Disney vacation 2015

We recently vacationed at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, which was pretty nice. We went to the Magic Kingdom the first day. I was really looking forward to seeing the newest additions,but we ended up going to indoor shows and rushing to make the fast pass times and ran out of time that day. Dinner was at the Crystal palace at 4:00 so it cut into the park time a lot.
 We got to visit with Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore. So much fun!

 The second day, we went to the Animal Kingdom. It was a lot of fun, especially the Dinosaur ride! We went on the animal safari and a few other things but I ended up getting really sick (possibly from the food) and we went back to the hotel. I felt better after a few hours, but it was not magical :/

Magic Kingdom train ride

White rhino

Balloon trickery

 The third day, we went to Hollywood studios. It was a rainy day so the theaters were a bit packed. When the rain let up the air felt very warm and sticky. The favorite thing we did here was the Indiana Jones stunt show. We ate lunch at a 50's restaurant and had a really good day altogether!
 Sean and I later went out for Disney's extended hours, and went to the Magic Kingdom. There were hardly any lines at all and the air was much cooler. We saw the electric parade twice that time and were able to watch the entire parade without being rushed.

Magical hours

 Our last day was spent at EPCOT. It was a very hot day and we walked around a Lot! The area was full of lovely Spring flowers, along with it being the annual flower show there the entire park looked beautifully arranged. We saw several shows, including one about Nemo. It was done using large puppets, but it was done so well it was an  emotional show for every one there.
We ate dinner at the rotating garden restaurant. It was unique and a great dinner. Sean and his dad ended up being glad they didn't go back to the hotel as they whined about most of the day ;)
We went back to Sean's favorite part of Disney, the hotel pool! We let him stay in a little longer before heading to the room and packing up to go home the next day.

Wilderness falls

Spring 2015

School's final message!

close up of fence for photo class. needed pic of diagonals

photo for 'Lines"

cool pic of prism in branches

noticed web had 'Diagonals'

Spring walkabout

After the long winter we are still defrosting from, I have been taking walks around the neighborhood to capture Spring awakening once again.
 One of my favorite places is Moody Park, a serene place where people love to take leisurely walks, use the bike trails and to walk their dogs.
  I have been taking an online photography course and am learning how to use manual mode almost exclusively. It is frustrating at times, but the pics are getting better as I use it more.
Here are a few I recently took at and near the park in the past few weeks. i hope you enjoy looking at them, and your comments are always welcome :)

A couple walking their dog.

Mount Ascutney,Vt.

Runoff stream from melting snow.

Tree tops at sunset

Future site of Grace River church.

First rounds of Spring!

Maybe Spring is finally showing up in New England?..

The winter months were long, cold and snowy. I have been looking forward to sunny, warm days for about one hundred days! Now that April is here and the snow is slowly melting, I have been out taking photos of the neighborhood as an excuse to get fresh air. I have signed up for a few facebook photo groups and often post pics there, but mostly just want to get out and try to improve my shooting skilz ;)
here are a few pics i took these past few weeks.

We tapped about 20 maple trees for sugaring. Most of them are on the Walkers' property in Cornish.
We made between 4-5 gallons of syrup, which took about 160-200 gallons of raw sap to make.

Drilling hole for tap.

Placing tap in place.

Checking bucket for sap.

Clear sap flowing from maple tree.

Pouring sap into bucket.

Boiling off water to make syrup.

Freezing nights and warm days help sap run best.

Boiling down sap.

It was quite a task, but we really enjoy fresh syrup so it was worth the work.

Other signs of spring are the dirty snow piles and mud puddles all around, as well as the flocks of birds looking for roosting places. The squirrels and chipmunks are still visiting the bird feeders but I haven't seen them try climbing the pole since we put petroleum jelly on it.

Fat tree rat

Birds migrating northward.

sparkling puddle of melted snow.

Reflection in snowy puddle.

Robin looking for a bite.

My husband took our son ice fishing for the first time. They went to Deering Reservoir in NH with some friends. My son was quite excited to have caught two bass! Their friends caught five, but my son felt sorry for the fish fighting to breathe out on the ice so he threw one back in the hole :/ oops!

I am looking forward to seeing new flowers bloom and for trees to grow new leaves. the air will soon be filled with the scent of fresh growth and sounds of birds being twitterpated once again :)
Here are a few more photos I have taken so far this season, and hope to add more as I get out to enjoy life more. I think the depression I have been feeling is finally lifting and I can breathe a bit easier.

Rays of sunshine!

Visit from friends while my daughters visited :)

Flag waving in the spring breeze.

For a photo lesson on geometric shapes.

One of the bass he caught!

Happy Spring!

Winter in New hampshire,2015. COLD!

 This has been another frigid, freezing winter, just like last year!
 With the polar vortex shooting frigid air and dumping massive amounts of snow our way. Well, maybe not massive amounts, but enough to make me whine about it.
 Temps have been below 20 degrees F. for several months, more days have been hovering closer to zero and below than not.
 Snow storms have blown through, causing school to be closed and slippery roads to avoid driving on.
 Most of my pics have been taken either through my porch window or van on my way home from work, as I refuse to drive in this muck!
 I know. I live in New England and am used to having snow every year. Let's just say I am older now and do not appreciate the cold any more than when i was younger.
I did appreciate the cupcakes, card and lovely flowers my hubby gave me for my birthday, as well as Valentine's day <3

So far, the highlights of Winter have been , my son's team won the grade 3-4 basketball championship . They won every game except one, and they won against that team to win the final championship game!

Watching all the birds gather around the feeders has also been a favorite past time. We have juncos,cardinals, sparrows, blue jays, yellow finches, and mourning doves. Their preference is mostly sunflower seeds, but we mix them with other seeds as well. 

And, watching the tree rats (squirrels) search for their frozen nuts can be comical.

So, while the chilly air is keeping us housebound, and I am starting to get cabin fever, there are some things keeping me sane. February vacation starts today and I have a few things planned, including a trip from my daughter flying in from SC tonight! YAY!! I will probably post about that next week, when I am lamenting how quickly winter break passes ;)
This pic was taken when my daughter was about 3. e were sledding in the County in Maine.

This was when I didn't mind the cold so much, but ended up frostbitten a few times.We don't have the sleds any more, but may go snow tubing at the Arrowhead. http://www.arrowheadnh.com/It is a small operation, but perfect for us.
 Have a lovely day. Stay warm.
Blessings,
Lori LC