The scent of scenery

Below are pictures of Sylvia on our walk this morning and of an excursion in search for a story:

We visited the Boothbay area and stopped for a brief moment to check out the trains. Too bad we couldn't have taken a train ride. I think Sylvia would have enjoyed that. Maybe next spring.

 I thought this tree, growing out alongside another, was interesting. I didn't notice it, probably, because of all the foliage that is no longer there.

 



Our walks take us up and down the (mostly) quiet road here in Whitefield. She sniffs and I think. The sniffing seems essential and of the utmost importance to Sylvia. Certain smells keep her in one place for several seconds, even minutes. The sniffing is kind of a distraction and pulls me out of my other thoughts.
I haven't read up on the subject, but believe her sniffing activity has much, much more to do with things in life other than just "good" and "bad" scents. I wonder if she picks up other things in what she smells, like the temperaments of animals in the tracks they leave or something about the moods of people who threw their Subway sandwich wrappers on the roadside.
Today was a good day for a walk; it was good for gathering scents and for gathering thoughts.