The more things change…

(Jul 10 7:14 p.m.)

The difference five months makes.  This is the trail that runs next to the house.

Upon entering. (Jul 10 7:13 p.m.)

Last time on this blog, the area was covered in snow; now, it’s green with vegetation.  Or, as one commenter put it: lush.  This Monday, I was a bit annoyed with the stagnation in the house— being unable to deal with the squirrel that’s in our roof, for one; I stormed out.

Roof.  And two trees which enable the squirrels access to it.  I’d cut them down if I could. (Jul 9 6:37 p.m.)

I soon returned to grab the iPhone to take some pictures of the trail for the day.

(Jul 10 7:17 p.m.)

The bucket’s still there, as well as the chairs and collapsed table(s).

Green light

By the street. (May 28 2:55 p.m.)

It’s a gray Memorial Day, so I’ll let yesterday and sunny days previous speak for the season.  Summer is closing in now.  The green leaves have filled the view of the windows.

(May 19 11:24 a.m.)

And the front yard is filling up. …Over brown leaves that have yet to dissolve.

(May 17 2:13 p.m.)

And to think, this is what these leaves looked like only two weeks ago.

Off to see the blizzard…

Hey, I just shoveled. (Mar 14 6:34 p.m.)

It wouldn’t be winter in Maine without more accumulation in March.  And maybe April.

(Mar 14 3:32 p.m.)

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.

(Mar 14 3:33 p.m.)

The last stretch of winter

(Mar 6 3:46 p.m.)

Through light rain and evaporation, the snow is gradually disappearing around these parts, uncovering brown leaves left on the ground.

A dusting so light that walking removes it (Mar 4 12:38 p.m.)

Precipitation this week has been very light.  The weather in March so far has been cold and occasionally drizzly, but okay.

(Mar 3 1:53 p.m.)

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.)

Fall update

What was left of the leaves in November at Deering Oaks, compared to the many colors of October. (Nov 22 2:44 p.m.)

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.

Purplish shadows in the parking lot. (Nov 22 2:20 p.m.)

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.

Smoke in the center. (Nov 22 2:26 p.m.)

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.’)

Boldly going where one man hasn’t gone before…

(Nov 15 3:54 p.m.)

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…

(Nov 15 3:55 p.m.)

…a Snickers® box (on a branch).

The yellow ink’s completely faded, making the caramel look alien and the peanuts look like pills or something. (Nov 15 3:55 p.m.)

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…

A path less taken…

(Oct 30 4:07 p.m.)

So things are moving now, somewhat.  Life-wise, a few windows are visible, and maybe a door or two will open for me.

Very blue skies this Halloween; only some clouds to the west. (Oct 31 3:10 p.m.)

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…

Rain a’comin’. (Nov 2 3:26 p.m.)

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…

(Nov 2 3:29 p.m.)

The leaves, they are a-changin’

Portland. (Oct 17 4:08 p.m.)

As suspected, the leaves have already changed color in Deering Oaks park.

Scarborough. (Oct 17 12:59 p.m.)

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:

Deering Oaks park. (Oct 17 4:10 p.m.)

(Oct 17 4:23 p.m.)

And the berries…

(Oct 17 4:23 p.m.)

Crescent Beach park. (Oct 20 2:31 p.m.)

Yeah, some have begun to shrivel up…

Fall update

(Oct 13 3:20 p.m.)

One week into October, and the leaves just began dumping on the ground.

(Oct 13 3:43 p.m.)

The yellowing and reddening have begun to take over.

(Oct 11 12:12 p.m.)

And don’t forget the browning.

Rainy day. (Oct 9 5:18 p.m.)

A Portland visit (Part II)

Ship model. (Sep 27 11:39 a.m.)

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.

(Sep 27 11:43 a.m.)

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.)

Security device in top-left of image. (Sep 27 11:43 a.m.)

Pixelated blow-up of the Daily Adviser (April 1912).  “Complete Service of the Associated Press.” (Sep 27 11:49 a.m.)

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.

Porthole. (Sep 27 11:43 a.m.)

The energy required for such a large ship, heh, well… the Titanic “consumed one pound of coal for every foot traveled.”

Coal. (Sep 27 11:30 a.m.)

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.)

(Sep 27 11:28 a.m.)

The exhibit also features two passenger rooms.

(Sep 27 11:29 a.m.)

The beds were small, partly due to the fact that people back then were shorter— poorer nutrition and all.

Recovered sheet music (Sep 27 11:40 a.m.)

Toward the end of the Exhibition, you had the complete lists of passengers, divvied up by class, and split into saved and lost.

(Sep 27 11:55 a.m.)

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.

Never saw such blue/indigo flowers before.  (Even bluer than this picture.) (Sep 27 12:33 p.m.)

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. 🙂

The women bought a map around the corner immediately to the right of here. (Sep 27 12:25 p.m.)

…Eventually, I saw aunt J. and her BF holding hands…

(Sep 27 12:17 p.m.)

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.

Flowers outside of the Applebee’s (prior to entering). (Sep 27 1:13 p.m.)

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…

Don’t forget the gift shop! 🙂 (Sep 27 12:02 p.m.)