Entries to Win Afghan

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Monday, March 18, 2024

Best Photos of June 2022

   
Here are the best of the pictures I took from June 2022. I'm still working on processing trip pictures.

From June 2022, during the big hike, I've chosen what I think are the 10 best pictures to share. Sunshine makes for more nice pictures, but I still have a ton of marginal ones, or just shots that prove I saw something but won't win any kudos.

I am saying these pictures are "best," not because they necessarily tell the story best, but because I think they are simply the best actual photographs. I've left them full size, so you can click on them and see them larger. That always makes photos look better. Two are cropped a bit, and one had the color saturation increased a tad.

I spent June finishing New York and Vermont, and then drove to North Dakoa and started home.

These are arranged chronologically... it seemed to work.

One of the most beautiful places for views on the NCT is Jones Hill. It's not very big by Adirondack standards, but it has the proverbial location, location, location. This is the view to the south with possibly Beech Hill visible across the valley.
south view from Jones Hill Adirondacks


And chronologically, only 20 minutes later, the view to the north from the same Jones Hill across the Blue Ridge Range (the one in the Adirondacks) in some mist. Honestly, it's kind of hard to not show ten photos all from that hill!
north view from Jones Hill Adirondacks


At Crown Point, NY, on Lake Champlain, this is the Colonial era fort with the new (2011) Lake Champlain Bridge in the background. I like the contrast of shapes and time periods.
Crown Point Fort with Lake Champlain Bridge


You know I'm a sucker for texture pictures. How about going from lush, green eastern mountains to dry cracked mud in North Dakota?
cracked mud


This is some shallows in an arm of Lake Audubon. I liked the various colors of earth and plant material.
Lake Audubon


I believe I have a few nice pictures of yellow-headed blackbirds from the summer I worked in northern Illinois, but I've hardly seen one of them since then. Not a spectacular picture, but decent.
yellow headed blackbird


As you may remember, North Dakota was wonderful for seeing bird life. That doesn't mean I got great pictures, because I'm only a photographer of opportunity. I don't stand around waiting for the right light and spending 30 minutes creeping up on a bird or hoping it will move its head just an inch. Nevertheless, this is the best picture I've every gotten of a northern shoveler duck.
northern shoveler


A thirteen-lined ground squirrel was straining to see far ahead from his burrow. It's not the best picture I've ever taken of that critter, but I like the depth in the shot. It almost looks 3-D.
thirteen lined ground squirrel standing on burrow


This is just some ordinary grass along the canal, but I like the lighting and contrast of textures.
grass against water


Finally, this is one of my favorite shots from North Dakota. I just like the shapes defined by the fence and the hill.
fence in grassland


Well, I counted wrong. I had one more texture picture, but I think it's not as good, and I've been trying to limit these collections to ten.

In other news: I edited and wrote. What else is new? I must be making progress, the word count goes up.

See Best Photos of May 2022

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Handbell Sunday - March

 Our two songs today were "Lord of the Dance"...



and "Softly and Tenderly."



I think we did a pretty good job with them, although it's surprisingly hard to hear the melody in "Lord of the Dance."

I edited a little and wrote a little. No car yet. Sometime this week, I hope.

See Handbells- February

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Early Rock Garden Color

 Although it's much more subtle than later growth, I like the early colors of patches in the rock garden.

This is the Sedum takesimense 'Atlantis' that is variegated green and white as it gets larger. This is going to be one of my favorite rock garden plants because look how bright it is even in the very early spring. And look! It has a little white crocus friend. It's probably the variety 'Blue Ice.' That's what I had planted somewhat in the same location.
Sedum atlantis


The pasqueflower is in its prettiest phase. Still haven't seen the one in the lawn. Maybe the grass is making it harder for it, but it did flower last year because I found the leaves and seed pod. I used to have red ones too. They are all Pulsitilla vulgaris, but the red ones were a variety called 'Papageno.' Maybe the red ones reverted, maybe they died.
purple pasqueflower


I am as interested in these early colors of the plants as I am in full summer. I'm pretty sure this Sedum is one of the S. spurium 'Dragon Blood.' However, that's not what I have recorded in that space. I don't have a note of any sedum at all in there. But it's been there quite a while- well established. Just a record-keeping failure, I'm sure.
Dragon Blood sedum


And finally for today, this is one of my purchases from last year. I'm delighted to see it looking so happy. This is Sempervivum sp. Red Heart. All the babies sprout from long stolons instead of directly from the base of the mother.
Sempervivum Red Heart


I'm going to have to get my fencing up soon if things keep waking up.

In other news: I edited, I wrote, I walked to the library.

Total miles hiked in 2024: 166.6 of which 52.8 is North Country Trail

See So Early! Too Early?

Friday, March 15, 2024

When P... eacocks Fly

 Today's title story is in the bonus section.

Meanwhile, I went on a hike with Peg, Gary, Laura, and the ever-energetic Trixie!
hikers


We did a section of the NCT that I think is particularly pretty, north of Nichols Lake. There are several small lakes and a lot of wetlands, all glacial. This is part of the strip of wetlands north of Leaf Lake. I think it's even pretty in the brown shades.
northern wetland


A family of trumpeter swans on one of the bits of open water. We couldn't tell that the two following were juveniles from a distance. But in the picture I can see that they are still slightly gray.
trumpeter swans


One of the better pictures is Condon Lake. The sky stayed gray just about until we were done.
Condon Lake


Lots of pretty trail in there.
trail in brown woods


Trixie is a stitch! She carries a kong frisbee with her all the time. Occasionally she gets the humans to throw it for her. We never had to tell her not to forget it.
dog with a frisbee


I also checked out something new. There has always been a primitive but designated campsite at the south end of Sawkaw Lake, but I'd never bothered walking there. However, the Forest Service has recently added latrines at that one and the one on the far side of Condon Lake. Very nice.

Total miles hiked in 2024: 164.6 of which 52.8 is North Country Trail

North Country Trail, Newaygo County, MI. Nichols Lake north TH to Sawkaw Lake and back, plus spurs

BONUS SECTION:

No pictures; we were too stunned to take any. On the way home we saw a male peacock flying across the road. In the first place... what was the peacock doing there? It probably belongs to someone. Also, I didn't actually know that peacocks could fly. The answer is... they don't do it well or often. They are one of the largest birds that actually can fly, averaging 13 pounds. Why did the peacock cross the road? My guess is that he was looking for a lady-love, the same as all the turkeys. What did it look like? It flies sort of vertical and there is white under their wings. Just VERY odd and awkward! He landed beside the road and looked very ruffled and confused.

See It Doesn't Get Much Better

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Daniel White 1649 - 1724

 Raining outside. I stayed in and worked hard. So, I also tried to find anything interesting to tell about the next person in my genealogical line. Peregrine White's oldest child was Daniel.

Daniel White

b. August 19, 1649 Marshfield, MA d. May 6, 1724 Marshfield, MA

Oldest child of Peregrine and Sarah (Basset) White.

Married Hannah Hunt on August 19, 1674.

Buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery, Marshfield, MA.

Very little is known about Daniel. The family property was deeded to him in 1674 by his father, Peregrine. He would have been 25 years of age.

Peregrine had a large house and quite a lot of land. There was the original gift from Sarah’s father of 40 acres, but he was also granted land because of being an original settler. 100 acres were gained by that grant in 1673, but there may have been more at another time. Also, Peregrine purchased additional land.

So, Daniel suddenly became the owner and probably primary caretaker of a lot of property. We do know exactly where this land was. Marshfield Town (township), Massachusetts is on the coast of Cape Cod Bay, north of Duxbury.
Town of Marshfield MA location


The North and South Rivers met and flowed into Massachusetts Bay. The White property was at the base of Snake Hill just southwest of this river mouth. Since that time, the mouth has been relocated. Currently, Rexhame Beach is now found where the old rivermouth was.

This is a current map from Google Terrain of that area. You can see the T in the river, just west of Rexhame Beach. That was the original outlet from the North and South Rivers.
Old North and South Rivers mouth


This is the USGS Topo map of that area. You can see Snake Hill is named, as is the old river mouth. The name of the road that encircles the hill is now named Peregrine White Drive.
Marshfield MA topo map


Snake Hill is important, because Peregrine’s and thus Daniel’s property was just at the southeast base of it. It’s indicated as being marshland, but apparently it wasn’t too wet to build on. Additionally, the marsh grass that grew there was considered a valuable resource for feeding the cattle that were brought to the colony. Documentation of the first cattle in New England is lost, but there was known to be a population of them in 1627. Cattle had been brought to the St. Lawrence River area in the mid-1500s, and to New Netherlands in 1625. Peregrine’s will states that he had, in 1704, one ox, half interest in a horse, four cows, one heifer, and half interest in three young cattle, along with some other farm animals. But these listed certainly would have eaten the marsh hay. Perhaps the half interests were with Daniel.

On this map, from 1795, the North and South Rivers show, and what appears to be the Episcopal church somewhere on Snake Hill.
1795 Marshfield MA map


This 1838 map shows the same area, and the names S. White and J. White indicate that the land was still in the White family. It also shows the location of the Peregrine White apple tree.
1838 Marshfield MA map


This tree was undoubtedly planted while Daniel was a boy. He certainly helped tend the animals and harvest the fruit from this tree while growing up in the house pictured in the Peregrine White entry. This is a drawing of the tree in 1854. Half of the tree had died by 1851, and the remainder was dead by 1914.
peregrine white apple


However, a piece of wood from the tree was presented to the Hanover Historical Society in 1865. This is a real connection! I could touch something that was also touched by Daniel.


Daniel’s will survives, but I have not yet been able to access it on line. Perhaps it will verify that he continued life as a farmer.

Interestingly, Find-a-grave has a lot of wrong information about some of the next generations. This appears to be due to confusion concerning what Hannah Daniel married.

In other news: I edited and wrote.

See Peregrine White