Author: Bridgette Mathews

Sharing a few shots from last weekend’s adventures up in North Conway, NH.   Let’s see what this weekend’s adventures will bring!

Diana’s Baths

Diana’s Baths

Early morning from White Mountain Hotel

Star trails at Conway Scenic Railroad

Here’s a little sunrise from the other morning at Long Beach to give us a little boost through Wednesday!

On my way home from NH yesterday we took the back roads through Rye, Salisbury and Newburyport to see if we could see any snowy owls hanging about.  We didn’t find any snowys but we were lucky enough to catch the Barred Owl that has been sighted at the Parker River Wildlife Refuge at the Hellcat Trail.   He was tucked in behind a bunch of branches but he was content to just sit and bask in the warm sun…and we were content to sit and watch him!

The sun and snow were at odds yesterday afternoon as we were driving through the White Mountains.   Took this leaving lunch at the Mt. Washington Hotel which made for a pretty winter scene.   Heading back home today…back to the grind tomorrow but enjoyed my few days out of dodge!

Waiting for sunrise on Long Beach the other morning and the Cape Ann Motor Inn was sparkling during the morning blue hour.

I’m sorry to report that Neil’s (aka Yukon Cornelius) adventure up to Mt Washington was cancelled today!  The crew has had an extremely difficult 36 hours attempting to open up the road to allow passage up to the Observatory but as of 1am this morning winds had gusted on multiple occasions to a peak of 127 mph with visibility of less than 50 feet.   With conditions not expecting to improve significantly throughout the weekend they will also be unable to bring down the Observatory President and film crew who have been stranded there since Wednesday.  On the upside Neil gets to hang out with his adoring wife this weekend and try again the first weekend in April!!

Ok, so I love a little adventure…but my husband really has lost it.  Neil has spent a few years hoping to get on the list to be able to head to the Mt. Washington Observatory in the winter which is something that has been on his “bucket list” for a while. He is going to spend 2 days and 1 night at the Mt. Washington Observatory hiking around and with any luck he’ll get some photos of a lifetime! It’s about 6288 feet above sea level and a 4.25 mile ascent up the mountain in a snow cat. The good news today is that the weather right now is pretty mild…only 92 mph winds and -22 windchill lol! The list of items he has to bring is lengthy and should he not have the right gear when he gets there they will not let him up, so he’s been researching and acquiring his gear for about 2 months now. He has been told to be prepared to extend his stay should they not be able to get him down. Where will I be while I wait for him to return? In front of a warm toasty fireplace with a good book!!

It’s almost Friday and the skies are clearing…have a great day!

Sunday is the best day of the week in my book…even better that we get to sit around with some good grub, a roaring fire and cheer on the PATS!  GO PATS!!

It’s a perfect, mild morning for wandering a bit.

Few shots from Parker River Wildlife Sanctuary on Monday morning at sunrise.   Sandy Point is a great spot for sunrise right now.

Finally got to visit this adorable little screech owl that’s been hunkering down in Newburyport since the beginning of December!   I’ve never seen one before so it was a treat to watch him hang out a bit! So sweet!

I’m not much of a nature photographer because it takes a lot of patience…and I will be the first to admit that I could use to practice a little more patience!  But this weekend nature just seems to be finding me.  I decided that since I had the day off I’d head over the Parker River in Newburyport with my friend Helen and catch a sunrise, but as we were driving out Helen pointed out these white tailed deer that were hanging around the frosty marsh.   Parker River Wildlife Reservation is a great place to explore cause you never know what you might see!  Next time maybe a Snowy Owl!   

It’s a bitter cold weekend up here in North Conway…-6 when I got up this morning, but it has warmed up to a balmy 10 degrees!  Doesn’t matter what the weather is, it’s always a great day when you can be outside, whether it be skiing, snowshoeing or just hanging out with my camera!    These pics I’m sharing today are taken a couple years ago and I chose to share them because if you love trains or just love photo ops, each year the Mass Railroad puts on a “Steam in the Snow” at the Conway Scenic Railroad in North Conway, NH.    It’s a ride through Crawford Notch and the train stops at a few spots along the way, everyone gets off, then it backs up and comes through with full steam so everyone can get some great pics!   The steam engine is under repair right now but it’s supposed to be ready for next year so if you are interested, check back in with the Mass Railroad and the Conway Scenic Railroad towards the end of next summer because it sells out fast.   Stay warm today!!

This morning’s slushy view of high tide from the Rotary.  The winds were so strong I almost lost my glasses! lol!

It’s a frosty high tide on the Causeway this morning.   There’s a sheen of ice over the river creating some pretty reflections.   Days like this I wish I brought my big girl camera with me 😀

Got my snow removal chores done so I think I’m going to dig my snow shoes out for a adventure this afternoon!  Today reminds me of a day a couple years back when some friends and I snow shoed down to Annisquam Light after a storm on a sub-zero day!   Have a great sunday!

Went in to my workout with clear pavement and came out to a dusting of snow.   Just enough in my book!