Chapter One - Harper Falls

We arrived at the farm on Sunday, much earlier than usual. I unloaded the car and cleaned up the dead flies and lady bugs off the floor of the house. Once the dogs were settled, I decided that such a fine day deserved a hike. So I drove to the trail head for Harper Falls on the Grasse River (yes, it's spelled both ways, but most often with an e at the end):

There was no one parked at the trail head, meaning we had the forest all to ourselves. I let the dogs out to run:

And they were happy indeed:

The forest was lovely, though it looked more like autumn than springtime:

Tiny brooks sparkled in the afternoon sun as they burbled their way down the hills:

And Madeline smiled for the camera:

We continued on through the forest, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells:

The trail brought us to another small stream:

Where a big culvert had been placed, but not covered:

The Princess Pines, newly released from their snow cover, looked healthy and happy. They, and the ferns flattened by the snows, offered just about the only green color in the forest:

"C'mon, Dad. Can't we go any faster?:"

If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you'll see the black pads on the bottom of Fergus' feet as he leaps over the log. You can also see his ears flopping happily. I love seeing the pooches happy and well behaved. But we were just getting started. I'll post Chapter Two tomorrow: