park | Change Is Hard

August 10, 2014
by dawnkinster 11 Comments

Loostrife

I enjoy reading Judy’s blog – she’s a full time RVer and a volunteer this summer at Tamarac Wildlife Refuge in Minnesota. This week she and another volunteer are assigned driving the back roads of the refuge looking for purple loosestrife. It’s an invasive plant that spreads quickly and chokes out the native plants in low lying, swampy areas.

If you live around here you’ve seen a lot of it. Judy says she and her volunteer partner didn’t see any this time, and I told her we had it everywhere over here in Michigan. So when Katie and I went for a walk yesterday afternoon and we saw all the loosestrife we thought of Judy. We decided you need to see this too.

Wetlands being taken over.

The first glimpse we had was from the overlook. Down near the water you can see the purple sheen in the late afternoon sun. Looks pretty doesn’t it. And it is pretty, that’s probably part of the problem. When I drive home from work and the sun hits that purple I can’t help but smile.

Closer view.

Then I remember that what is beautiful is also deadly to everything native that used to live there.

Katie and I found more of it, up close this time near the pond where people fish.

Spreading.

Spreading across the hillside above the water.

Pretty, isn’t it?

The park people have planted other wildflowers there that are just as pretty and not invasive.

Also pretty.

Katie and I spent a long time in the lingering sun photographing the beauty.

Makes you smile, doesn’t it!

In hindsight I should have pulled up that loosestrife along the pond after I was finished photographing it.

Dangerous

July 27, 2014
by dawnkinster 11 Comments

Reward! Even though I wasn’t very good this weekend…

Katie here!

You were all RIGHT! My mama finally took me to my park! I haven’t been there in a really really long time. Maybe 100 years in dog time. We couldn’t go in my car because it’s at ‘the shop’ whatever that means. So when we left the house I went and stood behind the other car, but mama said, ‘No baby, we’re going to take Daddy’s truck!

Driving to the park in style.

Woo Boy! I get to go in the truck! I like to do that (I used to be afraid of the truck, but I like it now. I’m a brave girl.) I get to stick my nose right in the air conditioning vent! Not like when I’m stuck in the back and no good air even gets back to me! When we got to the park I noticed it was the Farmer’s Market! I get lots of attention at the market so I thought maybe we were going there.

Farmer’s Market!

But my mama said, “No baby, we’re going to walk in your park, and you can sniff wherever you want, no rush!” Hot dog! Let’s get going mama! But you know what? My mama ended up saying “hurry up sweetie” to me a lot. She said it was because a storm was coming. But I think she’s just an impatient sort of mama, you know?

Storm clouds! (Dramatic setting on camera!)

I mean, what’s a little rain? Right? Unless you’re the Wicked Witch of the West. Hmmmm. Now that I think about it, she’s been acting a lot like that witch all weekend, so maybe she had a point. Anyway, we did get rained on a little, but we still stopped and got a picture together at the overlook. Mama was very proud she figured out how to do the timer thing. I was very proud that we could both look at the camera at the same time.

Me and my mama!

We had a good time and by the time we got back to the truck the sun was back out and it was hot. So I’m sleeping on my air conditioning vent at home. Mama says we have a bigger adventure coming up next weekend.

I’m going to dream about it now. I can’t wait!

That was FUN mama!

July 8, 2014
by dawnkinster 24 Comments

Oh my Acadia!

Sandy Beach. Literally.

Acadia National Park is a splendid example of all that is right about America. It’s natural beauty defies description; the ocean, the craggy coastline, the mountains, even the people visiting there, are unique and interesting and special. We were only there one day, so we couldn’t hike all the trails or bike the carriage roads or even stop for lunch, but I saw enough to show you around.

First stop was one of my favorites – Sandy Beach. This is a must for all of you that want to dip your toes in the cold Maine Atlantic. Or even if you don’t. It’s a great place to people watch or simply veg out.

It’s best to keep your toes in the water.

I, of course, was happiest strolling in the waves. There was a little stream flowing into the ocean that had the most beautiful patterns as the light hit the ripples.

Pretty.

It was warmer than the ocean so it made a good place for kids and adults to play. Or talk. Or just be.

Relaxing.

I could have stayed on the beach for hours but we knew we had more park to explore. So off we went.

So much fun!

Next stop was Thunder Hole; a rectangular split in the granite where waves thunder and spray. Or not, depending on the tide. For us it was more a gurgle and thud. But still it was cool to see.

Boom! Or not. Depends on the tide.

On to Littler Hunters Beach. At low tide it was a treasure trove of sea remnants.

Cool!

And rocks covered in colorful stuff.

Interesting!

We tried to stop for lunch at Jordan’s Pond which has a restaurant, but there was nowhere to park, even in the ancillary parking lot. I guess that’s just the way it is at National Parks in the summer season. But that was OK, we were on to Cadillac Mountain!

A short drive up the winding road, with plenty of stops to enjoy the view and you will soon arrive at this:

On top of the world.

The granite covered mountain reminded me so much of the mountain my family climbed in New Hampshire when we were kids. Lots of huge flat rocks with bits of green low lying foliage in between. And views that went on forever.

I think that’s Canada over there.

It was fun to watch all the families and think back over the years. I have to say I have a new appreciation for all the trips my folks took us on. How they managed four of us is beyond me. I watch and listen to families now and can see how much work it is to keep all the kids entertained and safe all day.

Up on a rock.

We ended our day at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, down at the tip of a peninsula. It is actually inhabited with a family, so you can’t go inside and you take care not to intrude. We hiked a bit up the coast and climbed out on some crazy beautiful rocks for this shot:

Would love to live here. Minus the tourists.

And here’s another view from the top of the driveway:

Feels like home.

We had a wonderful day at Acadia. You just have to come and see for yourself. There’s so much more. I don’t want to spoil it for you!

…sigh…

July 7, 2014
by dawnkinster 15 Comments

It was a Maine weekend

I’ve been in a motel with no internet for the past two nights. But of course we haven’t spent much time in the hotel, we’ve been out exploring, so there’s a lot to show you. I’ll try to squish Saturday and Sunday into this post. We spent those two days driving through small fishing communities and along the rocky coast. But first, on Saturday we went out to the tip off Acadia National Park’s Schoodic Peninsula to see the wave action from Hurricane Arthur. Though by the time we got out there the hurricane was more a scattered storm, there were still some big waves. (Click on the photos to make them larger, you’ll see lots more detail!)

Ooooohh, aaahhhhh!

The wind was fierce but there were lots of people out there; you could hear they oooh and ahhh and squeal whenever a particularly big wave splashed high.

After that we ventured inland and wandered through many towns where lobster traps were piled high in yards and on wharfs. It seemed that many homes had a big boat in drydock in the yard and piles and piles of traps nearby. I wondered why the boat wasn’t in the water, and how people were making a living.

Piles of lobster traps.

We also walked along a community wharf used by locals where the piles of lobster traps made a colorful collage. And where we ran into this guy:

Lobsterman. Kind of Paul Bunyan in a rain slicker.

Of course we also found a lighthouse too. This one was on Prospect Harbor, just across the way from Mr. Lobsterman.

Classic.

But mostly on Saturday we were driving through communities looking for interesting things to photograph. There were so many I wish I could should you more, but here’s one quintessential Maine shot:

Ready to go.

Sunday found us on the road again, in the search for more lighthouses. We found this beauty in Luboc. It’s the West Quoddy Head Light Station.

Pretty!

It sits high on a rocky bluff. We hiked a ways up the coast on the advice of an employee and saw wonderful views of the ocean and the waves crashing on the rocks below.

Stunning!

Much of our path was muddy because they’ve had so much rain, but it was worth it to climb so high. We ended up near the top of that mountain you see in the photo above, way out at the end, at a place called Green Point. Where we saw views like this:

Worth the climb.

On the way back we climbed down a stair to the beach and I got to get my feet wet in the Atlantic!

ohhhh…ahhhh!

Yes. It was cold!

It was getting late, so we drove through a few more fishing communities and then headed back to the hotel.

From days gone by.

We didn’t even have time to stop and see what ship was in the harbor, but it sure was huge!

Big ship, big fisherman!

To see everything you’re just going to have come on over to Maine yourself There’s lots of houses for sale, or if you just want to rent for awhile, this place is open:

For rent.

Today we were at Acadia. That deserves it’s own post. I’ll try to get it together soon.

Window on the sea.

June 22, 2014
by dawnkinster 24 Comments

WordPress Photo Challenge: Between

Finding Shakespeare between these hills.

During a recent warm summer evening, as dusk settled among the hills and along the Huron River, Shakespeare walked. And I was lucky enough to witness it all. The University of Michigan presented “Shakespeare in the Arb 2014, As You Like It,” an outdoor interpretation where characters run through meadows and down hillsides sorting out their love and angst in front of a few hundred enthralled peasants — us.

The audience moves between scenes.

Rather than changing the set on stage between each scene the whole production, along with the audience, moved to beautiful new locations within the Arboretum.

Contemplating his next move.

And, as the audience moved through the woods or across expanses of meadow carrying their chairs and blankets we often came across characters from the play or were entertained by magical music that floated across the tops of the trees.

Discussing strategy.

I hope you enjoy these photos of the action between scenes.

Musical joy between scenes.

For more entries to this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge: Between, click on the link above, or check out a few of my favorites, here, here , here and here. Or here.

I hope you enjoyed my evening with Shakespeare. I know I did!

Onward.

May 26, 2014
by dawnkinster 22 Comments

Weeding? Really Mama?

Katie here. Did you know my mama had 3 days off work? I expected a GRAND ADVENTURE because of course it’s all about me. I am entirely disappointed.

Friday night mama put up the tent and said we were going camping. I love camping, but it was darn cold out. A princess does not like to be cold, so after we got all settled in the tent I told mama I wasn’t staying out there and I barked and barked and finally she got smart and we went inside to sleep. Mama should pay better attention to the weather. I ask you; does a Princess wear plaid? I think not!

A little chilly

And do you know what she and dad did on Saturday? They weeded! I don’t know what that was all about. They just pulled up some green plants, but they left other green plants. If they wanted them gone, why didn’t they get rid of all of them? I think they are fickle. I tried to supervise them but it got to be so boring that I went inside and took a nap.

I figured I’d need to catch up on my sleep cause that darn tent was still up and I knew my mama would want to camp again. But you know what happened? She went to work after dark! With a pillow and a blanket! I’ve never seen anything like it, but she said ‘bye bye baby’ just like she does every day when she goes to work and she went out the front door. Huh. I waited by the door a long time but I finally just went to sleep with my dad. Mama didn’t come back from work till the morning, and she came home through the back door. She said she slept great, but I don’t know how she did that at work. I’m smelling a scam. Yes I am.

Well I figured we’d do something exciting Sunday. But no way! They were still pulling green stuff up. I was disgusted and spent most of the day inside napping. And it was definitely not fair when they went out that evening and got ice cream and left me behind.

Much better. No plaid.

But I did get to camp with my mama Sunday night. It was a lot warmer and I did pretty good, I only barked a little bit. And I got my mama up at 5:00 a.m. so she could fully enjoy her Monday off from work.

Monday mama said she was too sore to weed anymore and we spent some quality time out on the deck. Plus I helped her put away the camping stuff. Well mostly I just watched, but I’m sure she couldn’t have put it all away so fast without me.

And then this evening mama took me to my park!!! That was the best part of the entire weekend!

My field of yellow flowers..ummm…

So all in all I guess I got to do some fun stuff. But my folks need to focus on me more don’t you think? Three whole days and all I got was one and a half nights of camping and a walk through fluff?

I think you will all agree that I deserve more.

Pay attention mama!

May 22, 2014
by dawnkinster 15 Comments

Unrelated musings

Do you see the mama?

It’s been a long and stressful week. I think, of my regular readers, only Carol will truly understand. She has successfully retired from my industry and people outside it don’t grasp the level of stress during our busy season. Especially the busy season in conjunction with the end of a month.

This is a really really big nursery.

I’m behind on things I wanted to show you from my visit to my favorite park almost two weeks ago. So how about I just intersperse park photos among the random musings that have been rolling around in my head trying to avoid the stress headache lurking there. Click on any photo to make it bigger and see more details.

Waiting for the shot.

“Reaching out.” I suppose this blog is my way of reaching out to you. But I’d like to think it’s not because I really detest that saying. I don’t know when people started using it, but it’s everywhere now. Do people use it because it’s more hip than saying calling…or emailing? “I’m reaching out to you in the hopes that you will…” When I read that in an email, or hear it on the phone I immediately put my defenses up. Because no one ever reaches out to me unless they want something. Can’t they just say what they’re really doing…they’re emailing me. They’re calling me. They want something. It doesn’t sound any more friendly or less threatening because they were reaching out. Makes. Me. Nuts.

He was curious about me.

And while we’re on the topic of phrases what’s with “drilling down?” What exactly does that mean? That we’re going to get more detailed, maybe explore something further. I think. Why can’t we just say that? It doesn’t make me as nuts as “reaching out” but still who is fooling who? Does anyone really know what we’re “drilling down’ to? And how will we know when we get there? Exactly.

Does anyone know what this bird is?

A running friend, a year younger then me, is retiring in two weeks. She’s doing it for all the right reasons, her job is stressful, too much travel, and her parents who live near are getting older and need more assistance. I’m happy for her. She says she might have to reenter the work force sometime in the future but I sincerely hope she doesn’t have to do that, I hope she gets to enjoy a long happy time with her folks and that they thrive under her attention.

Hungry!

Katie and I are going camping at a real campground far to the north of us in a couple of weeks. It’s been cold here…really cold for this time of year. I’m starting to worry about sleeping in a tent for two nights further north. How many blankets can I pack, how many layers of clothes can I sleep in. And last time I tried to camp when it was this cold Katie wouldn’t settle down. I’ve seen doggie sleeping bags but I’m pretty sure she’s not going to sleep in one. I think I need a backup plan. I should have booked a weekend in August!

Mr. Rose Breasted.

So that has pretty much emptied my mind. I hope you could follow. Or not. Totally up to you. Me? I’m going to try to get through another day in the business at the end of the month.

Taking a walk.

The weekend can’t come soon enough.

See you later!

May 15, 2014
by dawnkinster 12 Comments

The also rans for photo challenge: On the move photos

Moving on out.

This week’s photo challenge was ‘on the move’ and you all saw my pick from my weekend mini adventure to one of my favorite parks. I like that photo from a composition and color standpoint, but there was a lot of other ‘moving’ going on that Mother’s Day morning at the park. So I’ll show you a few of the photos that didn’t make the cut. Just for fun. Click on any of the photos to see them larger and with more detail.

It’s not that I don’t like these. Some of them make me smile, and some seem sort of artistic. And it’s not that these disappointed me or weren’t what I was looking for. In fact most of them are exactly what I was looking for when I headed out to the park that morning. It’s just that when I saw the one I used I just had that gut ‘this is the one’ feeling. Though these make me smile they weren’t the one. You know?

You never really know when you head out to find a photograph how things will turn out. Sometimes when you have something specific in mind you discover a surprise that works even better. And sometimes you have no idea until you come home and look at everything just exactly what you found. That’s what makes it all so fun…the adventure, the chase for the perfect image, the surprise when something unexpected jumps out at you, and the satisfaction when you capture more than you hoped you’d find.

But I’m rambling.

When I went to the park I expected to see a lot of runners, and walkers and people on bikes and maybe even skates. And I was not disappointed.

Daughter daddy day.

There was all of that and more. Individuals working out, focused on their heart rates and stride lengths, foot turns.

It was a really big hill.

And friends talking nonstop as they walked or ran together.

Catching up on events

People like me meandering around with cameras.

Really big camera.

Or just meandering.

It’s a wonderful park full of people finding their space, breathing deeply, living fully.

Riding together.

It’s one of my most favorite places in the world. Soon I’ll show you some of the nature I found there. But for now, enjoy one more shot of someone on the move.

Because I liked the bottom of her shoes.

Orange.

May 12, 2014
by dawnkinster 22 Comments

Photo Challenge: On the Move

This week’s WordPress photo challenge is “on the move.” I immediately thought of the metro system in Washington DC, the long escalators down to the train platforms, the swish of wind just before the train arrives, the lights glowing then speeding away. But I’ve shown you all of that. And I thought about going down to Detroit and showing you the People Mover, Detroit’s version of mass transit, and some day I will.

But for this challenge I went a bit more natural, and headed out to my favorite park – a place I used to run every weekend when I was training for an event, and a place that still holds my heart. It was a beautiful day and I have so much to show you, but for this, a photo challenge, I’m choosing just one.

Moving through green hills.

I sat in cool tall grass high on a hill and watched the runners bikers and walkers as they made their way around the base of the hill through a beautiful meadow. I could have sat there for hours. In fact I did.

You can see some favorite on the move entries from others here, here, and here. These challenges are so much fun for me, especially when I get to go on little photo adventures to find something new. You should try it for yourself. You never know what you’ll find until you go out looking.

And soon, I promise you, I’ll show you what else I found at the park.

It was wonderful.

May 10, 2014
by dawnkinster 22 Comments

Katie’s perfect day

Hi there everybody!

Katie here. Bet you’ve missed hearing from me haven’t you! Sometimes my mama forgets I’m a princess and need to talk to my subjects regularly. She’s sort of ditsy like that you know.

So anyway. I got her up this morning at 6 a.m. I tried to get her up at 5:30 but she told me to go away. So I did for a few minutes. I can be patient if I have to, but not forever, you know? So after we were up she started getting stuff done, like she made humming bird food, and she cooked some chicken (and no I didn’t get any) and she did some laundry and she went to the grocery store and then we went out front where I supervised her while she started spring weeding.

Mama filled this cart up with weeds.

Mama says she really appreciates me getting her up so early because otherwise she’d never have gotten all that done before lunch! I figure if I get her up about 4:00 tomorrow morning she’ll be even more appreciative.

And then you know what she did in order to say thank you to me? Yes indeed, I bet you know already!

This is my park.

She took me to my favorite park! Of course I had to sit around and get my photograph taken in all the yellow flowers. We do this every single year. Except for last year. Last year mama got to the park a little late and all the yellow flowers were puffy things that made me sneeze. She says this year she’s trying to be more organized.

We had such a great time at the park! The weather was beautiful and no one else was out there! We walked all the way around, and I even stood on this stupid bench for her so you could see the little lake in the background. I’m cute aren’t I. I practice being cute all the time when they aren’t looking.

See how pretty it is here?

Then we got home and mama made me stay inside while she and daddy went out and did lots more weeding. I wanted to stay inside anyway to rest my eyes you know, after being out in the park and stuff.

It’s exhausting being perfect.

OH! And I almost forgot! Mama bought a new tent and I helped her put it up this evening! I don’t think we’re sleeping in it tonight, she’s just letting it ‘air out’ whatever that means.

This goes up pretty easy with my help.

I think it’s pretty cool, I ran right in as soon as it was up, even though none of my camping stuff, like my blankets and my pillows, are in there yet.

Did I tell you that mama and I are going to go camping at a State Park up north sometime? She made reservations for us, I just can’t remember when. The calendar sort of confuses me. I think every day should be a Saturday, don’t you?

Welcome to MY tent!

So that’s the story on my perfect day. We have a whole new day tomorrow too! I can’t wait. But I really need to get some sleep. I might not be able to get mama up so early tomorrow if I don’t get to bed soon.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you out there tomorrow! We hope you have as perfect a day as we had today! Spend it in the sun with people you love.

That’s my plan, yes it is. See you guys later,

Katie-girl.

Made you smile!

Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: park