Category: travel

Dogs of Buckham Fair

Dogs of Buckham Fair – Event where the owner threw a ball and the dog ran and jumped over hay bales to get it and then return. It was timed.

Buckham Fair is an event in Dorset, England that raises money for local charities. Before COVID it may have happened every other year. This was the first fair after COVID. It includes fair rides, food and trade stalls, dog events and horse shows.

Dogs of Buckham Fair

Dog show events inside the rings included: Agility, Hoopers, Sniff Along, Temptation Alley, and Fun Run. They also had Pedigree Judging and Best Rescue / Re-homed Dog. Fun judged events included Fluffiest/Scruffiest, Pawsome Party Trick, Odd Couple, Best 6 Legs (dog and owner) Dog Most Like Neil Morrissey, and Judge’s Choice. This post shows some of the dogs that participated in the obstacle course. I don’t know whether this fell under agility or fun run.

Dogs of Buckham Fair
Dogs of Buckham Fair
Dogs of Buckham Fair
Dogs of Buckham Fair
Dogs of Buckham Fair
Dogs of Buckham Fair
Dogs of Buckham Fair
Dogs of Buckham Fair
Buckham Fair Temptation Alley

This is year’s event raised money for Dorset County Hospital Charity. As of September 25th the total amount raised was 141, 500 pounds. The money is going towards a new Emergency Department and Critical Care Unit currently under construction at Dorset County Hospital. It was a fun event that raised money for a good cause.

Bufflehead Duck 2026

Bufflehead Duck 2026

Buffleheads are my favourite duck. I love their personality. While I find most ducks to be shy, with the exception of mallards, sometimes buffleheads will swim close to you if you stay still for a while. I have seen them walk on shore within about 15 feet of me.

Barn Owl

The background is changed to obscure the location. In New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania Barn Owls are on the Species of Special Concern List. In Connecticut and Vermont they are on the Endangered List.

In England, Barn Owls are doing better population wise. in the mid 1990s there were around 4,000 breeding pairs. Today they estimate between 8,000-12,000 breeding pairs.

Maine Christmas Wreath Booth

I came across this lovely little shed or booth where you could buy a wreath. It was outside a town, so I can’t remember exactly where, but it is near the Maine coast.

It is a lovely little display, don’t you think? I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Metal Lobster Trap Christmas Trees

The modern lobster traps are made of metal. They are used today because the are more durable. Metal traps are better at handling salt water erosion, they are lighter, and can be stacked more easily. These are two examples of lobster trap trees made with metal traps.

Metal Lobster Trap Christmas Trees – Kennebunkport

The above tree was I believe outside a seafood shop in Kennebunkport.

Metal Lobster Trap Christmas Trees – Cape Porpoise

I believe the above tree is in the Cape Porpoise area of Kennebunkport outside a family house. Could the owner be a lobster fisherman? Have a super Saturday!

Wooden Lobster Trap Trees

Different locations bring their own culture and traditions into how they celebrate Christmas. Maine incorporates its fishing industry into its holiday displays. Lobster trap Christmas trees are part of displays in different towns.

Wooden Lobster Trap Trees – Cape Porpoise, Maine

The ones I am focusing on this post are the ones made of the old style wooden lobster traps. They are stacked up like a tree. Then decorated with buoys, lights, and or greenery. Personally I love the ones that combine the greenery with red buoys. The ones above and below use a lobster image as a tree topper.

Wooden Lobster Trap Trees- Nubble in Cape Neddick, Maine

It sounds like the lobster trap tree tradition was initiated in Gloucester, Massachusetts first in 2001 and the idea spread to other towns in New England. Many times these trees are community organised with local lobstermen lending the traps for the displays.

Wooden Lobster Trap Trees- Ogunquit, Maine

This last tree is my favourite because of the views around it. This one is at the Beachmere Inn. It is topped with a starfish. The Beachmere has a great restaurant with views of this tree and the ocean. You can eat lunch or dinner and enjoy this view when sitting near the windows.

What do you think of this tradition? I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I wish you a Happy New Year.

Welcome Back Shorties!

Short Eared Owls are winter visitors to New York. They spend the warmer months up in Canada and Alaska, but end up coming down south for the colder months. We have usually seen them between November and the beginning of March.

Welcome Back Shorties!

I did not expect to get any good images of the owl the day I was there. However, we had a brief window of light between the clouds and a cooperative owl who flew near me during that time period. Don’t you love it when they do that?

Welcome Back Shorties! Searching for a vole

Later, when it was just too dark, it flew quite close to me, but alas the images were just too grainy.

Welcome Back Shorties!

Here’s hoping I can see them close up in good light. Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Post Office Holiday Windows

Are you getting into the holiday spirit? The post office is. These are two of their windows that were decorated by Splash Art Murals.

Post Office Holiday Windows
Post Office Holiday Windows

SplashArtMurals can be seen through the link below:

https://splashart.biz/collections/all

Have a splendid Sunday!

Vintage Christmas Truck 2025

This was a vintage Ford truck I saw in front of an old stone farmhouse. It appears to be a Ford F-3 pick-up truck.

Vintage Christmas Truck 2025 – Old Stone Farmhouse

The First Generation F-3’s appear to be sold from 1948-1952. I did play with the colour between the two images.

Vintage Christmas Truck 2025

Have a splendid Sunday!

Peregrine Falcon on the Palisades

The Palisades is a long stretch of steep cliffs on the west side of the Hudson River that runs from lower NY into New Jersey. At their highest point they are about 540 feet in height and their length is about 20 miles. Peregrine Falcons like to nest on buildings, cliffs, and under tall bridges. The Palisades is a good spot to view Peregrines.

Peregrine Falcon on the Palisades

Peregrine Falcons are the fastest birds in the world. They can fly faster than 200 miles per hour. I caught this one before sunset. It never moved from the tree while I was there.

Peregrine Falcon on the Palisades

This falcon was perched on a tree cliffside but was facing the land on top and not the river. A pair of squirrels was chasing each other nearby, but the falcon did not seem interested in them. They are known to capture a variety of birds, but will steal fish and rodents from other birds. They also eat bats. I am trying to significantly reduce the size of my picture files to conserve space on the blog, but the images when I do that are not as sharp as the original. Have a wonderful Wednesday!