Today's segment: From Poolsbridge to Bolivar, about 2 miles one way - a shorter hike so we'd be done in time for the Chief's game. This painted turtle was one of only a few basking in the sun. The green heron is a photo I've been wanting to get...he flew up in front of us … Continue reading Erie Canal – Poolsbridge to Bolivar

May 24th, the second leg of our Erie Canal Trail trek. What started out as a quiet day for wildlife changed into a veritable smorgasbord of fauna! We saw a Baltimore oriole, catbird (across the canal, hence the blurriness), an Eastern towhee -- colorful!, great blue heron, and what I think is a Great Crested … Continue reading Erie Canal – Manlius Center to Poolsbridge

It had been awhile since Max and I have visited Montezuma together. May 17th was a day for Ospreys. When I was last there in March I saw only one nesting pair - today there were at least 5. I'm glad they're back.

This little chickadee has set up housekeeping with his mate in my backyard bird house. They can barely squeeze in the "front door" but seem to like it that way. I'll be on the lookout for chicks in a few weeks.

Mother's Day, May 10th we hiked the Erie Canal Trail from Dewitt to Manlius Center, 6 miles round trip. This is the western end of the Erie Canal State Park whose eastern terminus is just west of Rome. Below are photos from the hike: a mallard enjoying the sun, a red-bellied woodpecker peeking out of … Continue reading Erie Canal Trail – from the beginning

You "big-city" people just don't know what you're missing. Here's what it takes to entertain us simple country folk:fire trucks (clown optional) a tractor or twothe high school marching band, local VFW troops, lots of boy/girl scouts tossing candy to the crowd and most importantly... an excited little girl.......and you've got yourself a parade.

As long as we're discussing my favorite quotes and writers, check on this link to The Blog of Henry David Thoreau. I love it! Can you imagine ole Hank hunkered down at Walden Pond uploading his blog via DSL? We can see Thoreau's diary entries on the day of the year they were written (although … Continue reading Blogging with Hank

An interesting post from blogger Tess Thompson of St. Louis: In her blog, Arch Words, Tess discusses what she deems "one of the most misunderstood poems in the United States," The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. As you can see, the last lines of that poem are among my favorite quotes and ones which … Continue reading The Paths we Travel

Last Sunday (April 26th) we drove to Pratt's Falls for a picnic/hike. The park was quiet and we had the trails all to ourselves. This little guy on the left, a dark-eyed (slate-colored) junco was working with his mate, perhaps building a nest under the eaves or tending a new clutch of chicks. We hiked … Continue reading Pratt’s on a sunny day

I've been doing lots of hiking lately and thus have fallen behind on the blog. Today is a catch-up day. This first of two posts is from April 15th, a day spent in Ithaca. We approached the city by way of the Cornell University campus, stopping at the museum there. We saw many intriguing works … Continue reading Falling in Ithaca