Portland, Maine.

7-21-26 PORTLAND, MAINE: It was a fairly short trip on Sunday including a few wrong turns and a stop at Bob’s Clam Hut. We are at the Canopy Hilton in the center of the old town. After arriving, we watched the last soccer match, walked around a bit, had dinner at Portland Lobster Company, and then slept. 

Monday we took an cruise of Casco Bay. It’s Maine and there are lots of islands. Some of them built up with impressive homes on the water. It was low tide and so lots of rocky shoreline was exposed. We saw Civil War forts, lighthouses, many lobster bouys, commercial and private water traffic, ospreys, gulls, cormorants, ducks, other birds, ferry boats, seals, lobster boats. Most of the islands are not occupied full time, Peaks island is year round and the general store has a motto, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.” 

After lunch at Dimillo wharf, an elegant restaurant. That wharf has some very impressive visiting yachts. We walked around the old town. Many old brick buildings have been repurposed and lot of new buildings look old. Some of the cobblestone streets are still there, hard to walk on, but look old. Dinner was at an excellent restaurant, Scales on their terrace. 

Today we had a whale watch scheduled, but it was canceled for bad weather so we walked the town again on Commerce Street and Fore Street, and then drove to Cape Elizabeth to see more lighthouses and have lunch. I have eaten many lobster rolls and Judy has had clam and crab rolls, because of her lobster allergy, so sad. Tonight we meet Val and Steve for dinner. 

Most of the pix are still in the camera, but a few cell phone pix are available.

Four sails up and drawing wind,

Two forts defending the harbor from the Confederates.

The island ferries are all painted like this one. They are out every day and are named for Indian Tribes.

An Osprey nest with two chicks and pround parent to the right.

Our cruise ship ready for the next trip.

The Ancient Mariner.

Birds on New Boston Rd.

 Friday I heard and then saw a Kingfisher above our pond. She landed on trees in the foliage and often moved about and making that harsh, loud trill. I noticed that sometimes she whispered the same call. After a long wait she landed in a spot that the camera could see, and I got a few shots not too badly blurred by foliage.

Saturday Val and Steve were leaving to go to Maine and saw owls perched on a wire and got a shot.

The rain gave us 0.65 inches.

New blooms: echinacea.

Kingfisher, the brown vest indicates a female or immature bird.

Cell phone pic from Val of two Barred Owls.

Off to Maine.

7-17-26 VERMONT: Montréal is out, and Portland is in. We going for a few days of ocean views, whale watching, lobsters, steamers, crabs. It turns out that Val and Steve, who are here now, will be there at the same time and at the same hotel. 

We were at Tuckerbox in WRJ with Val R and Fred, and then at Red Can, also in WRJ with Val F and Steve. White River Junction has undergone a renaissance in the past few years and now is full of restaurants. 

The guys who are painting the house in September were here to do a power wash, the house looks cleaner.

The other night we had a scary electric storm at 2 AM that lasted for an hour, delivered 0.25 inches of rain, and terrified the dogs, I wasn’t too happy either.

New blooms: water lily, meadow rue.

Early morning surprise. Sunrise was 20 minutes later.

Another of Judy's pix. The echinacea are just starting.

More Jpix. Judy uses her [or my] iphone for all her pix.

More Jpix.

We brought this elm tree up from NJ as a tiny sapling.

Tiger swallowtail on Veronica.

Mid-July.

7-13-26 VERMONT: Mid-July, half way between the end of August and the beginning of June. The summer slips away so quickly. It’s getting dry. I’ve been watering the new plantings. 

We had dinner with the Robinsons and then with the Reeses. We went to the Tapis place in town on Saturday. 

There are newly fledged, immature birds all over the yard learning to fly and feed themselves while the parents are starting the next brood.

Happy Birthday to Siobhan and Happy Birthday to Judy. In honor of Judy’s BD, we scheduled a trip to Montréal next week for a river-front hotel and upscale restaurants. 

New blooms: phlox, pickerel weed, milkweed.

A hybrid daylily. Most of the next several pix are Judy's.

Judy took these early in the morning while out with the dogs.

Judy's. I have done almost no editing of her pix, it was not necessary.

Another of Judy's pix.

Blanca and delphiniums, also Judy's.

Last one of Judy's pix.

Song Sparrowin the daisys.

The town was here to clean out the culvert.

Tiger swallowtail on Veronica.

Red and white phlox flanking blue delphinium.

Rainy Day.

7-7-26 VERMONT: It’s a nice cool rainy day, in the sixties. We got 0.25 inches so far. I already emptied the boat, one job after each rain is to dump the rainwater out of the boat. I have to refill a hummingbird feeder also. 

We went to Frost Gardens yesterday, a nursery that always closes in July and has a sale of all the stock that is unsold. I bought some stuff to work in the empty spots in the gardens. I got a spiderwort, ‘Sweet Kate’ Trascantia, two hybrid daylily, ‘Happy Returns’, Homercallis, two bee balm, Monarda didyma, and six cardinal flowers, Lobelia cardinalis and six poppies, Tangerine Jem. 

Hillary and Matt come tomorrow, and so will have plenty to do, as they already have the milkweed to plant. I’ve decided to pull the peonies out of the bed below the deck because they are getting overwhelmed by the other stuff and move them to the pond bank. Next weeks job. 

New blooms: first hosta, summer azalea, ox eye, false sunflower, more delphinium, hybrid daylily, bee balm, astilbe, hydrangea, St. Johns wort. 

Early morning, just before the sunrise. This is an unedited cell phone image.

Here's a closer look. It was all gone a few minutes later, and then I went back to sleep.

Hybrid daylily in red.

And another, two tone, with a fly.

Regular daylily with Japanese maple.

Ox eye on the pond bank.

Summer azalea. Ours are in these sweet, pastel colors in contrast to the vivid colors of the spring azaleas.

First of many hostas.

Happy Fourth.

7-3-26 VERMONT: We have been prisoners of the heat wave, held captive in the house with cool air from the heat pumps. There has been rain every day 0.75 inches, which has kept everything watered. The bedroom has been hot at night, but the window fan cools it off enough. The cool air doesn’t get upstairs, no ducts above the first floor.

I have had to water the tomatoes on the deck and six milkweed plants that I bought at Browns to add to the milkweed bed on the pond bank. I’m waiting for Hillary and Matt to plant them. They are swamp milkweed ‘Soulmate’ Asclepsias incarnata. That bed has lost a lot of the plants it had last year—drought, maybe. 

Happy Fourth to everyone [except the administration], enjoy the fireworks. We will be watching on TV trying to keep the dogs calm. The dogs have not liked the T-storms we’ve had the past few nights. I haven’t liked them much either. 

New blooms: filipendula, daylily, delphinium, Shasta daisy.

Daylily, the flower of July. This one opened June 30 and the last one will probably be August 1. They are commom and grow everywhere, but are always a welcome sight in mid-summer, another one of my favs.

Red sky at dawn, but don't sweat it if you're not sailing in the tropics.

Judy and I got the buggy out of the barn. It has made it's journey for the year, but looks good in the yard.

Luna Moth on ferns during the day. They only live about a week and don't eat or drink, living only to mate. Check out those lacy antennae.

Shasta daisy. Thjey like the pond bank and full sun.

Maltese cross. Originally the eight-pointed cross was the symbol of the medieval Knights Hospitaller, but now is a symbol for firefighters.

Heat Wave.

6-29-26 VERMONT: A massive heat dome is moving east from KC and Chicago, and we might have 100º in a couple days—glad we have ponds, and AC. We got another 0.5 inches of rain this week with more predicted. 

Penny and Frank were here for the weekend, we went to Cloudland Farms Saturday and had dinner here with Shari and Dave Friday. Judy made sensational duck for that dinner and rhubarb and peach pie for dessert.

I have done more chores and with Judy’s help got the buggy out of the barn for it’s summer appearance. 

New blooms: rosebay rhododendron, goats beard, summer sweet, catalpa tree, mallow, Maltese cross.

The upper pond with forget-me-not and the last of the iris, we may be in it this week.

The catalpa tree covered with flowers. I planted it 10 years ago. It's a fast grower.

Beautiful catalpa flower cluster with a tunnel in each flower for the pollinator to get the nectar and spread the pollen.

Goats beard loves deep shade.

A single peony, I like these better than the doubles.

The double peonies, OK if you like unbridled exuberance.

Mallow, opened today.