This was a favorite morning walking place back in the early 80s for myself, my dog (the one on the left) and a neighbor’s dog.
But sadly, for me at least, this is what that walking place looks like today, some twenty-five years later.
Yes, I could just cry! 😥
We’ve had what seems like an endless winter this year. So, I think it goes without saying that I have been a bit anxious for spring. Perhaps then, because temperatures have been in the upper sixties and lower seventies, at least for a few days now, and many flower bulbs have been blooming for several weeks, I’ve begun to think that maybe, just maybe, spring is here to stay.
Well, this week temperatures are expected to cool off just a bit but still stay in the fifties and lower sixties so, “weather wise” at least, I still feel that spring is here to stay. But when it comes to many local plants blooming periods, I seem to have “jumped the gun” so to speak.
You see, while my rhododendron is and has always been a late bloomer, I have noticed a number of other folks rhododendrons and azaleas that are just beginning to show their colors. So, I guess I just naturally assumed that the rhododendrons at Bradley Palmer State Park (a small park that, among other features, is noted for its carriage roads lined with rhododendrons) would also be starting to bloom. But, alas, not so fast!
As it turned out, spring green is the color of note there! Such as in these skunk cabbages …
Okay, it’s not exactly a flattering name but, you’ve got to admit that the spring green color is especially bright and beautiful! Just as it is in these grasses …
And, yes, let’s not forget that it isn’t just the plant life showing off its spring green color. Check out this greenhead (Mallard) duck.
Okay, while I was unable to show off the rhododendrons at Bradley Palmer, I promise not to let you down. I will keep track of their progress and take many photos to post when the time is right. Still, I think many of you will agree that spring is showing its signs in new growth, even if in all green nestled sweetly among the browns of last year’s debris.
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Note: For an update to this entry, please visit Past Entries Revisited
My grandfather (maternal) and I shared a number of interests, some of which included gardening, camping and “walking” (not to mention that we had the same color of hair, though, I know that’s not exactly an interest). And, yes, I did say walking as opposed to hiking simply because, to us, it really didn’t matter much where we walked. It could be alongside a road, following marked trails or even in open forests where no trails existed. Like I said, it really didn’t matter. So, after finding a trail map of Bradley Palmer State Park in Topsfield buried among some of my papers, naturally, I began to think about my grandfather, especially about his compass, the one that became mine after his passing.
The compass is a Silva® Type 15T The Ranger, a handsome instrument, simple yet complex all at the same time. It’s made in Sweden, my grandparents were from Malmö, Sweden but I remember when my grandfather bought the compass. It was here in the United States so I suspect that he was having a little nostalgic moment of his own. Admittedly, though, it has been a while since I’ve looked at that compass, Bradley Palmer is a small park where even carrying a trail map can seem a bit “overkill.”
I must admit, too, as I examined the compass closely, what I really thought about and began to wonder is this, with all of the electronic and global positioning satellite devices available today, does anyone really know how to use a compass or read a topographical map? I mean, just think about it, cars, my cell phone, god only knows what else, all are equipped with GPS.
Seriously, I wonder if we’ve become so dependent on such devices that no one really knows how to read a map and compass! Do you?
A Little Bit o' Everything! 