Those Spare Moments.......

“Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.” 
                                                                                                                                                      ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

A Memorial Day Weekend hike at Liberty Loop Trail on the NY, NJ border.

"Set Your Mind Free"......

" Come stroll with me & set your mind free"

Found this on a hike on Fuller Mountain in Warwick, NY

Well said........

Lakeville Ironworks Trail - Sterling Forest State Park

A nice find along a short, but interesting trail....

"The Queen of Sterling Forest"

Upon finishing our late afternoon hike in Tuxedo, NY, my daughter stood on a rock and declared herself "The Queen of Sterling Forest!"

Fairy House Obsession

My daughter is obsessed with building fairy houses. Whenever we hike or visit a park, we have to "leave our mark" in the form of shelter for the fairies and various woodland creatures. The latest effort from our recent visit to the NJ Botanical Gardens.

Long Pond Ironworks Historic District

Shots from Long Pond Ironworks in New Milford, NJ. Est. in 1766 till 1882, the village housed ironworkers and their families.
Today, the ruins of three furnaces, a country store and other unique structures still stand in various forms of decay.
Interesting piece of local history and a pretty cool family hike!
     

Happy New Year!

The last sunset of 2011 somewhere in North Jersey.

Wishing everyone a  Happy 2012 and many more sunsets.....

Wawayanda State Park

Celebrating the winter solstice with a short hike at WSP in NJ and my daughter grabs a quiet moment.

Fall Hike

I was out doing errands this afternoon and decided to steal a few moments for a quick hike at Wawayanda State Park in NJ today. I'm trying to soak in as much autumn as I can before its gone...

Mushrooms & Dragonflies

Recently paid a visit to the Basha Kill in Wurtsboro, NY for an afternoon hike.

Fall's in the Air

I'm really enjoying the cooler weather these last few days. My daughter and I decided to take a stroll around Masker Orchards for the first time this season. A chance to get into the spirit.......

Bear Mountain Park & Zoo

Recently spent an afternoon soaking in the sights and sounds at Bear Mountain.

Bear Mountain Bridge

Spent a cold day at Bear Mountain State Park. Went down to the fishing docks and grabbed a shot of the bridge. My first time there.... After all these years, I don't know why I've never been to this park.

Family Hike - Appalachian Trail

Taking advantage of these "close, but not close enough" spring-like days, we decided to get a much needed nature fix. We hopped onto the trail in Jersey and took it as far as we could. The recent flooding made it impassable at one point, unless you were prepared to take off your shoes and roll up your pants.

A detour into the woods found us a couple of snakes, holding hands and straddling a log to cross over some water and a walk over a rickety bridge. It was an adventure.

Winter Scene 2

Here is one more from Tuesday morning. I did manage to find some color in this snowy, icy landscape!

Winter Scenes

Visited one of my favorite places yesterday......Wawayanda State Park in New Jersey. Always an opportunity for a picture.

Winter on the Lake

The lake at Wawayanda State Park.

Snowed Out?!

I love it when I venture out to take pics and stumble upon a unique scene. I went to Wawayanda State Park in N. Jersey intending to take some snowy landscape shots. I was standing in front of this boat rental cabin taking pics of the snow covered lake. After I was done, I turned around to make my way back to the car when I see the front of the cabin. Snow covering half the door and a sign that reads "Do Not Enter".
It was too perfect.