It was late spring when we last visited Sandy Wool Lake. A hint of green still covered the quickly browning hills. Water reeds stood tall along the water’s edge, an abundance of waterfowl swam and splashed in the lake, and ducklings followed behind their momma. Tucked in amongst the lakeside vegetation were plenty of fishermen…
Tag: Parks
Portal to the San Francisco Bay Trail
A quirky house-shaped structure and doorway frame the entrance to a boardwalk over the Alviso Marina Park salt marsh. The boardwalk leads to the San Francisco Bay Trail and the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, a favorite location for bird watching, hiking, and bike riding. On this evening visit, the sun’s golden…
Sunset over the Alviso Marsh
Live life as if it were created just for you. —Maya Angelou
Modern Lines – The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is a modern architectural treasure in Athens, Greece designed by Renzo Piano. It was built on an abandoned seafront property in the southern suburbs of Athens. Today the property has been transformed into a hilltop complex that includes an opera house, a new home for the National Library of Greece,…
Unworldly Beauty at the Alviso Salt Ponds
One late summer day, I headed to Alviso Marina County Park for my usual walk on the trails around the tall grasses of the saltwater marshes. The day was sunny and breezy without a cloud in the sky. The onshore breeze kept me cool and put me in the mood to explore beyond my comfort…
Wintertime at Sandy Wool Lake
This past weekend we headed to Sandy Wool Lake at Ed R. Levin County Park for a much-needed walk in nature. Wintertime is a good time of year to visit the park when temperatures are cool, and the dry, golden brown grasses of summer turn green under the rainy days of winter. When last at the…
Goodbye Autumn Leaves
“If months were marked by colors, November in New England would be colored gray.” -Madeline M. Kunin Goodbye warm, reds and golds of October. Hello cold, gray days of November. I’m back in New England for the Thanksgiving Holiday with my family. After a dreary, rainy morning we ventured out to Countryside Park in Avon,…
Gatehouse Doors at the Saville Dam
Last year I learned about the Saville Dam in a Thursday Doors post by Dan Antion in his blog, No Facilities. Despite many visits to the Barkhamsted Reservoir during my youth, I could not for the life of me remember ever seeing the upper gatehouse for the dam. When I headed back to Connecticut last week…
A Medieval-Style Gatehouse at Saville Dam
Wordless Wednesday
Autumn Foliage at Countryside Park
Every year when I visit my family in Connecticut, whether it be Spring, Summer, or Fall (forget Winter), one of our favorite places to stop when cruising the country roads of Connecticut is Countryside Park in Avon. In the Spring and Summer, we picnic in the park and my father fishes in the small ponds. Fishing is…
Alviso Marina County Park
Whenever I need a breath of fresh salty air and that by-the-sea vibe, I head to Alviso Marina County Park. This small park is located on the southern tip of the San Francisco Bay and is just minutes away from the urban setting of Silicon Valley. Quirky house-shaped structures frame the entrance and exit to…
Pulgas Water Temple
Water is one of the most precious resources on earth. Without water, life would not exist. We can live without food for up to a month, but without water, our survival is limited to a matter of days. The current drought in California is a humbling reminder that we should not take water for granted….
