Tag Archives: animals

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Polar caves Part 5. The finale…

November 21, 2019 Rivergirl 27 Comments

Done with the caves, we thought we were done with the park but there was still a little left to explore.

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A nature path through the woods.

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Leading past a sugar shack…

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And an old tree.

Do I post fascinating stuff or what?

Stop that!

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There was a rock set up for climbing….

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As well as one with some munchies on top.

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And you know what?

Still better than kale.

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We kept hiking.

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Up some rocks…

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And some stairs…

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And oh boy! The husband’s face says it all…

More stairs.

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To be honest there wasn’t much more to see. But we found a gazebo on our way back down… with rather questionable graffiti.

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Okay.

I’m not sure that needed be to advertised…. but whatever floats your boat.

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One more smooth path down…

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And we neared the exit.

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Where I had to stop and feed those precious European fallow deer again.

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Such little cuties.

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Polar Caves… the end!

Half a day experiencing it , 5 days blogging about it.

Say what you want about me… (and I’m sure you will)

You can’t say I’m not thorough.

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White Mountains trip Day 3…. Polar Caves.

November 17, 2019 Rivergirl 25 Comments

The Polar Caves in Rumney, NH was one of the few tourist destinations on my list. While we usually prefer natural wild places, I’d read good reviews on this multi generational family run spot and figured we should check it out.

Happily we showed up on the last day of the year that they’re open and didn’t have to fight the crowds.

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I knew I was going to like it when we saw a large oak tree in the parking lot with this sign underneath…

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You have to appreciate that kind of thoughtfulness, if not their spelling.

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I had my doubts after buying tickets in the ticky tacky gift shop and walking outside to find the usual giant Adirondak chair.

And when we saw the creepy anorexic polar bears?

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I figured I’d made a mistake.

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But the small petting zoo charmed me…

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With it’s precious European fallow deer…

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That we had to feed…

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And pet.

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I mean really…. could you resist that face?

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They make the funniest noise when they vocalize, almost a squeak.

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And after having his say, this guy almost fell asleep.

Look how small they are. I told the husband I could easily fit a couple in the barn, but he wasn’t amused.

There were also some gorgeous Chinese pheasants.

Although they were hard to photograph due to the cages and a moat around the outside that keeps pesky children’s fingers away.

The tails on the males were pretty impressive.

As were their colors.

But this little guy stole my heart.

Look at him…

He’s a Dr. Seuss bird come to life!

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Autumn woes.

November 9, 2019 Rivergirl 33 Comments

Just some deer…

And last month’s backyard fall leaves.

I fear for our resident buck this time of year.

Bow season in October, rifle season in November, black powder season in December.

Three months of abject slaughter I will never understand.

I’m tired of the culling argument. Mother Nature takes care of her own…. and hunters don’t want the small and the weak.

They want the big racks. (Of course they do, they’re men.)

They kill the strongest, largest and healthiest buck they can find…. which means those genes won’t get passed on.

Meanwhile, Momma’s fawns are growing up.

No more spotted Bambis.

And the does enjoy a treat before cold weather sets in….

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White Mountains trip Day 2… Moose, mountains and fall colors.

November 8, 2019 Rivergirl 36 Comments

Moose.

When you think of Maine? You think of lobster… and moose. But let me tell you, I’ve lived here on and off since 1978 and have seen exactly one moose in the wild. Granted we live in the Mid Coast region and they’re more prevalent up north, but still… one in 41 years is not a good ratio.

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So when we crossed the border into New Hampshire after leaving the Moose Cave in Grafton Notch….. and I saw numerous signs warning of the dangers of moose crossings?

I thought, yeah.

We’ll never see one.

Until we did.

Right there on the side of the road…

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A moose!

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Happily munching away on some swamp grasses.

A real live moose!

And I was halfway out of the car to get some really good pictures when the husband said no. This was a teenage male and though he was probably too young to rut…. it was that time of year.

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So I had to stalk him from an open window instead.

But I saw a moose!

My second in 41 years…

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And then all too soon he was tired of us….

And headed back to the woods.

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Goodbye moose….

I may not live long enough to see another wild one of you, but thanks for showing up and making my day.

As I said before, the fall colors were all over the place. We had an early turn this year so by the time we got to the mountains, many places were past peak foliage. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t still spectacular…

Rusty oranges…

Muted greens and yellows…

Peaks of reds.

Even speckled with rain, I’ll take them.

It’s different around each bend.

And around each bend?

Another outhouse for the husband to christen.

The journey continues….

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Because everyone needs a drink.

October 27, 2019 Rivergirl 24 Comments

Bird baths.

They’re not just for birds anymore….

These little guys never used to drink here until an apple tree sprouted in my garden bed a few years ago.

Now they’ve realized they can safely climb onto an overhanging branch and jump in.

Like I do…

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Actual photo of me last Saturday night.

Pardon the quality of these shots, but it was dark and I was shooting through a window.

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I’ve often wondered why the deer don’t stop to slake their thirst.

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Now, I have proof that they do.

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Colors and critters.

October 26, 2019 Rivergirl 30 Comments

Looking across the street to our neighbor’s organic vegetable farm is always interesting.

But this time of year, it’s downright beautiful.

Who knew artichokes could be so pretty?

And when our neighbor has wood chips delivered….

HE HAS WOODCHIPS DELIVERED.

When you’re a farmer’s child?

You don’t need no stinkin’ sandbox.

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On the critter front,

We’re down to one lone woodchuck.

He’s still fat…

And still clumsy…

And still hangs out on our deck once in a while. But it’s autumn, and all his brothers and sisters are finding dens and getting ready for winter. I doubt even this one will be here much longer.

Sigh…

Autumn also means the deer are changing into their darker winter coats. One summer coated hold out is on the right for comparison.

A murder of crows have now discovered our bird bath.

Why are they called a murder?

The Oxford English Dictionary suggests this is an allusion to the crow’s traditional association with violent death or its harsh and raucous cry. If you’ve ever heard dozens of agitated crows in full cry, it really does sound as if they’re yelling bloody murder.

As long as they don’t murder me in my sleep, I don’t care what you call them.

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Uh oh.

And finally, we have a new skunk in town.

I admit I never really paid attention to skunk tails before, but we’ve had so many different families this year I’ve gotten to recognize them by their individual patterns.

This is Tippy.