ROOM WITH A VIEW.
     Actually our combination studio/guest room is a room with many views depending upon where you look.
     This was one impressive view a few days ago.  Not only could I sea the sea and the next island; I also was able to catch the sight of a large working cargo ship and a unique sardine boat re-purposed  as a whale watching pleasure boat.  This one is a really big hit with the tourists.
     Sometimes I  find myself just standing on the studio balcony being submerged in the wondrous sites and I completely lose track of time.  I feel like it is one of those Zen moments where I am actually experiencing only the now!      

PAINT THAT FENCE.
     Well, another cloudy and very wet day and we are not amused.  But - so far, there has been no rain.  Perhaps I can get the new lily bulbs planted today.  I would really appreciate some good strong sun so I could get the inside of the fence painted before the growth of the white garden makes it impossible.

SPRING AWAKENS OUR LILIES.
     Finally it has warmed up enough for Spring to make her annual appearance.  It the southwest corner of our front yard She manifests herself as beautiful white Casa Blanca Lilies. 
     The top photograph was take this morning and the bottom photo was taken last summer by a charming neighbor as she passed by to admire the scent and beauty of the white garden.  She was kind enough to give us a copy of the picture.  I can almost smell the heavenly blossoms now.  When it full bloom, the lilies can be nasally detected over a block away.  At night when the windows are open it presents the perfect scent conducive to comforting slumber.     

BIRD ON A WIRE?
     It has always fascinated me how these large crows we have here are able to sit upon the highest and tiniest branches.  Most of our crows are as big as your head and one would think they might have a bit of weight to them.  Yet, here they sit at the top of the tree calmly supervising their territory with no apparent effort.  Observing them with binoculars I can really see how tiny and fragile the perch seems to be. 

BEAUTIFUL BUT WET DAY.

     Again I am amazed that I have neglected my blog for such a long time.  Sometimes I just drift about and feel so lazy.  But - when I motivate myself and accomplish something I am so happy and satisfied.
  The past several days I have been enjoying the love-labor of gardening.  It is something I can kind of "Zen" out on and just be in the moment.  It is very peaceful and relaxing; although at the end of the day my tired older muscles are a bit stiff and sore.  I have convinced myself to accept and live with this minor discomfort as I am not giving up my gardening and there is still much to do. 
     This lovely nourishing rain will now awaken my little seeds and the next sunny day will call them to the surface.  Now I understand why the Hawaiians call this type of rain a "Female Rain" - because it is gentle and nourishing.

MORE SNOW.
     
     Of course it snowed again and again.  Here's one of the beautiful snow pictures of the front of the house before the landscape got all soiled and dirty
     It is always such a special feeling when the first snowfall of the season arrives. Things look so bright and clean.  All the world seems hushed.  The air is so dry the snow squeaks underfoot.  The air tastes different - good, healthy and feels so invigorating!    
     The sad thing is that it all must pass, turn to water, mud and perhaps dangerous ice.
     To me it is comforting to know that winter is not over yet and there will be another beautiful and awe-inspiring snowfall to come.

First Snow

 FIRST SNOW - 2013
     Yes, we had an insignificant amount of snow today.  Not much accumulated, but it was white, clean and beautiful.  I think the first snowfall of the season always has a peaceful and calming effect on people.
     Dylan Thomas, on the other hand, was very invigorated and animated.  He rushed out onto the back deck prancing and barking at the snow.  He was fired up and ready to run.  So, we took him out to the Dawg Park where he could be loose and let him go.  He had a fine time playing ball.  He kicked up a nice powder of snow behind him as he ran after the grounders and demonstrated some pretty impressive Air-time as he leaped for those high bouncers. We are always amazed how he can get his 76 pounds that high off the ground.  The three of us enjoyed our first snow.  It is still coming down a bit and perhaps by morning it will have become significant!
    

Thanksgiving

       THANKSGIVING - 2013
     This was the Thanksgiving Turkey.  We were traditional and simple this year.  We enjoyed a great meal with not much work and a minimal amount of left-overs.  Turkey, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, David's home-made cranberry sauce, carrots and Cheri's home-made pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.  It was just me, David, Cheri and Dylan Thomas.  Oh yes, Dylan has his share of Thanksgiving dinner too.
     I think we all realized just how much we had to be thankful for, even Dylan.  
 

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.