unplanned visit

9.23.22 ~ Napatree Point Conservation Area

The promise of 7′ waves from Hurricane Fiona lured us to make a spur-of-the-moment trek out to Napatree Point Friday afternoon. Tim couldn’t keep his hat on the northwest wind was so strong. I tucked his hat inside my hoodie. But the 3′ waves were disappointing, once again.

There was a solitary monarch butterfly lingering on the dunes. Hopefully it will be on its way to Mexico by the end of September!

monarch
Watch Hill Light

To get the above picture I climbed up higher on the dune, up off the regular path. (There was no rope or sign to indicate I shouldn’t!) I was delighted with the new vantage point, but then, when I turned around to retrace my steps, found myself sliding down the sandy slope with nothing to hang on to. Somehow I made it without falling. 🙂 The camera was safe, too.

seemingly random fences along the dune
gull enjoying a quick walk
view stretching all the way to the point
beach rose determined to bloom
some kind of fly
blooming in the early autumn sunshine

Earlier that day we went to a nursery and found a good pumpkin, an assortment of gourds and a pot full of mums. Stopped by the cider mill and got some more freshly pressed cider for Tim. A lovely way to celebrate the first full day of autumn!

9.26.22 ~ gourds and pumpkin with the river birch tree in my garden
(we thought the gourd on the right looked like a hand holding onto a ball)

33 thoughts on “unplanned visit”

  1. A wonderful post. One would hope the Monarch Butterfly would soon leave that area before the storm. Glad your slide down the dunes turned out alright. I like your pumpkin and gourds by your tree. Makes me want to go buy some to decorate my porch. Lovely photos.

    1. Thank you, Peggy. I did some research and found that some monarchs linger here until late September so I think the monarch will be okay. It amazed me that it didn’t blow away in that strong wind, though. Those wings must be very strong. Have fun decorating your porch!

  2. Enjoyed your photos of the solo monarch butterfly. The American snout butterflies are flittering about today.

    I think your yoga skills may have strengthened your balance ability to hold onto the camera and slide your way down the sand dune. Well worth the climb just to see what was on the other side.

    The pumpkin garden is a festive way to begin Autumn.

    I’ve been watching TV reports on hurricane Ian today and thinking of what is yet to come.

    1. Thank you, TD. You know, I didn’t think of that before, you might be right that practicing yoga may have contributed to my surprisingly successful balancing act. 😉 I never heard of a snout butterfly but according to the internet we do have them in Connecticut. I will have to be on the lookout for one, though I suspect most of them live down in your area. Hurricane Ian does look very powerful and scary, especially the predicted storm surge. I hope everyone will be safe.

  3. I like the seemingly random fences along the dune because random calls to me. Your photo is wonderful. I also like beach roses, in principle, and in pictures. You live in a lovely area.

    1. Thank you, Ally. I found myself wondering what purpose those fences had served at some point in time. They don’t seem to be separating one type of area from another, but the dune is in a state of flux, moving north over time.

  4. I do hope the Monarch is safe — such a long flight for one with wings! Looks like you found a lovely way to celebrate Fall’s arrival. I’m drinking in those beach photos of yours, Barbara!

    1. Thank you, Debbie! I’m glad you enjoy the beach photos! I think the monarch should make it, I did some research and some of them do linger here until late September. Autumn is my favorite time of year, although I do appreciate the changing seasons. 🙂

  5. Today when you read this comment, it will be the last day of September – hopefully as you said, the monarchs left and are on their way to a warmer client and no gusts of wind thwart their travels. They are so beautiful and also will the beach roses if they can be persuaded to open. Mother Nature at her finest and you have captured it here Barbara.

    1. Thank you so much, Linda. I do wonder what effect Hurricane Ian had on bird and butterfly migrations…

      1. I saw a few butterflies at this Park yesterday and it was windy and chilly, but they were Cabbage Whites – no Swallowtails or Monarchs. I will bet the majority of Monarchs are already down in Mexico. Lucky them – we may get our first hard freeze this Thursday.

        1. Cabbage whites are pretty, too. Wow, a hard freeze! Our first frost date is usually around October 22. I look forward to it so the ragweed will die off.

          1. Yes, that pesky ragweed – I had Summer allergies for years, then my allergist was preparing to retire, so after going to him for 20 years, he said I could stop the allergy shots. So I did and about nine years later, the allergies came back, but this time Spring allergies, nothing in Summer. Go figure. I went back on the shots and not stopping them now. I even take Alavert from April through June to guarantee no sneezing or runny nose.

          2. It’s interesting how allergies seem to come and go. My dad used to get allergy shots for bee stings and dust mites. A bee sting would put him into anaphylactic shock and could have killed him. In his shirt pocket he used to carry what he called his bee kit. A dose of epinephrine and a needle package wrapped in aluminum foil. We had to drive 40 minutes into the city (Hartford) once a month to get the allergy shot.

          3. My father was allergic to horse serum which is an antitoxin found in tetanus shots. He was doing a DYI project years ago on a 4th of July weekend and installing a tub enclosure. He had to remove the old enclosure and took a long, old, somewhat rusty screwdriver to pry the enclosure from around the bathtub handles … and missed, jabbing himself in the webbed part of his fingers between the index finger and thumb. Blood everywhere and I had to drive him to the hospital to an E.R. (many people in an E.R. on an Independence Day holiday). They had no artificial horse serum shot so we drove from hospital to hospital – no cellphones then and the E.R. would not assist in any way. He got the shot, several hospitals later.

          4. How frightening for both you and your father! It’s amazing to hear about the different and unusual things people are allergic to…

          5. I am allergic to Streptomycin, something my mom learned about when I was a baby. I always put the Streptomycin allergy on the form when getting shots at CVS or any other pharmacy, but no pharmacy personnel have remarked on that allergy. I Googled it once and learned it was mostly used to treat tuberculosis, but not widely used now..

          6. Interesting, my mother told me I was allergic to tetracycline since I was a baby. I guess they still use it for acne and skin infections. As an adult, when I was having my first cesarean section they gave me penicillin as a preventative measure for any possible post-surgical infection. I broke out in hives on the operating table and was warned that I was now allergic to penicillin. (From what I understand now they don’t use antibiotics that way any more, before a surgery. My goodness, that was over 40 years ago!)

          7. That is interesting Barbara – so they decided against any more antibiotics then after you broke out in hives? My mom had a hip replacement in 1981 and a hip revision (to replace that prosthesis which became loose).
            She had regular dental appointments and cleanings from 1981 just like she did before the two surgeries. Our dentist retired and we got a new dentist. On his new patient form, when my mom divulged she had two hip replacements, she was told to reschedule the appointment as she needed to be pre-medicated for a routine check-up/cleaning. He prescribed an antibiotic (Amoxicillin I believe) for that appointment and a second prescription to fill and keep on hand for future appointments or a dental emergency (this antibiotics has a long shelf life). Does Tim need to be pre-medicated for a dental appointment now due to his pacemaker now?

          8. I think in general, doctors came to realize they were overusing antibiotics, which was leading to more frequent antibiotic resistant infections. There was a shift to being more careful with cleanliness in the surgical field instead of relying on antibiotics. When I had my hysterectomy I had no antibiotics pre-surgery. (Or after, for that matter.) That’s interesting about the dental pre-medication. I’ll have to ask Tim about that…

          9. I agree with you Barbara. When my mom had cellulitis flare-ups, she used to be hospitalized for a week at a time with Vancomycin, which was considered (at that time) to be the strongest IV antibiotic available, but soon it was replaced with an even-stronger antibiotic and then there was no hospitalizations as she went to an I.V. clinic to get the antibiotic drip that way. Yes, ask Tim – a pacemaker is a foreign body in your system, he may need pre-medication for even a routine teeth cleaning and to have some antibiotics on hand or a prescription.

          10. Yes, some people have it all and not in a good way unfortunately. I have heard a lot of public service announcements about the bad flu this year. Apparently, the senior flu shot is not a separate shot MADE for seniors, but an additive to the regular flu shot – that’s what they are saying as they promote people to avoid this “twindemic” and if you’re over 65 to ask for a senior shot.

  6. I’m witness to at least a dozen or more what I’m guessing are monarch butterflies passing from the north side through my backyard to the south side on a mission, Barbara. As I was having coffee outside and Yorkie was watching for possums and cats, it seem that one monarch ever ten minutes or so made its way through without stopping. Today is the first day that I have noticed this many. Must be their favorite season, too.

    1. That must have been wonderful seeing the monarchs pass through your back yard. It’s good to know that many are making their way to Mexico without interference from the hurricane. Yorkie sounds like a good companion for nature watching, even if his interests are slightly different than yours. 😉

    1. It is beautiful in its simplicity, even if I can’t figure out what boundary it might be marking. 🙂

  7. This was a true joy, Barbara, to visit the shore with you, witnessing the autumnal beauty. the rose and goldenrod, gull and ocean vista, the lighthouse and your dune climb, and the beautiful monarch. I liked seeing your gourds and pumpkin at the end, too. Lovely post.

    1. Thank you, Jet. It was a gorgeous day and an invigorating afternoon walk, even with the strong winds. A nice change from our usual morning walks.

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