Friday, November 12, 2010

12-of-12: November 2010

It's Friday and the 12th of November.  That means it's 12-of-12 time!

What better way enjoy the 12th of the month?  I know!  Take the day off from work and start the long weekend off with a road trip.  Even MORE exciting was the weather.  Temps in the mid-60s today (almost unheard of in Western New York State, in November).

Oh, don't let me forget to first thank to Chad Darnell for starting the 12-of-12 and keeping it going all these years.  Visit his site to learn more about the project and how you can participate!

6:30am at home:
Starting the day off right with a little run.  2.72 miles, to be exact.  I'm working my way up to a 5K (and maybe, later, an 8K).  Sorry for the blurry shot... I didn't realize I had the camera on the wrong setting till after the workout was over.  Oh well, you don't want to see me & my "running face" anyway. :)
... shower up, have breakfast, then chuck the hubby & pups in the car, and off we go!

Noon - 5pm at Allegany State Park, Salamanca, NY:
Today's visit was our second to Allegany this week.  We were in the Red House Area on Sunday, then today we made our way down to the other "developed" section of the park, Quaker.

But first, a stop at Red House... the lake was calm as glass...

At Quaker Lake, we're reminded that this is a man-made environment.  The Dam (with water-regulating spillway) turned this valley into a 275-acre lake.
Have I mentioned it was a warm day today?
With temps in the 60s, everyone came out to play.
The Ladybugs...
and the Ruffed Grouse (this little guy was seriously flirting with someone).

Our last stop of the day was Science Lake... named after the Science Museum nearby. 
Can you see the moon in the sky and the reflection in this 1st photo?


What a surprise!  As we finished up our hike around the lake, we found this little guy (gal?) and two friends swimming around their dam. 

Back at home, 6:30PM:
Neither of us felt like cooking after our busy day, so we got an order of Wings (being from Buffalo, we don't call them Buffalo Wings) to go and headed home.  We were obviously hungry, because we devoured them in a matter of minutes.  YUM!

Sorry, folks, there's no "View from the Porch" this month.  I forgot to take a photo before we left today, and it was way too dark to get a shot after we got home.  Oh well... maybe I'll snap a quick shot tomorrow morning and post it a little late.

Thanks for stopping by!  See you next month!


17 comments:

Blobby said...

wow. those are some really nice shots this month. Thanks for that.

Anonymous said...

this pics, are awesome, and the place you live is dreamy!

Thanks for sharing!!!
and really you were planning a trip to visit the bookstore? Well if you ever come you know where to find me, I can recommend a few places :)

cmorgenstern said...

Wonderful scenery you live in and the reflections on the lake are gorgeous. you must be a very dedicated women to run this early in the morning. you have all my admiration. It does look like you had a wonderful day. Greetings from Germany
Christa

Anonymous said...

Love the lake photos!

Anonymous said...

Wow-loved the Ruffled Grouse photos and Science Lake looks beautiful. I love reflection shots.
Thanks for stopping by my 12!
Sus

Sunny Archibald said...

What gorgeous photos of what appears to have been a gorgeous day. Kudos to you for exercising before you left home. I rationalized skipping yoga because of needing to go shoot my 12 of 12.

Pete Cullen said...

Oh wow Jill those shots, particularly the lake, are absolutely stunning they have really perked up my dull winters evening.

I'm sorry my orchard still causes envy, if I could I would send you an iPhone 4 :)

Ahem "little" run? I'd be in a coma after one of those hehe.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous shots, Jill!

corky said...

Wow, really great shots. I especially liked the little beavers and the reflections.
I caught the moon too, but not nearly as skillfully. Thanks for sharing!!

Regina said...

Love your lake and animal pictures ... the flirting grouse is quite spectacular! And the blue of the lake - unbelievably beautiful.

tornwordo said...

Beautiful shots of the lakes!

Anonymous said...

Lovely pics, Jill! That park looks very nice.

Also love your blog title, btw. One thing I miss in the SF Bay Area, for sure!

Bruno Laliberté said...

what a lovely location!! glad you had time to enjoy the freetime, good weather and such a place.

the beaver pic looks almost like a painting. great shot!!
:)~
HUGZ

JCB said...

The color of science lake was just magnificent. I am a fan of ladybugs :)

Anonymous said...

Great representation of your day. What the heck is a Ruffed Grouse?? haha - very cool, outdoorsy, wildlife, 12 of 12!

Lucrecia Bloggia said...

Hello Jill!!

What a nice day it was!
I love all of your pictures!
The lakes, the animals, the blue sky, everything!
;¬)

Dogeared said...

Wat a beautiful day out! And I echo the kudos for the pre-outing run. Go you! (Though now I've got a Wii Fit, I find myself changing my routine to still get a workout in...). And aww - beaver!!

Sorry I'm late commenting - I wanted to wait until I'd got my own 12 of 12 up.

Helen
(http://dogearedphotos.blogspot.com/2010/11/12-of-12-v50-november.html)