Our blackberry harvest is drawing to a close. We had a great crop, which we mostly froze to use over the winter. We kept some fresh for our breakfast, though. The blackberry canes in our field are starting to turn color. They tend to be the first signals of the ending summer, even while our golden rod remain in bloom. Click on the image for a larger view.
Taking up Residence
The galvanized steel bucket in our garden has a new resident. The bucket is full of rain water and our friend is either swimming or perched on the rim. The mystery is how the little fellow figured out it had water in it—he (or she) is a little short to be able to see into the bucket from the ground. Click on the image for a larger view—its eye is amazing.
End of the Day
Sun setting behind Schoodic Point in Acadia National Park from Little Moose Island. Click on the image for a larger view.
Basalt Dyke
Between the warm granite of Schoodic Point are black seams of basalt. Several hundred million years ago, this basalt (technically diabase) flowed through the fractures in the granite bedrock. The dating of these features shows these represent multiple events over time. Click on the image for a larger view.
Fluid Dynamics
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Vegetable Harvest
Along with tomatoes and blackberries, we are getting other veggies. On the left are Early Summer Yellow Crookneck Squash. Our beans this year are Kentucky Wonder, the large green pole beans, Provider, the mid-sized bush beans, Masai, the small bush beans, and Blue Coco, the purple pole beans. The small tomato in the picture is Gardener’s Delight. And last are our cucumbers. The round variety is Lemon cucumber and the other is de Bourbonne Cornichon pickling cucumber. Unfortunately, because of a lack of water or inadequate fertilizer, the de Bourbonne did not turn the green it is supposed to be. Click on the image for a larger view.
New Heirloom Tomato Varieties
This year, we are growing two heirloom varieties that are new to us. The red fruit on the left are Amish Paste Tomatoes. As the name suggests, they are a great tomato for cooking and canning. Fresh, they are soft and sweet. The Black Prince is a rich tomato, great for salads. They are not large, but the plant yields a good crop. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tomato Glut
Our tomato harvest is starting to reached the late summer glut. It is wonderful thing to see the garden so productive, especially since we were starting these plants indoors in early spring.
The yellows are Yellow Pear (smaller) and Yellow Banana Leg (the three long fruit). The top right red tomatoes are Juliet. The bottom left reds are Heather. And the bottom right is our favorite: Black Cherry. The yellow tomatoes and the Black Cherry are heirloom varieties. Click on the image for a larger view.
The Shore of Lake Erie
Living in Maine, it is always hard not to think of a body of water that does not terminate at the horizon with land as a lake. But a lake does not look like an ocean. At least, I have never seen such a calm ocean, although these lakes can be violent. The tree in this image was felled by the erosion of the sand banks along the shore. The banks are about twelve to twenty feet tall. The coarse white sand on the beach is actually the remains of clam shells. Click on the image for a larger view.
Summer Skies
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