Just Colors And Patterns - And A Mountain

It was windy on the water today, so I found a sheltered cove where the sun was strong but the wind couldn't reach me. 

Then it was just colors, patterns, and a mountain.

Perfect

There is absolutely no other day in the year that can compare to a perfect day in October:  waking up to frost on the grass, wisps of fog rising from the pond, a cloudless blue sky, warm afternoon sun lighting up leaves of red, gold, and rust against the green background of trees not yet changed.

Today was that day.

After working on our wood pile, we walked along the old Lead Mine Road in Andover NH into the Kearsarge Wildlife Management Area.  With turkey season still going, and moose season opening tomorrow, we met a few hunters along the road. Otherwise there was no sound but the wind in the trees and water running along the many little springs.

There is no gold like beech leaves in October

Small streams everywhere, running down Mount Kearsarge

Kearsarge porphyry is an amazing rock.

Mount Kearsarge watching over us

A mystery thrush, hiding her face from us

Someone lived here a long time ago.

The amazing buds of hobblebush - next year's leaves

No one was hunting this little guy

Baby yellow-rumped warbler, showing his yellow rump

Mount Kearsarge

First Snow, October 2018

Just this.  Woke up to turkeys scratching through the thin covering of snow.  Now there is a steady drip of meltwater off the roof.

Climbing Bog Mountain

It wasn't raining this morning (as I write this now I am looking out at rain pouring down on the pond) so we walked up Bog Mountain from the Stearns Road trailhead.  It is a beautiful mile up to the top, where there is a little library, of course.

Bog Mountain from the bottom doesn't look all that tough.

whorled aster

Mount Kearsarge, the anchor of Wilmot

Rock polypody fern

Why is Corydalis blooming now?

Sunapee ski trails

More Corydalis

Mt Kearsarge again

And back down again.  Bog Mountain from the larger Wilmot library