August 11, 2021 – Royalston Falls – Massachusetts

Today Gus, myself, and a friend of ours Adventured to Royalston Falls in Royalston, Massachusetts. Royalston Falls is an approximate 50 foot waterfall that can be found on a 1.6 round trip trail. It is sourced from Falls Brook and is part of the Trustees of Reservations.

We had a mosquito-filled Adventure to Royalston Falls. I was excited to finally get to Royalston Falls, especially with great company! Wilma was enjoying her day at Grandma and Grandpa’s spa, which I am sure she especially appreciated on this warm and humid day. We arrived at the parking lot on route 32 finding the Trustees of Reservation sign marking the trailhead to the Falls. We began along the trail and quickly found we would be battling the mosquitos. The trails to the Falls was full of roots, rocks, and in some locations mud. We hustled along trying to avoid the inevitable bites. Heading to the waterfall much of the hike was downhill. As we got closer to the waterfall we crossed a little bridge, and the scenery became more scenic, finding small cascades, a lovely gorge, and the babbling brook.

I first realized we are at the Falls when spotting some fencing from afar. Royalston Falls was large and flowing rapidly. It was only viewable from afar, and was somewhat difficult to capture on camera. We took a variety of photographs before heading back on the trail. The trail back was much more challenging often heading uphill. Although the trail was not difficult it was far from a stroll, but definitely great exercise. Gus loved walking briskly, however definitely enjoyed checking out some smells, and finding sticks on the route. Glad to cross Royalston Falls off the list today (Rating: 3).

Weekly Video/Photo

If you follow by blog regularly please skip done to the third paragraph…

The Weekly Video/Photo section highlights an Adventure, while I might also sneak in some that are humorous, adorable, or just other fun dog moments. If you have followed my blog from the beginning you know that I adopted Shadow as a puppy, and about a year later adopted Buster as a puppy. We had many wonderful years together before experiencing the devastating loss of Buster at just seven. It took a long time for our hearts to heal, but almost a year after his passing we welcomed little Wilma into our world. We were devastated to loose Shadow on April 3, 2020. These two precious boys boys will be furever in our hearts! We were recently thrilled to add another amazing rescue, Gus, to our home on June 28, 2021! This Weekly Video/Photo section will allow me to share photos from all four of my rescues, whether it be a precious memory, or a current moment.

Today’s photograph is one of Wilma and Gus from our Adventures on Friday. I only blog about our new locations and this one was taken at The Basin in Lincoln, New Hampshire, a place I have blogged about before. The Basin is such a beautiful and refreshing place, full of rushing water, cascades, and falls. I love this photo of Wilma and Gus and thought I would share it today for my weekly photo. Here they are:

August 6, 2021 – Newport, Vermont

Yesterday Wilma, Gus, My Mom and I Adventured to Newport, Vermont. Newport, Vermont is in Northern Vermont, and is located on Lake Mempremagog. Newport is has a downtown area with restaurants and shops and is popular for the outdoor recreation.

We had a flower filled adventure to Newport, Vermont. We had four amazing adventures today and Newport, Vermont was our farthest destination, and one of our two new locations. We arrived to find a simple town with waterfront views and endless, gorgeous flowers decorating the town. We found parking and decided to explore Pomerleau Park, a waterfront park. This was a small park with a lovely boardwalk along Lake Memphremagog, a miniature lighthouse, a fish sculpture, and endless beautiful flowers. We took our time wandering on this warm day and attempted to see every detail on the route.

After exploring Pomerleau Park we decided it was time for some ice cream! We had located Tim and Doug’s Ice Cream on our way in and just could not resist a refreshing treat on this summer day. I decided to take Gus over to order while Mom and Wilma cooled down in the car. Gus was quite the popular guy on this mini walk, and he has been doing so better socially, often being willing to greet people independently. I decided to order an orange cream drink, my Mom ordered a root beer float, and of course I ordered Wilma a dog ice cream. I felt bad not ordering Gus something but his stomach is still trying to figure out the world so thought it was best to wait on this delicacy. We headed back to the car and enjoyed our refreshing treats!

In addition to these main stops we walked around the town and drove around nearby to check out this town. We found beautiful mountain views at South Bay, and appendage of Lake Mempremagog. I think Newport is the farthest I have been up North, although one time as a teenager I did venture to Canada. So glad we could adventure to Newport, Vermont (This blog will not be rated).

August 6, 2021 – Orne Covered Bridge – Vermont

Yesterday Wilma, Gus, My Mom, and I Adventured to the Orne Covered Bridge in Irasburg, Vermont. The Orne Covered bridge was built in the 1800s, destroyed by arson in 1997, and rebuilt in 2000. It is located on Back Coventry Road and traverses the Black River.

We had a Queen Anne Lace-filled adventure to the Orne Covered Bridge. We had four amazing adventures yesterday, two of which were new, including the Orne Covered Bridge. I love visiting covered bridges and was thrilled to fit in a new one on our adventure. The Orne Covered Bridge is located in a more rural setting. Nearby we spotted horses and farmers hard at work. The brook was beautiful, framed by wildflowers on the roadside. I trotted through the bridge and back, before taking the pups out to explore, although a quiet location, not much of an area to cross the bridge in. We wandered around near the bridge, finding rocks for posing, and enjoying the scene. Besides some nosey farm equipment it was really a peaceful setting. It seemed to be the warmest part of the day so it was nice to find this perfect short adventure on our day full of fun. So glad to visit the Orne Covered Bridge (Rating: 4).

Throwback Adventure

I have decided to make some changes to my Throwback section. This is partly because I have had the blog for about three years and each week I have posted an Adventure from before I started the blog. This has become more challenging between finding old photographs, and identifying the location. Although I will still be adding some here and and there I thought I would also use the Throwback Adventure to share past Adventures I have posted. I have new followers, and of course not every follower has been able to view all blogs. This Throwback blog will also allow me an opportunity to share special memories of my boys, Shadow and Buster who have passed. They began my life of wonderful adventures with my rescues, and will be furever in our hearts!

Today’s Throwback Adventure is one I took with Shadow and Buster back in 2015 to Fort Crown Point in Crown Point, New York. I have found memories of this Fort adventure with my boys. We found it accidentally, and it was just beautiful. The Fort ruins were gorgeous, the water views lovely, and bright red trees adding quite the color to the scene. Shadow and Buster played continually, as you can in this timer-photo. Great memories at this historical location. Please see two photo highlights below, and click here to see the original blog: Fort Crown Point – October 2015

August 3, 2021 – Stone Arch Trail – Massachusetts

Yesterday Gus, his puppy friend Koda, and a friend of mine adventured to the Stone Arch Trail in Westford, Massachusetts. The Stone Arch Trail is a 2.2 loop trail that includes a brook and the Stone Arch Bridge. There are numerous trails that intersect this loop, which we also traversed on this walk, I believe including: Bluebird Hill and the Russell Bird Sanctuary.

We had a beautiful walk at the Stone Arch Trail. I was excited to finally get to this location, and to provide Gus some energetic puppy time. We parked at Cold Brook Road and off we went. The trail weaved through the forest and also had small paths through the fields and beautiful wildflowers. We passed several bodies of water, which both Koda and Gus enjoyed exploring, although Koda was much more adventurous then Gus. We compared puppy notes and the puppies loved trying to play as we attempted our walk. We attempted double posing the pups, quite an entertaining adventure (haha)! I was eager to see the Stone Arch Bridge and was quite impressed when we arrived, it was much larger and spectacular then I could have expected. I was disappointed to see the graffiti but it seems like that has become the norm at these types of locations. We took some time posing the pups at this magnificent bridge before continuing on our walk. I was very pleased with this trail, especially loving the diversity in scenery, with water, flowers, trees, and of course the stone arch bridge. So glad to explore the Stone Arch Trail with great company (Rating: 4.5).

Weekly Video/Photo

If you follow by blog regularly please skip down to the last paragraph….

Today’s photograph is a napping photograph of Gus, in my bed. He is just the cutest and sweetest little guy…and although he seems to be getting busier and busier, he sure does enjoy a good nap. Here is a quiet moment in the life of Gus.

August 2, 2021 – Gus’ first trip to Rhode Island

Today Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to Rhode Island, for Gus’ first visit to the state. I decided to do my blog a little differently today, just summarizing it all in one blog, even the locations we have visited previously. Our adventures today included: Beavertail State Park, Fort Adams, a coastal walk in Jamestown, an unnamed beach, and Bay Walk. I had planned some other stops but Wilma seemed quite worn with the heat so we kept it to these locations.

We had a coastal adventure to Rhode Island. Our first stop was to Beavertail State Park. There we enjoyed rock jumping, lovely views, and a fresh ocean breeze. Wilma and Gus loved some play time, especially when I was running to attempt to take a timed photo. I was pleased to find Beavertail State Park quieter then our last visit, maybe due to it being a week day. From there we stopped at a coastal walk in Jamestown where we found the unnamed beach. I attempted to get the pups to swim, and Gus even waded in a bit. Even without my swimsuit on I dipped in some and it was quite refreshing. Our next stop was Fort Adams. I was disappointed that they were cleaning up from a festival which made it quite chaotic, but pleased to find we therefore could explore the inside of the Fort. We walked around the Fort on the Bay Walk and checked out various landmarks along the way. It was a gorgeous day, and the perfect one for a day trip. So glad Gus got to visit Rhode Island, and am sure he will be there many more times (This blog will not be rated).

August 1, 2021 – Go Out Doors – Massachusetts

Today Wilma, Gus, and I adventured to “Go Out Doors” in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Go Out Doors” is a project sponsored by the Lexington Council for the Arts. “Go Out Doors” is a public art campaign where local artists paint recycled doors, and four additional doors have been painted by high school students. The goal of the project is to promote healthy activity, and appreciating the outdoors. The doors have been installed on the Minuteman Bikeway near the common, and on greenery to the right of Lexington High School.

We had an art-filled adventure to “Go Out Doors”. We have actually seen this unique display numerous times but thought it would be a fun thing to blog about so today was the day. We enjoyed our walk around town and on the Minuteman Bikeway this morning, making sure to stop and view each door. You will see many of these doors in my photographs below, although I found the lighting made it a bit difficult to capture. I enjoy the “Go Out Doors” project as it adds a fun touch to a “normal” walk. Each door is beautiful, and unique, many bright colors and lovely artwork. Along our walk Wilma made sure to appreciate some rolls, Gus loved finding sticks, and I attempted endless poses, although realized I need to add some bribery next time (haha). Lexington is a great little town, filled with history, restaurants, shops, and the Minuteman Bikeway going right through the center of town. I would encourage you to check out “Go Out Doors” if you are in the area, a fun and colorful “campaign”. Glad to blog about “Go Out Doors” today (This blog will not be rated).

July 30, 2021 – Moffatt-Ladd House/William Whipple House – New Hampshire

Today Wilma and I Adventured to the Moffatt-Ladd/William Whipple House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The home was the former home of William Whipple known as one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and is now a historical landmark and museum. The museum strives to share the history of all inhabitants of the home. The museum and gardens are open for limited hours, and guided tours of the home are available.

Wilma and I had a lovely Adventure to the Moffatt-Ladd House. I decided to take Wilma on a private adventure today, and we were quite pleased that the weather was just right. Wilma, Gus, and I enjoyed a two hour family walk this morning, and have been mostly appreciating our “normal”, local locations this week. However today I decided to return to the Moffatt-Ladd House. Wilma and I had actually tried to visit one other time but the hours were changed and they were closed, so today we returned for a second attempt. Since parking was not available, and because I wanted to get a walk in on the way we parked a little distance away from the House. We were pleased to arrive to find the doors open. The property was very quiet with few other visitors in sight. I am assuming dogs are not allowed inside the buildings, although did not formally inquire, so we just explore the grounds. The gardens were very small, but quite beautiful with variety of vibrant colors, and some unusual flowers. The garden was highlighted by lovely trellis-like arches which really added quite the touch. It did not take us long to finish exploring but we took our time, myself enjoying taking some photographs while Wilma enjoyed lounging and rolling in the perfect green grass. So glad we could visit the dog-friendly garden at the Moffatt-Ladd House today (This blog will not be rated).