Missing Home

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For some reason today, I find myself missing Ulster County, NY...also known as home.   I miss some of the places, but also the friends, old and new there. So, I'm posting this photo from 2011 that is one of my photos that really makes me think of home.  It's Perrine's Bridge, just a few miles from the house I grew up in.

I'm certainly enjoying my travels, but sometimes it hits me how far from home I am.  It's not just Ulster County itself that I miss, but also its proximity to so many other people and places that I enjoy, including my parents, brother, sisters, and extended family.

So hi to everyone back home.  I hope you're enjoying the spring.  Feel free to take a moment and say hi back.

Perrine's Bridge, Rifton, New York, USA

 

Springtime in Alaska

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Tonsina Point, along Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska
Here is a story of turning folly into art.  I, for once, picked up a guide book this morning, and saw that there was a hike to a place called Tonsina Point, and it said the hike was about 1.5 miles each way, and not strenuous.  Just my speed.  So without any further research, I punched it into the GPS, and off I went.  The hike was uneventful, until I got to the destination.  Wow, what a beautiful scene I saw when I came out of the woods.  I walked over a shallow stream bed with no problems, and out to the bay.  I found a log to sit on, there was an eagle in a tree that I took some photos of, and I just chilled out, enjoying the peacefulness.  A couple walked by, I said hello, they said hello, and all was well.  After about an hour, I decided I might as well head back, and give myself plenty of time to leisurely drive back to Palmer, where I will be staying with friends again tonight.
When I got almost back to the main trail, I looked down, and the shallow stream bed wasn’t so shallow any longer.  In just an hour, it had gained a few inches of water, and there were no options to make it across easily without getting wet in some way.  If you look at the photo, I was standing near the log in the center, and needed to get to where the grass is in the bottom of the photo.  So I stepped on the gray stones, then made it over to the grassy patch in the water, and was at an impasse.  Do I take over my shoes and socks and roll up my pants?  Do I leap for it?  I finally decided to leap for it.  One leg made it.  One didn’t.  My left leg went into the water, almost up to my knee, and I scampered up the hill.  Luckily, it wasn’t too cold, and so I wasn’t risking sickness by getting that wet.  It was a tense moment though, that’s for sure.  I guess things change quickly in springtime in Alaska!
So, I turned around, naturally still with camera over shoulder, and initially just wanted to take a snapshot of what I had just gotten across.  When I looked through the viewfinder, I realized it was quite a photogenic scene anyway, and took the time to compose a nice shot.  So, this one will always be an interesting memory for me!
I hope you enjoy the photo.  And that you’re still reading this.  :)
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Homer Spit

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Seen at Homer Spit, Homer, Alaska With my lack of research before going to a place, I rarely know what to expect when I head to a town I've never been to before.  I certainly did not expect that today would involve watching some bald eagles dragging a fish carcass out of a body of water and taking turns eating it.

I must admit, I loved how you can see the fish's eye in the photo.

 

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