Springtime in New Hampshire

Fresh snow on the first day of spring. No Hellebores here.

Driving to Clinic in Northern Haiti

I thought these videos might make an interesting follow up to my previous Winter Walk-Off posts. I was in Northern Haiti in Cap Haitien and a small village called Bod Me Limbe last week delivering eye care with a group called  VOSH PA  (the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Volunteer Optometric Service to Humanity). This is a series of videos documenting the drive from our base at Haiti Village Health in Bod Me Limbe to a small village about 40 minutes away called Chateaux Neuf where we had a clinic in a local church. VOSH PA saw approximately 1000 patients last week in Haiti. This region of Haiti is absolutely breathtaking. Legend has it that Columbus thought Hispaniola, the island Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic, was the most beautiful of all the islands in the Caribbean. Enjoy the ride!

Peterborough Winter Walk-Off 2013

 I will follow up my last post with my daily walk from my house to my office in Peterborough, NH. You can see more Walk-Offs at A Tidewater Garden. 

Across the street is the elementary school where my wife, Betsy, teaches third grade.

Our neighbors are collecting sap in buckets for Maple syrup

This house was once a schoolhouse.

This snowman is in the garden of my friend, Mollie, who volunteers in the parks of Peterborough.

Not quite sure how this beer can landed in this hedge??!!

A waterfall in the Nubanusit River. When the leaves are off the trees, you can hear the roaring water for our bedroom. The garden beyond the fence was once deigned by Fletcher Steele.

Down Main Street to the center of Peterborough.

The Peace Pole at the Town House

Peterborough's Town House, at the corner of Grove and Main Streets was built in 1918.

The Unitarian Church on Main Street across the street from my office

Some shops and offices on Main Street

Roy's Market is a well-known grocery store also across the street from my office.

Our destination, my office at 9 Main Street.  A pretty mundane walk compared to my Vieques trip last week!!

Vieques Winter Walk-Off 2013

Les, at A Tidewater Garden, has a yearly competition called the Winter Walk-Off. The idea is, "on your own two feet, leave the house and share what can be seen within walking (or biking) distance of your home." I was on vacation last week on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. I will follow up with my daily walk from my house to my office in Peterborough, NH. We will start at the house we rented.

The view of the ocean from across the street of our rental.

Further along the road.

It is not uncommon to find foundations of abandoned homes

Casa La Lanchita Guest House

Another abandoned home

This is an inviting peek into a small beach....

....lovely

A nearby street

 Vieques has many feral horses, which roam free over parts of the island. They are descendants of stock originally brought to the island by European colonizers. This one has been tamed for riding.

We happened to come upon a "Parade to End Violence" on the Island in the downtown section of Isabel Segunda, the largest town of Vieques, named after Queen Isabel II of Spain.

 

I loved the huge tree near the town center

This small and elegant villa has a central view through the house to the ocean

The fish market in town

This plant appears to be in the milkweed family

A banana tree between two houses

The humongous leaves of the Breadfruit tree, Artocarpus altilis

The last hill to the house

Finally, Home