Mountain and River, Oh My!

 Somewhere along the road the rocky summit of Mount Chocorua seemed to start taunting me.  I could see it pop through the trees or hover over the road like a distant road block in front of me as I got closer to my destination.  My trip to REI took me past the mountain and the trails to it.  It reminded me that I was hoping to climb Mount Chocorua this year and didn't.  It was also beautiful.

Other happy things from today:

• I have new hiking shoes!  The trip to REI was for either new hiking shoes or hiking poles.  The nice employee must have pulled out six different pairs of shoes before I finally found some Merrell shoes that fit me the way I wanted.  I also got some EXOspikes that I hope will keep me from sliding around once things get slippery.
• I've been having a problem with the Bluetooth on my phone.  It will randomly turn off.  The road trip was almost two hours each way and it only turned off once.  Perhaps whatever is causing this problem is over.
• Before heading home I wanted to get my 10,000 steps in and reach my daily goal.  I found a trail, the Conway Rec Path, that was nearby.  

The trail followed the Saco River.  I set a timer so I could get out before dark and head home so I couldn't hike the whole thing.  It was a lovely walk.

Some trees had some interesting
growth patterns.

Saco River.

Proof of Life.

The rocks can be seen through the water
 and I thought it was pretty.

The branch on this tree starts in one direction
and then turns and goes the other way.
It has led a life full of turns.

Holes.

Sunset.

Foot Print.

Bridges.

• This morning Aesop, the dog, and Winston, the cat, almost got along for a little bit.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.

Look to the Sky

 This morning Keziah and I took Aesop to a local dog park. ALL the dogs were much larger than Aesop. He would have fun, then seem a bit overwhelmed, have fun, overwhelmed. We brought him to the other side of the fence and he played with one of the big dogs through the fence. Eventually we took him for a walk on the trails near the park. They are brand new trails with big bridges near the river.  It is a beautiful area.

We let Aesop be on the long leash.

Deer prints!

Other happy things from today:

• Zed, Gideon and I got up before dawn to try to see the lunar eclipse.  The rain had stopped and the clouds thinned when we first went out.  We got occasional glimpses of the moon, mostly a dark orange color with a sliver of it bright and silvery.

As usual, the camera on my phone doesn't capture the moon well.
The batteries needed charging on the other camera.

• The moon had a magical look when thin layers of clouds would glide between us and the moon.
• The sky got clearer as the time passed.  We all saw at least one shooting star.  These were most likely part of the Leonid meteor shower that was at peak the previous night.
• The constellations were also big and shiney once the clouds went away.

Much of Orion.

• After Gideon went back to bed, Zed and I saw four different satellites.  I Googled where the International Space Station should be and it is unlikely that any of the satellites were it.
• While the sky was performing above, we performed a ritual below.  Zed decided to take an old shirt that he should have just gotten rid of and burn it.  So, I decided to burn something too.  There was a nightshirt of my mother's that I put into my rotation of night clothes after she died.  It was threadbare and tearing but still extremely comfortable.  I recently purchased some new nightshirts and was going to get rid of it then, but didn't.  It had a Halloween-ish theme, so maybe after that, nope.  Maybe it was more autumn and could wait until after Thanksgiving... I have a problem.  It is gone and before Thanksgiving because Zed wanted to burn his shirt.  These two items of clothing as well as some sticks and old mail are now ash.  Zed saved some of the ash, he has a plan.  The rest is for me and it will go to feed part of the garden.

Ash...

The nightshirt went up real fast.

Burn!!

• Another lovely sunset.

☮

Currently reading: The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner, by Ann Larkin Hansen.

Thank you for being part of my happy things. Stay safe.