This has been a long, hard winter (globally, this March was the fourth hottest on record, while the eastern US sat in unusual cold). The image on the left was taken in our woods on May 3rd, 2010. The picture on the right was taken in the same place last Sunday, April 27th. May 3rd is this Saturday. While I would not be disappointed in a miracle that could transform our woodland into something that looks like the first image, I am also not very hopeful. I am more inclined to think it will snow. Click on the image for a larger view.
Tag Archives: Pentax 645D
This Year’s Tomatoes
We are going through the annual ritual of starting the garden. With the short Maine summer and unpredictable spring, many plants need a little help. With about one hundred tomato plants, it gets crowded in the house as they grow and need replanting. However, it is well worth the effort as they give us a year’s supply of their wonderful fruit. Click on the image for a larger view.
Hard Cider
This weekend we bottled our hard cider. We made seven and a half gallons or twenty-eight liters, which we store in half-gallon jugs. That should last the year.
We start in the fall with sweet cider pressed at the hight of apple season. We are able to get the juice without any preservatives. We simply add sugar or honey for primary fermentation and then use uncoated raisins for the secondary fermentation. Depending on the flowers the bees feed from, the honey can impart a subtle fragrant flavor. Most raisins are coated with oil to prevent them from sticking together, but the oil will contaminate the cider—uncoated raisins are tricky to find. We make a single batch in a nine-gallon container, but we have also used one-gallon glass jugs.
Horizons
Taken from Mt. Washington in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. Click on the image for a larger view.
Cumulonimbus
Cumulonimbus: a heap of luminous clouds, at least that is how the latin is translated. While the reference to a heap (cumulus) sounds a little undignified for these massive structures, the luminosity or halo of saints or supernatural beings (nimbus) reflects their magic. And when mortals are left in dark valleys at the end of the day, these clouds seem to generate their own light. Click on the image for a larger view.
A Year in Color, a Year of Color
This is a year in color, starting with January on the left to December on the right. The color from twelve photographs from each month of the year where blended to illustrate the changing seasons in Maine. Click on the image for a larger view.
Early Spring, Part 2
The forest floor is a layer of flat, matted leaves; it has none of the thick, plush quality of the fall. With the melting snow and spring rains, vernal pools and streams cover a large area of our understory. The water is clear as glass. Once the foliage returns, the pools and streams are soaked up by the trees. Click on the image for a larger view.
Early Spring, Part 1
In April, heat and light come back to Maine. The forest is like an old man after a deep sleep, taking time to rise from the slumber. The humidity in the air gives a softness and transparency to the forest–light is much harsher in the dry winter air. We have a stand of saplings that are pioneering the open ground next to the forest. They are certainly happy to lose the weight of this winter’s ice storm. With their pliant wood and smooth bark, they seem to typify the spirit of spring. Click on the image for a larger view.
Maine Photography Show 2014
I had the good fortune to have one of my photographs selected for the Maine Photography Show. The show runs from April 12th to May 2nd at the Boothbay Region Arts Foundation gallery in Boothbay Harbor.
Passing Time, Part 3
Click on the image for a larger view.
