In the Right Place: Edens We Have Known

(July 8, 2017) With a few obvious exceptions, there’s no bad time to go to a good garden.

It was cloudy this Saturday afternoon, but one of the best “backyard” gardens in the country was open to the public that day.

It just so happens that this backyard is in the middle of Blue Hill, Maine, and consists of 10 beautiful acres of various environments.

There are more-or-less formal areas with structures and flower beds; fields of milkweed and other native plants for pollinators; bee hives; a pond; vegetables;  trails through woods where mushrooms grow, etc.  And, there are bird feeders and birdbaths everywhere.

It’s the regionally-renowned garden of Leslie Clapp and Blaise de Sibour, who generously share it with the community. Here are some images:

For larger versions of the above images, as well as additional images of the garden, click on the link below. (We recommend that your initial viewing be in full-screen mode, which can be achieved by clicking on the Slideshow [>] icon above the featured image in the gallery to which the link will take you.) Here’s the link:

https://leightons.smugmug.com/US-States/Maine/Out/2017-in-Maine/A-Cloudy-Day-in-a-Garden/

In the Right Place: Encounters

White-Tailed Deer here are not like their relatives in suburbia that have become almost oblivious to humans. Most here dash away at the first sight of humans, seemingly aware that we’re their fiercest predators.

Thus, it can be exciting stalking them: getting upwind of a browsing doe; hiding and remaining still as she slowly comes closer. Seeing her suddenly become aware of another presence, her ears snapping up in alarm, her lovely eyes wide and focused on the potential danger. That’s the time to shoot her – CLICK. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: To Wake, To Sleep, To Die

Wild Water Lilies are now offering themselves, becoming part of the ephemeral art of marsh ponds.

They arise and bloom during a few days, close and sleep those few nights, and then die, bequeathing their seeds into the water for their progeny’s brief, brightening life next year. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Breezing Up

Winds worthy of Winslow Homer whirled in Great Cove yesterday morning and WoodenBoat School sailors were there to chase them.

Here, we can almost feel the thrill of beating to windward in Fox, a 12.5-foot Haven built by School students. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Waiting and Watching

We’re happy to report to the many who are asking that the twin Broad-Winged Hawk fledglings are doing well. As you know, we’ve been monitoring them from a distance since they were about the size of tennis balls.

This is one of them yesterday, starting to look like a hawk with bad hair. We hope that they’ll be flying this month or early next. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: A Time to Remember

July 4, 2017, Independence Day, a time to celebrate the unique good fortune that our Founding Fathers deeded this Nation. And, for those of us who live in a true “community” -- where a shared sense of place is palpable -- it’s also a time to get together and enjoy an old-fashioned, happy summer experience.

It’s a perfect summer morning: slanting sun, blue sky, puffy clouds, light breeze, and temperature in the low 70s.

At about 9:30, neighbors and visitors start to congregate “Downtown,” while the remarkably good Brooklin Town Band welcomes them from the shade of the large maple trees in front of the Library.

A wide range of rousing, summery, and sometimes mind-catching, music wafts up through the leaves. (A haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen’s ironic Hallelujah was especially moving in these unusual times.)

It’s a great-to-be-alive-and-here-this-morning place; it’s smiles and small talk and good-looking children and good-looking dogs and splashes of sun and shade spilling over everything; it’s July 4th!

The parade had previously formed farther down Reach Road, about half a mile away. It arrives in Downtown shortly after 10 and turns up Naskeag Road at our only traffic signal, the Stop Sign. Old Glory leads the way, held and guarded by three veterans.

Then, of course, there are many fire engines and other emergency vehicles – modern and historic – our tax dollars properly at work.  Here are a two of the many:

There were a good number of imaginative floats. The ones that seemed to get the most attention were a pirates’ ship full of vicious pirates; a tick prevention float that contained dancing ticks and clever double and triple entendre messages (“Ticked Off!”, “Make America Tick Again,” “Patriotick”) , and, last but certainly not least, the running of the bulls with a huge bull chasing a cute crowd.

Antique car and vintage truck enthusiasts abound in Maine, perhaps because winter is a good time to work in the garage. There always are plenty of these pieces of working art in the parade, including these:

The parade wound its way to the Town Green, where children’s games with prizes, antique vehicles, and lunch were set up; and, the Brooklin Town Band arrived to play while everybody enjoyed themselves.

Two of the most popular games were the Wet Sponge Throw (at a human target) and the Dead Chicken Throw (at a hole).

One of our favorite antique vehicles was this 1933 Ford convertible.

And then there was the delicious food. The main selections were hot dogs (with or without sides) or barbequed chicken with corn on the cob, potato salad, coleslaw, watermelon, and a beverage. We couldn’t resist the chicken.

The Town Green was a sea of smiles.

For larger versions of the above images, as well as many additional images of Brooklin’s Independence Day celebrations, click on the link below. (We recommend that your initial viewing be in full-screen mode, which can be achieved by clicking on the Slideshow [>] icon above the featured image in the gallery to which the link will take you.) Here’s the link to full coverage:

https://leightons.smugmug.com/US-States/Maine/Out/2017-in-Maine/Independence-Day/

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: March of the Miniatures

The annual toadlet migration is leaving the bogs now and dispersing through woods, fields, and gardens. These Eastern American Toads were tadpoles a few weeks ago. Now, they’re miniature toads of less than an inch in length and they’re hopping awkwardly day and night to get to a place that they can call home; when they do, they’ll be active mostly at night.

These amphibians will grow quickly, some to almost four inches. As they grow, they’ll shed – and eat! -- their own skins. That skin contains toxins that are exuded when the Toad senses a predator; it also will urinate on anything (or anyone) that catches it. If that doesn’t work and the predator is a Garter Snake or other small-mouthed animal, the Toad will inflate itself and make it difficult to be swallowed. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: The Beginning of Life

Originally Posted July 2, 2017

Many of our White-Tailed Deer fawns are strong enough now to do a bit of exploring on their own. Although it sometimes looks like they’re alone, Mom usually is within several hundred feet, keeping an eye and a nose out. The doe will lick-wash her fawn not only to clean it, but to deposit on the fawn the doe’s own familiar scent by which her youngster can be tracked through the air.

Sometimes a doe will give birth to twins, which makes life difficult for her. Usually, she’ll separate the twins when they’re very young, putting them in individual nests yards apart. When they can walk and run a bit, Mom will reunite her fawns and nearly exhaust herself nursing them at least four times a day. (Brooklin, Maine)

Postcards From Maine: The June Collection

The many moods of the Maine coast are especially evident in June – sun, fog, rain, and clouds enveloping tidal and still waters, wild and garden flowers, birds, and boats. It’s finally summer, glorious summer.

The visiting birds of June included many warblers singing for a mate, including this Yellow Warbler.

June also is the time when many of our birds nest and raise fledglings. High in a nest in the nearby deep woods, one of two fledgling Broad-Winged Hawks sits in its nest under the eyes of a watchful mother.

Of course, we don't overlook (as many do) the beauty of our hard-working residents, the Herring Gulls.

June is the month that the schooners begin to prowl the coast, gliding into our Great Cove like pleasantly-intruding memories of Maine's past. They’re impressive when catching a good wind or just basking in the sun.

Our resident working vessels also can be picturesque in the early June light.

However, the soul of summer here is in the small fleet of sailboats that dart around Great Cove, many of them being sailed by eager and energetic students at our neighborly WoodenBoat School.

Although we’re in a coastal town, the flowers of June are not to be ignored. Many wildflowers and grasses spread themselves along the shore and among the fields. These include Lupines, Buttercups, Beach Roses, and Wild Iris.

June is when the butterflies arrive to be among those flowers and grasses, including Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and various Fritillaries.

The shady green bogs of June host a large variety of wonderful plants, including Jack in the Pulpits and Pink Lady Slippers.

The bogs and fields are not the only place to find Interesting plants. The rain and fog of a coastal town help make the gardens of June lush. Peonies, Snapdragons, and Rhododendrons were especially attractive this June.

Maine’s still waters also come alive in June, with the sudden appearance of frogs, dragon and damsel flies, and turtles, among other residents. Well, perhaps the words “come alive” are not exactly accurate when it comes to our Painted Turtles enjoying the sun.

In terms of June events, perhaps the most important locally was the opening of our new Brooklin General Store after more than a year without one. There also was the very recent Brooklin Boat Yard launching of the Toroa, a 72-foot luxury racing sloop. It's a handsome temporary addition to the waters of our Eggemoggin Reach.

For larger versions of the above images, as well as additional images of moments in June, click on the link below. (We recommend that your initial viewing be in full-screen mode, which can be achieved by clicking on the Slideshow [>] icon above the featured image in the gallery to which the link will take you.) Here’s the link to the full tour of June in Down East Maine:

https://leightons.smugmug.com/US-States/Maine/Out/2017-in-Maine/June-Postcards-From-Maine/

Cheers,

Barbara and Dick

In the Right Place: Really Big News

Below we see Toroa, a 72-foot luxury racing sloop that was launched from the Brooklin Boat Yard yesterday afternoon.

She’s in a motorized hoist that will take her to the launching slip and gently lower her into Eggemogin Reach.

Toroa is registered in London and is flying the British Red Ensign for the ceremony. Nonetheless, we’re told that her principal port will be in Spain, where she was designed.

The wife of the unnamed owner performed the traditional Champagne bottle christening with gusto – the bottle appeared to nick Toroa’s sharp bow, even though the area was protected by a taped covering.

The hoist slowly transported Toroa to the launching slip, which was a very tight fit. Her 20-foot beam left only a few inches space on each side.

Once on the water, her clean lines become apparent, as does the immensity of her 92-foot mast.

At the moment, Toroa is tied up at the Boatyard pier. Work will continue on the boat while she’s in the water, including installation of an Italian hydraulic system.

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Skill for Sail

It seems that true summer does not arrive here until WoodenBoat School students start learning the winds in Great Cove.

The Cove is intriguing in any weather; but, during cold and gray winter days when we try to remember the glories of summer, the ice-laden Cove can remind us of a playground that is devoid of equipment or children.

And then, in June, the boats are returned to the water and a day like June 27 arrives -- on-the-water sailing lessons begin at the School.

More specifically, the members and instructors of the Elements of Sailing for Women course went out on that chilly and slightly hazy Tuesday.

They beat into the wind toward Big Babson Island, then circled back through the other boats bobbing at their moorings.

The playground has come alive again. More images follow:

(Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Watching the Painted Dry

This little (about four-inch) Painted Turtle recently has taken a summer residency in our pond. We call it Tiny. It basks alongside the recurrent vacationer there, a Painted Turtle that is at least seven inches long, which we call Bruiser.

Painted Turtles are perhaps our best looking fresh water turtles, but we consider it a lucky day if we have more than a few seconds to study one before it plops into the water.

Here's Bruiser after it pushed Tiny off the best basking spot.

Female Painted Turtles should be impregnated by now. This month or next, they’ll leave the water; scoop out a nest hundreds of feet away; lay their eggs in the hollow, and scamper back to water’s edge. The eggs will hatch after about two months of self-incubation, but the small hatchlings will remain in the nest until spring, when they’ll march away seeking water. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Keeping Witches Away

Here we have a passel of Snapdragons, one of the quintessential summer plants. If you pinch the side of its flower, it opens up like a set of lips that can snap your pinky.

In Holland, they call the plant “Lion’s Lips”; in Asia, it’s “Rabbit’s Lips.” In times gone by, many people believed that Snapdragons protected against witchcraft – and, of course, when they were planted around the house, no witch visited. (Blue Hill, Maine, at Mainescape)

In the Right Place: Babe in the Woods

This fuzz ball is a Broad-Winged Hawk in a nearby nest that we’ve been monitoring. We haven’t seen a sibling, but the nest is high and we don’t get too close. (One fledgling would not be rare.)

We guess that this bird is about three weeks old, since its mother now feels free to leave the nest for long periods. In a week or so, the youngster should start climbing on the branches near the nest. About a week or two after that, it should be fully fledged and fly from the nest, learning to hunt mostly by trial and error. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Don't Stand By This Man

It’s a bird! It’s a plane!! No -- it’s Boatman!!! Faster than a speeding bullet, he bursts out of the fog, executes a perfect “J” power swerve, and stands steadfastly in control of his Boatmobile while it takes off to fly in search of those bad lobster poachers.

Amateurs: Don’t try this. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Tiger, Tiger Flying Bright

This Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly is resting amidst stiletto blades of beachgrass, allowing us to judge its beauty alone, without competition from colorful flowers.

The insect’s existence as a Swallowtail will last three or four weeks, but it already has led an interesting and dangerous life as an egg, caterpillar, and larva. During its brief passage as a butterfly, it will mate and subsist on nectar and water. It “dances” when it alights on something delicious and so would you if your taste buds were in the ends of your feet. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: That's Some Albatross

Why is the Brooklin Boat Yard building a 72-foot luxury racing sloop outside its main shop? Because the Yard is building a 91-foot sloop inside that shop. Things apparently continue to go well at the BBY.

This outside sloop (which actually is 22 meters or 72.1785 feet) is expected to be delivered this fall. Its name is Toroa, which is another name for the Northern Royal Albatross.

The 91-footer is expected to be delivered in the spring of 2018. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place: Beach Invasion

Beach Roses (Rosa rugosa) are starting to appear, much to the delight of Bumble Bees and the chagrin of some conservationists.  This highly-invasive wildflower, which originated in Asia, gets its name from being planted in sand dunes to stabilize shorelines.

It also was planted along New England roads when it was discovered that it had a high tolerance for salt and other chemicals used to melt snow and ice. However, once it gets going, its dense thorns and spines can make an area painful, if not impenetrable. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place

It's the first official day of Summer and the sun is finally out. Here we have the sailing equivalent of a workhorse – stable, sturdy, and forgiving. This is Shenaniganz, a friendly boat that, when resting alone in her element, exudes both grace and playfulness.  

She’s a 16-foot catboat designed by Fenwick Williams, the renowned designer of such sailboats. She was built by Maynard Lowery at Tilghman Island, Maryland, in 1983 and, for some time, has been part of the WoodenBoat School’s fleet of small boats. (Brooklin, Maine)

In the Right Place

We wait.

There can be an increasing heaviness that slowly presses upon us as rain and fog and wind and pewter light reappear day after day. There also is an increasing anticipation of the return of that special Maine-seacoast-morning-sunlight in which everything is seen as if through a glass of almost orange Pinot gris.

Even lobster traps on the Town dock seem to be waiting for the fog to lift, so that they can take a boat ride and a deep dive. (Brooklin, Maine)