Downeast Blueberry Harvest

Downeast Blueberry Harvest

This time of year the blueberry barrens in Downeast Maine become a sea of blue. The normally quiet countryside becomes a flurry of activity as the harvest comes in. Harvested by machine where possible, or painstakingly raked by hand. Everywhere you look, blueberries...
Blueberrying in the Mist

Blueberrying in the Mist

Today was an unexpected slow day at work so Hannah and I drove over to Pigeon Hill Wildlife Refuge to pick blueberries. You may take all the berries you can find if you pick them by hand (rather than raking). After an hour we had about a quart of berries –...
Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day

Hannah talked us into taking the day off from home and farm projects. She wanted to spend the day at the beach. I know that Paul is not content lounging on the beach listening to the surf roll in so we negotiated a hike, picnic and short beach excursion. The skies...
A Solitary Stroll in the Woods

A Solitary Stroll in the Woods

An odd thing happened today. I found myself home, alone, and all caught up on my work. Amazing. My conscience said that I should use the time to catch up on housecleaning, but 40 degree temps in February lured me outside. With cell phone and camera I wandered off into...
Snowshoeing Through Narnia

Snowshoeing Through Narnia

Overnight Mother Nature dropped eight inches of snow resulting in Snow Day #2 of the year. Once the front moved out, Hannah and I strapped on our snowshoes and headed out exploring. We trooped up the woods road and then ventured into the woods. I wasn’t sure how...
November’s Autumn Colors

November’s Autumn Colors

The only autumn color left in this November landscape is the pop of yellow from the Hackmatac trees. These conifers lose their needles in the fall; another week or so it’ll be raining yellow needles. Everywhere.
As East as it Gets

As East as it Gets

The view from South Lubec Road in Lubec, Maine. The storm clouds from last night are finally heading out. Campobello Island (Canada) is visible across the Quoddy Narrows. This spot is just shy of the eastern most point in the United...
The Cow and the Porcelain Sink?

The Cow and the Porcelain Sink?

As I was tooling along one of Maine’s back roads I spied a lone cow grazing in a field. No fences of any sort. So I figured that he got loose from an area farm, but I didn’t see any farmhouse in the vicinity. On my return trip, the cow was still there. It...
A Day at the Common Ground Fair

A Day at the Common Ground Fair

We celebrated the first day of autumn with a visit to the Common Ground Fair put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. We waffled about going because of the weather forecast. Was it going to rain? How much would it rain? Thunderstorms? Three...
A Visit to Redbird Farm

A Visit to Redbird Farm

Farmer friends in Harrington called today to let us know that they were butchering meat chickens and we were welcome to come over and see their Whizbang Chicken Plucker in action. After reluctantly learning how to pluck chickens I needed to see this. Redbird Farm is...
Maine Apple Sunday at Downeast Thunder Farm

Maine Apple Sunday at Downeast Thunder Farm

There are a number of old apple trees on our property. Some trees are sparse and short and the deer eat most of the apples. Others are so big that we cannot reach the apples – even with ladders. None of the trees are in easy access locations. We have to wade...
Annual Mother Daughter Pigeon Hill Hike!

Annual Mother Daughter Pigeon Hill Hike!

Today was beautiful – almost autumn like – cool temperatures with big puffy clouds. Hannah and I made our annual hike to the top of Pigeon Hill. The exercise drove home the point how little exercise I’ve had lately and how out of shape I am! We were...
The Beauty of Bar Harbor

The Beauty of Bar Harbor

After a meeting in Bar Harbor today I paused for a moment to snap a couple of pictures. This is the Margaret Todd, a four-masted windjammer heading out of the harbor for a sail. How fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful area!
Saturday at the Farmer’s Market

Saturday at the Farmer’s Market

Saturdays in the the summer we make a habit of visiting the Milbridge Farmers Market. There are so many things we enjoy purchasing at the market that we’ve set a $20 limit for our outings. Each week there is a drawing for a market basket – goodies from...