Home Stretch...

Early friday afternoon, Chelsea, Leah and I visited the Barrington Headwaters to re-explore the same trail that Dan Gardoqui took us through when we first met him. Our main goal was to find the porcupine den so we could take more pictures and I could gather more quills to use in my craft-making. Most of the shady woodland was still pretty flooded from the previous weekend, and though we did manage to find many of the interest points we'd seen with Dan, the porcupines eluded us. All was not lost, however, as we stumbled across an enormous multi-layered fungus that looked like a sunburst. We marveled at how beautiful it was, and how awesome it is that colors like those are created in nature.

Since our stay at the Headwaters was cut short by dearth of porcupines and glut of deer flies, we decided we should stop at the UNH Recreation Area right down the street. We had heard, amongst other things, that there was a gorgeous lake there to swim in. A small bit of exploration proved the rumors to be true... Mendum's Pond was so lovely and inviting that the three of us couldn't help ourselves... we jumped in! It was such a refreshing little visit that we made plans then and there to come back the following morning.

Gratefully, Saturday's weather held out and it was perfect for a proper visit to the Rec area. A whole group of us adopted a secluded little picnic area and swam to our hearts' content, even swimming out to the blueberry-laden island in the middle of the pond. We lunched waterside, played games, sprawled silently in the sun and snacked on wild blueberries until the afternoon. If ever I could have imagined a perfect day enjoying the outside world, this was it.

Tomorrow begins the final week of the Summer Institute. I'm still in a little bit of shock at how quickly it's gone by. There is a lot to be done in these next four days; Group Scat Track Fever must finish the project binder containing all info about our time at the Warren Farm, as well as prepare our final presenation for Thursday morning. Monday's class time will mostly be spent at the Warren Farm for a final trek through our beloved transects. Hopefully we will get lucky and gather some final track prints, and maybe a few wildlife pictures. Importantly, as well, we look forward to thanking Randy Warren for his generous nature in letting us explore his land. He has been an informative and enjoyable resource to us for which we are tremendously grateful. Thanks, Randy!


Gratitude is something of which none of us can give too much. For on the smiles, the thanks we give, our little gestures of appreciation, our neighbors build their philosophy of life.- A. J. Cronin