October 3, 2009 at 7:35 pm (2009, National Park Service, history, nature)
Tags: "The National Parks: America's Best Idea", history, John Muir, Ken Burns, National Park Service, nature, quotations
Perhaps the most significant event in the history of the National Park Service was the early friendship and influence of John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt. It is because of him that we have Yellowstone National Park, as well as Rocky Mountain and other areas preserved by people influenced by him.
I think, though, that the best thing about John Muir was his writing. It is very accessible and entertaining; he was not writing to impress people with his knowledge…he was writing to impress people about the importance of nature. Some of my favorite quotes follow:
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” — from Our National Parks (1901)
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” — from Our National Parks (1901)
“As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing. I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche. I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens, and get as near the heart of the world as I can.” — from The Journals of John Muir
“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”
“I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
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July 30, 2009 at 10:45 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: animals, animals in the city, boston, east boston, eastie, nature, raccoons, wildlife
Just saw a family of 5 raccoons in the backyard!! Someone else saw an oposssum in Maverick the other day, so it looks like the wildlife is trying to take over Eastie!
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July 27, 2009 at 10:20 pm (2009, New England, New Hampshire, hiking, life, local, photography, photos, seasons, summer, taken by me, vacation, weather)
Tags: pictures, photo, New England, taken by me, nature, Mount Washington, hiking, New Hampshire, snow, outdoor photography, Photographs, seek the peak, seek the peak 2009, nature photography
So, I made it up and down the mountain without falling down once, which is actually quite an accomplishment for me.
The week began with some beer:
A sampler from Moat Mountain, lovely place to eat and lovely place to stay about 20 miles away from Mt. Washington and nice comfy beds.
Larry came along for the ride and the weather reminded him of traveling on the ocean with all the fog and rain.
The last of the snow from the winter…it wasn’t as impressive as last year since it was all gloomy when we went by in the morning. If we had come down the same trail (which we should have) the pictures would have been much better.
We made it up here in fairly record time for me. 4 miles in just about 4 hours…with the extra weather and some issues with breathing and a large group of people standing in the middle of the trail, so annoying.
A quick picture after we hit the summit going down Lion’s Head.
You can see how different the weather can be in just a few hours. It was lovely on the way down from the summit.
Remember, kiddies! Be Ice Smart! And remember to scream and wave your hands in the air while running away from large ice boulders.
I love $3 pint glasses!
But orgasmic, organic berries are even better!
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July 16, 2009 at 9:53 pm (2009, New England, photography, photos, travel)
Tags: hiking, Mount Washington, mt. washington, mt. washington observatory, nature, New Hampshire, seek the peak, seek the peak 2009
Next weekend, the Boy and I will join hundreds of others on a climb up Mount Washington as part of a fundraiser for the Mount Washington Observatory. In April of 1934, the fastest surface wind gust in the world (231 MPH) was recorded there…I’ve seen the graph in person and it is just crazy.
I am $40 from the next level of fund raising and would love to be able to hit that mark, if you would be willing to support me I would be very appreciative. The link is here.
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June 6, 2009 at 2:35 pm (animals, birds, boston, east boston, life, local, nature, photography, photos, taken by me)
Tags: photography, taken by me, east boston, boston, belle isle marsh, nature, photos, eastie, birds, accordion players, daily walk
I have been trying for months to see the Osprey that nest in Belle Isle Marsh…but have never been able to see any until today. This one was just lazily flying around, probably trying to see if he could catch some lunch somewhere…the marsh was fairly quiet except for the Red Winged blackbirds and the people establishing a new trail, probably for National Trail Day.
While walking home, I heard some interesting music and looked up to see this man on his front porch:
He was playing the accordion. I love that my neighborhood has such diverse people in it…we have a garage band a few houses down, airplane pilots and attendants, students, families, and everything in between. Lovely way to end a walk.
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January 17, 2009 at 8:34 pm (2009, New England, hiking, love, nature, photography, seasons, weather, winter)
Tags: hiking, Mount Washington, National Geographic, nature, New Hampshire, photography
Here it is, in the negative temperatures in Boston and all I can think about is the next time I get to climb Mount Washington. Its become a bit of an obsession for me. I’ve been up 4 times, twice on a charity hike for a women’s shelter here in Boston (each one 20 miles long), once on a 20 mile hike with my boyfriend, and the last time with my boy again hiking to raise funds for the Observatory.
It took me 4 tries, 2 of them sleeping over at Lakes of the Clouds Hut, to see anything from the summit. And it was totally worth it.
We’ve already planned at least one trip back up to the summit together this year, probably for Seek the Peak (The charity hike for the Observatory), and the boy is going sledding down Tuckerman’s Ravine again this April for the Inferno. But, National Geographic just put out a beautiful 12 photo spread about the Obs and has a huge article on it in the Feb. issue about the mountain and the Obs. Cannot wait to pick up a copy and drool over the photos. My favorite is below…the landscape there in the summer is so weird at times, in the winter its even more stunning.
Mount Washington At Night
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October 24, 2008 at 7:15 pm (New England, boston, east boston, fall, local, nature, photography, taken by me)
Tags: belle isle marsh, boston, east boston, local, nature, outdoors, photo, photography, taken by me, water
While most people who are asked would say that the only thing in East Boston is the airport, locals know different. It is home to an astonishing amount of great restaurants, weird little shops, statues of every different type, and Belle Isle Marsh.
The marsh is the largest surviving salt water marsh in Boston and encompasses 350 acres of land. At one point in its history, it also hosted the Suffolk Downs Drive-in theater. But, little of that can been seen these days.
Today, the marsh is a great place to go if you want a bit of a break from the city without going too far away. Dogs are welcome and really seem to enjoy having the area to run around in. I mostly go to take pictures of the birds and other things that catch my attention.
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