Another Sunny Day for Hiking

Today was another gorgeous day!  After lunch, we headed out to Dam Pond Maritime Preserve, in East Marion, NY.  Known as a popular birding location, it has a couple of fairly short hiking/walking trails where one can see a variety of vegetation.

Upon entering the trail, we saw a lot of beautiful blooming Forsythia bushes.  At one point, I could hear one of my most favorite sounds - the haunting sound of wind blowing through pine tree needles.  Whenever I hear this distinct sound, I always feel Mom is saying hello to me.

Other sights in this preserve included a view of the salt pond, the Orient Causeway and an Osprey nest.  After this, we went on to Orient Point State Park at the very end of the North Fork of Long Island.  It was a great day!

Dam Pond Maritime Preserve

Osprey Nest - Dam Pond Maritime Preserve

Dam Pond Maritime Preserve 

Dam Pond Maritime Preserve

Dam Pond Maritime Preserve

Dam Pond Maritime Preserve

Orient Point State Park

Orient Point State Park - "Comfort Station" - LOL!

Orient Point State Park

Orient Point State Park

Laurel Lake Preserve Hike

This year marks our third annual Spring trip to Long Island.  Since gaining a delightful, fun-loving daughter-in-law who is a native Long Islander, we have tried to visit the area several times a year.   Our April visit usually coincides with our grandson's Spring Break.  We dearly love the vineyards and countryside of Long Island's North Fork, specifically the Greenport, Southold, and Cutchogue area!

The weather seems to be warmer for mid- to late- April from what we remember in past years.  Today was supposed to be sunny and close to 64 degrees.  That means that I wanted to get out and do some hiking!!

After "Googling" for some ideas, we decided to visit Laurel Lake Preserve today.  This preserve is located in Mattituck, NY.

• Laurel Lake is a 30-acre freshwater kettle hole that was formed more than 10,000 years ago.  The lake is over 45 feet deep, maybe as deep as 70 feet in some places. It is home to a diverse fish population including bass, pickerel, and perch.  
• Preserved land in the Laurel Lake area encompasses 480+ acres.  The trailhead is on a 31-acre site.

It was a perfect day for a walk!  Even though it seemed we were far away from civilization in the woods, we could still here the highway noise in some places.  At one place we even heard the LIR (train) go by.  

Here are some pictures from our walk:

Since this blog is about books as well as Yoga, I must share what I am reading right now.  Growing up, I don't know how I ever missed reading the "Anne of Green Gables" series by L.M. Montgomery.  A dear friend of mine, Lynette, told me how she had recently enjoyed reading the series and then watching the movie versions as well.  Soooo, I started by downloading the audio book from Library2Go through my local library.  This book is so cute!  It's quite wholesome, old-fashioned, and just sunny in how it reads.  It reminds me of "Little House on the Prairie" and "Little Orphan Annie" combined.  It is very easy reading, and I love Anne's saying "there's so much scope for imagination" in certain situations and locations she finds herself in.

The other book that I am currently reading is "Misadventures of a Garden State Yogi" by Brian Leaf.  Subtitled "My Humble Quest to Heal My Colitis, Calm My ADD and Find the Key to Happiness".  I am loving this book!  The author is quite humorous as he guides the reader through his journey to do exactly what he describes in his subtitle.  As someone who has an auto-immune arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, and occasional IBS (I know - too much information!), I too, am hoping that Yoga will "cure" my afflictions.  This much I can say - Yoga does help - a lot!

My husband and I just arrived Monday on Long Island for a visit with our son, future daughter-in-law, and grandson.  We are staying on the North Fork of the Island where they are blessed with a multitude of wineries (so far we've visited 5 in 2 days).  The scenery is beautiful - vineyards, old homes, waterfronts, ocean,  - all good stuff!  Nothing at all like New York City - more like home - only different.  The very first day we arrived, even before getting the keys to our lodging - we signed up for unlimited classes and use of a local fitness center.  So far, we have attended two indoor cycling classes.  We got some new music ideas to take back to my husbands' spinning class.  Tomorrow, I am going to try out a Yoga Studio that teaches in the Ashtanga style.  I am mostly familiar with Hatha Yoga, so I'm looking forward to this adventure.

Everyone in this area of Long Island has been so nice and friendly.  We are hoping for a little warmer weather soon,  although I'm thankful that it has been sunny!   I am missing our cat, Lynxie, and I'm so thankful to our next door neighbor and my Dad who will be checking on her frequently.  Well, that's all for now.

Namaste',
Carrie