Goose Creek Park

Its easy for me to get stuck in a rut of always going to the same places. Hard to believe, but I do get tired of always walking on sandy beaches, I like more variety. Also, even though we’ve lived here for almost 3 years, there is still a lot in the area we haven’t taken the time to explore yet. So, last weekend I decided we were taking a day trip to a state park about 2 hours away. Goose Creek State park is north of us and is located on the Pamlico River. It has an interesting beach along the river with live oaks going down to the water, some beautiful pine forests, and a half mile boardwalk through a pretty swamp (no, that is not a contradiction).

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Nicely maintained trails wander through a forest of towering longleaf pines.

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See, the swamp really is pretty!

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Jon, Panzer, and Sasha.

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I’ve noticed that many parks in the south have boardwalks through swampy and marshy areas, I love seeing them up close and getting a perspective that I wouldn’t from dry land.

Boston in Instagram

I recently took a long weekend in Boston to visit some family. Mostly I spent my time there walking around the city. I did actually take a few photos with my real camera too, but I haven’t gotten around to editing them yet.

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First Row:
From the airplane window, somewhere over the east coast.
Flying over Squantum, the neighborhood I grew up in, just South of Boston.
The Residence Inn in the Seaport District, its been converted from an old warehouse and I love that they kept some of the original architecture, like this atrium.

Second Row:
The Greenway, can you believe this used to have a raised highway running through it?
Graveyard at King’s Chapel.
Public Gardens.

Third Row:
Walking along the Charles River.
Another view of the Charles, on the way home from getting dinner and hot chocolate in Harvard Square.
A pretty stand of birch trees (We don’t have them in the south).

Forth Row:
A walk in Squaw Rock Park, in Quincy, MA, near my parents house.

Fifth Row:
Georgetown Cupcake. When you walk this much you deserve a cupcake, or two. I got a strawberry and a chocolate mint.
Boston Common and the State House.
Kitty, she kept me company since I didn’t have my dogs to interrupt my sleep.

September 2015 in Instagram

**Flood and Rain update. So far we are doing fine. Our pond is the fullest I’ve ever seen it, and there are large standing puddles around the yard, but so far no actual flooding. I think we should be fine, the nearest river is half a mile away, and is a slow moving river that empties into a large tidal marsh.

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Top Row:
Jon’s new garage/workshop. Its pretty awesome.
Tried a few new restaurants locally, Minoda’s sushi and hibachi, and Circa 81 for brunch. Both were very good.

Middle Row:
Fort Macon State Park. A nice tree/driftwood on the beach.
Wildflowers.
A pretty swamp/wetlands area

Bottom Row:
Shrimp Boats in Beaufort Harbor
My lazy, old man, Chewbacca
Tried a new recipe, Tatziki Sauce on a pita with chicken and veggies.

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Top Row:
Went for a walk in Lawson Creek Park, in New Bern

Middle Row:
Goldenrod
I climbed the Cape Lookout Lighthouse! The view from the top was amazing!

Bottom Row:
Cape Lookout Lighthouse
Sasha and Panzer playing
A paper collage I started about 6 months ago, then put aside, and have been working on again.

New Hats in my Scarlett Made Etsy Shop

Warning: shameless self promotion ahead!

I have to admit, I’m surprised by how well these mens beanies have done in my easy shop, because, to me, it feels like such a simple design. Knitters are always having trouble making things for their husbands and boyfriends, mostly because they want what we think of as “boring.” Unfussy designs and a limited color palette. Soft yarn is important too, men won’t tolerate anything scratchy. But my simple hat has been fairly popular in my shop, and I’ve even had several custom item orders, so I’m adding 4 new colors. What do you think? Do you like these colors, or are there other colors or designs you would like to see?

Maroon with a grey stripe
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Black
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Forest green with a brown stripe
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Navy blue with a cadet blue stripe
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