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pawtuckawaylake9“Bird Island”, one of the many little islets in the lake.

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pawtuckawaylakeiiLooking down towards the other end of this long lake.

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pawtuckawayfish1Curious little fish in the shallows. (Banded Sunfish?)

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pawtuckawaybeach3At one end of the lake is Nottingham Town Beach.

pawtuckawaybeach4A well camouflaged Pickerel Frog on the banks.

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History of Pawtuckaway Lake

20200528_132210A young Ganoderma tsugae, Reishi mushroom.

IMG_20200607_001334_873A shy cottonmouth, aka water moccasin.

20200612_102708~2Wild terrestrial orchid, “Pink lady’s-slipper”

20200613_214848A Snapping turtle waiting to cross the path.

20200612_111429A maturing Reishi mushroom.

20200520_150854Entrance to Demon Pond.

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img_20200525_233146_447A beaver lodge.

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20200520_152849This particular place had a nice feeling to it. The water level is above you as you walk past the beaver dam in the background, holding back Demon Pond.

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20200520_155647Young Alder trees.

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It’s been a while since the beaches opened up and here in Maine I noticed that the ocean had a much greener hue to it than usual. There were intense heat waves this Spring that must have been good conditions for phytoplankton. The temperature of the water was surprisingly warm for June, yet hardly any people and no one swimming.

img_20200525_231958_121A two mile long path unfolds through wetlands, logging trails and high ridges overlooking beaver marshes. The one hundred and ten acres of land is managed by the Conservation Commission and Forestry Committee. It was created by volunteers in 1991.

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20200522_132325A vernal pond under the heavy canopy of an old growth section of forest.

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20200526_125333At the highest point, one can see down this steep ridge to a vast marshland in the distance.

20200526_125754There are lots of sunny patches in this forest due to “skid trails” or wood harvested areas.

20200526_125830The last harvest was done in 1990.

20200526_130615A tightly grouped cluster of young maples along the path.

20200526_123654Some of the vegetation includes poisonous sumac and a rare colony of rhododendron native to North America.

In 1983, a man by the name of Gilbert Knowles offered the Dowst-Cate Town Forest to the public. He wrote to the officials saying, “I have always had a warm place in my heart for Deerfield (and) I would be happy to do something for Deerfield.” His wishes were that this property be used as a “town forest and park”.

 

20200429_1506063Follow the sights and sounds of a watery springtime making its way through the forest.

20200429_1552222Bean River, Mulligan’s Forest, Nottingham

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img_20200502_201349_053Back Creek, Great Brook Trail, Deerfield

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20200426_115427It’s here at the Great Bay in Durham where many of the rivers and streams of southeastern New Hampshire end up. This bay is an tidal estuary that resides ten miles inland from the Atlantic Coast, being one of the farthest natural estuaries from the ocean.

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Oarweed Cove, Ogunquit, Maine

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Israel Head Rocks, Ogunquit, Maine

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Little Beach Lighthouse, Ogunquit, Maine

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Wallis Sands, Rye, New Hampshire

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Wallis Sands the day after the storm.

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The snow lantern or snölykta was made the day after a storm which left us about five inches of wet snow. The next day,  being sunny and in the upper thirties, was perfect for making snowballs.

The first night was a little too windy so the candles kept going out. The following day  I placed two tall candles in the igloo and lit them in the evening just as the sun was going down and it stayed alight well into the early morning hours.

How to make a snölykta

 

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Pawtuckaway State Park, Nottingham

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Northwood Meadows, Northwood

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Path to Horse Pond, Nottingham (Spring)

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Big Oak Trail, Nottingham

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Great Brooke Trail, Dearfield

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Great Bay, Durham

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Kenison Pond, Nottingham

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Mulligan’s Forest, Nottingham

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“Dead road”

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Old homestead, cellar

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Bean River

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Stonehouse Pond, Barrington

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