Catskill Meanderings

I have resurrected my Morning Meanderings project with a slight change. I've set up an instagram account titled Catskill Meanderings - where I will share daily pics shot and edited exclusively on my iPhone. Check it out: http://instagram.com/catskillmeanderings

A New Twist

I have decided the Morning Meanderings Project - at least in its current form - has run its course. I am in the process of compiling a book that will feature some favorite images from each month of the previous year. Stay tuned for more information.

For those interested, I will continue to meander in the morning and will share casual shots of my experiences on Instagram. 

Look for me @ http://instagram.com/catskillmeanderings

4.30 - Spring Morning

4.30.13 Spring Morning  • © Margaret Helthaler

4.22 - Daffodils!

4.22.13 Daffodils!  • © Margaret Helthaler

4.17 - Frog Eggs!

4.17.13 Frog Eggs!  • © Margaret Helthaler

4.12 - Coming Rain

4.12.13 Coming Rain  • © Margaret Helthaler

We misjudged the weather and finished our walk in a steady downpour. The irony was not lost on us that we looked like two crazy people doing the one thing that helps to keep us sane...

4.10 Rolling Fog

4.10.13 Rolling Fog  • © Margaret Helthaler

What a difference a day makes. A quick moving storm came through overnight - waking me with it's torrential downpour, high winds and streaks of lightning. This morning the Catskills are enveloped in a thick rolling fog...

4.9 - Reflections

4.9.13 Reflections  • © Margaret Helthaler

I stood on the large rock and gazed at the reflections in the placid waters of the Rondout. Inhaling a deep breath of the balmy April breeze and thrusting out my arms to encompass the expansive view before us, I said to my friend, "Does it get any better than this?" Just then a bald eagle caught our eye. We watched his silent passage overhead, the sun glinting on his white head and tail feathers. My friend responded, "There's your answer... Yes it does get better!" My birthday is off to an excellent start...

4.8 - Blue Skies...

4.8.13 Blue Skies...  • © Margaret Helthaler

4.4 - Fisherman

4.4.13 Fisherman  • © Margaret Helthaler

4.3 - Oh Spring! Wherefore Art Thou?

4.3.13 Oh Spring! Wherefore Art Thou?  • © Margaret Helthaler

The chilly temps remain and I awoke to a dusting of snow...

4.2 - Wind Chill

4.2.13 Wind Chill  • © Margaret Helthaler

The cold has made an unpleasant return. It was 25 degrees this morning with a biting wind.

4.1 - Spring Thaw

4.1.13 Spring Thaw  • © Margaret Helthaler

3.28 - In Memory of My Father

3.28.13 In Memory Of My Father  • © Margaret Helthaler

Shortly after I returned from my walk I learned my father had passed away in the early morning hours. Somehow the view of these distant hills, captured at the top of a heart-pumping climb, is an appropriate homage to the man who was such a distant force in my life. Goodbye Dad.

3.27 - Downhill

3.27.13 Downhill  • © Margaret Helthaler

I didn't much feel like walking this morning so I decided to take a quick but steep trip up Sunrise Drive. True to it's name - the bright morning sun cast long shadows across the road and by the time I was on the descent I was warmed by both the sun and the exertion of the climb.

3.25 - Dreary March Monday

3.25.13 Dreary March Monday  • © Margaret Helthaler

Took a quick walk along my regular route on Big Hollow Road this morning. The chorus of spring birds was at odds with the lingering brown winter dampness...

3.22 - Relentless

3.22.13 Relentless  • © Margaret Helthaler

The light was beautiful this morning - aglow with floating crystals of snow - but the relentless cold has me feeling uninspired...

3.21 - 14 degrees

3.21.13 14 degrees 2  • © Margaret Helthaler

3.21.13 14 degrees  • © Margaret Helthaler

Spring continues to remain elusive...

3.20 - Buried in a Blanket of Snow

3.20.13 Buried in a Blanket of Snow  • © Margaret Helthaler

3.20.13 Buried in a Blanket of Snow 2  • © Margaret Helthaler

The Southern Catskills greeted the first day of spring under a blanket of snow.

3.19 - First Robin

3.19.13 First Robin  • © Margaret Helthaler

We received nearly 1/2 a foot of snow last night and earlier today, but the robins that flocked to our yard after my husband cleared some paths have left me feeling optimistic that spring is truly just around the corner...