Debra LaValley's Blog

Happy Halloween to All! I hope it is Spooktacular!

Another Great Showing of the Aurora Borealis

Last night and early this morning (pictured above), we were treated to a great show of the Aurora Borealis. There were clouds in Boscawen last night; but the sky was colored with purple, reds, blues, and greens. I could see the pink with my naked eyes. I have uploaded more photos to my Flickr stream. The link is on this page. The photo above, I took through my kitchen window early this morning. It is such a treat to see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). Magical! Happy October, everyone! It is my favorite month!

The Spiritual Nature of Frogs 
by Me 🙂 circa 1998 

Mesmerized
they line the streets
to begin their pilgrimage
across the great black plain.
A few edge into the unknown
in deep meditation, they enter the mist
and slowly cross the great expanse,
pausing occasionally, but never doubting the way.
Wide-eyed they approach the light…
lead by something .
Never blinking their eyes
the path – clear –
A test of faith?
Their faith in me?
My faith in them?
(Faith in myself?)
Or Someone’s faith in both of us?

(PS – I took the above shot of a toad at my friends Tim & Dianne’s last night. It was my first toad sighting of the summer! I love how they just seem to stare off into space.)

Thanks for all the Love, Mom!

On 8/1/2024, my mother Betty (88 years old) passed away while we were on vacation on Newfound Lake in Bristol, NH. It was her happy place! My Aunt Mary Jane, my mom, and I have been renting a lakeside cabin for several years for two weeks. This year, we got to the lake on July 21st. We had many fun days, especially when visiting family spent multiple days with us. She especially loved seeing her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her health had been declining in the past few months, and it was hard for her to get around. She loved Newfound Lake and that is where she passed on to the next journey. I am sure that she was glad to see my dad again! They were Class Lovebirds (Class of 1953) and married in 1956. My dad passed away almost 10 years ago. She is most likely busy touching base with all of her other loved ones, including my brother Tom. She will be greatly missed by many. and we are blessed with all the great memories she left us. Love you!

Happy Independence Day – Tomorrow!

I wish everyone a very happy and safe Independence Day/4th of July! Above is a local landmark, The Red Barn. It is located in Concord (Riverhill area), New Hampshire at the corner of Warner Road and Blackwater Road. This old barn was built around 1817. The new owners placed the flag on the barn this past Sunday! They have saved this local landmark and will be taking good care of it. Thank you!

Well, June certainly moving along quickly. Even though I am retired, I am never bored and always seem to have things to do! I love being retired!

Last evening, I took my mother out for a drive to see if we could see any wildlife. We were lucky to see 3 white-tailed deer. One was by itself, the other two were together close to the road. I stopped the car, the two deer watched us for a minute and then ran into the large field. They looked very healthy. Deer are such beautiful creatures. We usually don’t see them so close. Luckily, I had my 18-300 mm lens on my Nikon and was able to capture some shots. I have added two of my favorites on this page. You can see more on my Flickr photostream.

It sure looks like summer! The past few days have been beautiful – low humidity and temperatures in the 70s and low 80s. Perfect. The pollen count is horrid; but you can’t have everything. The above photo is of the Contoocook River as seen from Runnells Road. It is very peaceful. There was a group of kayakers downstream. It is the perfect river for paddling. We have already had our first campfire of the year at my mother’s house. It is always so nice to sit by the fire with friends and family.

S’more Man – one of my favorite photo creations 🙂 We didn’t have any s’mores yet – but we most likely will at our next campfire. I hope all is well with everyone. Keep smiling and have a great June!

Light Show Night of 5/10 into Early Morning 5/11

A large part of the globe was treated to a great show of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) recently! It was such a treat. I hadn’t seen them in decades. Of course, due to the light pollution around where I live, I could not see much color at all with my naked eyes. I drove down a country road and made out some pink between the clouds around 10:00 pm. Just before 11:00 pm, I drove to my mother’s house and took some photos from behind her house with my iPhone (dark mode at 10 seconds). The pink was popping!

If you click on my Flickr photostream, you can see some of the better shots that I took. They are not wonderful, but the best that I have ever taken. I wish I could have seen more with my naked eyes – but I will take that my photos caught the color. The photo above was taken about 1:20 am or so. There was finally a break in the cloud cover.

By the way – Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers – especially my mom. I spent most of the day with her today. We ended the day with a Dominoes match. We hadn’t played in years. She won.

I hope this finds you well!

Another Rainy Day!

It seems as if we have had more rainy days than sunny days here in New Hampshire for the past month and a half. Today, I put on my yellow raincoat and headed out to see what I could see. Sometimes, you have to make your own sunshine! 🙂 I brought only my iPhone, since the volume of rain changed from heavy to a sprinkle. I didn’t have any crowds to fight and could quietly enjoy the nature around me. The birds were singing along! In the photo above, I was at the boat launch at near Welch Field in Boscawen (off Depot Street).

I enjoyed the geometric path filled with bright green moss and other plant matter as I walked to the river’s edge. The Merrimack River was high! It is such a beautiful river. I am blessed to live so close to both the Merrimack and Contoocook rivers.

I then headed home and snapped a shot of water droplets on the day lily leaves near my steps. I hope everyone is having a great day! Don’t forget the little things that make you happy! They add up 🙂

Eclipse Mania!

Totality was only about an hour and a half away north of me – of course not today. The highway was bumper-to-bumper and it would have taken hours to drive north. In the Concord, NH area the eclipse was at about 96+%, which was not bad at all. There was only a tiny sliver of the sun not covered. I did not get any decent shots of the eclipse, since I did not purchase a solar lens for my camera. I tried to use my iPhone with an eclipse glasses lens – but I was not successful at getting any decent shots. I was able to enjoy the view with my eclipse glasses. I was at my mom’s in Penacook and shared my glasses with her. My sister Jackie surprised us with a visit too just before 3:00 pm. The eclipse was under way but we didn’t reach 96+% until 3:29 pm so she made the best part of the show.

It became a bit darker, and my transitional glasses did not turn dark. My mother’s crocuses closed up, and we were able to see cool shadows made by the eclipse through the trees. I included a few photos of the shadows below. It also became cooler during this time. It was great seeing kids in the neighborhood with adults all wearing eclipse glasses etc., and enjoying the event outdoors. It was also in the high 60s today! So much better than the snowstorm that dropped about 10 inches of snow last week. Snow doesn’t last long this time of year, thank goodness!

This eclipse was much more exciting than the partial eclipse seen in New Hampshire in 2017. The best that I have ever seen was the annular eclipse seen in Concord on 5/10/1994. They all are very interesting and worth taking the time to check them out. I especially like the neat shadows caused by them.

Have a great day everyone!