Havre de Grace - Piers

While walking the waterfront on my visit to Havre de Grace I noticed the piers jutting out into the bay. Having lived in Newport, RI for 36 years, and having been gone from there for 4 years now, I really got homesick looking at all that wide salt water and the wooden piers. I had to get some shots. And I realized that the best format for that would be black and white. So here are three shots of piers in the Chesapeake Bay at Havre de Grace, shot in b&w and making me miss Newport. Enjoy!

© 2014 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Wandering with Purpose

Today was errands day, it was another gorgeous, knock-yer-eyes-out Fall day, and I had my camera along. These shots are all in the harbor area.

I've never seen a porcelain bird house before!

Looking up Long Wharf to Washington Square and downtown.

Anybody want to take a 3-hour tour? Yup, the boat's name really is Minnow (see inset).

A garden on Brown and Howard Wharf.

One of my favorite doorways on lower Thames St.

A store sign on a colonial house at Thames and Young Streets.

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Wednesday Morning Walk

I was down in the wharf area below Memorial Blvd. again. There's always something scenic on the wharves!

A boat docked at Brown & Howard Wharf

Lulu's Gifts & Antiques on Lee's Wharf. I've always paused and admired this storefront; this time I paused and shot!

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

A Gray Morning

Today's morning walk was a tad gloomy - overcast and some fog. I went up to the area known as the Point, largely populated with some of Newport's oldest colonial-era houses and overlooking the upper harbor, Narragansett Bay, and the Newport Bridge.

The view from Battery Park

A backyard wishing well along Bridge St.

The "secret garden" at Bridge and Second Streets

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

A Morning Walk by the Harbor

I took a walk down lower Thames St. this morning before heading in to work. I figure I get up at 6 every morning (no alarm, I just naturally wake up between 5:30 and 6:00) and it only takes me 2 hours (or less) to get fed and ready and my morning emails and blog-reading done, so I might as well make the hour and a half I have left useful. So this morning I did a brief harbor walk.

M/Y High Tea, a classic 1930s motor yacht.

High and dry! It was the name of the boat that caught my attention.

Firehouse Pizza, a Newport institution. Their pizza's nothing special; it's the funky (and beery) ambiance that has made it legend in the memories of college students past and present (at least, for those who have any memory left after all the beer).

And just around the corner and a whole world away, the entrance to the Ida Lewis Yacht Club.

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Here and There, Around and About

Some shots taken on Thursday and today while out and about.

Swamp Aster by Hazard Rd.; another sure sign that Autumn is on the way. Taken Thursday.

A baby Snapping Turtle by Gooseneck Cove. From Thursday.

A Mute Swan on Easton's Pond this morning.

Left - A Great Blue Heron on Easton's Pond. Right - 12 US 17, the 12-metre racing yacht Weatherly, now doing tours out of Newport Harbor in its post-America's Cup career.

The sunken garden on the campus of Salve Regina University.

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Becalmed

Newport Harbor scenes on a hot, humid, hazy, and flat calm morning. But Hurricane Earl is coming, and this will be a totally different scene on Friday.

Upper harbor looking south from the Van Zandt St. Pier

Upper Harbor looking north from behind Hunter House on Washington St.

Another view of the Upper Harbor looking north from behind Hunter House on Washington St.

The Newport Yacht Club on Long Wharf from Perrotti Park

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Summertime...

...is winding down. And this shot of a guy fishing from his houseboat in the upper end of Newport Harbor sort of sums it all up. As does the song that follows the photo.

Photo © 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

A Busy Sunday Afternoon on Sunny Newport Harbor

I ended up at King park on the south end of the harbor after a long hike. It was nice to sit on a shady bench and watch the busy Summer crowd on the water - lots of boats, and lots of people (and dogs) playing in the water - including the rather large cruise ship Caribbean Princess docked just outside. I decided to just post the photos; you don't really need captions for this. Enjoy!

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Friday Walkabout

A few scenes from today's hike.

Gooseneck Cove at high tide.

Along the Twin Ledges Trail in Ballard Park.

The decorative wall around Harbour Court, the home of the Newport annex of the New York Yacht Club.

The Newport municipal pier at high tide.

The Sail Newport sailing class came ashore at King Park for a picnic.

And I'll close with a little humor:

"Whinin' Boy, I don't deny my name". One of this year's Herring Gull hatchlings (the brown one to the right) literally whining at the adult to be fed. Which reminded me of this song:

Photos & text © 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

A Busy Day on Newport Harbor

A brief stop in King Park this afternoon resulted in the following shots of a bustling inner harbor.

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

Sight & Sound - A Newport Harbor Panorama

Newport Harbor, taken from Wellington Ave.

Music: "Gymnopédie #3" by Eric Satie, arranged and performed by guitarist Alex de Grassi

Photo © 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger

A Busy Holiday Sunday

Today was bird walk Sunday, so the day started out at the Norman Bird Sanctuary, and because my ride had to be back in town earlier than usual, I got more time for my regular Sunday constitutional, so I wandered a bit farther than usual, with good results.

In the Sanctuary itself we first ran into a deer along one of the trails (top left). Just beyond it is a field full of Bluebird houses; unfortunately it looks like there are no Bluebirds taking them up on the offer. But the Tree Swallows are out in force, and we suspect it's they who are taking up residence instead; I managed to get a shot of one posing atop one of the house poles (top right). Down the road at Third Beach along property owned by the NBS we saw this Willow Flycatcher perched on a wire (bottom left); there were plenty of them around, and their characteristic FITZ-hew was in the air the whole time we were down there. And finally, when I got back into Newport and wandered through Ballard Park I ran into this immature Cooper's Hawk (bottom right) perched on a dead branch over the Vernal Pond in the quarry.

Down on Hazard Rd. in the Gooseneck Cove salt marsh I found lots of Blue-eyed Grass.

And down on the Ocean Drive end of the Cove at the Green Bridge, Tern Rock is full of Common Terns.

I found some Forget-me-nots growing along Hammersmith Road.

And I got a surprise at Hammersmith Farm - in one of the fenced-in areas among the sheep and goats I saw this African Spurred Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata). I have no idea what it was doing there amidst all the heritage breed farm animals!

And finally, this shot of the tour schooner Madelaine sailing out of Newport Harbor into Narragansett Bay past the Rose Island Lighthouse, shot from Fort Adams.

And that was the long walk today. Whew! I'm tired! And a tad bit sunburned, too. It's time for some iced tea and a nap.

© 2010 by A. Roy Hilbinger