Category Archives: Nature: Plants and Animals, Backyard, Woods, and River

Nature is a broad category that covers observations in my backyard, local rivers, and any other outdoor area.

A Short Winter Walk

Yesterday I experienced a sudden moment of health consciousness. I’m overweight and under-exercised. I find every excuse in the book to remain at home and do ‘inside things’. Instead of going outside I worked on an upcoming blog series and … Continue reading

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Turtles of the Wood River

Yesterday (June 11, 2015) was my first day on the river this year. It was a long time coming. I decided to go for an easy paddle up the Wood River in Hope Valley, RI. I put in at the Wood-Pawcatuck … Continue reading

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Kayaking the Wood River

As of a couple of weeks ago I had been kayaking exactly two times for the entire summer. It can be a lot of work. The list goes sort of like this: Take the kayak off the wall in the … Continue reading

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Summer in Hope Valley, Rhode Island

Note: This posting includes audio clips that are actual recordings of animals heard (sometimes also seen) in my backyard. Please click on play buttons to listen. How do I know it is summer? I could cheat and take a look … Continue reading

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Scouting Kayak Launch Sites in Hopkinton, RI

    This is not an exhaustive review of the many places in Rhode Island where you can launch a kayak. Plenty of web resources have done that already. It is just a short recounting of my search for a … Continue reading

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A Walk in the Neighborhood

My recent retirement from the world of work has made me give a bit more thought to how long I will be able to appreciate my new freedom. My expanding waist and failing cholesterol grades have forced me to consider the ‘E’ … Continue reading

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What’s In Your Backyard?

What’s in your backyard?  I’ll bet there is more than you might be aware of.  You just have to take the time to walk around and look.  Sometimes it involves crawling behind bushes or stalking an animal that is all … Continue reading

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Attack of the Killer Drones

What makes you queasy or freaked out? For some people it can be as little as a dirty diaper in need of changing. For others it is the sight of blood or the smell of vomit. The situation that is … Continue reading

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It was a quiet week in Hope Valley

Saturday, 04:23 pm.  My neighbor out back is home.  I can tell by the surging roar of his power washer.  It must be at least 100,000 psi.  I expect to see one of his wall studs to come flying overhead … Continue reading

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Walking…Henry David Style

Henry David Thoreau once wrote a very short book (booklet?) called Walking  It begins innocently enough as he attempts to educate the reader on his own personal style of walking that ignored the boundaries of fences and property. It was a … Continue reading

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