Sam's 5th grade graduation day on June 11th, coincidentally also the last day of the current civil state of emergency here in Maine, so we're considering that the last day of school in our house. We won't be making up mindless work for her to do over the next week and a half, but we are going to continue a bit of a work schedule, with some math, writing and reading to be completed, along with some additional non-screen/creative time each day too. This is, admittedly, as much for her as it is for us. With no camps and regular work still to be done by Ryan and I every day, it's going to be a long enough summer without it starting on June 1st! Even though the summer, I intend to have her reading every day along with doing some creative/non-screen activities, plus some workbook stuff to keep her brain from melting 😉 And yes, of course, we will be outside as much as possible too. The overall reality of this summer is that we need to keep her occupied, and she can't spend all day on her phone! So, that's our plan and we're sticking to it!
Monday: Holiday for all of us, so after a quiet morning at home (rest day for me, so no running), we headed across the street after lunch for a bit of bike practice (Sam is doing great!) and then off to Georgetown for our next exploration. I've really had to scour the internet for new and interesting places to check out within a 30 minute radius of home, but it has sent us to some cool spots. Monday's choice was Berry Woods Preserve, a piece of land managed by the Nature Conservancy with a trail out through the woods down to an old homestead spot along the Kennebec. Nice undulating woodlands with starflowers, wood anemone and blueberries blooming amongst the hardwoods, and some cool rock formations set amongst the large cedars and pines as we neared the river. Very quiet spot, obviously not seeing a lot of traffic, but lovely nonetheless for a walk through the woods. Stopped for ice cream on the way home, because, well, it's a holiday and why not?! (2.7 miles walked)
Wednesday: Went back to sleep after feeding the cats instead of getting up and running. Some days you have it, and some days you just don't. Worked at home for the day and then got out with Sam for a walk in the late afternoon. She was feeling tired, so we stuck to the roads for a more mellow walk, just enjoying the warmth and sunshine, and talking about the new high school and what will be her walking route to the middle school next year! (1.7 miles walked)
Thursday: 60 degrees at 5:30 am and very humid! Not a lot of air movement and when I stopped to go to pee partway through the run, the mosquitos were swarming! Ran the Lovers Lane powerlines loop. Tons of starflower and false lily of the valley blooming on the forest floor, along with several patches of wood anemone, two solitary painted trillium, three ladyslippers and the sweet scent of the flowering scrub bushes and the unfurling hay scented ferns in the air. Lovely. (7.0 miles)
I went into work for a few quiet hours in the morning, and then worked from home for the afternoon. I had intended to just give Sam a "rest day," but Ryan really wanted to get out and move, so after dinner, we went for a family stroll around the block. It had cooled down nicely and was quite lovely out! As part of our walk, we measured Sam's route from middle school back home - exactly 0.8 miles! (2.0 miles walked)
Friday: Out early for an incredibly heavy, humid, misty run through the outer Cathance to the Blueberry Trail. They are putting in new bog bridges at the bottom of the Heath - yay! All the typical wildflowers are out and blooming, although no ladyslippers. Even at Ladyslipper Corner as we like to call it, the ladyslippers leaves are only just emerging. (8.0 miles)
In terms of a larger plan related to Covid-19, we're still intending to mostly be staying home and keeping to ourselves through June, and I'll certainly continue to keep wearing a mask out in public spaces. Even as we do get out and about a bit more, no matter how you slice it, life in the midst of a pandemic isn't ending anytime soon!
Monday: Holiday for all of us, so after a quiet morning at home (rest day for me, so no running), we headed across the street after lunch for a bit of bike practice (Sam is doing great!) and then off to Georgetown for our next exploration. I've really had to scour the internet for new and interesting places to check out within a 30 minute radius of home, but it has sent us to some cool spots. Monday's choice was Berry Woods Preserve, a piece of land managed by the Nature Conservancy with a trail out through the woods down to an old homestead spot along the Kennebec. Nice undulating woodlands with starflowers, wood anemone and blueberries blooming amongst the hardwoods, and some cool rock formations set amongst the large cedars and pines as we neared the river. Very quiet spot, obviously not seeing a lot of traffic, but lovely nonetheless for a walk through the woods. Stopped for ice cream on the way home, because, well, it's a holiday and why not?! (2.7 miles walked)
Kennebec views
At the water's edge by the stream we followed down to the river
Tuesday: Humid and overcast, but some beautiful color out in the woods. The rhodora out in the Heath is blooming as are the fringed polygala in the open woods. Gotta love that magenta! Was looking for ladyslippers, but none were seen along my route. Did spy another painted trillium though! Meandered around on the cart paths, the Heath trail, the back dirt road at Highland Green and the powerlines, just for something different. (7.0 miles)
Went into work for the day, and by the time I left around 3:15, it had warmed up significantly! Then, the three of us headed out for a short walk across the street on the powerlines before I had to get on a Zoom board meeting call at 5:00. First time out for a walk in short sleeves and a skort this season! (1.6 miles walked)
Thursday: 60 degrees at 5:30 am and very humid! Not a lot of air movement and when I stopped to go to pee partway through the run, the mosquitos were swarming! Ran the Lovers Lane powerlines loop. Tons of starflower and false lily of the valley blooming on the forest floor, along with several patches of wood anemone, two solitary painted trillium, three ladyslippers and the sweet scent of the flowering scrub bushes and the unfurling hay scented ferns in the air. Lovely. (7.0 miles)
Spent the rest of the day doing the typical Friday farmer's market, Target and Hannaford shopping, cleaning the house and doing laundry. Let Sam relax for the afternoon and did not get out for a walk. Finished up the day with strawberry shortcake for dessert! Yum! 😋🍓
Saturday: Had originally intended on a long run, but honestly my feeling when I woke up was "nah..." so I didn't 😂 Instead, drove over to the field house and ran out through the Commons and Coleman Farms and counted ladyslippers 😃 Much more fun! Oh yes, and it was 100% humidity and very soggy! Whew! So sweaty!! But seriously, despite that and the bugs, it is such a great time to be out running in the woods. Counted 292 ladyslippers 😍😍 , saw two deer, one Northern Flicker, one Hairy Woodpecker, plus a myriad of fringed polygala, false lily of the valley, false solomon seal, starflowers and wild geranium blooming, and enjoyed the Bobolink chattering out in the Pennelville fields. The air was thick with the sweet smell of lilacs and honeysuckle, and several of the rhododendron out on the Coleman Farm property were in bloom. (10.0 miles)
I knew that we'd be able to find more ladyslippers if we went out walking in the Commons, so after lunch and a bit of bike practice, we headed over there for a walk. As usual, our ladyslipper counting walk did not disappoint! 449 pink ladyslippers and 1 white one, the first I've ever seen! So cool 💗 Also found some beautiful patches of fringed polygala, rhodora, black chokeberry and a whole lot of starflowers. The mosquitos were out too, so we had to keep moving, but it was a lovely walk! (2.7 miles walked)
We finished up the day with takeout from Gurnet's - yum! Nothing says summer like delicious fried food 😋🍟
Sunday: Wrapped up the week with a really nice, almost normal feeling, day! We started out with a hike up Bald Mountain, over in Camden on the Georges Highland Path. I've been over there running/hiking, but neither Ryan or Sam have, and it truly is a great little hike, short and sweet and steep with beautiful views out across the hills and to the ocean. We didn't get a super early start, but lucked out with the last spot in the lot. The trail was definitely busy, but everyone was respectful and we just made a point to not stop and linger at the summit and elsewhere with more people. Sam did a great job leading the way up to the summit and then we meandered out to another viewpoint with some great views off into the distance. Spotted about 2 dozen ladyslippers, saw six cedar waxwing hanging out in an oak tree off the summit and just enjoyed the gloriously beautiful blue sky and the neon, new spring green leaves on the trees. Crisp and windy, with no humidity and cooler temps, plus sunshine made it perfect for hiking! (2.6 miles hiked)
So green!
Wild Sarsaparilla
Blue bead lilies
Looking over to Ragged
We headed over to eat lunch in the Snowbowl lot after our hike, and then made a stop at Moose Crossing on the way home to pick up some annuals to pot out front, plus a few natives to put in the garden beds. Had the chance to chat with Tyler for a bit, which was so nice! And it was wonderful to browse amongst the flowers! Always good for the soul 😀🌸
We ended up filling the wagon up 😂😃
And while, yes, it was a bit odd to have it feel so weird to be socializing, even at a distance, with friends, it was nonetheless truly wonderful. I can't wait until we are at a place where we can hug hello, but for now, an outside visit was perfect! 💕
No comments:
Post a Comment