Have an hour? Take a Hike!

This past weekend my children clearly needed something to do because they were making each other crazy. Who would think brothers and sisters do that? Anyways I told them we were going for a hike. With a little resistance they came, but as soon as we got to the park in town and took a few steps thier attitudes changed instantly. We didn't have a lot of time because we had plans later in the day, but you don't need a huge block of time to hike in your neighborhood. Our entire hike plus quick drive was about an hour long, but was so much more valuable in the interest it sparked in my children.

We quickly found a rock pile that my children enjoyed exploring and telling me about all the interesting facts they had been learning at school about the different types of rocks and minerals. Their rock and mineral itnersted continued through the entire hike and is something they are still talking about. We are planning on purchasing a field guide this weekend to take with us on our future hikes. My children went from not wanting to go to not being able to wait until our next one. Sometimes it getting children outside and away from the technology takes a little push, but they are usually very happy when the do!

Here are some pictures from our hike.

Don't forget Earth Day April 22nd! The Children and Nature Network has a link to search for acitivities that are happening in your area to get children outside. Check it out.

Click on one of the "Let's Go" Badges to the right to bring you there.

(Sorry for the delay in posts! Compurter problems)

It Can Happen Anywhere

While on a hunt for this years baseball and softball equipment for my children on a Saturday night, we were driving on the highway and as we came over a hill we saw the Worm Moon bright and orange just rising in the sky. My children were amazed they didn't know what it was in the sky. When I told them it was the moon they didn't believe me at first. They were so excited and wanted me to take pictures. Of course I didn't have my camera with me, but I did have my phone with me. I passed my phone to my kids who took turns taking pictures of it while I drove. So what's the moral? That you don't have set out specifically looking for nature, and appreciate something wonderful. It can happen as you are driving, as your walking or as you are sitting in your house. All you have to do is look around you, and you will see something.

These are the pictures my kids took with my phone.

Winter Fun!!!!!

I had the great opportunity to photograph the 1st Annual Winter Carnival at Riverside Dog Park in Raymond NH for the town committee. I am usually not a fan of cold weather but my family and I dressed warm and we had an absolute bast! It was a great event that got a lot of families outside in nature in the community, including the family dogs. They had so many events for the families to participate in together. It made me think why do we always seem to have so many outdoor events in the summer, and hardly any in the winter? If you dress appropriately (just like in the summer months) you can have as much fun outdoors. Here are some pictures took that day.

Fire pit and my children sledding.

Winter Paridise

Tug-of-War next to the dragon sculpted out of snow.

There off!!!! Snow Shoeing Races!!!

The Beach isnt Just for the Summertime

The weather warmed up for a few days so I went to the beach on my lunch break to see if there was any interesting to photography. It was a clear day and the visibility was great. I was able to take some pictures of the Isle of Shole, and some practice shots of birds in flight. I definitely have Spring Fever now and I am starting to research different places that I to explore with my family and camera this year!

It's Been a While but I am Back to Blogging

Wow, I can't believe I haven't made any posts since October! Life has been busy to say the least. Both my children have been involved in school sports, scouts, and my son has been diagnosed with a learning disability, most likely moderate dyslexia. So most of my time has been spent on the Basketball court side lines, being assistant leader to my son's cub scout den, and researching special education laws and learning strategies for dyslexia. ( I am considering starting another blog about what I have learned, and techniques I am trying with my son for other families that may be going through a similar experience.)

We had some wildlife visitors in our backyard visible through our kitchen window. We think they are after our chickens that we got last spring. Seeing these guys outside my kitchen window reminded me of the title of my blog "Outside Your Window" and made me realize I have been so busy taking care of everyone else I haven't been taking care of myself and the things I enjoy.

So I have made a point to get back outside with my camera (even though winter is in full force here in New England). I have been doing some hiking in the woods behind my house, and my children have joined me for some. They haven't gotten the whole quite in the woods to see the wildlife thing, but we have been able to see lots of tracks that we have identified and it has released some of their built up energy!

So here I am back to photography and blogging!

My son starting out on our hike and tracks we found in the snow.

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!

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.