I've been panicking about not completing my "Before I Turn 18" list in time, my 18th birthday is today, when I realized something, when I made the list it was only things I could do before I turned 18, not things that I had to do before then. I didn't want to have to wait until I was an adult to begin my list, I was afraid that I'd lose my enthusiasm about it, so I broke them into smaller bits so I could start right away.
Working towards my goals, I am currently learning Italian (still), and I am working at a climbing park near where I live! Getting over my fear of heights is an important step to a lot of my goals, including sky diving, climbing the Seven Summits, and BASE jumping, among other things.
Another exciting thing, I recently acquired a Canon Powershot G5 for free, all I had to buy was an extra battery, and a charger. It's an older camera, but it takes decent pictures, and it's a good "training camera" so when/if I get a better one I'll be more familiar with how to use it. I realized today that I don't actually have a way to get my pictures onto my laptop though... That, however, is a problem for another day! Like, when all my memory cards are full.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Area spotlight: The Scarborough Marsh
Today's spotlight is the Scarborough Marsh in Scarborough, Maine. This marsh is the biggest saltwater marsh in the state, with about 3,100 acres of various types of marshlands. It's also a great place to visit, birding, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, even walking and biking, it's a beautiful place.
Though I haven't really been specifically bird watching here, yet, I haven't completely missed some of the species there. The most common species I've seen are Snowy Egrets, and of course, Seagulls. Great Blue Herons aren't uncommon either, they are often seen flying over the roads of the towns surrounding the marsh. Mallards seem to be the most common duck of the area, the marsh, and Milliken Mills pond almost always have a pair or two of mallards on any given day, I haven't ever seen a nest, but occasionally you even see the ducklings following their parents around in the water! It's very cute, and always fun to see. One of my favorites is the Glossy Ibis, I don't see them often, but they're gorgeous, and fun to watch!
There are many trails, including the Eastern Trail that I talked about last time. Most of them are walking only, unlike the Eastern Trail where you can also ride bicycles. Another way to see the marsh is by train! There is a train track over the marsh, that's definitely an interesting perspective!
Of course, no tour of the marsh would be completely without talking about the canoeing and kayaking opportunities. The water is fairly calm, and some of the channels are very wide, making it easy to paddle. Along the way you'll see lots of different kinds of wildlife, including many species of birds, and possibly some mammals species, such as muskrats.
If you get hungry after spending all day in the marsh you can visit the Clambake, just down the road from the parking area at the Eastern Trail opening into the marsh!
There's a seating area with big windows looking out onto the marsh, and there are always lots of hungry seagulls outside. While waiting for your food, and eating you can watch the wildlife outside the window. and when you're finished you can take any leftovers outside to feed to the seagulls. The birds there have been fed like that for so many years that they will take food right out of your fingers if you hold it out to them. Just be careful, their beaks are sharp, and it can hurt if they accidentally bite you.
No matter what you decide to do I'm sure you'll enjoy your time at the Scarborough Marsh. :)
My favorite thing to do at the marsh is photography, obviously. It's actually many people's favorite things about the marsh, the different species of wildlife, especially birds, and the gorgeous scenery it's the perfect place for pictures. My family actually had a photoshoot done there a couple years ago!
Fishing is another thing that is quite popular at the marsh. With a fairly large population of Striped Bass (or "stripers") swimming in and out with the tides many saltwater fishermen. There are even some clam flats open for clamming.
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| Sorry for the blur, my phone hates zoom. |
Though I haven't really been specifically bird watching here, yet, I haven't completely missed some of the species there. The most common species I've seen are Snowy Egrets, and of course, Seagulls. Great Blue Herons aren't uncommon either, they are often seen flying over the roads of the towns surrounding the marsh. Mallards seem to be the most common duck of the area, the marsh, and Milliken Mills pond almost always have a pair or two of mallards on any given day, I haven't ever seen a nest, but occasionally you even see the ducklings following their parents around in the water! It's very cute, and always fun to see. One of my favorites is the Glossy Ibis, I don't see them often, but they're gorgeous, and fun to watch!
There are many trails, including the Eastern Trail that I talked about last time. Most of them are walking only, unlike the Eastern Trail where you can also ride bicycles. Another way to see the marsh is by train! There is a train track over the marsh, that's definitely an interesting perspective!Of course, no tour of the marsh would be completely without talking about the canoeing and kayaking opportunities. The water is fairly calm, and some of the channels are very wide, making it easy to paddle. Along the way you'll see lots of different kinds of wildlife, including many species of birds, and possibly some mammals species, such as muskrats.
If you get hungry after spending all day in the marsh you can visit the Clambake, just down the road from the parking area at the Eastern Trail opening into the marsh!
No matter what you decide to do I'm sure you'll enjoy your time at the Scarborough Marsh. :)
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Area Spotlight: Eastern Trail
This is my first post highlighting the wonderful things about where I live in Southern Maine!
I'm starting with the Eastern Trail, one of my favorite places to ride my bike, walk my dogs, look for turtles, and practice photography. Last summer it was my favorite place to fish, also.
My favorite place is a little path into the woods off the main trail that connects to the Milliken Mills Pond, where I find several different species of turtles, frogs, fish, and birds! It's an area full of wildlife.
A couple of animals that live there are the usual, chipmunks, grey and red squirrels, painted turtles, wood turtles (I believe, though I'm not a turtle expert), garter snakes, largemouth bass, pumpkin sunfish, and many many birds, there are also bigger animals, such as deer, and raccoons. According to the lake survery I found we even have eels, and a couple types of catfish in the pond.
Some people enjoy kayaking or canoeing on the pond, though it's not the most popular activity on this section of the trail.
I'm starting with the Eastern Trail, one of my favorite places to ride my bike, walk my dogs, look for turtles, and practice photography. Last summer it was my favorite place to fish, also.
The Eastern Trail is 65 miles with some beauty scenery. It goes all the way from Kittery to South Portland. It's usually well traveled, but never too busy, people walk their dogs, jog, run, go cycling, and even ride horses down the trail!
The trail does follow some roads in certain places, but it's fairly well marked, and easy to follow. I can easily ride my bike 6 miles out and back in under two hours because most of the trail is fairly flat. The many trails going into wooded areas off the main trail are nice for walking, too, though a bit more muddy with a lot of roots making it hard to ride through.
My favorite place is a little path into the woods off the main trail that connects to the Milliken Mills Pond, where I find several different species of turtles, frogs, fish, and birds! It's an area full of wildlife.A couple of animals that live there are the usual, chipmunks, grey and red squirrels, painted turtles, wood turtles (I believe, though I'm not a turtle expert), garter snakes, largemouth bass, pumpkin sunfish, and many many birds, there are also bigger animals, such as deer, and raccoons. According to the lake survery I found we even have eels, and a couple types of catfish in the pond.
Some people enjoy kayaking or canoeing on the pond, though it's not the most popular activity on this section of the trail.
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| "Ralph" the Painted Turtle. |
One section of the trail also crosses the Scarborough Marsh, that is my other favorite section. The marsh is next week's spotlight, so I won't go into any detail today!
Only one of these pictures has been edited at all. These are not pictures from my Instagram, most of the pictures on my Instagram are edited in some way. All of my photography is currently taken and edited on an iPhone 4S.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Area Spotlight 1
This summer I have decided to make at least one post a week highlighting something special or interesting in my area. Not just in my little tourist town, but also in the surrounding towns and cities.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people come to visit my town every year, the beach is completely covered with people almost daily. Why? There are so many other things to do, the water isn't even that great temperature wise, and there are so many people it's not even worth it! Not to mention how many beaches are around besides the one in my town. Starting in May I'll begin, and hopefully I'll have at least one place to feature every week until September!
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people come to visit my town every year, the beach is completely covered with people almost daily. Why? There are so many other things to do, the water isn't even that great temperature wise, and there are so many people it's not even worth it! Not to mention how many beaches are around besides the one in my town. Starting in May I'll begin, and hopefully I'll have at least one place to feature every week until September!
Friday, April 17, 2015
Blog update
I've just updated my blog a bit. Mostly added links to my various social media. I recently created a Tumblr to go with this blog, it has a sampling of my photography, and a few things I've reblogged.
For those interested I'll go a bit more in depth about what I post where.
Twitter -
For those interested I'll go a bit more in depth about what I post where.
Twitter -
- Favorite picture of the day, either mine, or someone else's I've used with permission.
- Summary of recent blog posts.
- Occasional retweets of things I think are worth sharing.
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| Today's favorite picture. |
Facebook -
- Most liked pictures of the day from my Instagram.
- Summary of recent blog posts.
- Special "Facebook only" pictures and posts that I don't post anywhere else.
- Sample pictures from my Instagram
- Summary of recent blog posts.
- Occasional reblogs of things I think are worth sharing, that almost always have something to do with my list.
This Blog -
- In depth posts about things I am doing, almost entirely about my list, or other travel related things.
- My full list.
- Links to my other websites, and to other people's blogs that I enjoy.
That's currently all!
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Little Challenges
Sometimes, I get so focused on posting about the big goals I have, I forget to post about the smaller challenges I've been facing.
I injured my toe a couple of weeks ago, we're fairly certain I broke it, though I did not get x-rays. I had two dance competitions soon after the injury, and I performed in both. It was incredibly painful, but being with my "dance family", and dancing in general made it worth it.
It has been warming up as spring approaches, so I have been out walking more often. If you follow my instagram you should be seeing many more pictures from me soon. I've also been working out to be in best shape possible for hiking this summer.
I still have yet to complete my "before I turn 18 list", I only have a month and a half. I may not complete it in time honestly. Hopefully I will be able to plan some trips.
Something slightly stupid I did recently I did for only two reasons 1) Because why not? 2) Bragging rights. I drank a gallon of 7-11 slurpee in under twelve hours! How many people can say that? Some people think it's gross, but honestly, if I can't do stupid things like drinking a gallon of slurpee in a day when I'm seventeen then when can I do them? Aren't teenagers supposed to do silly things, especially if they don't hurt anyone, and aren't in any serious risk!
Yesterday I was also an "assistant stage manager" (I did give myself that title) for the first time. I was on a headset backstage communicating with the light and sound people, and I had a runner making sure numbers were lined up and ready to go on time!
I've also been working on a new story. You can read more about it here.
Really, we all face little challenges each day, and do goofy things just for fun all the time, let's celebrate and talk about the little things as much as we talk about the big things.
I injured my toe a couple of weeks ago, we're fairly certain I broke it, though I did not get x-rays. I had two dance competitions soon after the injury, and I performed in both. It was incredibly painful, but being with my "dance family", and dancing in general made it worth it.
It has been warming up as spring approaches, so I have been out walking more often. If you follow my instagram you should be seeing many more pictures from me soon. I've also been working out to be in best shape possible for hiking this summer.
I still have yet to complete my "before I turn 18 list", I only have a month and a half. I may not complete it in time honestly. Hopefully I will be able to plan some trips.
Something slightly stupid I did recently I did for only two reasons 1) Because why not? 2) Bragging rights. I drank a gallon of 7-11 slurpee in under twelve hours! How many people can say that? Some people think it's gross, but honestly, if I can't do stupid things like drinking a gallon of slurpee in a day when I'm seventeen then when can I do them? Aren't teenagers supposed to do silly things, especially if they don't hurt anyone, and aren't in any serious risk!
Yesterday I was also an "assistant stage manager" (I did give myself that title) for the first time. I was on a headset backstage communicating with the light and sound people, and I had a runner making sure numbers were lined up and ready to go on time!
I've also been working on a new story. You can read more about it here.
Really, we all face little challenges each day, and do goofy things just for fun all the time, let's celebrate and talk about the little things as much as we talk about the big things.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Appalachian Trail: Beginning Planning Priorities
Hello there!
On my question "To dog or not to dog" I have made a decision. I will dog. I'm hoping to get a dog between six months and three years old within the next couple of months. Ideally, I'd like a year to train and prepare my dog and myself for the trail.
Now I've already started a gear list of important things such as tent, sleeping bag, backpack, clothes, etc., I'm shooting for December to have all my plans finalized. That being said, my test run is going to be this summer, likely in August, if possible.
So I have started making a list of which supplies I need first. I thought I'd share with you my first steps towards my summer test run.
On my question "To dog or not to dog" I have made a decision. I will dog. I'm hoping to get a dog between six months and three years old within the next couple of months. Ideally, I'd like a year to train and prepare my dog and myself for the trail.
Now I've already started a gear list of important things such as tent, sleeping bag, backpack, clothes, etc., I'm shooting for December to have all my plans finalized. That being said, my test run is going to be this summer, likely in August, if possible.
So I have started making a list of which supplies I need first. I thought I'd share with you my first steps towards my summer test run.
- Finish creating my basic gear list.
- Adopt a dog, and begin training.
- Complete finished gear list for first 100 miles.
- Collect basic gear list.
- Plan out route, pace, approximate stops, etc on maps.
- Acquire items 100 mile gear list.
- Obtain supplies for the entire trail.
- Prepare care packages for along the trail complete with dog food and maps for the next section.
- Get a high-quality camera.
- Buy a new lightweight laptop/notebook for picture editing and blogging while on the trail! (For when I stop, of course)
Purchasing a laptop is the last step because it is the least important. I can blog from my phone, however, the posts will be shorter, and the pictures will be terrible iPhone photos... Nice for family vacations, not so nice for photo journals about the trail that I intend to put together.
That's all for now!
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