A Walk in the Yard ... Springtime in Vermont

It was just such an awsomely beautiful spring day that I thought I should post the pictures I took today before it turned into 'just another day in paradise' as Jimmy Buffett might say. This post is similar to 'A Walk in the Woods' , one I wrote in the fall that had the same flavor but covered a little more geography. Today, for the initial photos, I never left the yard..... If you've never seen a springtime in Vermont, it's something to see (as I guess, really, spring is something to see everywhere), but this one was mine and it was just one of those days when everything feels just right. Click the pictures to enlarge them...

I started out studying my new woodshed and had no pressing plans except to meet an old friend at his sawmill over the mountain in Bondville to get some lumber for my shed deck, stop at the other lumber yard for some red cedar for a shop project coming up and then hit some golf balls at the driving range on my way home. After that I thought I might chat with the wife, read the paper and have a beer, take a nap and do a little hammering when I woke up. Got everything done but the nap by dinner. Did the nap after dinner and here I am ... writing away ...
After my little study, I went in for another cup of coffee and went out the back door and it was just beautiful ... everywhere I looked, everywhere I went ....

Kit has the hummingbird feeders up as of yesterday. They should be arriving any minute ...

Looked to the East, to Peter's Peak, generally, the first and last sunlight in Dorset.

Turned and went past the aspargus patch ... we've been eating that for a couple days now.

Past the hay fern patch with the little (inedible) fiddleheads just coming up ...

Came around the lower edge of the lawn to the front of the house again

Past the Chinese chestnut Kit planted, also for the hummingbirds...

All that green stuff coming screaming out of one little bud at the end of each branch

Past the woodshed again and then past the crabapple about to burst into total pink on the front lawn ...

Over by the metal shop where Sam is working on a tabernackle, the part that allows the mast to hinge up and down for this Barnegat Bay Sneabox that a friend bought last year. I'm helping him with the mast tomorrow ...

Close up of the tabernackle out of it's hole. As I understand it, it's held in by gravity as the mast is held by the rigging when it's up.

Past the pear tree, about to bloom ...

and down to the ravine between the house and the shop to the wild leek patch. Came with the property.

There are also about a million red terilliams there with em.

and the stream that goes to the duck pond. You can see the shop in the backround.

Up the hill past some funky burnt sienna colored something or other

to the back of the house, and then off to Bondville, a little behind schedule ....

to Coleman Hills Farm ... About as 'Vermont Life' looking as you can get ...

Picked up my lumber and headed back over the mountain.

Stopped by Gale Meadows Pond where my wife and I fished often before we had kids...Might be fun to do that again now ...

Stopped at the scenic overlook to admire the green in the valley and the brown at the top
Had my beer, finished the deck framing, had a nice dinner, unloaded my truck, had a nice nap ... nighty night now ....

a walk in the woods

2/4/17 ...
nice day saturday, so i took a walk in the woods.
i started at my new 'side' step off the front porch
it's a single stone, about 22" deep,11' long and 7" thick ..
waiting for the frost to go in the spring to set it on stone risers ...
thanks pete!  we love it ...

through the woods to 'the overlook' .. its about 20 minutes out to the west ..

  up the hill

over the hill, looking toward merck forest ..

 

and up the valley to pawlet 

home back through the woods on a different path, past the big red oak tree

i'd gues it's about 48" in diameter

past the neighbors house

past the view of peter's peak ..

home again, home again, jiggity jig ...

checked on the shop ..

and looked out toward stratton and mount snow ... 50 mile view

looks like winter is at least half over

i am guessing the fish are hoping so ...

Recycle, Reuse

Ok ... We're all into recycling ... Here's a recycled blog post from last October ... The foliage is pretty spectacular again this year, but the photos below are hard to top ... I'll add just a couple new ones from a walk I took on the Appalachian Trail to Little Rock Pond this past weekend, so if you saw this one last year, at least you'll get a little something new .... Click the photos to enlarge them ...

This is my 38th October in Vermont yet it never fails to knock me out. Right after coffee this morning I did the "The Loop", which is a loosely connected series of trails I have cleared through the adjoining woods to a lookout point, back along a different route and home again. Walking biskly, I can usually go out and back in 40 minutes. Today it was more like an hour and a half. I just timed it here and I think you can do it in about 40 seconds ....Not a cloud in the sky.... Click the pictures to enlarge them ... Enjoy!

Down the driveway

Past the hornet's nest

to the maple at Goodwood Lane

down past the shop

(no frost yet) first fronst yesterday this year

and out past the pileated woodpecker tree. The woodpeckers have been working on this one for about 5 years and I'm amazed it's still alive. It's about 22" in diameter and in some places at the back of the 4 or 5' high cavity there appears to be about 3" of bark and wood remaining.

On through the woods aways and past the "Big Oak" ... Note the bench in the lower left corner. This is a REALLY big oak

Out into the open and past a couple more nice leaves just before the

big view to the west and nothwest.

Then, back around the corner to the South lookout ...Glastonbury Mountain in the distance

Back towards home past the East view of Peter's Peak,

along the edge of the field past some killer sumacs

and through the woods and back to the house.

The top photo in this post was taken across town this afternoon at the top of Nichols Hill.

10/11/09 walk to little rock pond

Appalachian and Long Trail

pathsidde

the pond

the leaves