We needed to be in Pennsylvania for scheduled work being done at the house. We had agreed to not have a tree in Pennsylvania this year. When we arrived at the house, it seemed empty without decorations. After dinner I put the tree up so we could enjoy a few days of the holiday. To all a good night.
Normally, we visit the zoo on Christmas Eve for a quiet, pleasant day together. The temperature today was 0.5 degrees on the thermometer. Most of the animals would be kept inside to protect them. We decided on a quiet day inside.
My travel back from Mexico stretched the entire day. I eventually arrived and made a stop on my way home. It was good to be away from the stress of business travel by air.
Flying post-COVID has been unique. Flights get delayed and cancelled at a whim. My flight from Monterrey back home was cancelled today. American at least gave me a room and meal voucher for a nearby hotel. The hotel was a CN which I've never used before. I wasn't sure what to expect, but was surprised to see a decorated tree in the lobby, a small (and very good) restaurant, and a comfortable room that was very quiet.
I travelled during the pre-vaccine times of COVID, but all my trips were in the US by car. This was my first return to Monterrey. The changes in the pollution levels were very obvious from my first step out of the airport. Clear days used to be common. Now the mid-day sky and sunset were blanketed in a think layer of pollution.
Two months ago, this field would have been filled with wildflowers, butterflies, and bees with an assortment of birds. By late November the flowers have been gone for weeks and the insects have left. Today the field was quiet and calm with bare trees at the field's edge.
This lone bluebird was the one exception.
With the days still growing short, it was time for a bit of backyard birding. A cardinal and downy woodpecker were nearby today.
Lizzie, and the rest of us, were dressed out in our safety orange today as we headed off for a hike along the Tanbark Trail.
We were back for more fall geocaching on the trails at The Wilderness Center. Most leaves were down as we walked the trails.
 |
It was a perfect day for an afternoon in the park. We were with the dogs on a trail of geocaches.
I was in the area for business and hoping to have an after-work, fall walk. The weather didn't cooperate on a cool, wet day.
I found a couple geocaches and a few stages of an Adventure Lab, but also spotted a sign pointing me down a small dirt drive to the home of Gridley Hollow Honey. I stopped by the stand and purchased a few containers of honey sweetening my wet day.
We had a day to spend on the trails at the park with the dogs. The colors were perfect and the weather was comfortable.
Phineas went full bay early on the trail.
It was another perfect day for a fall walk and geocaching. Concord Woods is not a frequent visit for us, but the weather was wonderful and new england asters were still in bloom.
We stopped at a nearby county park for a long walk on the trails. The tree colors were outstanding under the cloudless sky.
We visited a favorite walk with the dogs today. Flow in the stream was a quiet, fall trickle.
