Free-ly Flowing

After a substantial amount of rain yesterday and plummeting temperatures (and the definite return of winter to the mountains), I escaped for an afternoon's adventure with photo-friend Judy Olson.

I call this first photo Free-ly Flowing. In the small town of Hadley, the Hudson River begins to flow freely with the springtime thaw. The American flag reminds us that the river is not the only thing that is free. Notice the graffiti in the lower left. Someone felt free to express himself or herself.




The second photo is also on the Hudson River, just south of the tumbling waters of the previous photo. I call this one Fractured Footprints. Here, sheets of ice are starting to break apart, while animals risk trekking upon them to reach open water.



Finally, just upriver of where the Sacandaga River flows into the Hudson is the Bow Bridge. The parabolic bridge was built in 1885, replacing an earlier 1813 bridge which burned. Here, the waters of the Sacandage dance and tumble. This shot is an aerial view of an eddy, where water flows upriver instead of down.

Judy posted a fantastic shot of the Bow Bridge on her blog. The part about the ale is true!

With more cold temperatures and even some snowfall in the forecast for this week, I'll be capturing more winter shots these next days. Stop again to see what nature paints and I am able to capture this week.

Be Creative with a Local Author!

To honor this year's theme -- Be Creative @ Your Library -- for the state's summer reading program, I am announcing my program offerings for 2009.

This year's programs are:

Celebrate an important New York State milestone and make 3-D maps in “Navigating with Explorer Henry Hudson.”

Make your own journal and capture your life’s events just like explorers Lewis and Clark in “Journal with Lewis and Clark.”

Ride your 100-foot wave with extreme surfer Garrett McNamara and an extreme children’s writer in “Extreme Writing.”

Bring attention to animals and plants by writing creative stories and poetry in “Hoo Cares?”

Create your own rebus stories using American Sign Language in “Sign It with Rebus” (a wonderful parent-child program).

Each program includes a signed copy of one of my books.

To learn more, please visit my School and Library Programs page.

I hope to take many adventures this summer with my young readers and listeners.

Backyard Buddies

The teasing continues.





This little guy sat on the windowsill, enjoying his powdered sugar donut.

The kitten girls chirped, swapped, snapped, and pawed in return.

The fun just never ends.

And yes, it snowed again.

Patience is ...

the birds awaiting their turn at the feeder on yet another snowy and windy Adirondack winter day, and patience is the photographer still in shadow anticipating the next bird's landing.

The icicles on the cabin are making wonderful art today. Some of them are 4-5 feet long!

I long for springtime ... now that is truly patience! (We've had snow on the ground since mid-October.)

Majestic Beauty and a Little Bit of Fun

Spring-like sunshine pulled me out of the cabin with my camera in tow today.

First, the beauty. Another bald eagle, this one near Arietta (NY). This is my tenth year to live in the Adirondacks but only my first year to spot eagles! Every time I see one, I am delighted with surprise.





I laughed when I saw this "houseboat." It is perched upon a mountaintop, anxiously awaiting the spring thaw.

Finally, I ventured over to Salisbury Center and the covered bridge. No good bridge or water shots to share, but the sign there always makes me smile! And the water is starting to flow. It's one of my favorite photo spots in the spring and summer.

I'm starting to feel springy! Fingers crossed it arrives soon.

The Waters of Saratoga

Saratoga (NY) is known for its healing water. For many years, people have been drawn to the city and its springs in search of wellness.

Today, my photo friend, Judy, and I wandered down the snowy (and icy) trails of Saratoga Spa State Park in search of water, both frozen and flowing.

We found many treasures.

We found geometric water.









We found dancing water.









We found water flowing blue.








We found water in caves.










And, we found water depositing a mineral canvas.








Perhaps, more important, we found our connection to water. In just a few steps along the paths in the park, we shot hundreds of photos. We sat in the snow, patiently awaiting the perfect shot. We sunk in snow to our knees, and found laughter in the moment.

Some days, spring feels like seasons away. Today, it felt like it was ready to burst forth. It won't be long till the waterfalls are dancing with the memories of our long winter. We'll be there -- guaranteed!

Navigating with Henry Hudson

This year, towns along the Hudson River are preparing to celebrate the 400th anniversary of explorer Henry Hudson's journey up the river valley.

As the author of What's So Great about ... Henry Hudson? by Mitchell Lane Publishers, I am receiving numerous bookings for school and library programs. I look forward to sharing my book with young explorers, tracing Hudson's route along a raised relief map, and building 3-D map models of our own.

To learn more about this and other school and library programs, visit my New York State Performers and Programs page.

Great adventures await us inside a book. Where will your next armchair adventure take you?

A Most Unusual Book(ing)

I just learned that I will be a guest enrichment speaker sailing with a small, intimate cruise line through the river gorges of the Pacific Northwest later this year. Traveling with me will be two of my children's books that focus on this region -- Lewis and Clark and spotted owls. I will also be taking my Native American flute to make music with the early morning wildlife and, of course, my camera to capture the excursion!

Sleigh Bells Ring ...

What a gorgeous day for a sleigh ride! The Draft Horse Association hosted their annual Sleigh Rally in Johnstown (NY) this afternoon. Here are just a few of the moments I captured with the camera. Enjoy!

(To enlarge any photo, simply click on it.)