Otisfield, Maine

Oxford, Maine

Wildlife in Parker River Wildlife Refuge

Today I tried out a lens which I got at a yard sale a while back. It's a Sigma 75-200mm push/pull zoom with manual focus. It took some effort to maintain the focus on the subject of the photograph but I got used to this pretty quick. I also had some trouble with chromatic aberration which I believe is due to having neglected the aperture function which is built into the lens itself rather than being a setting within the camera like I am used to.

I took the lens out in the hopes of taking some photos of wildlife at Parker River Wildlife Refuge in Newbury, MA.

A bird's nest suspended above the sand dunes.

A red-tailed hawk keeps a close watch over the salt marsh

Two otters slink through the reeds in a freshwater pool.

One of the otters stops to have an afternoon snack.

The otters watch the humans as the humans watch the otters.




Overall the photos didn't come out quite like I'd hoped but I think they are alright for my first time using this yard sale find.

Oddities in the Woods: Amesbury, MA

It's the beginning of the New Year and winter feels as if it has just begun here in Amesbury. On a few wintry walks I took some photographs which could be summed up as oddities in the woods.

We are all used to seeing vertical trees standing strong and tall. What I like about this first image is that it bends our expectations. This fallen pine tree brought the earth with it and challenges our perception of which way the trees should be reaching.

Although the snow crystals and the mushrooms have similar forms, you can sense their difference in texture. While the mushrooms are organic, vibrant and soft, the snow is geometric and lifeless. The beauty of the winter woods often lies in the small bits of colorful life that can be found in unexpected places.

As the daylight turns to delicate gold, the snow melts slowly off of mossy bark.

In the shadow of a snowstorm, a vine climbs up this tree like a snake, stopping the snowy wind in its tracks.

Mount Agamenticus: A February Hike

On an unseasonably warm day in February, I hiked up Mount Agamenticus in southern Maine. It's a great way to stop off if you are going up 95 and could use a break to walk around a bit and see a great view of the White Mountains and the Maine coast at the same time.

I found these deer tracks on the hike up the less travelled backside of the mountain.

Agamenticus was once a ski mountain so several of the trails follow the old rope tows up the slopes. 

At the top, the sun shined through the trees as they towered over me,

This is the view looking over into New Hampshire from this peak in southern Maine. 

The rope tow leads down the northern slope as you look out deeper into Maine.

On the Road: Portraits of my Dad

My dad and I recently took a road trip through Massachusetts and Rhode Island. These are some of the photos I took of him along the way.

Roger Williams Park Zoo

On a road trip this weekend with my dad we stopped a the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, RI. Although photography was not my ultimate aim for our visit, I snapped some casual pictures of the animals. It's a great zoo and is half price in January and February. It's a great time to go since there are no crowds. 

Snowstorm in Newburyport

January at Jamaica Pond

On a walk with my husband and brother in law, I snapped these with a smart phone camera.

Surry Dam - Keene, NH

 Ashuelot River coming out of Surry Dam

Surry Mountain Lake from the top of the dam

Easter at Plum Island

Nightfall on Oberlin St

Two scenes from the winter sunset on Oberlin St in Worcester, MA

My Street in the Snowiest City in the US

This morning, after yet another snow storm, I thought it was time to venture out into the icy tundra of Worcester, MA and seek out some pictures to show how much snow we have received.

The view from my third floor porch. The neighbors fence has been disappearing more and more with each snow storm. There simply is no where to put it.

As you walk down the sidewalks, the snowbanks tower of you quite literally.

A long leaf has somehow survived to see the sun in this icy tundra.

The roads have been plowed and yet, have they?

Although it was sunny it was -8 degrees when I went out. It is not very welcoming outdoors at all but worth going out to document this historic season of snow!

Little Purgatory

These photos were taken on a wintry walk at Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, MA.

We are teetering between the time of ice and water. Running water rolls uncovered into ponds that are ringed with ice.

In a small enclave at Little Purgatory... 

Nearby a message awaits those who take the time to look around.

Icy Puddle in December

This large ice-covered puddle at Purgatory Chasm first caught my attention because of the beautiful patterns that reflected light in natural but geometric forms. Leaves suspended in the ice remind us that fall has only recently passed but that winter is already upon us.