ABC Wednesday - S is for Sea

It is calling.

 It is the Sea that's calling.

I grew up beside it, and there isn't a time I remember it not calling me.

I have been away from it for over thirty years - going back a couple times a year to breathe in it's salty air and smell it's ocean scent.

It never leaves you once you are under it's spell.

It's always calling, and it is getting close to answering it once again.





This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - R is for Road

This is an unusual kind of road.

A vehicle can travel on it, but it is mostly used by pedestrians.

Maintained by the flood control engineers, it is actually built along the top of a dam.

We have seen the peaceful calm waters of the reservoir it holds back, and we have seen those same waters high and fiercely flowing during spring floods.

Part of it is a state park that was abandoned several years ago after a really bad flood.

There are no funds to restore the park, and it was even mentioned one time of being put up for auction.

Not sure where it stands now, but it remains abandoned except for occasional hikers and dog walkers who don't mind the long walk to get to it.



This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - O is for Orchard

One of my favorite places to visit in the autumn is the apple orchard.

One is completely surrounded by the aroma of fresh apples.

The tree branches are heavy with them and they all are very tempting to pick.

Each one perfectly grown and they do taste the best when just picked from the tree.

The orchard we visit is on top of a hill that has beautiful views of the distant mountains - they even have a map that names each of the peaks for those curious visitors.

I have never been in the springtime, but that orchard must be something to see with all those apple blossoms on the trees!







This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - M is for Marigold

Marigolds are always a bright spot of color in the garden and I like to include them each year in mine.

I have never purchased them as plants because they are so easy to grow from seeds.

And the seeds are much cheaper than the plant flats.

They have a slight smell to them, but nothing as grand as the roses or lilies.

It isn't Marigold season here yet, but I do have my seeds already and they will go in the ground at the beginning of next month.

Spring is slowly making it's way to New England this year, and it's arrival is most welcome!





This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - L is for Ladyslipper

We still have quite a covering of snow in our area, but in another month and a half or so, these little beauties will be making their appearance.

I always look forward to finding them as we walk along our road.

Each year there are less and less, though, as they are a very delicate bloom that only grows in specific conditions which are fast disappearing.

There is one particular spot that they grow without anybody bothering them, and I take in their beauty as we drive by along the highway.

Stopping to admire them is difficult in this spot and I wouldn't want to draw too much attention to them from the passers-by.

I have loved them ever since I was a little girl, and they always bring such joy each spring, these pretty little Pink Ladyslipper Wildflowers.





This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - K is for Ketch

Ketch is the fancy name for a sailing vessel that has two masts.

Not too impressive while docked or on a mooring as this one is.

But when the the sails are up and they are billowing in the wind, a ketch is a beautiful thing indeed.

So quietly they glide over the water - reminiscent of days gone by when only sails were around.

Love those old boats, or Tall Ships, as they are called.

And a ketch is a mini version of those beauties that we get a glimpse of when we visit the ocean.




This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - J is for Jojoba

Jojoba oil - have you ever heard of it?

It was a couple of years ago that I first discovered it.

My nails, which have always been long and natural, were getting brittle and breaking, especially  during the winter with it's drying inside air.

I did a search for the best remedy and found many, but decided to try the jojoba oil.

Of all the moisturizing oils, jojoba is the closest to human sebum and the small particles in it's chemical make up allow it to pass through the nail and get absorbed.

Olive oil was a close second for my choice, but it didn't penetrate as well, and it leaves a very oily coating.

The Jojoba plant is native to the southwest area in the US and it has a rich history with the Native Americans who lived there.

The oil, which is actually a wax, is derived from the seeds of the Jojoba nut.

It used to be more rare and expensive, but with desert cultivation around the world, the cost of growing and harvesting the oil has come down, though it is still more expensive than many other oils.

I like the non-greasy feeling it leaves behind, and my nails and hands are back to being themselves during these dry winters.

Love these natural remedies that really work!







This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - H is for Health

Our health is something that most of us take for granted.

When it gets threatened, that's when most people start to pay attention.

I like to think of my main exercise, yoga, as a reward rather than a chore.

Sometimes it's hard to get into it or even start it.

But the rewards kick in after I'm finished.

Everything inside and outside feels so much better, physically and mentally.

And it only takes a half of an hour of time.

It's a treat that even sugar can't touch, and for me that's a tough one to beat!

This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - G is for Green

This was one of the prettiest dragonflies that I have seen.

When I first saw it, it was on a leaf in the garden, and I almost missed him because he matched that leaf so well.

So, I followed him around until he landed on something that he stood out against.

It took a while, and I guess he was tired, because he stayed quite a while on these rocks.

He didn't fly away as I closed in on him.

This was the closest I could get with the lens I had on the camera - not my macro one which would have done a great job with his details.

He was beautiful, and I have yet to see another one like him - perhaps this summer I might get a chance.

My eyes will be peeled.





This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - D is for Drink

The animals at the county fair are always a big hit in the autumn.

And the that first weekend in September was a steamy one.

This thirsty cow was so happy to get back to her stall after the showing.

She drank all the water and the bucket was promptly refilled for her.

She didn't even mind me going right up to her to snap the photo.

We couldn't wait to get out of there ourselves and head straight to the lake for a swim.

Most times we are bundled up against the chilly fall air, but that year was a hot one for animals and people alike.





This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - B is for Bricks

Brick walkways are all through these pretty, formal gardens.

Another childhood memory is the Prescott Park garden that was right beside my grandmother's house when I was a little girl.

We loved to walk through them, and she always sat on one of the benches and would allow us to "smell" the flowers as much as we wished.

Most of the flowers have always been annuals, and they sure have changed the varieties since I was little.

No more Petunias and Marigolds.

These days there are mostly Impatiens  - they are of every color one could wish for.

But the trees and the fountains have stayed the same.

I have more photos of them and when we get to the right letters, I will share then with you.

This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - A is for Abode

This stately, rambling abode was built in the 1700's in Portsmouth, NH during the colonial years.

It is the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion and it sits on a peninsula in Little Harbor.

It's a most beautiful spot on the ocean with views of the harbor and islands around it.

This abode has 40 rooms and was home to NH's first royal governor, Benning Wentworth.

In the early 1900's, John Coolidge purchased the 65 acre property and restored the neglected house and grounds to it's original colonial beauty.

When his wife passed away in 1954, the lands and home were donated to the state, and it is now maintained as a historical property and is open for tours to the public.

When I first visited this house during a field trip in grammar school, I loved the grounds and the views.

The inside wasn't open on the day I visited it a couple of years ago, but the outside and surrounding lands were just as lovely as I remembered it from that childhood trip.






This is the twelfth round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - Z is for Zenith

Zenith - the point in the heavens directly above an observer.

The storms clouds were moving in fast on the day this photo was taken.

The zenith was directly pin-pointed at that instant.

I have always enjoyed watching the weather and keeping an eye on the clouds is second nature for me.

And you never know what photo opportunity might appear in the sky.

This is the eleventh round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday W is for Weeds

Seen as weeds by most, I was quite pleased with this particular dandelion.

Caught before it shed all its seeds, it was standing alone in the morning sun.

This was a couple of years ago, and I am sure he is part of the large population that we now have all over our yard in the spring.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, and it was sure posing it's best that day.

This is the eleventh round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - V is for Vista

We were very lucky on this day many years ago.

It was clear and the view was astounding.

The vista spread before us at the top of Mt Washington in NH.

We took this trip on a motorcycle, and the temp at the base of the mountain was close to 90.

Up here was very cold - glad to have brought the leather and the layers under it.

The auto road was dirt back then and the drop on the sides of it were quite steep - especially once we were above the treeline.

Someday we hope to get back up there again.

This trip will be in a car though - and hopefully the weather will be just as cooperative as that first time. 

This is the eleventh round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - T is for Tractor

It was old and green and had been sitting out in the elements for who knows how many years.

The rust had taken over most of this antique tractor, and the seat was missing - whatever it had been made of was long gone.

She had a lot of good hard to find parts on her that someone who restored these old tractors should have wanted.

But we couldn't find a taker for this old girl.

So she ended up at the scrap yard.

A sad ending for a once fine machine that was someone's pride and joy back in the 1940's.

This is the eleventh round of ABC Wednesday. If you would like to join in please visit this site for the details. 

ABC Wednesday - S is for Savory

The aromas around the house today have been just the best.

And tomorrow and the next day they are going to be just as good as today's.

The savory smells coming from the oven have had our mouths watering all day.

Preparing for the Thanksgiving Day meal might be a big job, but it is certainly one that is appreciated by the nose.

And the tastebuds will be too happy to have their turn on the big day.

Hope you each enjoy your Thanksgiving Day holiday in your own special way!