Yes, it’s in the middle of nowhere, also known as Mason, NH. The GPS had us winding our way through the woods until you had to wonder if this could possibly be right. And then there it was, Pickity Place. Several little weathered red buildings set in lovely gardens. Herb gardens, flower gardens, and vegetable gardens. The vegetables weren’t the only edibles to make it onto our lunch plates either, every one of the courses that made up our 5 course lunch was garnished with edible flowers. I confess that they were prettier than they were tasty. The flowers I mean, the food was delicious.
You can’t just drop in on this place, reservations for the seatings are required in advance. While you are waiting for the bell to signal that it’s time to be seated you can wander in the gardens, or shop in the gift shops. Or if you haven’t done it on line already you might peruse the menu for the day and choose which of the two entrees might tickle your fancy. The menu changes monthly, and I thought September’s offerings looked tempting also. What a nice way to spend the day with my oldest and dearest friend, and to make two new friends also…
The wake that they created caused waves that caught these people off guard. I had been watching them plucking things from among the rocks at the edge and collecting them in their bucket. Mussels was the consensus of the people I spoke with as we enjoyed the day. 
Fat dragonflies were zooming past me also, teasing me because they weren’t landing anywhere to give me a photo op. I took a ridiculous number of photos just into the air in hopes that burst mode would give me an image, it didn’t. But they did get me to pay attention to the hillside behind me with its flowers.
Then I got interested in a little bird in the small tree right at the roadway. It was singing it’s heart out but I had to hunt to spot it. Merlin suggested several types of sparrow, but I decided that it was a Song Sparrow, for obvious reasons.
I spent a good bit of time looking for this bird, and taking photos, and when I finally thought to look back at the canal and see if anything was going on I got a surprise. This was what was going on…
Yes, of course it made it under the bridge, but I still had to watch and see for myself, in case it didn’t. Nothing much seemed to be going on after that, and after taking a few more flower shots, including a butt shot for a friend of mine, it was time to move on.
I paid my $6 fee and the very nice Ranger told me that the entire figure-eight trail was about 3 miles long. Be sure to take the right hand fork to see a nice ocean view, she said. And then come back on the opposite trail to the highest point in the park with a view of the Boston skyline. So I was going to have to work for it. Plus I had planned another stop that afternoon so I limited my walk to the first loop in the figure eight. I have to wonder what I missed in the other half of the park. It would be worth another trip to find out. 
Your views were mostly through the trees that lined the waterfront on the park side of the water. So here are your ‘ocean views’, look way out beyond the road.
And the Boston skyline. I love Boston, maybe I ought to investigate taking the “T” in for a day of photo ops…
