6/17/13 City Forest

Beautiful day. Forecast was for rain but we had sun, 70, and a breeze to keep the bugs down ( but make sharp pictures more difficult) . Quite a few people out enjoying the day including a man with his dog and a companion who was familiar with our blog and asked how to make comments. We had a nice chat with them. There was still quite a bit of water to make Kelley happy.

Looking back up the hill as we head down to the beaver pond.

Some of the other things we saw.

Bug love.

This one took off before I could get the shot I wanted.

All together a pleasant outing of 1  3/4 hours.

6/15/13 Marsh Island

Mostly sunny with temperatures around 70 but quite windy which made me have to seek out sheltered areas for pictures. The remarkable thing about this hike ( which we have done many times) is that for the first time we were able to follow the map from Hillside St. to the Penobscot without ending up on a trail we didn't know or in someone's back yard ( there are more trails than are shown on the map) . There was the pond at the start and finish but also ample water for Kelley along the way.

I don't know this flowering bush or tree

A pollinator

My first damselfly of the season also seems to be pollinating from the amount of pollen on it's body.

And two dragonflies

A pleasant two hours and being close to home gave me time in the afternoon to finish setting out my seedlings.

6/14/13 City Forest

Still trying to get the garden in so back to nearby City Forest. Still lots of water everywhere and a lot of people and dogs . Little wind and surprisingly few bugs. We started at the end of Kittredge Rd. so Kelley would have the beaver pond both at the start and finish of the hike.

Some of the things we saw

One last swim before we head up the hill to the car

A nice hour and three quarters and I had the afternoon to set out squash and peppers. Tomorrow is supposed to turn cloudy and then four more days of rain. I will get the eggplants and cukes in and that will do it except for the second batch of  bok choy and Chinese cabbage. 

6/13/13 City Forest

Sun and clouds but no rain and enough of a breeze to keep the bugs down-but also make close ups difficult.  I really needed to start getting  my seedlings set out and a friend needed a ride at midday so it's was off to the forest for two hours. Kelley was very happy to be in the woods rather than on the street and ran happily ahead. There was also water everywhere and we met people and dogs.

All the rain has made the  grass in the meadow above the pond very lush

Back home I managed to set out  47 tomato plants and a couple of other plants. Tomorrow will be more of the veggies .

6/12/13 Bangor

It has rained continuously yesterday and today and is forecast for two more days. Yesterday we walked around the neighborhood in the rain and went by Sarge's house , only to find he and his family had moved. Sarge was Kelley's best friend and she will miss him. I spent the afternoon reading and to treat Kelley we shared a large bowl of popcorn- she loves it.
Today we walked for a short while downtown in the rain and I got a couple of rainy day flowers. Most were either closed up or beat down as a result of all the rain. Not as much fun for Kelley as there were few people about.

Iris

Another I don't know.

6/10/13 Tunk Mountain

A beautiful day today but rain forecast for the next three days along with two days of flood watch- so we wanted to get in a good one.  Of the three trails up Tunk , this is the easiest for Kelley. The left trail from Hidden Ponds is  no longer maintained - not hard to follow but has some difficult spots for Kelley- the right has some large rocks and some iron rungs at one point .

The trail head is not really on the Myrick Pond Rd. but on a little road that forks to the right 0.4 miles from Rte 182. After a short drive on that somewhat rough road you park near some large boulders and continue on foot for another 15 minutes ( the road gets rougher ). You soon reach another fork, take the right , and shortly see a large boulder which marks the trail head. Once on the trail it's easy to follow. There is one spot ( near the top) the is difficult for Kelley and we used to bushwhack around it until we found an alternative trail that skirts that spot and then rejoins the main trail ( I have marked it with red surveyors tape) .

A selection of views of and from the trail once you reach the ridge.

This grasshopper was so small I didn't know it was a grasshopper until I processed the picture ( also why it's a bit fuzzy)

A nice hike with great views on a beautiful day. 2  1/2 hours

6/9/13 City Forest

Rained all day yesterday and we just walked around the neighborhood. Forecast again today but we got in an hour and three quarters at the forest with only very light sprinkles. Tomorrow is supposed to be nice but then more rain is on the way. I tell myself it's good for the garden.

Viceroy - a Monarch mimic

Wild Iris

 Crab spider having lunch

Pretty good outing for Kelley as there was lots of water and we met several people and dogs.