Jeanine and I enjoyed a mini road trip today, which included a visit to the New England Botanical Garden, the Old Stone Church in West Boylston, and the Moore State Park in Paxton. The photo above was taken in the latter of the Old Saw Mill. I noticed a swirling pattern in the water and am very pleased with the 8-second exposure I took with my camera balanced on a handrail.

The botanical gardens were delightful. Known to Jeanine, who has visited several times, as the Tower Gardens, she did not realize this was where we were going, as I had planned the day’s itinerary. It was my first visit and certainly not my last.

I paused in the “rock playground” to complete the two-stone sculpture pictured below. It was really quite a balancing feat, and I am sure it will not survive even the slightest breeze, but very satisfying to create nonetheless.

My Concord Public Library card expired a few weeks ago on its 20th anniversary. Today, I received a new one with a lovely artistic rendering of the building on the front. When I showed it to Jeanine, she was immediately jealous. Her card is boring by comparison. We checked out several travel books to help further plan several upcoming trips. Ireland and Northern Ireland are on the immediate horizon. Fall has us traveling to Calgary from where we will drive to Banff, Jasper, Waterton, and Glacier National Parks. While there, we will celebrate my 67th birthday and our 35th wedding anniversary.

Nico is currently in Denver doing high-altitude training for the Amputee World Cup Qualifiers to be contested later this month in Mexico. He shared this photo from the weekend, attending a concert in Maine with a friend. After taking care of business in Mexico, he will join the family in Ireland to celebrate the wedding of his cousin Mario.