Sky On Fire
The sunset tonight made the sky look as if it were on fire. From the house, the trees blocked the view so I hopped in the car and ran out to the woodlot on the back 40 to snap this picture. Beautiful!
Sandpiper on the Mudflats
I was inspired to make this little Sandpiper after my walk on the Sunrise Trail Friday. This pattern can be used for a Least Sandpiper or a Semipalmated Sandpiper. You choose! Right click on this link and select “save target as” to download this...
Great Wass
My body still achy from gathering wood yesterday, I suggested a hike on Great Wass Island as a way of getting out of more wood gathering today. Great Wass Island Preserve is part of the Nature Conservancy's lands. We gave our selves a time limit -...
The Family That Gathers Wood Together…
"The family that gathers wood together stays warm together." So says Paul as we spent the afternoon in the wood lot limbing and stacking trees for winter firewood. Although the day was glorious, sunny and in the low 70s, the changing colors of the...
Autumn Afternoon on the Sunrise Trail
I enjoyed a 2 1/2 mile walk on the Sunrise Trail this afternoon. A reclaimed railroad bed, in Machias and East Machias the trail runs along the river offering beautiful views.
A Saucy Seagull
The Seagull is possibly to most common bird seen along the Maine coast, but I tend to overlook them. They are sometimes a nuisance, sometimes comical, but always present - soaring over the bay, bobbing in the water, roosting on the rooftops, or...
Saturday at the Common Ground Fair
Up with the sun, we headed out to Unity, Maine for the Common Ground Fair. For more than six hours and what feels like 15 miles of walking, we explored exhibits, concessions, and vendors until our bodies gave out. A fitting way to spend the last...
A Photo Flashback
I stumbled across this picture of Hannah and I taken at a wedding back in 2007. She was eight at the time. The photo was in an archive of the wedding images taken by someone else and I'd not seen it before. Discovering it felt a bit like Christmas...
Summer Frost
Summer Frost. Those two words seem incongruous, but while there's still a few days of summer left, twice I've had to scrape the frost from my car window in the morning. My Moonflower on Sunday… My Moonflower on Tuesday morning when the thermometer...
Late Summer Sunday
This is how I felt on Sunday. All I wanted to do was curl up in my hammock and take a snooze in the late summer sun. But, the squirrels ate my hammock last summer. So I lazed on the porch, puttering in the yard here and there when guilt over my...
A Squirrelly Situation
I spent much of my Saturday indoors cleaning and advising Paul as he installed a new counter and sink in my laundry room. A scurrying sound across my window screens distracted me from my chores and I headed outside where I found this little...
Tiny Island
Cruising along U.S. Route 1 to Ellsworth this weekend I finally stopped to snap a picture of this tiny island. Every drive by, I admire this little island in Sullivan Harbor with a backdrop of Cadillac Mountain in the distance. During low tide it...
Indian Point Preserve
Today was an Ellsworth run day - a town with stoplights 40 minutes away. The errand list included L.L. Bean, Reny's, Tractor Supply, WalMart, two shoe stores, etc. - to shop for shoes, jeans, special chicken feed, and all types of other things we...
Times are Changing
Today was the first day of high school for Hannah. Hand me a tissue, please. She is now a Lady Knight, playing JV Volleyball at Narraguagus High School. Today was her first high school sporting event and first ever volleyball match. She played one...
Sunday Pigeon Hill Hike
Late this afternoon, the gray drizzly clouds that lingered all day moved on. I talked Hannah and Paul into an impromptu hike up Pigeon Hill. This is the first time Paul tagged along with us on this hike. The view from the top is outstanding. I...
A Chicken Quandary
Shadow's latest batch of baby bantam chickens have flown the coop. Shadow has given up her mama duties and the youngsters, now 11 weeks old, are on their own. The Banty B&B is a bit overcrowded with this latest hatch. Who knew Shadow would be...
Hike to Schoodic Head
Paul has been on a fitness kick lately. He's eating better and is making exercise a regular part of his routine. And it shows – he weighs less now than when I first met him in 1995. A couple of weeks ago he tagged along on a back-to-school shopping...
An Afternoon in Lubec
Following our hike at the Pike Lands on Sunday, we spent a little time browsing Lubec. Lubec is the eastern most point in the United States. You'll find some of the most spectacular real estate in Maine - the scenery is unparalleled. Struggling...
The Pike Lands
On this crystal clear Sunday, we went for a family hike. Usually it's just Hannah and I, but Paul opted to tag along when I promised it wouldn't be a forced march. We explored the Pike Lands in North Lubec.?Two main trails run from South Bay to...
View of Mount Desert Island
The 40-minute drive to Ellsworth (the closest town with a stoplight) takes us along U.S. Route 1. There is a stretch in Sullivan where you can see Mount Desert Island across Frenchman's Bay. It's the money shot that never fails to capture my...
Tide Mill Farm Outing
We are ever curious to see how larger farms work hoping to pick up bits of wisdom to apply to our own tiny operation. Today we spent a couple of hours with Carly DelSignore at Tide Mill Farm in Edmunds, Maine. Tide Mill produces organic foods...
Hens and Chicks of Another Variety
This spring,Granny Gadget sent me hens and chicks. Not of the laying variety, but a new plant for my garden. They looked a bit like a cactus. I didn’t have a plan for them, so I just tucked them into an empty space to keep them alive. They were...
Blueberrying with Hannah
On this amazingly beautiful August morning, Hannah and I headed out to Petit Manan Wildlife Refuge for our annual blueberry picking outing. In the years we've been picking berries here, I've never seen so many berries in this un-managed blueberry...
Where’s the Justice?
I have only been seriously gardening for the last few years. I work painstakingly to create the perfect garden environment for growing my vegetables. I read up on growing veggies. I test pH levels. I work in peat and compost and diligently weed the...
Fourteen
Why does fourteen seem so much older than thirteen? Today we celebrated Hannah’s fourteenth birthday. I’m troubled by the passing of this day – more so than any birthday before. Maybe it’s because she’s entering high school next month, no longer a...
