Exploring Chapel Hill, NC

In need of a vacation I decided to travel to a different state and explore one if its small towns.  I ended up going to Chapel Hill, NC which started in partner with the University of Northern Carolina at Chapel Hill.  I spent most of my first day walking around the college campus.  What I like most about the campus is there is a lot of green space.  Unlike the city where almost everywhere you look is concrete, this campus had lots of lawn space and patches of forest among the buildings. 

Can you see all 7 squirrels? Some you can only see their tail.

I came across some interesting finds as I walked and took some pictures.  This first one on the right is one of my favorites.  If you look carefully enough you will see 7 gray squirrels. They blend in well with the patchy green lawn. This blending in with the surroundings is called camouflage.  I didn't notice them at first as I was walking I heard some chewing sounds and when I looked carefully saw all these squirrels munching on acorns.  So I took a picture of the whole bunch and then of the two squirrels nearest to me.  They didn't seem to mind that I was there, but I did keep my distance so I wouldn't disturb their meal.

Dinner time for squirrels.

I also came across some interesting plants along my walk.  Not sure what half of them are but they rather colorful considering it was end of December.   While North Carolina has a warmer climate than where I live now, but not by much.  I still enjoyed looking at the different plant-life and looking for critters that were still out and about. Below are the various plants I saw as I wondered about Chapel Hill.

Now that it is winter time there were lots of bushes with berries on them.  These bright colored berries are to attract birds who eat them.  The pit or seed of the berry dispersed by the birds.   

I guess the birds aren't the only ones who find them to be attractive, because I took many pictures of berries on my walk, not just red but also blue colored ones.  They reminded me of grapes because they are in large bunches but the leaves are not the right shape for grape leaves.  I was not about to taste a unknown berry since you never know if it is poisonous or not, so I saved them for the birds and other animals to enjoy.

Hikes like this one are great to do as a fun exploration around town, but if you want to have a goal or ideas of ways to make the walk more interactive check out the Exploration page.  I made this into a Photo Safari for me.  The Rainbow Hunt is great activity for autumn.  Now that it is winter maybe you can do some tracking in the snow and be an Animal Track Detective.

Next time you travel see if there are some nature spots to explore.  Bundle up and Meet Me Outdoors.

Pick-Your-Own at Baugher's

Last week I went to a Pick-Your-Own farm that was near me called Baugher's Orchard and Farm.  I originally wanted to do apple picking but that season is over here so I went pumkin picking which was just as fun.  There were lots of families and groups of people of all ages taking part in the adventure of finding a pumpkin to call their own.

It starts with a hayride out to the fields, once there you are set off to find your pumpkin.  There were a variety of pumpkins: big, small, orange, green, white even tan colored.  (The farm's market had some oddly shaped pumpkins even a multi-colored one.) Interestingly enough, a pumpkin is a fruit as it is the part of the plant that holds the seeds like an apple or tomato. They had some trivia cards up for while you wait for the hay ride to take you out there.  Thought I'd share the wisdom.  Another interesting fact is pumpkins are 90% water.  Cool stuff.

I went with some friends to the farm to share in the adventure.  The day before we were going to go it snowed, I still wanted to go and a couple of them were willing to join me.

While most of the pumpkins were a little buried under a thin layer of snow, I was set on finding a perfect pumpkin. You can see the snow in most of these pictures, if not the mud that followed its melting.

By the time we got there, most of the good pumpkins of the big and orange variety that people typically associate with, and use for Halloween carving were picked.  Left behind were some that were broken and some small decorative type pumpkins.  I ended up finding a part of the patch with some small white and orange pumpkins which I thought would be great table decorations for the holidays so I picked it out and brushed off the mud.  As there were a bunch of these in the area my friend grabbed one of his own as you can see in the picture on the right.  We also found some tiny orange ones that looked just as festive.

The adventurer in me wanted to explore more of the pumpkin patch so I got a few more pictures of what I found.  Glad I wore my mud friendly shoes because there certainly was a lot of it as we walked through the patch.

There were lots of families there and one way that Baugher's made the patch even more exciting was setting up a simple slide of large tubing and some hay bales that you can see of the distance of this photo on the left.  When we got closer we saw there was a bit of a mud puddle at the bottom and some carefully placed pumpkins so the slider won't land in the mud.  Needless to say, as big of a mud lover as I am, I was not about to slide down that. It was cold out, and cold and wet don't go well together. But I did see that some adventurous kids did go down, hopefully stopping at the bottom before getting to the mud part. Below is part of the patch that had a bunch of the large orange pumpkins that are great for carving.

Also at Baugher's was a petting zoo.  Most of the animals were typical farm animals like pigs, chickens, sheep, goats and turkeys, though we did come across a lama.  The lama was nice enough to pose for a picture.

After the trip to the pumpkin patch and the petting zoo on the farm we stopped at the market to buy some more fresh from the farm treats.  I got some apples, acorn squash and a spaghetti squash.  I still need to figure out what to do with those, so on the hunt for recipes.  My friends picked out some dried fruit packages and a pie from the market. 

There are lots of Pick-Your-Own farms out there so no matter where you are you can join in the fun.  All you got to do is wait for the fruit or veggie to be in season for picking then go for it.  Some have for strawberry, cherry, peach and apple picking but you have to come at the right time of the year.  For example if you want to go to pick strawberries you would need to go in the spring time, for peaches go in the summer time, apple season is near the end of summer through the early parts of fall.  Each farm will tell you when to come for the pick-your-own items, and some will have markets with the items fresh from the farm that they pick for you.

While the picking season my be over for my area of the world it could still be open for you.  Or perhaps it's just getting started.

Enjoy some farm fresh produce, Meet Me Outdoors.

Revisiting some favorite parks

The weather has been so nice lately I just had to get out of the house and revisit a few of my favorite parks that are here.  I have even taken a stroll around the neighborhood near where I work in Baltimore.  Ended up back at Federal Hill Park, walking up from the back area is much easier than climbing up the stairs on the side by the harbor.  I can now see why it was such a great place for a look out to get a good view of the harbor and incoming ships.  Of course they didn't have the big buildings surrounding the harbor as there is now.  I am glad I made Federal Hill part of the B'more Outdoors SCVNGR trek.  It makes going there even more adventurous as it I get to see other peoples perspectives of the park along with my own.  I hope you get a chance to play along if you are in the Baltimore area, there is a link on the right-hand side of this page that will take you there to see all that you can do. 

Another place that I revisited recently was Patterson Park, which is also a stop on the B'more Outdoors trek.  A fun trivia question must be answered to get the points there.  I have always looked at Patterson Park on a map and can see it is big, but it is not until I get there that I can appreciate how much open green space that is there.  Each time I have been there I seem to find myself looking at it from a whole new location than the time prior.  There were lots of families around, children of all ages, even some walking their dogs.  Let me tell you I think each dog that walked by was a totally different breed, and different sizes too, some small and some big, young and old.  This time I was there to see the lake (pond?) that is in the center of the park.  Seemed to be a whole flock of ducks there.  I recognized some as mallards and others looked similar to mallards but something was different about them. I could tell the female mallards from the male ones as the males have the great iridescent green heads and the females have just a splash of blue on their wings, but there were a few odd ducklings out there as well.  My guess, was that some were blended with another type of duck to give them the interesting patterning, turns out I might be right.  I went to WhatBird and entered what I remembered as the pattern and look of the ducks I saw.  It just seemed like these ducks related to mallards but not a mallard, the America Black Duck might just be the duck I was looking for. 
In general they seems to look like female mallards but with a twist.  Of course I don't think the pictures I have shows enough detail.  According to WhatBird sometimes mallards and the American black duck hybridize so what I saw that was mallard-like but odd, could have been a hybrid.

I really enjoyed my time at Patterson Park.  I think the last time I was there was is spring time, so it was just getting warmer out after a chilly winter.  So from baby ducks to a full grown flock sure seems to be a nice way to experience the seasons.  I didn't have my camera with me the last time I was there but this recent time I got to see the lake and had to take a few while I was there.  This wider shot is still just part of the lake there I couldn't quite capture all of it, perhaps next time I will try to do a panorama shot.  If you look closely at this one, across the water are some of the ducks from earlier but they decided to be a little farther away from the small crowd that was forming on my side of the water. There were a few other water birds along the far side but of course they flew away before I could take a picture of them.  Something to look forward to next time.

I hope you are taking time to go back to your favorite parks and even just to walk around the neighborhood to observe the changing of the seasons as we get farther into autumn.  Perhaps there are some fall festivals you can explore.  Meet Me Outdoors.

Hot days and cooling rains

All across the States there has been reports that this summer so far (we are only half way done) has been filled with days with record breaking heat.  My earlier post 'Wow! It is hot outside!' includes some ideas to stay cool on such hot days.  I have since spent entire afternoons outside when it was very hot out. For example I went to outdoor festival called Artscape, where they had misting cooling stations scattered about so people can have some relief.  Another day I took a walking tour of the Naval Academy in Annapolis with my family, where we sometimes were indoors but other times it was walking across the yard resting under a few shade trees as we learned about the different locations. On both occasions I had a water bottle that I filled up to stay hydrated, had sunblock and a hat to protect me from the Sun's rays. 

I noticed that with the heat wave lots of trees started dropping leaves because there was a small drought in the area.  Once the rain came the trees and plants perked up a bit soaking up all the water that they could.  I am amazed how much a little rain can do to refresh everything and making it green again.  I am sure the animals were happy as well to get a bit of cooling rain.  Last week I was looking out my window and saw a squirrel digging a small hole under a bush so that it could hide low in the shade of the plant.  I tried to take a picture but the animal was so well camouflaged as I looked through the window but it didn't come out well enough.  I was happy to see that even the squirrels find a way to stay cool when it is super hot outside in the summer time. I hope the little guy was happy when it rained as much as I was.  Have you noticed any changes like I have with the weather?

You don't have to go far to enjoy the great outdoors, and on some of these super hot days a small excursion to your backyard or near by park is all that is needed.  The Maryland Science Center has a whole weekend dedicated to this type of adventure called Backyard Science Days filled with animal encounters and hands-on activities for visitors to take part in. This year it is happening on the weekend of August 12 -13 in the afternoon. If you are in the area and are looking for something fun to do you should come check it out.

I hope you can join me in enjoying the nice weather we have as the summer continues.  Stay cool, Meet Me Outdoors.

It was just around the corner

While still being new to town I knew there was lots of hidden places to be discovered. Little did I know there was one just around the corner from me.  I was heading out to meet some friends and needed my gps to get me there as I had no idea where I was going, when it sent me down a road that I pass by every day but never thought to go down.  That is when I made the discovery of a fun little park with a small pond that had flowers around it in colorful patches as well as water lilies.  As I drove by I knew that I wanted to return later that day to get a closer look but it was pouring out that afternoon so I had to come back another day.

There are 5 ducks in this picture. Count them if you don't believe me.

Can you find the ducks?

I went back the next day when it was clear out and took lots of pictures of what I found.  There were families sitting out either on the benches or along the edge of the pond, and some walking along the path around the pond.  It funny that the area was called Springlake when it was too shallow to be a lake, but still beautiful. 

I did spot some animals in and a round the pond.  There were mallards (ducks), the females were swimming in the water and the males were standing on the wall of the pond. I tried to take pictures of them but the animals look blobby as they kept moving around, and they blend in, camouflaging with their surrounding. 

When I got close enough to the pond to look in it I saw something orange moving under water.  It was fish called koi, they are kind of like goldfish but bigger.  I think there were 5 in the picture I took, but with the clouds reflecting on the water, it was hard to see some of them. 

Now that I know that this little park is near me I can go visit any day and enjoy it.  Perhaps there is a park like this near where you live and you may make a new discovery like I did.  Now that it is nice out why not try going for a walk around your neighborhood on an adventure to discover how close nature is to you.  Go on, get out of the house and explore! Meet Me Outdoors

Wow! It is hot outside!

Wow is anyone else experiencing this massive heat-wave?  Lately it has been reaching as high as 100 degrees Fahrenheit and it is hard to escape the heat.  While finding your local swimming pool or a nearby beach to go for a swim is a great way to keep cool there are some great tips I have learned over the years. 

First off wear light layers of cotton clothing as it is more breathable and remember to wear sunscreen and a hat to protect you from the sun.  Don't forget to reapply the sunscreen if you have been outside or in the water for long periods of time, as the sun protection wears off over time. 

Secondly, you should drink lots of water so you don't get dehydrated.  A great tip I learned from going to camp for many years is to fill a plastic water-bottle with water and stick it in the freezer at night, you will get a bottle full of ice water in the morning.  The ice will melt as the day goes on and your water will stay cold longer.  Also while the ice is in there you can hold it to your forehead help cool you off as you are waiting for some of the water to melt to drink.  Sports drinks with electrolytes also help keep you from getting dehydrated, you can freeze those, too. 

My favorite part of summer is eating things like watermelon and other fruit.  If you decide to go on a picnic, make sure to keep the fruit chilled.  Makes for a refreshing treat.  Another fun summer treat is ice cream, just be careful for drips as it the hot weather it will melt fast, unless you like being covered in ice cream.  :-)  I personally like sorbets, especially strawberry or raspberry.

Another great tip I have learned is to not be outside in the middle of the day since that is the warmest part part of the day.  If you go outside in the early part of they day or later in the afternoon it will be cooler out.  While I do encourage people to go outdoors, please know that if it is too hot it's ok to stay indoors where it is cooler.  You can do lots of fun nature related activities inside after a quick trip outside, or even in a good shaded area.  Things found in the Nature Crafts page or Explorations page can be a great start for ideas.  If you have any ideas that I didn't list and want to share email me or add a comment to this post. I love learning new ideas for having fun outdoors, and I am sure the readers do too.

Stay cool everyone! Meet Me Outdoors.

Special find

On Friday after work I walked along the harbor and spotted something really amazing. I saw two mallards, one male and one female, swimming near the edge of the water along with their baby ducklings.  The baby ducks weere so cute I had to take a picture to share it with you.  Now I know they aren't the greatest pics, but you  get the idea.

I'll be on the lookout for more great nature finds to share with you.  Maybe you can find some of your own. Have fun, Meet Me Outdoors.

Rock Creek Park of Washington, D.C.

Today I met with some friends at Rock Creek Park for a picnic and some hiking.  It was a cloudy day today and minor drizzles but that didn't keep us from having an adventure.  Unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera (and my phone that has a camera ran out of battery) so I don't have any photos to share.

Rock Creek Park as lots of picnic areas and some open space too great for families or a gathering of friends.  At one part along the road, toward where my friends and I were going to eat, I saw a sign with a trivia question and farther down there was a table set up with a couple park rangers with the answer.  As some bicyclers rode by the table they shouted out what they thought the answer was, and the rangers would give a yes or no.  It certainly was entertaining.

There are a lot of trails and different kinds of paths to take, some paved and some not. We took a couple different trails that were shared by bikers and runners, it was also a equestrian (horse) trail at times (we had to look out for horse droppings along the way).  The hike was peaceful, we chatted a bit along the way but we also just wanted to "be one with nature" as they say. 

As we were walking, in my head, I kept track of items I saw that are on the Nature Bingo cards.  I saw horse tracks, fungus, some flowers, insects, a deer, even poison ivy (which I know to avoid) and much more.  There was lots to see on the walk, and I had a fun time exploring in the park. 

I learned there also is a Nature Center at Rock Creek Park that is worth checking out sometime.  We skipped over the Nature Center today, but next time I am in the area I will be sure to see what is there.  I hear they have ranger led programs for all ages and other information and educational resources there. From scavenger hunts to "meet the animals" type presentations, and short guided hikes there are lots of ways to connect with nature. If you are in the Washington, D.C. I'd recommend this as a place to explore.

Whether you want a small encounter with nature or and all out hike in the woods, find a park nearby where you live and go explore.  Come along for an adventure, Meet Me Outdoors.

Play us on SCVNGR!

In an effort to bring all of you wonderful readers to leave the tech live to spend more time outdoors, I made a way you can enjoy both.  SCVNGR is a game that can be played from your mobile phone (Android or iPhone) where the goal is not to just go places but to complete simple, quick challenges along the way.  A challenge could be to take a picture of something, answer a riddle or complete some activity and earn points.  Check out www.scvngr.com for more information on how to play SCVNGR.

I created a trek on SCVNGR called "B'More Outdoors". Be sure to check it out if you are ever in the Baltimore, MD area. If you are in Baltimore and want to play be sure to download the SCVNGR app to your phone and check out the nearby treks.  You should see a trek named "B'More Outdoors" with a photo icon with what should be a familiar picture, the same one you see here on the right.  I hope to add more places and challenges to the trek.  Click the icon on the right hand column of this blog that says "Play us on SCVNGR" to be taken to the trek's page, from there you can see where in Baltimore are the trek challenges.  I hope you enjoy playing! 

Join in the fun, Meet Me Outdoors!

My Trip to DC - Cherry Blossom Festival

A few weeks ago I mentioned wanting to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival, and I did.  I got to walk around the Tidal Basin and see all of the beautiful cherry trees.  That day it happened to start of rain the whole drive from Baltimore to Washington DC but it cleared up the moment I arrived at the National Mall where I met a friend to join me on the walk. 

I was surprised at how crowded the Tidal Basin was since it had just rained but people were out and about in large numbers.  Lots of people stopping to take pictures with the trees, or close ups of the flowers, and many more just enjoying the day.  I was unable to stop and take a good picture since it was so busy and I was having a good time walking about.  I did end up taking a picture of the Tidal Basin with the Washington Monument in the background.  If you look at the picture there is a row of white between the blue of the water and brown of the other trees yet to grow leaves.  That row of white is not snow, it is the cherry trees and the white flowers that have blossomed.
 

 I took this from across the basin, behind me is the Jefferson Memorial. I spun around after taking the first picture to take this one:

 As you can see there are lots of people there too. My friend and I continued our walk around the Basin and enjoyed seeing how spring season was starting to show through.  I hope some of you who are reading this will take the time to go outside and really look around and take it in.  All along the walk we saw families young and old also enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival, with fun activities all around.  If you missed it this year be sure to check it out next year.  I know that if I am in the area next year I may make the trip again because I am sure there is more to see and do than I was able to to on my afternoon trip. 

When I got back to Baltimore I realized that there were cherry trees much like those I saw down in DC so I took a close up shot of the branches.  You can see in this picture that the white flowers are there and some leaves have already come out.

Grab a hat and some sunblock and go have fun outside.  I hope you join me on another adventure, Meet Me Outdoors!

Oh! What A Beautiful Morning!

No fooling, it is beautiful out! Sun shining, birds chirping, people out in just t-shirts and shorts, and I am going to take a walk around the neighborhood.  Maybe even explore some part where I haven't gone yet, I encourage you to do the same.  I think I might go up to Federal Hill Park to see the harbor from a different vantage point.  I'll be sure to share some pictures and video if I make any.

I hope you have a fun day as the weather gets nicer.  Remember to wear sunblock and a hat if you have a bright sunny day like it is here in Baltimore.  Enjoy the day, Meet Me Outdoors.

National Cherry Blossom Festival®

Want a great way to kick off the spring? Down at our nation's capital, Washington, DC, is celebrating with style.  Every year it celebrates two weeks of festivities as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, this year from March 26-April 10, 2011.  Parade, fireworks, concerts, art shows and hands-on activities for families to enjoy over the festival weeks make it a great choice for getting out of the house and discovering what spring has to offer. Not to mention, the beautiful sight of the blooming cherry trees.  Here is a link to the family day event but if you click around on the website you will see that there is lot to do and see at the festival:

National Cherry Blossom Festival® Family Day presented with the National Building Museum

I will be there too.  I look forward to exploring the streets lined with the cherry trees and see them blossoming, and some of the events look and sound like they would be lots of fun.  I know its a week a way but I can't wait!!

Even if you are not in the area, you can certainly keep an eye out for the amazing signs of spring and tell me all about it.  What's your favorite part of spring?

Join me for an exciting time, Meet Me Outdoors!

Snow Day 2011

As promised here is the video I created from my snow day here in Baltimore.  On January 27th was the snow storm of the year, dropping about a foot of snow in most parts of the city overnight. The next day was declared a snow day for the city where schools and many businesses were closed.  I walked around catching some of the excitement of the day on camera.

On my walk I came across some squirrel tracks, families sledding, and even some birds hiding in trees. I would not have seen any of it if I had stayed inside all day.  I hope next time you have a snow day you can have just as much fun as I did on mine. I'd love to hear about what you did on your snow day.

So bundle up and have fun! Meet Me Outdoors.

Spring is coming!

Winter is coming to an end and spring is on its way.  I know its been a while since my last post but that doesn't mean I stayed inside all winter. Nope I got out and got a chance to see some amazing things. 

First of all, on my one snow day that I got off from work, over a month ago, I took a hike around the neighborhood.  I saw that I wasn't alone.  Probably because most people's cars were buried under the snow, many people walking.  Kids dragging sleds, some ski tracks, all heading to the hills.  The hill happened to be located around the corner from where I live but hidden behind some buildings that hid it such that I never seen it before on previous hikes.  Following the footprints and trails left by the boots large and small, as well has the sound of screams of joy, I found where everyone seemed to be gathering.  Luckily, I had my camera so I was able to take some pictures and video but I have yet to compile the footage into a short film, so stay tuned I will post my snow day video. 

Along my hike back I saw some birds fluttering around in the trees.  These birds are ones that stay around for the winter.  Without my bird book I could not identify what species they were but I think I saw a red-winged black bird and maybe a robin.  I would have to check my pictures to see for sure. I watched the birds as they were trying to pick off some berries stuck on the tree branches. It was pretty cool.

Anyway spring is coming and I have already seen the signs. You should look for them too.  I have started to see the daffodils bloom, tulips should also be up if you have those.  Another sign is buds on trees start popping open. There is a shrub near where I park my car that has leaves already starting open.  All things to look for in the next few weeks as spring comes in to full bloom.

Take a look around and enjoy the new season, Meet Me Outdoors.

Lunar Eclipse Photos

As promised I am posting my photos from the Lunar Eclipse that was on December 21, 2010.  This eclipse was visible all across North America in the early, early morning on that chilly December day, which also happened to be the same time as the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Braving the cold and the late hours of the start of the eclipse, I started taking pictures around 1:15am and tried to take them at semi-regular intervals, last picture taken around 2:30am just before it became a total eclipse.  (I have to go to sleep sometime.) I am also posting some of my favorite photos below the video as well.

In the slide show you will notice that the ball that is the Moon is slowly being covered by the Earth's shadow. I didn't have a tripod so the Moon in the same place in each time so it looks a little like a bouncing ball in the blackness of the sky.  And yes I know the banjo music is a bit funny, just enjoy it.

 These were taken from around 2am-2:30am. From where I was standing to take the pictures and see the eclipse there was a tree branch that you can see in silhouette in these pictures.  I actually didn't see that the branch was there until after I took the pictures. I think it makes the pictures look cooler than just the moon. 

Each picture is about 10-15 minutes apart.  If I stayed up an extra 20 minutes I might have gotten a shot of the Moon fully covered by the Earth's shadow, but I was too tired.  In truth, I think the partial eclipse looks more interesting in pictures than when it is a total eclipse because the Moon would be fully hidden. What do you think?

 You don't have to wait for the next eclipse to enjoy the wonders of the Moon and the night sky.  Go outdoors on the next clear night and see if you can see the Moon, stars, or if you are lucky a planet.  At this time of the year you can find some fun constellations like Orion the hunter, Taurus the bull and even the Gemini twins.  Use a star-map (you can also use the one listed on the resource page) to see where some of the constellations are or other interesting features in the sky.

Go out, have fun, Meet Me Outdoors!