A NEW FESTIVAL FOR OUR LITTLE TOWN.

     This year some of the business owners got together and set up a little festival for Halloween called Witches of Eastport. Although starting small and being overshadowed by chilly weather with the threat of rain, it went very well.  There were pumpkin carving and decorating contests along with a pumpkin cook-off.  The smells downtown were delicious.  Later there was a pumpkin derby where contestants raced their home-made wheeled pumpkins.  That was a lot of fun and everybody enjoyed it.  Just before we got a little rain the parade organized at the post office and wound it's way through town.  Great fun and we had a slew of witches.  There was also a ghost dinner with a real ghost hunter (some of our houses in town are sworn to be haunted).  The Waco put on a "by reservation" Ghost Dinner.  Although this has started out small, we all remember the first Pirate Festival a few years ago and it wasn't too awfully impressive.  Now The Pirate Festival is almost as full blown as the Fourth of July.

     

  

SCENE FROM A WONDERFUL SUMMER.

     David and Martha on the ferry to Lubec.  It was a perfect day for a boat ride.  We ambled along the streets of Lubec and had a nice lunch at a restaurant down by the water.  Perfect!  It was the kind of day that made you take notice and feel appreciation for where you live.  I feel I am lucky to live in one of the nicest little corners of the world.

THE LIGHT.

     Sometimes you are lucky enough to turn your head at just the right time to catch a particularly interesting display of light.  You know it is only going to last moments as the sun continues to move, but again luck is with you.  Your camera is sitting on the table within reach.      

     
    


 

Another Eastport Fourth of July

      It seems like another Fourth of July came upon us in the blink of an eye.  This year it was especially nice as my niece, Nicole, was visiting us and it presented us with almost too much to do.  The weather was perfect and I think Nicole really enjoyed herself.

     She stayed long enough to see the two faces of our city.  There are thousands crowding our streets for the holiday.  But the fireworks at Fish Pier on the 4th ends it all, and in the morning of the fifth we once again become that quiet little town out at the edge of the world.
     
 

 BACK TO THE EARTH
      I just can't seem to get gardening out of my system.  Perhaps I was a farmer in another life.  Or - maybe I secretly want to be a farmer.  I am so blown away by the entire process.  Those tiny little seeds which are so difficult to handle can produce so much food with just a little care and love. 
     Here's a photo of the two raised gardens and in the right background my straw bale gardens, a new attempt for me inspired by my Master Gardener neighbor. 
     In the future there will be one more raised garden in front of the one in the foreground.

     I had previously mentioned how intense gardening can be in a raised bed and the second picture gives you a clear view of that.
     I am so involved with growing food maybe I need 40 acres and a tractor in the near future.

ANOTHER GLORIOUS FOURTH OF JULY
     Here in Eastport, Maine the Fourth of July is also celebrated as Old Home Week and the festivities last Throughout a very long weekend.
     Residents who have had to move away due to lack of jobs or because of personal choices return to visit family, to celebrate Independence Day, and to attend High School Class Reunions.
     Most Americans don't know that Eastport was under English rule for four years.  Yes for a brief period of time we were a conquered city.  I imagine for that particular reason citizens of Eastport celebrate the Fourth of July like nowhere else in our country.  Watching the elaborate fireworks display (none better anywhere) as the long holiday draws to a close, raises a small lump in your throat and makes you proud to be a member of the Eastport community - whether by birth or by choice.  I wasn't born here, but I got here as fast as I could.

 ADDING GARDENING SPACE
     About three years ago David drew up the plans for three raised garden beds to be used for growing vegetables.  The first one was completed that year and has been producing ever since.  Having a raised bed encourages intense gardening and we are amazed at the amount of produce we harvest.
     This year it was decided we should have, at least, another bed constructed.  So we called our local Man-of-all-jobs and another bed appeared exactly like the first one although they were constructed by two different contractors. 
     The day it was completed I called our friend and winter snow removal expert (another Man-of-many-talents) and the next afternoon Ricky arrived with the soil to fill the bed.  It was a beautiful sight to see the second bed completed.  We are so happy with the look of the gardening area that we are contemplating having the third bed added next Spring.
     There are two positive outcomes from this project - more room to grow food and less lawn to mow.

 WILD INVASIVE LUPINES!
     Although some people are put off by lupines saying they are invasive, I think they are magnificent.  They bloom all over the island in Spring.  Mostly they are a purplish-blue, but I have seen them in other colors.  I prefer the blue and the white.  It's hypnotic to drive by an empty field or a pasture filled with lupine and watching them rippling in the breeze.  I guess it's a bit like the waving fields of grain. 
     I find my self going for a drive or a walk just to check out the progress of the lupine blossoms.  It's definitely a Spring Thing up here - watching for the lupines to bloom.

LILACS AND WILD ROSES.

     With the weather being so nice we can have the windows open at night and enjoy the invigorating cool breezes coming in from the water.  These breezes bring the scent of the lilacs and roses into and throughout the house.  I personally think the scent of lilacs helps to induce sweet and wonderful dreams.  The wild roses stay with us most of the summer, but sadly the lilac season is short.  Soon the blossoms will die off and we will be left with the memory to sustain us through another winter. 

SPRING WAS LATE.
     Yes, Spring was late this year, but we can forget all about that this Fall when we still have lovely Indian Summer weather well into November.
     When the winds, stop, the rain ceases, and the tiny delicate buds begin to make their appearance I think it changes the outlook and attitude of the entire community.  The air smells alive and fresh and we know it will not be long until we can inhale the dizzying scent of lilacs and wild roses which are prolific on out little island.  We also have an over-abundance of lupine.  The lupine don't have much of a scent, but the visual they present is totally overwhelming.  What a wonderful place to live.  After all, the snow and the winds are not forever.  

A NEW DAY - A NEW BEGINNING.

    
     So, I see it has been almost a year since I posted anything here.  And to think when I started this blog I promised myself I would be faithful to it.  What better time than now to begin anew with much better resolve.
     This is a picture of a rainbow behind our neighbors house.  It was after too many days of too much rain.  Since then we have had some sunny bright days to benefit my gardens and my mental state.  I am not to overly fond of rain in such large doses, but I am thankful we do not have the horrid flooding that seems to be happening all over the country.  I try to hold those victims in my heart and in my prayers.  Oh well, maybe the sun WILL come out tomorrow!

ANOTHER SUMMER BEGINS.
     The first day of summer this year we awakened to this beautiful sunrise at Blueberry Point where we were house-sitting.  The house was so situated that from the bedroom all that was visible was the sea and an island.  I felt like I was on a ship.  The cliffs were so close to the house they could not been seen from the bed.  What a magnificent view when you first awaken from sleep.  Although we were doing a kindness for a dear friend I felt as though I had been given a very special gift.

BUSY SUMMER

BUSY SUMMER.
     I can't believe it has been a year since I posted anything.  I would like to think it was because I have been too busy, but the truth is I have been lazy and not very attentive to organizing my time.
     This past July David and I house and dog sat for a friend who was away on vacation.  Our dalmatian, Dylan Thomas was allowed to accompany us.  He was thrilled because the dog we were sitting was his big best buddy, Bosco.  Doing this courtesy for a friend was like a vacation for us because we were staying in one of the most beautiful and untouched parts of Maine.  We were surrounded by woods and blueberry fields and had a panoramic view of the water.  It was so peaceful and quiet with only the sounds of nature breaking the silence.  And the nights were filled with stars and fireflies - something I hadn't seen in such abundance for many years.  It brought back memories of my childhood days visiting on the farm and catching fireflies with my cousins.
     One day at low tide we took a beach hike with the dogs and our good friend, Cheri, to a picturesque spot called Pulpit Rock.  Such beauty!  It seemed like you could inhale and taste the surroundings.  We were fortunate enough to see a mother eagle nesting on top of the rock with her young.  She scolded us and circled above until we were well on our way in the opposite direction.
     It was a perfect day filled with wonder and Dylan Thomas learned to swim.  Up until now he just waded and splashed about, but Bosco is a fantastic swimmer and Dylan was determined not to be left alone along the shore.  I will never stop being amazed by the wonders of Maine. 

AMAZING GROWTH
It is amazing to me the things you can observe walking along the beach. This broken piece of brick from some long-ago cannery chimney appeared to have seaweed growing right out of the solid brick. So much beauty from the sea.

POPPIES A'POPPIN'
Our poppies have just begun to come out in force. Everywhere else on the island poppy time has come and gone.
This is a very small island and yet there are many micro-climates. Fortunately we live in an area where our poppies bloom late. So - when everyone else is morning the passing of their blooms we are just beginning to enjoy ours.
This year I was lucky enough to find some Himalayan black poppy seeds. I planted over a thousand and they have come up and look very healthy. But - so far all I see is beautiful green foliage. I am still awaiting the first black poppy to bloom. I want to see if they actually are black or just a deep shade of dark red. Till then, I just keep checking every morning.

FOUND TREASURE
The other night when I was out walking Dylan Thomas I stumbled upon a unique surprise. At the corner of our driveway near the telephone pole there sat two bottles of unopened wine. Most definitely, I appropriated them; if for no other reason than to bring them home where I could put on my glasses and see exactly what they were. A nice looking Rose and a bottle of "Billy Bowlegs" sparkling blueberry wine. The blueberry wine was from the Okefenokee Swamp no less. Since they were unopened we decided we may as well try them. When we taste the wine maybe we will realize it wasn't exactly a "found treasure;" perhaps merely a "Find"

LIVING IN THE BEAUTY
It is a wonder to get out of bed in the morning and go to the studio to look out over the water. We are blessed with the most spectacular sunrises almost everyday. The trick is to be awake to see it especially during the time of year when sunrise occurs at 3:45 AM.
These are just two examples of our blazing, knock-your-eyes-out, Eastport mornings.

AFTER THE FURY
Last evening as we were having pre-dinner cocktails and chatting in the dining room, I went to the kitchen to check on dinner and discovered a lovely rainbow out across the water. It was a fairly large one and ran almost the length of Campobello Island.
The photograph does not do justice to the real deal, but I just had to try and capture it on film.
Prior to this sighting, we had been discussing how it was perfect weather for rainbows. What a nice surprise after all this rain and noise.

RESCUED DELPHINIUMS
The night before last Mother nature gave us such a thunder and lightening storm that was was impossible to sleep. Thank goodness my dog, Dylan Thomas, is not afraid of lightening and loud noises. He just does not approve of them and considers them an unnecessary annoyance.
Sadly, I awoke to find most all of my beautiful delphiniums stalks snapped off just below the blossoms. So - I cut them and brought them into the house to be admired and enjoyed for a few more days. I prefer to enjoy them in nature and would usually never cut them, but necessity has made it so and I love having them in the house.

NEW LILIES IN THE SOUTH GARDEN
Lately I am finding gardening a pleasure and not a chore. Therefore, I have increased plantings. David dug the horrid day lilies out of the south garden. They had simply taken over and were completely out of control.
In their place we planted several varieties of sedum, sea holly, thistle and some Asiatic lilies. The lilies are an ivory-cream color with lovely paprika centers. The coloring of the centers compliment the red sedum that is getting ready to bloom. There were a few bare spaces in that garden and I filled them in with giant white gladioli. This garden is becoming quite impressive. We are pleased because it is the garden most in view to people driving up our street.