Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

My great-nephew, Zach, sent me this shot yesterday. He carved his jack-o-lantern in honor of his favorite footbal team. That would be University of Oklahoma.
I hope you all have a pleasant visit from the small and spooky people tonight, and if you are the one’s out–have a good time.

Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

This photo doesn’t really go with either haiku, but I like the moon in it.
I couldn’t photograph the stairwell in the first one, it is a very real place. The second haiku is about something too fleeting to photograph, but I am sure we have all experienced it.

in the dark stairwell
something from the past lingers
unsettling to me

a sudden vision
from the corner of my eye
of what is to come

for more unseen haiku go here.

Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

I was up before the turkeys this morning since I forgot to change the clocks last night. Even though it is still kind of dark, I wanted to see if I could get this shot.
This bush with the red berries is a favorite breakfast spot for the turkeys. They come to it each morning after they flutter down from their their tree. You can see that they lower branches are already bare. When they can’t reach up anymore, they fly up and grab the upper berries. By mid winter, the bush is bare. When I was taking a closeup shot the other day, a flock of robins was feasting. It is across the street from me, so can’t see what other smaller birds feed there.

Below is the closeup of the bush. I think it is winterberry, but not sure. Let me know if it isn’t.

Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

More about out mountain outing on Thursday–
If you have ever been to North Conway,New Hampshire, you will know it is a small resort town, with lots of outlet shopping malls. The town is nestled in a valley with high mountains on both sides. There is a ski area just off the main street, a train station with foliage tours leaving from the town square, and lots of good places to eat.
One of our very first stops each year is a complex of buildings called the Handcrafters Barn. Everything there is artisan made, and displayed well. If you are in North Conway, this place is worth a visit. The angel is out front, don’t miss it.
Remember last week when I was using my nikon coollpix on the museum setting to photograph the gourds? Well, I forgot to change the setting, so the greeter at the barn is kind of blurry.

Meet Cornbread!

mtwashington
Originally uploaded by tomygardenpath.

This time every year, three of my good friends and I take a shopping trip to North Conway, New Hampshire. We have been doing this since our children grew up and left home. The day includes looking at whatever we want, and a leisurely lunch at a nice place.
So, yesterday, we left southern Maine early in the morning, and headed west, across the mountains. The weather was clear and beautiful. It was in the high 40’s, and so still that the ponds and even the Saco River, when we passed looked like they were made of glass.
When we got to North Conway village, we could see activity up on Mt. Washington. The clouds hung around the top of the mountain all day, and I think there must have been snow showers going on. I know that they were predicted for the higher elevations. Meanwhile, we were under a bright sunny sky, with just of few of those big, white fluffy clouds that look so good in photos. The wind did pick in the afternoon, but the temperature didn’t drop.

Click on the photo above to see a larger view of the Presidential Range. This is what we saw all day, isn’t it lovely?

More about our lady’s day out tomorrow.