Well, this certainly seems odd, sitting down at my desk to write a blog. Rather seems like I should be out sailing, or kayaking, or canoeing, or driving to the next hiking trail. By the way, I thought Colorado had a lot of hiking trails, but we don’t hold a candle to New Hampshire. That state has trails! Everywhere! And then there was all the rich history of Boston. Love that city! And Bar Harbor Maine – wow.
The New England woods are different, softer, than ours. I suppose it stems a lot from the types of trees that grow there. The evergreens are not the stiff spruce of Colorado’s high and dry climate, but softer, airier trees mixed with the beautiful oaks and maples that make the colors so rich in the fall. Birch is everywhere too. I brought home a piece and it is surprising how tough the bark is. I thought it would be paper thin layers, but it is more like leather. No wonder it made such good canoes. So pretty too.
The funniest thing about staying in a New Hampshire cabin in the woods this time of year is getting used to the sound of large acorns crashing down on the roof, or your head. I truly mean “crashing down,” no little plops, but loud cracks and pops. A person has to get used to walking on them too, crunch, crunch, crunch across the deck and down to the dock.
Best of all was the pair of Loons that live on the little lake we were staying at. They are so pretty. They are also amazing divers, staying under water up to thirty seconds at a time when fishing. If we were quiet, they let us paddle fairly close, but they were careful to maintain a proper distance. We noticed there did not seem to be many birds. Maybe they had already migrated south for the winter? The color was just starting, but we saw enough to get a good taste of what is coming, making it even more difficult to leave. I am truly blessed by such a great experience. Speaking of good taste – Maine blueberries. I can recommend a place to get the best blueberry muffin you can imagine.