"Remember to Live, Laugh and Love"

All images and writings are copywritten by Daniele Sharpe unless stated othewise.



Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Weekend Hiking

I decided to make it time to go hiking up in the White Mountains, NH this past weekend. I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see the foliage in all it's splendour. I was a little disappointed to see that I had missed the peak, but it was still absolutely beautiful. My children were amazed by the snow cap mountain peaks while they were only in sweaters at the base. We took a small hike at Franconia's Notch Waterfall Trail and then we Walked around at The Basin. My children got a kick out of following the river. My son noticed that part of the river looked like a natural waterslide. It's also funny how when we think of waterfalls we think of warm, exotic places. Until I picked up a NH hiking map, I didn't even know how many waterfalls were in my home state, and they are just as beautiful. I can't wait to explore and photograph more of them!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Fall is Here!

We couldn't have asked for better weather this weekend. We spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the fresh air and the beautiful fall foliage. We went on a few hikes this weekend, and took some time to look at the color patterns in the leaves. My children even noticed that leaves have some similarities to snowflakes. No two are exactly the same and they too float down to the ground. Hoping the weather holds out for next weekend, we have some more local places that we want to explore. I would love to get up to the White Mountains, especially the Flume or Lost River, but I am not sure if that is going to happen before the foliage peak is over. If my family has weekend that isn't filled with sports activities, you know where we will be going! Until then we will use the smaller amounts of down time to enjoy what is right around us.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Been a While

It has been a pretty busy summer with lots of outside adventures! We have been doing lots of hiking on the trails in our back yard, and going for walks in our neighborhood. The leaves are starting to change and I am starting to get very excited to take some great fall photos.


The other night I was outside and noticed tiny green things glowing in the grass. I picked one up and it was some kind of insect. Of course I got my two children out of bed (at 9:30 on a school night) to show them. When they first got outside there was nothing glowing, and they thought I was loosing my mind. But after staring at the ground for about a minute we started to see them glowing in the grass. The longer we watched the more we saw. It was pretty magical having these green glowing things all around our feet. I was so glad I took the risk of having a very grumpy morning to show my children another amazing thing in nature. We have done a little research and believe that they were female glow worms that are actually a type of beetle. We have been out every night since watching them. (Not so late though)


This is a picture of what one looked like. I didn't take this picture, I found it doing some research from the Portland Bird Observatory and Field Center website.

The picture was taken by Martin Cade.
As you look at this imagine about 20 of them glowing all around you on the ground. It was pretty amazing!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

NH Polar Caves

We took a ride up to the White Mountains here in NH to go explore the Polar Caves. We had a blast. We hadn't been there in about 5 years, and I wish we had gone sooner. The sights were amazing and climbing through the caves and learning about the different minerals in the rocks was very interesting. We also visited the Maple Sugar Museum that was on their property. The old tools and machines they used to make maple syrup were amazing. I was nice to not only have a fun family outing, but I also had the opportunity to teach my children about history and geology. We read the signs that described what the minerals were in the rocks and how the caves were formed by glaciers. It was again a place that is in my own state that I had taken for granted and forgotten about. I encourage everyone to explore what is right around you. You will probably be surprised at what you will discover.




Saturday, July 31, 2010

Little Bit of Everything

It has been a while since my last post. I have been enjoying being outdoors with my family. We have been doing a little bit of everything. Camping, hiking, beach, and so much more. I also have been putting together my website (www.treasuredmomentsbydaniele.com) when I have had some free time. Last week my children and I enjoyed a nice picnic dinner on the beach after work. It was so nice to do something different and enjoy the evening air outdoors. My children enjoyed it so much they want to do it again this week. This week we are going to go to a local state park, have our picnic, do a little hiking, and if it's warm enough a little swimming. Most places in my area do not charge an entrance fee after a certain time, so it is a very inexpensive way to enjoy the outdoors and it breaks up the weekly routine. We are probably going to make this a weekly event until it gets to cold (which I hope isn't for a long time!) Climbing the rocks at the beach



Dragonflies we saw on one of our hikes around a pond.




More pictures from the pond.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Summer Colors

Driving home from a family get together my son and daughter and I saw the rainbow below as we pulled on our road. Of course I had to pull over and take a picture. When I got home my son said "Mommy I am going to look for the pot of gold!" I love how excited he was about something occurring in the natural world. My daughter thought it was a good luck sign for a softball game she was in the next day. I felt very proud that both my children took time to look at the rainbow and appreciate it.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Riding the Waves

We all need family and friends to ride the waves of life.
I went to the coast clear my head from a very hectic morning. This is what I saw when I got there. The scene in front of me made me think about my friends and family that have helped me the past two weeks while I was recovering from surgery.
Later that night when I got home I saw these frogs in my water garden. Usually there has been one little guy in there but this night there was two. Hmmmm.
My children became very excited to see that our "pet frog" had a new friend.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Back on schedule soon!

Sorry for the delay in posts, I had to have some minor surgery that prevented me from going out and doing the thing I love best-capturing beautiful photos to share. I am on the mend and will be back to my weekly postings by next week. Stay tuned!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

We Can't Control Everything

With all the technology and power we have, we still can not control everything. We have to make the best out of some situations.






A few years ago you would have never found me out in a thunderstorm trying to capture a picture of lightning. But as I continue to challenge myself to get better shots, I find and take opportunities that I would have never taken before. This is starting to trickle down to my children as well. The last storm we had, no one was scared and they almost enjoyed watching the lightning create different designs in the sky. (Of course the storms were not sever and it was safe for us to do so. There is a difference between taking a photographic opportunity and risking your safety.) After the storm we walked around our yard and noticed how interesting the raindrops looked on everything.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Memorial Day 2010

I usually blog about our natural world, but with today being
Memorial Day, I wanted to give thanks to all of those who have
served and are serving now. My family participated in our town's Memorial Day Parade. I thought it was going to be fun, but I had no idea that it would be so moving. It was a heart felt experience that taught my children the true meaning of Memorial Day. I think these pictures say it all.
Thank you!





Saturday, May 22, 2010

Patients is a Virtue

Sometimes you have to wait for good things to come to you.

The old saying "patients is a virtue" is certainly true. I worked on practicing patients, as I would say to my children, these past two weeks. Sometimes this is not easy to do, especially in a world of almost instant gratification. But as hard as it was to stay still and focused, my patients paid off. I would have missed these great opportunities if I had not taken the time to be still and wait. It is amazing what you will see when you take the time to wait and watch.



Saturday, May 8, 2010

Making Time

In a previous post I wrote about balancing our time and taking time to appreciate what is around us. I had to do this very consciously this past week. Both my children began their baseball and softball activities. They are fully enjoying it, however it has been a very challenging schedule for our family. Here are some pictures I took in my own yard.






This last picture I took while we were at one of my children's baseball games. Even then you can take a moment to notice things.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Take a Closer Look















With the spring blossoms in full bloom, you can't help but notice the beautiful sights. We usually notice the blossoms, but how often do we stop to pay attention to the delicate details in them. Here are some photos I took this weekend. The first one is what we usually notice if we were driving by or walking by, the second is what you can really see if you take a closer look. These were all taken in my backyard. I encourage you to take a few minutes in your backyard and look closer at some of the flowers or blossoms in your yard, you might be amazed at what you have you never noticed!