Sunday, June 13, 2010

Waiting On Summer

Graduation has come and gone, the lupines are going to seed and my calendar says it's the middle of June. SO, why doesn't the weather act like it? Today, we were set up at the Sugar Hill Lupine Festival Open Air Market and I had a sweatshirt on. People who know me are probably picking their collective jaws off the floor after reading this but it was downright cool. The sun made only fleeting appearances most of the day and there was a constant breeze. On the plus side, it didn't rain and any day we can get the tent down and back into the truck dry is a good one. I had a couple of after thoughts about our vacation. First and foremost, it wasn't long enough. They never are. Secondly, I forgot to mention how we were privileged to experience a "pack howl" while at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary in Naples, FL. It started with a tentative attempt from Mark, our guide but was soon picked up by a couple of nearby wolves and before we knew it, most of the animals had their noses pointed skyward. It was electrifying and the hairs literally stood up on my arms and the back of my neck. And, like so many other wonderful experiences, it was over much too quickly. Now, back in New Hampshire, it's been tough to find inspiration for my camera although this little fox was sort of intriguing. For the most part,I approve of people feeding wild animals during the lean winter months but this guy has a regular route he travels, along the road, mind you, from the Appalachian Mountain Club ( who should know better ) at the top of Crawford Notch to Fabyan's Station with a stop at the Zealand campground in there as well. We were told this by a guy, in a vehicle, on the side of the road who was tossing bits of food to him as we spoke. Sadly, this kind of reinforcing behavior can only lead to the beautiful red fox ending up as road kill. We'll be in Sugar Hill on Saturday and Sunday, the 19th and 20th. Come visit and we can talk "pictures".