It was another gorgeous day for the last day of the long weekend. After teasing Philip by asking him what he was going to do for the holiday, Charlie and I had planned to take the doggies, hike up to the top of Mount Sugarloaf, and then call the others to join us for a picnic on the top. Unfortunately, when we got there, we discovered that the gate was still closed to vehicular traffic. We planned to hike up to the top anyway, but would have to choose a different venue for the picnic. We took the Pocumtuck Ridge Trail up to the top, which provided rugged scenic hiking. I had to stop frequently to catch my breath -- Plato was irritated with me for letting Penny get so far ahead. On top, it was glorious to sit in the shade and let the breeze cool us off.
After taking a nice rest, we took the road back down.
Choosing a picnic site required a couple of false starts, but we ended up having the picnic at Mill River park -- practically in our back yard. We had a similar menu to the last time and this time I didn't have to ride my bike uphill to get home. I came home and took a long nap listening to my ipod.
Our cherry tree has been tormenting me for a week. I've been sitting under the tree waiting for the flowers to open. The buds have been swelling and swelling and you could even see the little pink tips of the petals, but not a single flower has opened -- until this afternoon. Finally, the first few flowers have opened. Tomorrow it should be in its full glory. I love this time of year.
StevenBrewer