tree bark window

this is what really drew me in...this beautiful cutaway to the layer below the bark :) and why i really returned to the site with the heavy (23lb.!) camera backpack (which includes the macro lens) and the tripod!  you can see it in context in the previous post -- what a difference a change of lens makes!!

tree root creature

just a few feet from the where i stood to take the stream shot, to my left, this creature caught my eye :) and my foot a few times too lol!! i believe this is a pine tree root which is exposed and has bark growing over it (to the right--out of the shot-- is a large pine tree growing alongside the stream).

the same stream a month later :)

i returned to Mahoney and the stream which feeds the upper pond of the White Eagle cranberry bogs that i shot last month (http://www.sippicanimages.com/sippican-lands-trust/2011/3/2/wider-stream-view.html), and this time i hauled my full camera pack and tripod! no snow but still clear water :)

winter trail 2

and just around the bend i saw this winter wonderland...

 

snow trail 1

last week i had the opportunity to be wandering peirson woods the morning after overnight snow :) what a treat!!

 

wider stream view

same stream, same lens, just raised the camera for this more traditional view... :)

clear winter stream

the clarity of the winter water is amazing...and it always looks cold as well!  last week i had the opportunity to expore more of the SLT's most recent purchase, Mahoney-McIntire.  this stream is south of the old railroad bed and feeds the northern retaining pond of the White Eagle cranberry bogs as it flows southeast.  i could practically count the individual rocks in the stream it was so clear!

winter trail

i've finally been able to stop shoveling for a while and get back out :) this appealing trail is where i started, on our White Eagle property.  the first half of what you see will quite the wetland in the next few weeks -- or maybe after today with all the rain!  according to the weather reports the day was supposed to in the high 20º's and windy.  instead it was sunny with no wind in the northern woods and absolutely perfect for wandering!  and a great time to be outside :)

cold december afternoon

Briggs Cove, just west of Creek Road, is visible from Route 6, has been a splendid sight to see these last 2 days coated in ice from the outgoing tide and the very cold temps!!  it was distracting me each time i drove by...so this afternoon i went back to get my gear and capture it :)

the cold has dropped upon us early this year...

 

marshgrass arch

a closer look at the marshgrass in the previous post...

rainy afternoon view

yesterday was rainy and drizzley all day...but there was some light coming through the cloud cover, not bold shafts of sun, but just the soft dim light that makes deep colors in the landscape.  for several days i have been admiring the view from creek road into ludes estuary and the rain made it irresistable :)

upstream reflections

this shot was taken about 100 yards upstream of the previous one.  although the faster moving water is closer to the entrance to the property (right off rt. 6) i passed it by and worked my way upstream and took this shot first...i knew once i got to the fast water i would not be able to pull myself away!  the late afternoon light made reflections that appealed to me :)

sparrow's mill fall

another, much wider shot, of Borden's Brook as it runs through the Sparrow's Mill property...pretty easy to understand why 100 years ago there was a mill here!

circled by leaves

yesterday, after the recent rains, i went in search of streams.  my first thought was Sparrow's Mill :) since it was mid afternoon the sunlight still filtered through and around the leaves...this plant had broken off and was spotlighted by the sun for me...

 

early fiddlehead

today we were doing some clearing along the roadside at our property on olde meadow road.  i have to put this on my come-back-later list, to see if all the fidleheads i saw there grow up and uncurl!!

 

after the rains

i could not resist going to Sparrow's Mill when the rains of last weekend finally stopped :) i knew the stream would be flowing very fast!!

wall in the woods

the rains have stopped, the wetlands are full, and i am enjoying perusing our newest 360 acres over in the northwestern corner.  the stone walls in this area are still substantial and weave throughout these woods, a testament to the days when this was pastureland...

green rock in the estuary

the marsh in march...not always neat and tidy, especially after repeated storms and astronomical high tides, but i always enjoy a tromp in the marsh :) yesterday afternoon the sky was overcast and the glowing sun occasionaly gave soft light through the clouds. all this was in advance of this weekend's hard rain. the tide was almost high so you can see how high the tides have been!

double wishbone

out and about again at last!  i have been eager to explore the recently purchased area off the old railroad bed,  and to put it all together in my mind with our previous Mahoney conservation restriction which we purchased with it and is adjacent to it.  it is quite alot of forest!!

the sunlight spotted this tree for me.

 

icy view of stewart's island

when the ice was still here i spent one late afternoon over by silvershell.  the sunset was buried in the clouds but still it was spectacular with the ice...