremely Clear Signage

Graveyard Sky

All aboard the magic bus! I'm not sure if this vehicle can still travel; it looks like it's been sitting awhile. The destination reads "Il Futuro Nasce!" ... Italian for "The Future is Born!" It has "camper" license plates and is as large as a full size bus. Great color!

Magic Bus

Sunday, February 11, 2018

Half Moon Bay

Our final day of our recent visit to California included some sights in and around Half Moon Bay.

Here are photos taken just north of Half Moon Bay at Maverick's Beach, which is a destination for big-wave surfers. While we didn't see any surfers, likely due to the low tide, we enjoyed the rock formations and tide pools.

Tide's Out

Exploring Tide Pools

Oncoming Wave Crash

Slippery Rocks

Lines of Reflection

The remaining photos are taken at Half Moon Bay Beach.

Western Sun

Clouds Over Cliff

Moon Over Cliff

Sunset Bubbles

Muted Spray

Backlit Splash

Extra Big Splash

Last Minute Beach Walkers

Somersault Goodness

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Quoddy and Western Heads

On day two of our Maine trip we visited Quoddy Head with its lighthouse and beach. We also had a great hike at Western Head, which is south of Lubec, in Cutler. Maine has a lot of "Heads" I guess. From what I can tell a Head is simply the outermost piece of land or rock in an area. Something for ships to avoid hitting. The dictionary has many definitions for head; the one that seems closest is "promontory". A promontory is "a point of high land that juts out into a large body of water; a headland".

We enjoyed these colors on the rocks at West Quoddy Head beach.

Stone Palette

Stair Steps

The West Quoddy Head Lighthouse has a small visitor center that was open. One amusing thing we learned is that the number of red and white stripes on the lighthouse sometimes changes when it gets repainted. We're not sure if Deb or I took the next photo.

West Quoddy Head Lighthouse

We also learned that the Bay of Fundy tide changes are even more pronounced the further north one goes; it's about 20-25 feet in this area, and 50 feet at the northern tip. This next poster explains in more detail.

High Tides Explained

Looking out at sea from near the lighthouse:

Wisps

We thought this was an "island". Turns out the tide went down dramatically while we were there, and we were later able to walk to it.

Temporary Island

Watching the Tide Roll Out

Birds of a Feather

Red Squirrel Dinnertime

Sharp Rocks Before the Mist

Green Undertow

In honor of the name of this blog:

Cormorant Pose

Seagull Pondering

Gold Coast

Hmmm, can you see where Debra is in this photo? She's hiding.

Where's Debra Now?

There she is!

Deb Walks on the Ocean Floor

Tidal pools! Yay!
For these next shots I used my polarizing filter to "see" under the water with as few reflections as possible.

Tidal Pool

Underwater Color

Tidal Pool Rocks

Quoddy Head Shoreline

Tidal Design

We stopped at Hamilton Cove on our way to our next hike at Western Head. This view was along the short path to the beach there.

Blowin' in the Wind

This is the view near the start of the Western Head hike in Cutler.

Island Above Wildflowers

Beach House

Many of the hikes we went on had structures like these to protect the environment. This next photo shows chicken wire atop boards to give one sure footing.

Bog Protection

We came across an "interactive" sculpture on the Western Head beach. It didn't take us long to figure out that many other hikers had placed rocks within this long dead tree. Naturally, we opted to do the same. Mine is the blond colored rock on the left and Deb's is the spotted one next to it in the center.

Love Rocks

As an artist, Deb thoroughly enjoyed this natural crowd-sourced sculpture, and took many photos of it. She got a good laugh when she saw this next photo.

Bending Backward to Improve the Photo

This is the island at the tip of Western Head:

Layers

I took many tripod stabilized photos of waves in an attempt to make them look silky smooth with a long exposure, but that also requires a good neutral density filter, which I don't have. I use my polarizing filter as a makeshift ND filter to provide the equivalent of 2 or 3 f-stops of reduced light. This is 1/5 second at f/22.

Fundy Waves