Yesterday I saw four northern water snakes, at separate locations, while I was walking around Cutler Pond on my lunch hour. Four is my personal best for one day! I was pleased that I saw them because I was looking for them; it wasn’t a case of their moving and my catching the motion out [...]
It’s been a good year for amphibians at Claire de Luna. We’ve seen several toads in and around our garden areas. This frog was in the raised bed that we built last year, behind the radishes and grass that’s sprouting up:
In Portland ten days ago we went a few blocks from the center of the Old Port festival hoping to find a place we could sit down and get something to eat. It wasn’t easy, because there were lines at many restaurants even several blocks away. A coffee shop we’ve been to before did have [...]
On Saturday there was a fly fishing event at Maine Wildlife Park, sponsored by Sebago Trout Unlimited. The newspaper announcement had said there would be fly casting instruction and fly tying instruction, and by George, there were both and I took advantage of both.
When I was a kid I was really into fly tying, though [...]
Last night was the last meeting of the klezmer band for the spring. As has become the tradition, we had a small party at the home of one of the members, with a few guests for an audience and potluck desserts. Afterwards, as we were standing around having desserts, I noticed what appeard to be [...]
We went in to Portland for the Old Port Festival street fair today.
Our first stop was Artist and Craftsman Supply company. Back in January (!) we had been in there and asked them to get some small brayers that I like for indexing stamp mounts. We had almost despaired of ever getting them, but on [...]
There was a break, with refreshments, between the first and second classes of Alumnae College. I saw someone reading the New York Times on an electronic device smaller than a laptop but much bigger than an iPhone. “Is that a Kindle?” I asked.
It was. The woman reading it was happy to tell me all about [...]
On the Friday of the Smith reunion my mom, Arlene, and I all went to Alumnae College classes. Most of those are intended to showcase the best teachers the college has and the most interesting courses they teach. As with all of reunion, it’s not hard to see that the college’s underlying goal is to [...]
On Tuesday May 26 we stopped for lunch at the Lost Gull on the way from the New Balance shoe store in Oxford to the Shaker village at Sabbathday Lake. There was a very cooperative tiger swallowtail on the lilac bush right next to our picnic table.
Saturday morning May 23 was the parade and meeting of the Smith College Alumnae Association. We were hanging out with my mom and her classmates, the class of ‘39, and with the oldest returning alums, the class of ‘34. There were 3 ’34s at the meeting and one who showed up later in the day. [...]
