Thankful Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving with plenty of goodies, and pleasant conversation.  Thanksgiving for my family was at my house this year.   Of course the turkey was the guest of honor, with colorful side dishes surrounding her.   After the meal we all went for a great hike on one of my favorite routes.  We visited the cabin I've blogged about in the past.    Unfortunately my niece and nephew missed because they decided to stay back at the house, watching TV!   

Anyway the rest of us enjoyed the simple pleasures of the crisp Novemeber day.  The magic of the woods, and just being together.

This photo is of my cats(Merle, Casey, and Twyla).  I had let them sleep on my bed with me the night before.  I rarely do.  I got out of bed, and THEY slept in.

Think it's cold here?

If you think it's cold here, imagine being at the top of Mt. Washington!  Yikes, it's -7 degrees F, with a windchill of -41!  I can not imagine even venturing out to the observation deck today.  

Here in Walpole it's not even 20 F.  I think if it's going to be this cold so early in the season, we should have snow too.  What do you think?

I took this picture up on Derry Hill, in Walpole the other day. I was out hunting when I cam across this large Beech tree.  I could envision that bear hugging the tree as he climbed up.  I found a couple of recent piles of bear skat nearby.  Though these scratches are not new, I know there are a number of Black Bear in this area.   If they haven't gone to sleep for the winter already, they will very soon.

As for my luck hunting, well I have had none.  While I'm out there sitting beneath the pines, my ears play tricks on me.  The wind, the squirrels, and chipmunks all make me question what I'm hearing.  It seems the deer are just beyond where I can see.  They are very tricky.  Because I can't sit still for long because of the cold, I try to sneak up on the sounds.  When I get to where I think the sound came from, I either find recent skat, or no sign of anything at all.

Yesterday I decided to just go for a hike, not hunting.  I found yet another tree stand where I'd never seen one.  This stand had to be at 20' off the ground in an Oak tree.  It was very old, and had raccoon skat on it.  It was constructed of wood, that had been overcome by moss.  The ladder was hand made with metal scraps that were welded together.  The stand must have been nice at one time.  Not safe now though.

Where did October Go?

I can not believe it has been over a month since my last post!  Yikes!  Alot has bappened since then, and I guess I got caught up in the busy-ness of it.  I gave up my job as a Loss Prevention Manager - just not for me.  I'm back at the Humane Society surrounded by my furry friends.   The quality of life with animals far surpasses that of the grocery world.  

When I awoke yesterday to hear the news of our new president, I felt the hopeful energy of the entire United States.  On so many levels, Obama's victory is a victory for every person in this nation.  I'm looking forward to the future of the USA.   I think this hope is shared with so many people. 

I've been hiking almost every weekend, albeit short 1-2  hour hikes.  I enjoyed revisiting one of my favorite steep hikes in Hancock, Bald(or Ball?) Mtn.  The view is pictured  above.   On that afternoon, bright sunshine and a light breeze made the afternoon perfect.   I passed several hikers also taking advantage of the fall warmth.   

The following weekend, I ventured over to Bald Mtn. in Marlow, a.k.a. the "Marlow Profile".   This hike also had a steep section with large rock faces.  There were people scaling the face with ropes, and caribiners.   It looked like alot of fun.  I haven't done any rock climbing since college, but as I recall, really neat.   The view from the top of Bald Mtn. is not as breathtaking as Hancock, nevertheless a lovely view especially in fall.  Unfortunately I did not get pictures because my camera batter was 10-2!   I will go back up there again before year's end and properly photograph the area for you.