Good Old Summertime

It is officially here now - summer really begins once the 4th of July has come.

Although it has been a hot and wet one so far, it is still the best.

The gardens are growing, the robins are on their second family, and we are at the lake everyday enjoying the water.

All the little things that we love at this time of the year.

The blogs and photos have been a bit lax lately, but the older we get, the more we must enjoy all those little things.

Life is good in the good old summertime!

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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - R is for Ramp

It has been a while since I have contributed to the ABC Wednesday, but I do have a moment to make a post for this week.

Not a spectacular post, but an R one nonetheless.

This little ramp is located along the edge of the river by the mouth of the harbor.

It is right off the road, and to be honest, I really don't see how anyone cold use it without tying up both sides of the road - and the corner it is located on.

Bet there are some annoyed drivers when someone is launching a boat on this ramp!

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

ABC Wednesday - E is for Estuary

ABC Wednesday - E is for Estuary

The Great Bay Estuary is one of the largest estuaries along the Atlantic Coast.

It is broken apart into two areas - Little Bay and Great Bay.

This image was taken where Little Bay ends, and Great Bay begins.

Home to over 162 species of birds, fish, and plants, the estuary was once the commerce hub of many seacoast towns.

Pollution ended many of these activities in the mid 1900's.

Great Bay has a very dramatic tidal range - over 50% of the bay is exposed at low tide.

The tide was over 1/2 way in in the above image.

Quiet on the Blog

Quiet on the Blog



 

It has been a bit quiet around all my blogs lately.


The summer has been a hot and busy one.


And we are another year older and don't move as fast as we used to - especially in the humid heat.


It sometimes takes twice as long to do something as it used to.


But we have been enjoying this time of the year - a swim at the lake each afternoon has become a welcome ritual.


The bones and joints sure appreciate the weightlessness that only being in the water can bring.


Hope you all are finding a way to enjoy this summer season too!

 

ABC Wednesday - Y is for Yankee

Y is for Yankee..........




 

I think I have used this word before for "Y", but it is just perfect for today.

Today is Independence Day in the US - a celebration of our country's birthday.

It was in 1776 that the we won our freedom from England.

 We were known as the "Yankees" and we defeated the "British" during the Revolutionary War.

Fireworks, cookouts, and parades are celebrated in many towns, large and small, across the United States.

Happy July 4th to my readers - keep safe as you enjoy this holiday!

 

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

ABC Wednesday - W is for Woo-Hoo!

W is for Woo-Hoo!..........




 

Today is the first day of summer - that is plenty to be excited about!


It's the longest day of the year - in daylight hours, that is.


And here in our little spot on the globe it is 96 degrees.


Pretty hot for this time of the year - we don't usually see these temps until the end of July or beginning of August.


Tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter.


Good thing we have the refreshing coolness of the lake to go swimming in.


Headed there as soon as this gets posted.


Woo-hoo for summer!!

 

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

ABC Wednesday - Q is for Queen Anne's Lace

Q is for Queen Anne's Lace..........




 

A pretty wildflower that appears around mid summer in our area.

Queen Anne's Lace is also known as wild carrot, and it's roots smell like carrots.

The flowers are off-white, except for one tiny red one in the very center.

That one draws the insects for fertilizing the plant.

Legend has it that it is a drop of blood from Queen Anne when she pricked her finger with the needle while making the lace.

I think it is kind of neat how stories are made up from nature, and get passed down through the generations.

 

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

ABC Wednesday - P is for Pier

P is for Pier..........




 

So very long is this old wood pier at the ocean.

The wood has been weathered by the rain, sun, and salt air.

Every so often you feel a soft, rotting plank as you walk along.

And here and there you will find one missing.

The park people work on it a couple times a year to replace the rotting and missing planks, but that is not what worries me the most.

It's all those supporting beams underneath that have me concerned.

They are old, the water is very deep, and I don't believe they get any care.

I am glad to see they are thick, but the wiggling gets to me each time I see them moving in the water.

I would think they would ban us from going out on it if it got to be too dangerous.

Until then, I enjoy it and keep a cautious eye on the whole situation.

 

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

ABC Wednesday - N is for Nature

N is for Nature..........




 

Nature is my favorite subject to photograph.

Well, I do enjoy chasing after my grandson with my camera, but those photos aren't the ones other people are interested in buying as artwork.

Mother Nature though, provides the most beautiful scenes - even the same place won't be the same twice.

Different views, angles, and lighting conditions play into the subjects all the time.

I don't have the gorgeous sunsets on the ocean, or the majestic views from the mountain tops.

I like to move into my subjects and catch the common things in a different way.

 Mother Nature provides the beauty for all of us artists and we each show it in our own way.

 

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

ABC Wednesday - F is for Fence

F is for Fence..........




 

Poking through the fence along the park border, these bright yellow flowers caught my eye.

They made a pretty contrast against the white of the fence.

So cheerful they were, they made me smile as I captured them with my camera.

This is another shot from Prescott Park in Portsmouth.

 

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

ABC Wednesday - E is for Entrance

E is for Entrance..........




 

The white gate stood wide open at the entrance.

The brick pathway led the way in.

These beautiful gardens were established in 1954 with funds set aside in a trust by the Prescott sisters in Portsmouth, NH.

I grew up in this area in the early seventies and have seen considerable changes in this area since those days.

These beautiful gardens have always remained well kept and presented through the years.

I love this historical district in this historic city and it never fails to bring back the memory of my dear grandmother and my younger years with her here.

 

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

ABC Wednesday - D is for Dragonfly

D is for Dragonfly..........




 

He flew around my head several times, and I was surprised to see what a beautiful color he was when he finally landed.

Of course, I didn't have my camera at the time, so I went running inside to get it.

I was happy to see that he kept to the same area when I got back outside.

He finally settled down, and slowly I crept up on him as not to frighten him.

Not exactly the pose or as close as I would have liked to photograph him in, but I was happy to capture his beautiful color nonetheless.

 

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

ABC Wednesday - C is for Chain

C is for Chain..........




 

There it was, in the middle of the grassy area, just coming out of the ground.

No idea what it was attached to, or what attached to it.

I wonder how many times the mower had a run-in with it.

From the rusty look of it, I would say it has been there quite a while.

If I ever get back to that particular area, I will be sure to check it out again - perhaps it will actually be in use.

 

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

Summer Ocean View - Our World

  Summer Ocean View - Our World



 

It is different in this spot each time we visit it at the ocean.


Different flowers for each season, and even though they are wild flowers, they change each year.


Which makes me think that someone must clear them out.


A couple of summers ago, it was overrun with milkweed and thistle.


There have been none of these plants there since.


I kind of miss the fluff and little Goldfinch birds that love the thistle seeds.


Glad we were able to see it when it was there!