It wouldn’t be winter in Maine without more accumulation in March. And maybe April.
The blizzard moving through the northeast hit Maine Tuesday morning. And according to a recent forecast, our county is apparently one of the few in the state to get the most snow. And so, after being in bed until about 3 p.m. (I needed the sleep), I began taking photos, and shoveling, and measuring, first measuring with the shovel itself.
Through light rain and evaporation, the snow is gradually disappearing around these parts, uncovering brown leaves left on the ground.
Precipitation this week has been very light. The weather in March so far has been cold and occasionally drizzly, but okay.
However, fallen branches in the above photo should give you an impression of the strong winds that came a few days. With Thursday’s winds, I could hear the tree branches above knocking/clacking into each other; my daily walk that day felt a bit precarious. Some days it can feel like spring— warm enough you could walk outside without a jacket, not to mention some flies out early; and some days the wind chill reminds you that it’s still winter. (With wind chills like -18°F on Sunday… yeah, it’s best to stay in doors.) Continue reading The last stretch of winter
At this point, the trees are practically bare (not counting the white stuff). But leading up to Thanksgiving (U.S.), there were still some reds on the trees.
The snow that appeared November 21 cleared enough by the next day; as you can see in the above pictures, it’s hard to tell that it snowed at all.
It was still cold enough that the large quartz heaters were set up outside the Tiqa Café. Not only that, but the people there were burning something. (I could smell it, and see a thin layer of smoke coming up in the center of the ‘seating area.’) Continue reading Fall update
So, the last time I hit the trail near the house, on the day Maine-native Anna Kendrick’s Scrappy Little Nobody was scheduled to be released, I discovered another path connected to the large clearing. The first time I visited the clearing, it was starting to get dark (around sunset, plus rain) and I was only passing through, so I missed this path.
The precipitation had begun to pick up again Tuesday, so I put on my L.L. Bean cap. There was a noticeable decline in elevation, before hitting a split… or fork. Or…
…a Snickers® box (on a branch).
Like before, I went left first. It’s hard to say the neighbor kids would be wanting to venture down this area on small motor vehicles… Continue reading Boldly going where one man hasn’t gone before…
So things are moving now, somewhat. Life-wise, a few windows are visible, and maybe a door or two will open for me.
But it takes action for things to actually move, and personally asking questions to know what the heck I’m looking at, let alone know what I’m doing…
And so, I am moving. Not moving out for good (as I should), but moving my feet, and throwing caution to the wind. Just a bit. …I managed to “capture” two of the blue flies I’ve seen hanging around the front yard, this fall…
As suspected, the leaves have already changed color in Deering Oaks park.
All over the state (and country), of course. Approaching one month into the season, plenty of pine cones are still up (or were), as you can see:
And the berries…
Yeah, some have begun to shrivel up… Continue reading The leaves, they are a-changin’
One week into October, and the leaves just began dumping on the ground.
The yellowing and reddening have begun to take over.
And don’t forget the browning.
In late September, my aunt and her boyfriend visited Portland; they met up with me and my mother, and we went directly to the Titanic Artifact Exhibit. For Part I, click here.
After we got our “Boarding Passes” (with the names and short bios of real-life passengers of the Titanic) we had the opportunity to ask the captain of the ship (a trained actor, seen in this blurry photo) questions. I don’t remember much of what he said— the visit being over two weeks ago, with my memory these days. But he seemed to know quite a bit, and had a few things to say before the little Q&A.
Finally visiting the online sites for the exhibit (during the writing of this post), I saw clear differences in the setup from what’s seen in the events calendar. Previously, smaller objects were displayed on a wall. At the Portland Science Center, they were all in floor display cases. (And yes, there are security measures; bumping a case too hard may set off an alarm.)
The people in charge of the ship were so confident it wouldn’t sink, it left port without binoculars for the lookouts… Binoculars: just one of the elements that could have saved the Titanic.
The energy required for such a large ship, heh, well… the Titanic “consumed one pound of coal for every foot traveled.”
The first-class environment on the ship was, of course, much better than third-class. Even the tile décor was different. But, apparently, standards were raised overall. (Still not great against today’s if you end up hearing the basics being listed as features.)
The exhibit also features two passenger rooms.
The beds were small, partly due to the fact that people back then were shorter— poorer nutrition and all.
Toward the end of the Exhibition, you had the complete lists of passengers, divvied up by class, and split into saved and lost.
My mother and I swapped Boarding Passes prior to entering the exhibition, so let’s see if Mr René Aimé Lievens, a third-class passenger… no, he did not make it. Most of the third-class passengers didn’t make it. Not only did the captain go down with the ship, but the band too.
Before we left the building, a green screen photo was taken; the whole four of us would be placed in front of a Titanic-themed background. (Classy stairs, was it?) …Since I’m not bothering to ask anyone’s permission— and because I’m not photogenic— that image is not going up here.
We got a bit lost from that point on. I basically knew the way back to the garage, but didn’t speak up. There was more walking than necessary… But I did get a few more interesting shots in the process. 🙂
…Eventually, I saw aunt J. and her BF holding hands…
For 1 o’clock lunch, we went to Applebee’s. I went for something basic, and had the four-cheese macaroni with honey-spice chicken and bacon… with bacon sauce. Much bacon in the menu. Others had: fish & chips; salmon and rice; and french fries. On one TV: tennis. And… the visiting lovebirds kissed.
The last item was giving aunt J. her belated birthday cake; slices were served at the Maine Mall food court. The visiting couple showed us some photos via handheld devices, beginning with a cute dog, and I got to know a little more about the boyfriend and his past. …In the end, he and I shook hands, exchanged numbers, and the visiting two were on their merry way back to the cruise ship.
Overall, it was a nice time and an easy learning experience. I was tired, of course, but it was good. And soon after getting home, I fell asleep.
Well, I hope you enjoyed this little trip down recent memory lane. I still have quite a few shots left over from that day, and will work them in later. Until then…
It was the last Tuesday of September, and my aunt had a stop in Portland. She was on a cruise with her boyfriend. My part in the picture, however, might not have happened. Continue reading A Portland visit, featuring the Titanic Artifact Exhibit (Part I)
So it’s now the day that is dead center in the season, August 6. The middle of summer. Another definition places ‘midsummer’ at the peak of the year— the beginning of summer on the calendar. …And the Olympics are probably still kicking off the opening ceremony on NBC. (Tanzania appeared as late as 3:59 a.m. EDT.)
The yellowing and browning of some of the leaves out there has become more pronounced.
Acorns have dropped, and wild raspberry plants have appeared.
Maybe the wild raspberries have been here all along, and I haven’t noticed. After all, I didn’t notice The Donald had appeared in Portland, Maine Thursday… ejecting protesters holding up pocket Constitutions. …I certainly noticed something clinging to my leg Friday Continue reading A Midsummer Night (and day)
