green biker, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I went for a nice long walk today, all the way up to the sculptures on the bike trail. It was relatively mild, compared with what we've had lately. I didn't manage to make it out while the sun was still shining, but that's OK. It was a good walk.

I was listening to the audiobook of Casanova, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch, thanks to grrlfriday. There was much giggling. And sighing. It's just perfect.

I've been watching some of the Olympics, but so far I haven't really been wowed by anything. Some of the commentators crack me up with their enthusiasm, and a lot of them really annoy me (especially when they criticize the athletes). I understand why some people are refusing to watch; I very much disagree with the policies of Russia, too. But for me it's about the athletes, not the politics or the sponsors. They all worked hard to get there, and I want to celebrate their victories and accomplishments with them. It's not their fault that the venue is in a questionable place.

underpass, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

I joined urbpan and a few others this morning along the Muddy River in Boston for an urban nature walk, as part of my get-out-and-do-stuff-different initiative. It was the perfect day for it, and it's a lovely park that goes along a street I've traveled many times, 'though I've never explored there before.

Getting there was a challenge, as today was also the huge walk for hunger event that had Commonwealth Ave. blocked off, and no matter how I tried to get around it, I kept hitting police barriers. It was also the first time I tried using Siri for driving directions, and I fear I confused the heck out of her. I ended up backtracking and getting back on Storrow Drive, where I could take an exit that took me over Comm Ave instead of through it. I made it just in time!

We walked up and down the paths along the river, which has several lovely old stone bridges and lots of great old trees. We saw lots of birds, including a Flicker and a Great Blue Heron, and some wildlife, including a muskrat and a couple of turtles.







asakiyume, you should recognize this:



urbpan took a branch that looked like the one on the left (above) and put it in the water while we walked. When he retrieved it, the black spots had swollen into the mushrooms you see on the right! That was pretty cool.

It was great to meet another LJ friend in the flesh, especially one whose posts on nature I have enjoyed so much. Yet another reason I'm glad to be back in eastern Mass.

This afternoon, I went to the dollar store and bought some more flower bulbs, and also planted some morning glory & moonflower seeds. More flowers!

witch hazel, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

Even though it feels like winter has been endless, I saw signs today that it will end. Melting snow, green things poking out of the ground, and these witch hazel blossoms brightening up the park. I took a nice long walk today, and it felt good to be moving. This winter had made me a slug, with the sidewalks and paths covered in snow and ice much of the time. Maybe by next weekend, I'll be able to get out into the woods! That would make me very happy.

above the river, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

The sun eventually came out today, and it ended up a nice day for a walk in the woods. The water's high again though, so I was disappointed to not be able to walk the river path. If I'd had my boots on, I could probably have picked my way across the rocks, but I really didn't fancy getting wet feet so I didn't.

Spent some time at the library yesterday, playing some more with the iPad. Still figuring things out on it, but having fun doing so. I downloaded a whole bunch of free books from Kindle, including some Poe, Walden, the Andrew Lang fairy books, and more. I found the app that will allow me to borrow ebooks from the library.

I also found some fun photography apps that apply effects to photos. So I have things to play with on it when I don't have access to wifi. :)

sliver of a rainbow, originally uploaded by Lizzie~Belle.

What a gorgeous day today. I had the windows open at the office all day, and pined away in my cubicle because I would so much rather have been outside, rambling around fields and woods.

I went for a long walk right after supper, heading down West Silver Street to look for morvenwestfield's grandparents' houses. Her grandfather's house is gone, but I found her grandmother's, on a street I'd never been down before. It's a nice little street, with woods and the river across from the house. I saw the above rainbow on the way there; a woman saw it too and ran into her house for her camera. We both took pictures of it. :)

There was a beautiful sky the whole walk home.