Unconnected weather thoughts (doo dah)
Apr. 24th, 2011 08:15 pmDecided that today would be a good day for a hike, and ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
michelel72 agreed, so we drove to Arcadia Management Area in Rhode Island. We've been there before, and there's a waterfall, and those are generally best seen in the spring when there's actual water rushing along. Also best to go before there are mosquitoes. The water did not disappoint, though we didn't hike too far past the main attraction, because it was actually too damn hot, and there's nothing exciting enough at this time of year to make it worth it. You can only see so much skunk cabbage and fern buds before they all run together. As we were walking, I reminded her of the last Easter that I remember us hiking. It was 1997, at Stony Brook in Dedham, MA (or the general vicinity), and Easter that year was March 30. It was not as warm as today, but it was warm enough that we took our jackets off and were traipsing around in short sleeves. It was great. And two days later was the April Fool's blizzard that dumped like 30 inches of snow in Boston. So if we get a freak Nor'easter on Tuesday, I take full responsibility.
After that, we were partway to Westerly, Rhode Island, and I said something about going to a beach, and even though beaches aren't so much M's thing, she went along with it. Along the way we came upon another waterfall, actually apparently the outlet where there used to be a mill, judging by the remaining rock wall. Nice pond/lake behind it that might bear returning to when there are fall leaves. Anyway, bonus. It's early enough in the season that there's no fee at the beach, so that's another bonus. Anyway, obviously a little chillier there, but we had clothing for it. Unfortunately, it's not a shell beach, but there were lots of tiny white or nearly clear pebbles, and rounded pieces of white shells, so I have something else to fill a jar with and display on a shelf, when I finally put up a shelf, which I'm this close to dealing with. Of course, picking up damp pebbles on a chilly, foggy beach does make one, well, chilly, but we got back to the car before my fingers went numb, and it was a nice counterpoint to having been too hot. But the kicker was that we got in the car, kicked off what sand we could from our shoes, pulled our feet in, and closed the door. And the first raindrops of the day hit the windshield.
michelel72 agreed, so we drove to Arcadia Management Area in Rhode Island. We've been there before, and there's a waterfall, and those are generally best seen in the spring when there's actual water rushing along. Also best to go before there are mosquitoes. The water did not disappoint, though we didn't hike too far past the main attraction, because it was actually too damn hot, and there's nothing exciting enough at this time of year to make it worth it. You can only see so much skunk cabbage and fern buds before they all run together. As we were walking, I reminded her of the last Easter that I remember us hiking. It was 1997, at Stony Brook in Dedham, MA (or the general vicinity), and Easter that year was March 30. It was not as warm as today, but it was warm enough that we took our jackets off and were traipsing around in short sleeves. It was great. And two days later was the April Fool's blizzard that dumped like 30 inches of snow in Boston. So if we get a freak Nor'easter on Tuesday, I take full responsibility.After that, we were partway to Westerly, Rhode Island, and I said something about going to a beach, and even though beaches aren't so much M's thing, she went along with it. Along the way we came upon another waterfall, actually apparently the outlet where there used to be a mill, judging by the remaining rock wall. Nice pond/lake behind it that might bear returning to when there are fall leaves. Anyway, bonus. It's early enough in the season that there's no fee at the beach, so that's another bonus. Anyway, obviously a little chillier there, but we had clothing for it. Unfortunately, it's not a shell beach, but there were lots of tiny white or nearly clear pebbles, and rounded pieces of white shells, so I have something else to fill a jar with and display on a shelf, when I finally put up a shelf, which I'm this close to dealing with. Of course, picking up damp pebbles on a chilly, foggy beach does make one, well, chilly, but we got back to the car before my fingers went numb, and it was a nice counterpoint to having been too hot. But the kicker was that we got in the car, kicked off what sand we could from our shoes, pulled our feet in, and closed the door. And the first raindrops of the day hit the windshield.