New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff

I run back in to summer today

Wednesday 10/02/2013

Looks like we are about to take a trip back to summer today with temperatures expected to get into the 80's today. Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day. I got to spend much of the morning thru mid day out lobstering with my friend Jean. Not a cloud to be seen with clear blue sky and perfectly blue water to reflect the sky. What a day we had. And how quickly it warmed up with hardly a breeze and calm waters for us. Actually he fishes primarily in the protected waters around Portsmouth but we did see waves from the storm well out to sea breaking over the jetty by Odiourne Point. And what colors even at the coast. Some maples were totally colored along the distant shores as we glided from pot to pot. Lobstering has been slow for Jean the past month. In fact there were few other lobster pot buoys to be seen. We managed to land only about eight keepers for the twenty or so pots checked.

What was surely disappointing though was the lack of Monarch butterflies. We didn't see a single one! Most years at this time there is a constant flow of Monarchs north to south. Often we seen dozens. But not a one was sighted. That certainly is worrisome for me.

Monday afternoon I drove up Rote 89 to Lebanon for an evening meeting. Oh what a drive. What color is to be seen as I glided along glimpsing the distant and close views. It is well worth a trip almost anywhere right now. In my mind no doubt the next big wind or rain event is going to strip many trees of their leaves. So get out now.

You just have to balance life some days. Two weekends ago I spent a good part of a Sunday with my wife, daughter and two granddaughters on a couple hour long tour of the fairy houses at Strawberry Bank in Portsmouth. The girls were thrilled at the number and uniqueness of the dozens of fairy houses. It was a joy to watch them. For me as a young child it was the elves that inhabited the deep woods behind our house in Maine. So I truly can get their engagement. And of coarse the spring peepers in the distant of my youth were pointed out as elves partying and singing.Yes I was in to elves. But fairies, not so much. As I drove to head home we were going by the Albacore submarine that I have driven by a thousand times before meaning to stop one day. In fact I mentioned that and it was my daughter who insisted we stop then and there. So we did. Not a big item on the bucket list, but it was there. So we all took a wonderful tour of the sub adding, and balancing the day. Life is good.