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| Middle Child and I visited a new park a few counties away. It was part of an old homestead and quite bucolic. I loved the clouds that day. |
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| We came across this little meadow of purple flowers. Apparently, those are Black Locust trees, which I’m not familiar with. When I looked them up online, gardening sites said, ‘Not Recommended.’ Made me laugh! |
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| The park had a number of bird boxes. I took this photo for Jax. |
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| How cool is this entry way to a trail? |
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| Another day, I revisited the old Girl Scout camp that was turned into a nature preserve. Various Instagrammers kept mentioning a secret waterfall. A friend of mine showed me where it was one day. Not big, but pretty. |
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| She also showed me how industrious the beavers are. |
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| And the beaver den |
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| There’s a trail I’ve been walking on for a few years that borders an old haydite mining area. Another friend showed me a path over to the quarry. It’s creepy, even in broad daylight. |
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| Part of the mining equipment. Hopefully, it’s removed someday. Lots of graffiti. |
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| My husband and I went out with another couple and visited this gorge. I took the photo on a bridge that spans it. |
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| This is the other side. It’s called The Little Falls. A hotel and restaurant overlooks the view. |
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| I took this photo in my neighborhood. I had to look twice. I guess someone bought a metal cutout of a coyote to scare away the deer. |
That first photograph is stunning! The clouds look like rays of light going up to the sky. A-MAZING!
ReplyDeleteI have to say, those purple flowers are just beautiful. Never heard of a Black Locust tree.
That entry way is VERY cool! Reminds me of the arches I walked through in the gardens in Japan. It looks very oriental.
Beavers are regular little tree cutters, aren't they? So busy making dams and lodges.
Gosh, I haven't seen a quarry since I was a kid. We used to drive by one when I lived in the burbs of Pennsylvania. I remember them being WIDE and DEEP.
That gorge shot is beautiful. I bet the sound was amazing!
"I had to look twice. I guess someone bought a metal cutout of a coyote to scare away the deer." OMG, that is so funny because it really looks like coyote!
Thanks so much for sharing these beautiful outdoor living photos. And yes, I have been enjoying the outdoors. As you know, I love taking long walks. Last weekend I went down to the Delaware River by the pier and took a ton of photos. I will be posting them soon!
Have a great weekend, my friend! X
Thanks so much, Ron. You know, writing this blog has really encouraged me to be more aware of my surroundings when I’m walking or hiking so that I can take pictures to share. It really adds to the enjoyment factor for me. And I so appreciate others’ blog photos. Yes! Isn’t that entry like something from Asia? I have no idea why they did that because nothing else in the park was anything like that. And yes, the gorge sounded so peaceful with the water flowing. It was such a beautiful evening and our friends were enchanted with that area, never having been there. I look forward to your pictures soon! Have a fun weekend!
DeleteBeautiful photos! It sure sounds like you've been enjoying the outdoors. Not so much here other than my early morning beach walks. The first photo and the photos from the gorge are my favorites. I do like the entry to the trail and the little waterfall too. I've never witnessed the work of beavers in person, I would love to see them in action. Do you think metal cutout of the coyote will actually fool the deer? I'm such a city girl, I have no clue lol. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Martha. Our weather has been a see saw of temperatures, from low 90’s down to the low 60’s. I’ve had to wear pants and bring sweaters a few times. That first photo is classic Ohio countryside. Beavers are so cute, but they were laying low that day, so we didn’t see any in person. And yes, I do think that fake coyote would trick a deer. They seem to be really dumb animals, just from my interactions with them over the years. Happy weekend!
DeleteI love the bird box! What little friend is lingering inside? Unfortunately, no birds moved inside my bird box yet. The secret waterfall is gorgeous. We have been spending lots of time outside, the only good thing about the pandemic! Many of us reconnected with nature. We just did a 4 mile hike through the nature preserve by my house to go see a fish hatchery. It was pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteI’m not certain what kind of bird it was, but it was very tiny and round. We get wrens in our birdhouses here and it seemed smaller. I keep reading about fish hatcheries all of a sudden but have never seen one around here.
DeleteI have been outside as much as I can. Planning a trip in a few weeks with lots of lake and outdoor time! I love this time of year!
ReplyDeleteMe too! Enjoy your trip.
DeleteA couple of our favorite walks are within a mile of our house. One is a wetland water project (takes too long to explain), which has lots of birds and other critters. We've seen egrets, herons and cranes there, but so far this year, just the regular ducks and geese, altho we've also seen frogs, deer and groundhogs.
ReplyDeleteOur other favorite spot is an arboretum. We mainly go there just to walk amid the trees, but we've seen wild turkeys, deer and turtles, and even owls, surprisingly close to the trails
I never see egrets here, so that would be cool. That’s so nice that you have an arboretum close by. We live near what’s known as the Emerald Necklace, so lots of parks within a 30 minute drive in every direction.
DeleteWow, I love those photos. You know if I had somewhere around here that looked like that to walk around, I might get out more. lol
ReplyDeleteWell, you do have Red Rocks and SpringMountain nearby. But yes, we’re lucky to have plenty of parks in the area.
DeleteLooks like a great walk. I'd never heard of black locust trees. I see they're considered an invasive species in some states, damaging the local ecosystem.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't been outdoors very much in the last few months, mainly just walking round the local neighbourhood. But on Monday we're planning to visit Newcastle, a seaside resort 30 miles south of Belfast. It's close to the Mourne Mountains, where there are lots of great walks.
That sounds like a nice trip. I hope you have great weather and a enjoyable visit.
DeleteBeautiful photos. I like wandering around parks like these, off the beaten path so to speak. I haven't been outside much this month, other than to do gardening chores. Get outside more, a goal for next month.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed the photos. Going to Lowe’s might count, but only if you’re in the lawn and garden section. LOL! That story killed me.
DeleteThese are all some gorgeous places, and the trailhead is my personal favorite. Looks like you've got some great outdoor spaces for walking, hiking and exploring. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by.
DeleteWow, so pretty! All the pictures are great ones! Stunning about the beavers and their work. Was the bridge high that spanned the gorge and did it have good railings lol? Freaks me out sometimes being on bridges like that :)
ReplyDeleteWell considering that we have had 5 days in a row of temperatures over 115 degrees, I have not been enjoying the outdoors very much these days :) But that's summer in Phoenix and we'll be able to enjoy the pleasant temps come October(ish) where life outside will resume :)
betty
Weren’t those beavers industrious? YES, it was a foot bridge that was high up, but very sturdy metal fencing at chest level. I don’t do heights, but I really wanted some pictures!! That’s a bummer about the weather. It was 85 and horribly humid today. I took a walk but cut it short!
DeleteOne of my goals on the road trip was to get a photo of a barn...but I could never find the perfect setting, and the one time I did, we were on a two-lane road in the middle of nowhere with cars behind me and nowhere to pull over. Which is really just a long-winded way of saying, I love that first photo!
ReplyDeleteOh man, that’s disappointing! It can be hard to find a pull over. I sometimes see Barn Quilts and want to take a picture, but it’s impossible.
DeleteSuch beautiful photos, Bijoux! I love how you're getting out there and exploring.
ReplyDeleteBeavers are such industrious little buggers, aren't they?
The gorge photo is well, gorgeous. (Sorry, I had to go for it!)
There is a former Girl Scout Camp in Staten Island that's also been turned into a nature preserve. I haven't been there in years, but now I'm thinking I might make the trip.
I like that coyote cutout. I wonder if it works.
Take care!
Thanks, Rob! That’s really neat to hear that former Girl Scout camps are being used that way. If you do go, please post some photos. Have a great week!
Deletebeautiful scenes. I wonder how long that stationary coyote worked?
ReplyDeleteI’m assuming they’ll leave it up permanently. Deer seem incredibly dumb around here. They will cross the road in front of you and just stop and look at you. I lay on the horn and that usually gets them moving.
DeleteBeautiful weather for your outdoor excursions! I'd like to eat at the restaurant overlooking The Little Falls~! I love views like that. The metal coyote is pretty clever. xoxo
ReplyDeleteWe get lucky with the weather once in a while! It sure makes us enjoy it even more.
DeleteThe cloud pic is amazing! I wish more things in life came with a warning: NOT RECOMMENDED. Right?
ReplyDeleteHow sweet for you guys to get out there, enjoy nature, fresh air and each other. Lovely photos.
Thanks so much, Suz. It would be nice to be warned against lots of things in life, but most would ignore the signs!
DeleteI enjoyed going along on this walk with you and your daughter, Bijoux. To answer your question, we have been getting out as often as possible for weekend explorations. Also during the week, I can walk downtown since it is close to our mill apt.
ReplyDeleteI am also able to walk to our small downtown from my house. I love being able to do that.
DeleteLove the photos. We have been bad about getting back outdoors. Right now it is too hot to do anything except go to the lake or the water park and the scenery isn't quite as lovely as your pictures. =)
ReplyDeleteWell, I’m normally stuck inside Dec-Feb, so I understand!
DeleteI think it looks like a lovely place to spend a day exploring. Idk much about black locust trees, but I’d lol at the gardening websites recommendations to stay away from them too.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think I’ve ever seen never handiwork in person, so that was a pretty neat find.
The coyote sign is brilliant! I had to enlarge the picture to see that it was metal because it looked awful real!
My photos were of numerous places over a number of weeks. I’ve seen owl metal cut outs before, but never a coyote! We have the real ones here, but I’ve only seen one maybe a half dozen times in 25 years.
DeleteI wonder how well the owl cutouts would work in a garden? Every year I probably lose half my produce to critters eating it up before it gets ripe enough for me to pick it. I've been thinking about grabbing some scare crows this fall to save for next summer's garden, but I think an owl cutout would look prettier while serving a needed function in my garden beds.
DeleteI don’t know, but it’s a battle. We didn’t do a garden this year, but we have a terrible time with chipmunks eating new plants or taking bites out of our tomatoes on the deck.
DeleteYes! The chipmunks are ruthless in the garden. Dezzy gave me a great tip about tying plastic bags to my cherry tree and it seems like that did keep the birds away from pecking them all off. I do have metal fencing around my other veggies, but that only keeps the bunnies out. Those chipmunks burrow under the ground then pop up directly into my beds, not only leaving huge holes in the garden, but then they nibble on the produce. It really is a battle.
DeleteIn AZ we have a fake owl to scare off the birds from pooing on the boat, last time I checked it a bird was sitting on top of it. :D
ReplyDeleteLovely photos. I am getting outside when it isn't raining.
Bahahaha! That is funny, Joey!
DeleteI love that you take us along on all of your travels. Your photos are stunning and the places you visit are always the coolest. I love old homesteads. In these photos I am so incredibly jealous of all of the GREEN lusciousness!!! We're hot and on fire out here! No day trips for us for a bit unless we want to go at o'dark thirty when it's a little cooler like 98... Ugh. So not a fan of this heat.
ReplyDeleteThat’s a bummer. Whenever we’ve been ‘out west’ we are shocked when the plane lands back in the CLE because everything is so green. We get a good amount of rain most years, so lucky that way. I’m always so glad to hear from you! Have a super weekend!
DeleteYou always go on such nice walks and wonderful day trips. I enjoy seeing your photos.
ReplyDeleteIt's about 90 degrees outside now, so I'm inside with the a/c on trying to catch up on a few blogs. I'll never get thru them all, but am having fun trying.
Yes, it's terribly hot here today as well. I'm going to walk with a neighbor after dinner and hopefully it will be less than 90 degrees by then. Thanks so much for commenting on some past posts!
DeleteWhat a wonderful walk and I just love that first photo. Oh, that sky!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteYour trip looks great! Beautiful photos. There are many picnic areas there. I love it. Bye the way, Do birds use the bird boxex?
ReplyDeleteIt was many different outings and yes, there were birds in the boxes. Thanks for visiting.
Deletehaha one way to keep the deer away. Jax is always delighted with her birds lol Sure a scenic spot indeed.
ReplyDeleteJax and her birds!!!
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