Our blackberry canes are in blossom. The white flowers can be quite striking against the monochromatic foliage of summer. These are probably our most productive plants and give us almost a year supply of fruit, from the fresh berries at the end of the summer to the pies and smoothies we make from frozen berries throughout the rest of the year. Click on the image for a larger view.
Wild Strawberries
The first fruit we can harvest every year is wild strawberry. Not a very larger fruit, about the size of the tip of your little finger. This plant is found throughout our garden, woods, and meadow. It is also a favorite of the chipmunks. Our Newfoundland dog Kai also loved these berries and would sit out with us as we gathered them. We only get a few handful of strawberries each year—they are time consuming to harvest in any quantities, but they are fun to snack on when we are in the garden. Click on the image for a larger view.
Summer Wind, Summer Forest
Yesterday was beautiful. I believe that trees evolved to be tall simply to play and dance in the wind. Click on the image for a larger view.
Where the Land meets the Sea, part 5
On a moonlit night at Pemaquid Point, two figures look out to sea. A soft wind presses against their bodies. The rhythm of breaking waves fills the air. “I would love to spend the rest of my life searching for beauty,” whispers the woman to the man.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Where the Land meets the Sea, part 4
We imagine the end of the day along the coast having the fiery reds of a sunset. But water, whether liquid or vapor, is a conjuror of color. When the sun is blocked at the horizon, color transmutes into something magical. Click on the image for a larger view.
Where the Land meets the Sea, part 3
For all of Maine’s lengthy coastline, what is rare is sand. Seawall Beach comes between the salt march of Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area and the Atlantic Ocean. Many threatened seabirds need the dunes behind these beaches to reproduce, which makes these areas along the coast extremely important. However, what are not rare on the Maine coast are mist and fog. Click on the image for a larger view.
Where the Land meets the Sea, part 2
Maine’s coastline is a contorted into bays, peninsulas, coves, and islands. Bailey Island is the terminal point along a string of inhabitable islands jutting out into the Gulf of Maine. Many small uninhabitable islands dot the coast as well, like these rocks on the other side of Jaquish Gut—a small waterway between Bailey Island and Jaquish Island. Click on the image for a larger view.
Where the Land meets the Sea, part 1
Maine is famous for its coastline. Millions of people flock to places like Acadia National Park to enjoy its beauty. But the land and the sea can have very contrasting natures. While a perfect day in June can have warm sunny weather with a soft breeze, swells from an unseen storm out at sea can lash the coast. Click on the image for a larger view.
Hikari on the Kennebec
We had a taste of summer this week. The air was filled with heat, light, and fragrance. We took Hikari, our Newfoundland dog, down to the Kennebec river. Click on the image for a larger view.
Dandelion and the Big Bang
The thirteen-billion-year journey the universe has taken since it came into being has led to this dandelion. Not a certain outcome—rewind this history and it will play out differently. But one thing is sure, if not dandelions, the product of a universe will be complex, it will be beautiful. It may, however, not be edible. Click on the image for a larger view.
