The frequent flyers of our backyard Wood Ducks

We have been having many visitors on the thin strip of land just outside the fence of our backyard.  We are on the edge of the Spicket River in Salem New Hampshire.  There have been raccoon, woodchuck, opossum, muskrat, and rabbits but our most frequent visitors as of late are a group of Wood Ducks.  They are the most colorful of the duck family and less common in New England than the Mallards which are the most common in this area of the country. This is a time-lapse video of the past few days.

Thanks for viewing! Dave Peatfield

First Snow of the season

The fist major weather event for New England for the "not even winter yet" event. This system has been reaping havoc around the country during the Thanksgiving holiday week.

[Snow Accum Forecast] Accumulating snow will come in 2 parts. First part through just after midnight tonight, heaviest N of the Pike; Second part Mon night/Tue AM, heaviest eastern MA. This is total accum into Tue morning.

...A LONG LASTING WINTER STORM WILL BRING TWO BOUTS OF SNOW TO
PORTIONS OF THE REGION INTO TUESDAY...

.A complex area of low pressure will continue to develop off the
southern New England coastline tonight. Snow will spread across
southern New Hampshire this evening and into far southwestern
portions of Maine. The snow may be heavy at times along and near
the New Hampshire Massachusetts border as well as over the higher
terrain of southern New Hampshire where snowfall rates of an inch
per hour are possible.

Snow is expected to decrease in intensity during the day on
Monday with another round of heavier snow possible Monday night
into Tuesday primarily affecting southern and central portions of
central Maine as well as eastern portions of New Hampshire.

Due to the long duration nature of this winter storm, storm total
snowfall amounts will continue to be challenging to forecast.
However, the prolonged period of snow will lead to wintry driving
conditions lasting into Tuesday.

* WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 8 to 12
inches into early Monday. Thereafter, a few additional inches
of snow expected, mainly Monday night into early Tuesday.

* WHERE...Portions of central and southern New Hampshire.

* WHEN...Until 7 AM EST Tuesday.

* IMPACTS...Heavy snow will make travel difficult. This could
affect the morning and evening commutes on Monday.

Visit http://weather.gov/gyx/winter for in-depth snow and ice forecasts including event totals.

The freedom of a JEEP

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A post shared by Meghan (@missmeghanyoung) on Aug 6, 2019 at 6:37am PDT

Man's best friend

Man's best friend

Mimi 2005 - 2019

The bond between man and their dog is one that is hard to explain but it is as strong as steel. It is a journey that is long and eventful at every turn.  Always ready to go at a seconds notice, your needs above all else (except food).  Morning day or night they are ready to be at your side.  We plan everything we do around their care and comfort and are one of the family.

Mimi joined our family as a small pup as a gift for our daughter.  She has been a part of the family ever since. Through thick and thin her loyalty has never wavered.  This old gal loved her family without judgment always.  Being deaf for the last few years she learned visual cues and always looked you straight in the eye when she was trying to communicate with you. Never yelling, never judgmental, always loving.

Mimi had many health battles towards the end of her journey but always her tail would wag when any of us would approach.  Always loyal, always strong, always willing to lift our spirit when things got tough.

Rest easy now our loyal pup, as we lay you to the earth.  There is no more pain, your struggles are now at ease.  It has truly been a great journey with you at our side.  Your spirit will be with us forever.

Some count sheep when they sleep, Mimi counted Cheez-its

Your family will always love you!  You were our best friend!

Mimi takes her final bow

A moment of reflection

Herkimer Diamond Mines #Herkimer #HerkimerDiamond #HerkimerNY #NY

How we spent our summer vacation.  Being avid gem and mineral enthusiasts my wife and I decided our destination would be the Herkimer Diamond mines in New York.  This location has been receiving mixed reviews in the recent past, but those who put in the effort and know what to look for will be rewarded.

We spent about 7 hours at this site with the tools necessary to access these hidden gems.  You can rent a 3lb hammer at the location to break open some of these hidden gems but we suggest bringing your own additional tools.  IE: safety glasses, gloves, pry bar, 5lb hammer, pick, chisel, wedges, ziplock baggies and a 5gal bucket to carry away your treasures.  Many small samples in matrix are easily accessible and will be enjoyed forever!  As can be seen by some of our photo's.  

Well worth the effort you put in. Enjoy some of our shots from our trip September 19th, 2018.  We also highly recommend the Herkimer Diamond Mine KOA campgrounds on site across the street.  Great location, nice stream and quiet location to rest inbetween treasure hunts, bracelets are issued by the mine so you may come and go throughout the day.  Any questions about this location feel free to contact us.

Herkimer Diamond is a healing crystal to bring its positive energy into your life. Herkimer diamonds are a double terminated form of quartz named after it's type locality, Herkimer County,New York, U.S.A. Mineral Species - Quartz Crystal System - Trigonal Birthstone - Sagittarius Chakra Alignment - Crown Crystal Attributes: Stimulates psychic gifts. Brings in pure light and is used to clear the Chakras. Considered to be an 'attunement' stone. A powerful aid in attuning to another person, one’s environment, or the highest spiritual levels. Useful in treating and eliminating electromagnetic stress. This crystal comes with a handy reference card describing all key mineral properties and crystal healing attributes. (Photo: Dave Peatfield) (Locality: 43.130214, -74.975736, Herkimer Diamond Mines, Herkimer, NY)

These are a few of the many crystal forms seen in Herkimer Diamonds.