July 1, 2019 – Ware – Hardwick Covered Bridge – Massachusetts

Today Shadow, Wilma, My Mom and I Adventured to the Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge in Gilbertville, Massachusetts. The Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge was built in the 1800s. It spans the Ware River, and is one of the few original covered bridges in the state.

We had a fun Adventure to the Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge. We had just finished a walk at Dunn State Park in Gardener Massachusetts. Dunn State Park is a small, and simple park yet quite pretty. I decided not to blog about Dunn State Park today as I have done so previously, however you can read this blog at: https://wp.me/p9RZ48-1s6, or by typing it directly into the search box. (This is my first attempt at linking a direct website to an individual blog so bear with me if it is not successful on this first try.)

We arrived at the Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge to find parking a bit limited so my Mom and I took turns walking through and along the Bridge. We were also able to wander down to the waters edge to take some photographs and enjoy the sounds of the rushing River. The Bridge was especially lovely from the side with a colorful wood grained panel framing the top of the lattice windows. The red front did not appear to match the style of the side, however added some bright color to the structure. We sauntered back and forth, pleased to see minimal vehicle traffic and no other visitors. A short but nice visit to the Ware-Hardwick Covered Bridge today (Rating: 3)

June 30, 2019 – Vandenberg Esplanade – Massachusetts

Today Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to the Vandenberg Esplanade in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Vandenberg Esplanade is a paved trail along the Merrimack River that is approximately one mile in length. I believe it may be part of the Lowell Heritage State Park.

We had a nice Adventure to the Vandenbert Esplanade. If you ready my last blog you are already aware that my weekend started out quite frustrating with car issues cancelling our weekend Adventures. However, we visited the Heritage Ice Cream and Restaurant, a somewhat local spot, and accidentally discovered the Vandenberg Esplanade across the street. Although a simple, urban park I was thrilled to find an area to explore, knowing my car was in rough shape.

I decided to drive to the parking lot, versus crossing the very busy Pawtucket Road. It took some time to find a spot where u-turns were permitted, but once we did we quickly located the parking lot. We strolled along the paved path, Shadow and Wilma enjoying the city smells, and exploring a new site. The River view was scenic, benches aligning the path, and bright green trees throughout. There was a storm heading in from afar, making for quite the picturesque sky, and even a brilliant lightning strike across the River. There were many people walking, some socializing on benches, and of course some dog walkers. Two visitors asked me some questions about Shadow and Wilma, commenting about Wilma: “she is still stubborn isn’t she”? which actually brought a smile to my face as I often think that to myself. Although she did not do anything in particular to bring on the comment, I still found it humorous. We are continuing to work on training, but there is no doubt that she is our PAWFECT pup! Admittedly I often get compliments on how well my dogs are behaved! 100% PAWFECT pups!

Although it was not too hot on our Adventure today, Shadow appeared a bit warm so we only walked for about thirty minutes or so, attempting to keep at a continual and steady pace. Shadow attempted several times to head down the stairs into the water, but there was alot of trash in the River, so I decided otherwise. Poor guy! (PS – Don’t worry he got a neighborhood swim in this morning 🙂 ) We had a pleasant walk along at the Vandenberg Esplanade, a nice surprise find (Rating: 3)

June 30, 2019 – Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant – Massachusetts

Today Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant in Lowell, Massachusetts. Heritage Farm has homemade ice cream, burgers, and sandwiches. It was established in 1976 by the current owners, however previous to that date it was an ice cream shop as well. Heritage Farms is known for sponsoring free entertainment, for their Classic Car show, and for being a contributing member of the community.

We had a refreshing Adventure to the Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant. I started the weekend feeling quite frustrated, again having car issues which forced me to cancel our weekend Adventures. However, I decided to risk a somewhat local stop providing some variety to our daily neighborhood walks and backyard fun.

We definitely appreciated our visit to Heritage Farms, which had a vintage, and patriotic vibe. I quickly ordered two dog ice creams, and decided on an orange sherbert cooler for me. Only one size available for my cooler creating an extra-large experience, but of course I did not have any problem sipping it down. The Farm was very quiet, so we were able to sit for a bit and enjoy our tasty treats. There was a cute little merry go around for the little ones, and some mechanical cars for riding. The “Farm” was nicely decorated, with white petunias, american flags, and colors preparing for this July 4th week. I would have preferred the “Farm” to be away from the main drag, however, a bit unrealistic in an urban setting like Lowell. A unique stop, and although the ice cream was quite pricey, the taste was well worth the cost. If we are ever in the area again, we might just visit have round to at Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant (Rating: Ice cream: 5, Outdoor Restaurant: 4, Location: 3).

Other Tidbits, Fun, and News

I am excited to let you know that I have added a White Mountain section to my Menu. This will include all of the White Mountains Adventures that we have had. Our Adventures to the White Mountains will also be in the New Hampshire section, and if they involve a waterfall they will also be included in the waterfall section. In addition, if one of my Weekly Video/Photo’s was from the White Mountains you will see them in this section as well.

We have had many Adventures to the White Mountains and this will help those looking to visit that area specifically to have lots of great dog friendly ideas! And if you are not a dog person you still can get many fantastic, and gorgeous ideas of one of the most amazing spots in New England!

So excited for this new feature! Enjoy!

Weekly Video/Photo

If you regularly follow my blog, and the weekly/video photo I would recommend skipping on to paragraph three, specific to this week’s video/photo. I have decided to add a weekly video/photo section to my blog. This blog will display a video or photo, usually highlighting an Adventure, while I might also sneak in some that are humorous, adorable, or just other fun dog moments.

So if you have followed my blog from the beginning you will 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 later we welcomed little Wilma into our world.

Today’s feature is a photograph of Shadow and Wilma, I believe in the Fall of 2017, as Wilma is still a small puppy! This photograph was taken at one of my favorite local parks, which I have yet to blog about. I find it a perfect representation of our Adventures as both Shadow and Wilma are posing, somewhat synchronize, on a lovely bridge surrounded by the gorgeous Fall. Our absolute favorite time of year!

Glad to share this Weekly Photo today…

Fall

Throwback Adventure – West Columbia Riverfront – South Carolina

I will have sections of my blog that I will title “Throwback Adventure”, and will plan on posting them every Thursday. These are journeys we have taken before I started the blog, but are well worth sharing. Many of these Throwback Adventures will include our Buster, who was known for his crazy tail, his happy howl, and his zest for life. We miss him dearly…he is forever in our hearts!

In September 2012 Shadow, Buster, and I Adventured to the West Columbia Riverfront in Columbia, South Carolina. The West Columbia Riverfront Trail is a paved path along the Congaree River. It is approximately eight miles in length and is part of the Three River Greenway.

We had a beautiful Adventure to the West Columbia Riverfront Trail. It was really just a small part of our full Adventure as we were on our way to Massachusetts to relocate and start our lives as New Englanders. And although I grew up in Massachusetts, this was a completely new life for my boys who had been raised in tropical Tampa Florida. We had a spectacular journey to Massachusetts with the West Riverfront Trail being one of our early visits. I am not sure I was able to locate enough photographs, however feel I could capture a good summary of our hike. I remember loving this Trail location, along the River with gorgeous bridges, bright colored flowers, and a perfect trail to walk. We enjoyed a nice walk, and met several kind people along the way. I do not remember intricate details of this Adventure, yet remember recall enjoying the location, quite the scenic place to stretch our legs. If we are ever back in South Carolina we will have to Adventure again to the West Columbia Riverfront.

June 18, 2019 – Bear’s Den – Massachusetts

Yesterday Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to Bear’s Den in New Salem, Massachusetts. Bear’s Den includes a short trail to a scenic waterfall, a stream, a secluded gorge, and contains ruins of an old mill. The waterfall is a cascade falls, approximately twelve feet in height, and is sourced from the Swift River. The Reservation was given its’ name due to a black bear being shot on the property. Bear’s Den is owned and managed by the Trustees of Reservations.

We had a rainy Adventure to the Bear’s Den Reservation. We were quite thrilled to have a weekday Adventure as our three days off in the summer has begun! I expected the weather to become rainy, but we were determined to visit Bear’s Den, so we carried on! I was pleased to arrive at a small and empty parking lot. I had read there was hunting at this location so decided to adorn the pups in their bright orange armor! We headed down a green surrounded trail into the great outdoors. There was an informational kiosk a bit down the path with a map. Soon we heard the singing of the stream, and headed straight to the water. Shadow of course attempted a dip in the shallow water while Wilma found a fallen tree to climb, and a stick to chew. We took our time in this area walking around the shore, jumping on the rocks, and wandering around the mill remains.

The trails were not clear, however we followed the sounds and quickly located the waterfall from high above the gorge. We were pleased to find a path down to bottom of the gorge, and directly in front of the waterfall. The gorge area was spectacular, with caves in the rocks, lovely green, and the tall boulders surrounding us as we peered at the waterfall. The Falls had two main sections, separated by rocks in the middle. It was small, but yet just right. We relaxed for awhile taking in the scene. Both Shadow and Wilma spent some time sitting, while Wilma also enjoyed some rock jumps, and Shadow often could be found searching for the quickest path to the water. Wilma seemed a bit uneasy at times looking around cautiously, my mind repeatedly expecting a bear sighting Thankfully we did not see a bear!

Bear’s Den was a peaceful and special location. It was hard to capture the Falls in photographs, so I would encourage you to view the videos below. So glad we could Adventure to this location (Rating: 4).

Weekly Video/Photo

Today’s feature is a photograph of Buster and Shadow at Stanley Park, in Westfield Massachusetts. I love this photo of them standing synchronized in front of the covered bridge! We were quite impressed by the lovely Stanley Park, and had a wonderful visit. This photograph brings back lots of great memories of our Adventures with Shadow and Buster. We sure do miss our Buster!

If you want to read more about Stanley Park please search for Stanley Park in the “search box” for more information on this Adventure. (On a mobile phone you can find this at the very bottom of the page, and on the computer you can find it to the right of the blog.)

Enjoy!

June 15, 2019 – Swamp Meadow Bridge – Rhode Island

Yesterday Shadow, Wilma, My Mom, and I Adventured to Swamp Meadow Bridge in Foster, Rhode Island. Swamp Meadow Bridge crosses the Hemlock Brook, and is approximately thirty six feet in length. It is the only covered bridge on a public road in Rhode Island.

We had a fun Adventure to the Swamp Meadow Bridge. We found this bridge in the middle of a country road. Upon parking we could hear the babbling Hemlock Brook below. The bridge was simple, but yet appealing. There were diamond windows in the structure, highly placed. The location was bright green, with few other colors in site. We strolled through the bridge several times, pleased to find little traffic. It appeared that the more we wandered, the more I was drawn in by the charm of this little bridge. We were delighted to visit the Swamp Meadow covered bridge (Rating: 4)

June 15, 2019 – Yantic Falls – Connecticut

Today Shadow, Wilma, My Mom, and I Adventured to Yantic Falls in Norwich, Connecticut. Yantic Falls is approximately forty feet in height, and is sourced from the Yantic River. It falls from below a dam, and plunges into a gorge before entering the pool below. There is a walking bridge above the Falls. The Falls is famous for its’ history as a battleground of the Mohegan Indians back in the 1600s.

We had a spectacular Adventure to the Yantic Falls, our second stop on an afternoon of Adventures. I found myself quite frustrated as the Falls was very challenging to locate. However we persevered and eventually made it to this stunning Falls. Our journey began with a walk across the bridge above the Falls, viewing a train bridge to the right, and views of the dam and gorge to the left. We sauntered across the bridge, and down a small trail before climbing up to a small bridge above the railroad tracks. Finding ourselves on what appeared to be a private yard, we headed back across the walking bridge, taking in the sites and sounds of this spot.

After this little walk we headed over to the Falls, snapping many photos along the way. We soon found a trail that went down to the rocks, and into the gorge. Shadow continually hoped to dive into the water, but unfortunately there were no clear paths available for a swim. However, we enjoyed the view, and attempted many selfies before heading back up for yet another angle of the scenic falls. We relaxed a bit in the grass, while Shadow and Wilma ended our visit officially with some enthusiastic rolls. So glad we did not give up on finding this Yantic Falls, a beautiful waterfall (Rating: 4).