This week, the Bristol Conservation Land Trust hosted a moon walk as part of a wonderful series of events called Land Trust Days.  Created by the RI Land Trust Council, the goal of these Land Trust Days is to encourage people to get outside and enjoy all of the great preserved landscapes we have in RI. The event lasts from August 10 to September 30th and activities range from nature walks to tidepooling excursions to country fairs.

This moon walk was presented in conjunction with Mt. Hope Farm and was an unofficial kickoff to the Land Trust Days (the rest of the summer/fall full moon evenings were booked up with weddings!)

As people started to arrive, we all gathered around the entrance to the barn, commenting on how lovely the evening was and wondering if we should risk the walk without bug spray.

It took about half an hour to meander our way to the Cove Cabin, where we stopped to admire the view of the Mt. Hope Bridge and drink some lemonade . . .

Once it approached moonrise time, 7:30pm, we all made our way further down the paved path to another open field to await the big show.

At this point, I was beginning to wonder if we started the event too early. It was taking a while for the moon to rise, especially through the tall layer of clouds above the horizon. But it was a gorgeous spot to be, and nice to chat with fellow nature lovers.  An hour later, the few people left were finally rewarded . . .

The first full moon in August is often called the Red Moon because it may appear red through the summer haze, or the Green Corn or Grain moon since it is the month when those crops  mature. August 2012 is special, because there are TWO full moons this month, the second may be a Blue Moon!

A view of the Mount Hope Bridge on our walk back.