October 9 in this year of crazy weather:

… A hot air balloon over the neighbor’s field, October 9.

October 29:

… Nor’easter dumping record amounts of snow, October 29.

Enough said!

Most people who know me are aware I don’t do holiday decorating. It just never excited me, not to mention the fact that I have enough stuff lying around the house that I actually use; I really don’t need more stuff lying around for little to no purpose. But like a person who doesn’t want kids of their own but loves babysitting or teaching, there’s no reason I can’t turn on a bit of the “spirit” (bad Halloween pun, sorry) and get my decorating kicks at work.

Last week I happened to wander downstairs to find Elaine and Desi deep in decorating bliss as they arranged Halloween items in the glass display case near the library entrance. Somehow I got drawn into this and actually had fun arranging the books and fake leaves and orange pod-things. The haunted house was especially awesome, but it needed some “life” (death?) in the form of a ghost or skeleton.

So tonight I brought in two Lego skeletons to add to the display. We have one chilling out on the second floor balcony, and one opening the front door to find out what all the commotion is about. (“Oh, just another insane library patron ranting and raving, nothing new to see here.”) I was also planning to bring a Lego ghost (glow in the dark, awesome!) but my ghosts are currently MIA.

Thanks to Elaine, Desi and Kathy for a spectacularly spooky display and a fun night of lunacy at the library!

… View of the entire case.

… View featuring Elaine’s haunted house, my Lego skeletons, and Mary’s glow in the dark bat (look in the tree).

… Right hand side of the case, featuring the skull, tombstones, and Elaine’s Edward Gorey book that I want.

… Slightly different view of the right hand side of the case.

… The middle of the case, featuring books, and the skeletons are peeking in there too!

After yesterday’s spotting of a Northern Flicker (I know they’re common around here, but we haven’t seen one in the yard in a long time) I was interested in seeking out more interesting birds. We hadn’t hiked at the new Archbald Regional Park in a few months so we headed there to check out the trail conditions for possible mountain biking later in the week. It just so happens that the park’s small ponds are also typically good spots for bird watching.

We stayed cool and dry while hiking the short wooded trails near the parking lot, but even out in the open conditions were picture-perfect, sunny and dry. The trails are mostly dry too, and will be excellent for biking after a few more dry days. As soon as we reached the twin ponds, Rich noticed a duck and some other birds along the shoreline that turned out to be killdeer and a green heron. We watched the heron for at least half an hour as he waded into the water and then popped back onto shore. We got close enough to see him snatch and then wrestle with a fish that must have been a large meal for him. It took him ten minutes of maneuvering before he could finally swallow the slippery critter! Perched atop a little wooden birdhouse on the far shore we spotted a dull-blue and white bird that resembled a small kingfisher, but we still haven’t identified it. And a great blue heron soared over the other birds before disappearing into a marsh to the north. I see them frequently and it always amazes me that such a large, graceful bird is so common here. We also found a red-winged blackbird atop a tree near the pond as we resumed our hike around the park.

Our evening hours were spent at Lackawanna State Park, where we found and hiked a short portion of the North Woods Trail. It was new to both of us. With daylight leaving quickly and having gotten a sense of how the trail would be for mountain biking, we bushwhacked straight up the hill to emerge at the old amphitheater near the campgrounds. I wanted to search for the spot where my father and I discovered entire thickets of huge, sweet blackberries, many years ago. We found the spot but sadly, very few blackberries. They must have been choked out by the surrounding weeds. Near the campground we found several more fruitful bushes, the nearby grass already trampled by berry pickers (or, as Rich suggested and I preferred to imagine it, bears). It was a beautiful, peaceful walk in the park, as they always are, followed by ice cream (again, as usual). And another great blue heron flew over us while we walked near the dam.

Recently most of our energy has been devoted to traveling, moving, and a host of other time-consuming activities, so it’s been rare for us to find much time for hiking. But this afternoon was so sunny and warm that we were quite easily inspired to head up the mountain to the Eales Preserve. We hiked the Conglomerate Loop and the Stonehenge Trail, of course along with the gravel roads required to get to and from the parking area. Mountaintop breezes made the conditions pleasant despite the high humidity—and no ticks found us! Rich and I agreed that it this particular loop was a bit rockier than we’d prefer for mountain biking, but there are many more trails in the area to investigate. Wildlife sightings today were few, but we saw at least three varieties of colorful mushrooms and several stands of Indian Pipe that were sadly past their prime, their dull black withered heads turned toward the sky. I still always like to see them. And we snacked on sweet blueberries along many of the trails.

It’s been a brutal winter, but we finally had almost two days with temperatures in the 50s. Time to bring out the shorts!!!

… Jubilation!

This week’s puzzle was a gift from my mother. It features a moose (of course), loons and loonlings, a cabin, canoes: it’s a real Maine scene. And it was a reasonably tough puzzle.

… How many loons can you spot?!

It has been a LONG, cold winter. Biking has been out of the question since New Year’s Day, and walks around town have been our only semi-adventures over the past six weeks (with all the ice on the sidewalks, it’s actually more “adventurous” than one would expect). We have turned our attention to jigsaw puzzles. We finally completed the “Acadia” puzzle John bought for us at Jordan Pond House and then carried all the way back on his bike. Easier than some of our other puzzles, it was still a challenge at times, and it was interesting and fun to piece together all the little scenes while reminiscing about our favorite vacation spot. Thanks again, John!!!

… We fully enjoyed our mid-winter "visit" to Acadia!

Today’s short walk took us along Breaker Road to Winton, where Rich played some more with his new camera. Clouds moved in quickly as we walked, although the day stayed warm. We have to make the most of these dry days, especially at this time of year!

… Rich always manages to find color, even in the bleakest of scenes.

… I probably didn’t need the winter coat today.

… This moose has only one antler!

Yesterday was a frigid, blustery day with snow flurries and arctic winds. This morning, even though it was cold, the air was calm and the sun was out. Rich and I needed to get out of the house, so we decided to take a little walk around town and experiment with the new camera I gave him for his birthday.

Our walk took us down to the River Trail at Decker’s Bridge, then west to Mellow Park, where we walked the newly resurfaced trail alongside the river. We crossed the bridge over the river and hiked back along the railroad tracks and back home via Church Street. Even on these short hikes around town, we find plenty to comment on and usually discover something new.

… Finally! It’s about time there were some food stands along the River Trail. This gas station was recently remodeled and now features a Nathan’s hot dog stand and an ice cream stand.

… In Mellow Park near the bridge over the river.

… Trying out the camera on my new phone!

… This is one moose that doesn’t like the cold weather!