The next day was mostly rainy, but Joe did get to practice rowing between showers. Bette and Lonnie arrived on Friday for an overnight stay on their way to Maine. We took the group to Cloudland Farm for dinner, excellent meal, but we had to park up the road from the restaurant because an old, huge maple tree fell across the road. By the time we finished dinner the tree was on its way to being chips.
Saturday I did some weeding while Judy and Joe visited the llamas and alpacas at Janet and Bill’s. Joe helped water and feed them. That night we saw ‘Eighth Grade’ in Hanover. Great job of by both the actors in the father and daughter roles. We had to detour on the way home because of another tree that fell across the road. That happened to us one other time in almost thirty years here.
Today Joe and I canoed Grafton Pond. The launch site was packed, but the pond can handle a lot of paddlers. It’s a man-made lake, probably a couple square miles in area, and dotted with islands, which are covered with blueberries and pine and spruce. It was mostly all kayaks today. Our favorite picnic spot was occupied, so we found another little island for our lunch. We saw a loon family group of four, two chicks and two adults, and a solitary loon as well as a cedar waxwing nesting on our lunch island, and a blue heron at a bog on the way home.
Yesterday I was looking at the Asclepias incarnata by the pond and noticed black caterpillar poop on some leaves. A quick check by Joe and me ID’d three monarch caterpillars on that plant, and six caterpillars on the other milkweed by the deck. I didn’t see any chrysalis, or eggs, but will keep looking.
Tomorrow’s activity will depend on tomorrow’s weather.
New blooms: golden rod, tree hydrangea, black-eyed susan, lobelia, Casablanca lily.
Echinacea, dramatic Augustinian, it's hard to get these guys to reliably be perennial.
Joe is taking the boat for some exercise. The boat is grateful for the attention.
I saw some caterpillar poop on a milkweed leaf and bent over to look for monarch children. There are six on this plant, you might be able to fine four in this picture, and at least three on the other plant.
Casablanca lilies are as dramatic as it gets, plus they saturate the air with perfume,
Joe and I canoed Grafton Pond today to see the loons.
We saw at least two chicks with one breeding pair.
Grafton Pond is dotted with island ranging in size from tiny to small, often with granite boulders on the beaches. The islands are populated with pine, spruce and blueberries, and are perfect for a picnic.
That fallen tree makes a nice harbor and dive platform.
Judy and Joe visited the llamas and alpacas at Janet and
Bill's.
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