honeyflake

summer visitors

it has been oh so very snowy lately

pine meadow lake

today was a fine day for a late summer/not-quite-autumn hike. chuck margaret and i wandered a few trails around harriman state park. we kicked off the afternoon with a picnic lunch by sebago lake while we simultaneously skimmed through a few old hiking guide books and trail maps to figure out our general route. the lakeside picnic alone was a nice way to end the week together, but our aim was to adventure a bit under the trees... so we headed out and upwards on the seven hills trail ascending towards pine meadow lake.

backpacks on, waterbottles filled,we walked... and we breathed it all in... with the sweet detail of the ever-switching color coded trail blazes leading the way. rocks of all shapes and sizes to walk over and scramble up and down, acorns underfoot and a nice, easy stillness that blankets the mountains and quiets the mind.  

 i liked this hike... i think it's accurate to say that all three of us really enjoyed it. we eventually followed the diamond mountain trail up to the peak of diamond mountain. an open vista is always a happy reward before heading back down... back to the trailhead, where the thermos of warm chai and a supply of oatmeal-cranberry cookies await. (more rewards of sort for finishing up a 4 mile fresh-air-filled loop with laughter and smiles all the way.)

vacationland

nestled in amongst the trees, you can see the top of our tent peeking through. this was home for the three of us last week. this site, on sommes sound, is at mount desert campground on mount desert island, maine. we first read about this campground, located very near acadia national park, in this book, about eight years ago and have had it filed away, in the back of our minds, in that ever-growing list of places we'd like to visit ever since... so  this summer, we chose it as our home-base for a true-tenty-family-fun-getaway! and i must say it was fun... and very hard to brush off the pine needles, pack up and drive home. 

 
as always it was great to camp out together. we cooked, played, explored, breathed fresh air, adventured and simply chilled out up on the foggy, sunny, rainy, sunny, beautiful rocky coast of maine. here are a few photos that we snapped along the way...
 
• loved spending time quietly checking out all the barnacles, seastars, periwinkles, mussles, etc... exposed at low tide @ 'pretty marsh' in acadia.  

 
• loved jumping off large sloped granite into the clear refreshing waters of echo lake.

 
• loved the hikes, falcon sightings, junior ranger programs, and being on the lookout for a rare first family sighting at acadia. :)

 
• loved watching margaret thrive in the most simple, natural outdoor moments.

• loved the pointed firs and rugged foggy coast.

• loved just hanging in the tent.

fun stuff, that vacationland! thanks for scrolling through these travel pics. do you find it strange that i haven't mentioned a single  morsel of food? yes, i think so too... well, on top of all the above goodness, there was plenty of campfire/coleman stove/dutch oven action going on and i've decided to save all that to share in another post. 

until then, thanks maine!

tulips

 
so far, spring 2010 has been very full of color here. really vibrant blooms have appeared everywhere, taking their turns in waves — purple crocus, yellow daffodils and forsythia, pink buds on all sorts of bushes and trees, purple grape hyacinths and the redder than red tulips...

 

on more than one occasion i went out to try to photograph the ones that bloomed in our front yard... but i never really got the photo that i had hoped to capture. (just lots of blown out and super contrasty close ups)... but that is fine, because i did enjoy watching their progress since they broke through the chilly ground to when they were at their peak, all lined up in a bold, crimson row. and then there's this old 1973 photo... 

me (in my gingham), my nonnie and her very lovely spring tulips (and check out miss beestudio and my brother buzzing around in the background)... could any other tulip photo really make me smile more than this one? 

vintage springtime at it's best. 

thanks to all who have left comments and sent emails with your thoughts lately. i appreciate and treasure each and every one. thank you!

gravitating

my pocket with just a few sea treasures inside.

friday, margaret and i were strongly pulled down to the beach. the sun was out, the air was crisp, humidity was low, and a full moon was on the calendar... following this great force with glee, we arrived just before low tide, hoping that the moon's pull on the sea would reveal some brilliant treasures of the tumbled glassy kind...  or if not, hoping at least that we'd enjoy yet a little more ocean-splashing summertime together.

brown glass is one of the most common to be found.

greenpiece.

margaret's amazing super-tiny teal find... an extremely rare color.

an assembly of the day's green pieces.

the tide seemed to have receded out for miles. the moon must have a very strong pull right now. we waded (and swam) back and forth in the ocean and tide pools for hours, scanning for beachglass... watching the gulls feast on crabs and clams... just loving the warm, still summery, clear water and our peaceful corner of where land meets sea and thankful for being drawn towards it all once again.

deep in the woods

on monday

wearing panda ears... in the new garden bed... while "replanting" some spring forsythia blooms... one by one.

yellow in the making

the backyard forsythia is oh so close to blooming.

emerging

winter: snowing

yesterday's aprés snow creation.

still moving through the winter season here. yes, now it is march and spring is really oh so near... but our day here yesterday was still truly a whole lot of winter! the winds blew in a storm which brought with it quite a bit snow. inches upon inches. calling us out to play and explore (and shovel!). outside margaret and i continued to discover new little ways to experience the season together with all of our senses until we were ready to return to the warmth of the house... at margaret's request, we brought some snow inside with us, so we could have a true taste of winter yesterday... freshly fallen snow topped with real maple syrup. something that was new to me, and something that after all the shoveling, path-making and playing was so good. an authentic, natural, woodland-inspired snow-cone creation. sweet.

winter: sledding

at the top.

warmth. in a thermos brought from home.

...getting down to earth

a bit more of why we're not quite wishing away winter just yet... this time, its about just being out there, on top of the white hills — snowflakes by the million, transforming the usually grassy ground into something special and fleeting — hoping for that sweet ride down the slope in only a way that winter snow can provide. 

the three of us bundling up in all sorts of layers and getting ourselves to the nearest cluster of hills. making sure to fill a thermos with hot chocolate right before heading out. so simple really. and such pure joy. lots of laughter. lots of going up, down and back up again for more. out there as a family letting go of everything else and just letting it be winter. time spent sledding is very much time spent being in the season. getting down as close to the cold earth as can be... sensitive to the state of our natural surroundings right now. 

winter: owling

destination: empty, beach dunes.

researching the field guide.

snowy owl patrol in action.

focusing...

at last (yes, really, that smaller than small white spec is the owl)

some wintertime fun. the three of us... amidst the brisk beach conditions... with binoculars in hand... moving at nature's pace... hoping for a rare snowy owl encounter. wandering the dunes, looking around, letting our eyes adjust. so exposed to the season's elements that we can't help but be aware of winter's presence... and we embrace it. feel the cold. breath it in. you know, when the snowy owls fly down from the arctic to our beach, we're so there (we heard there had been some sightings this year — they haven't made an appearance here in five winters). yes, excited at the news of their return we swung by our beach last weekend. surrounded by the chilly open environment, that is the winter home to this nomadic creature, we enjoyed the moments that only winter can offer. so sure that this is definitely not something we can do here in july/august/etc... when these guys are back up north. eventually, we spotted one, white as a clump of snow, close through the binocular lens (so much better than my camera lens could capture!)... turning it's head, quietly sitting on the cold ground. reminding us that yes, winter's here and even though it 's a bit cold it's still oh-so good out there. 

and once we were back inside our winter home? this experience was now inspiration for drawing pictures, owl facts, making a book (you can imagine), requests for reading this and this from our book shelf and now even seeing if i can track down this book at one of the local libraries.

unique

falling everywhere this sunday morning. beckoning for us to come out and play.

so december

treefarm. locally grown evergreen. bringing the outside in. 

the ever-important picnic menu... sandwiches on cranberry semolina bread, hot cocoa, ginger cake (recipe from a greener christmas)... lots of wool. from hats to blankets to past-the-knee ski socks... margaret gathered nature's seasonal bits and pieces. berries. fallen needley branches... wandering through the trees. our cheeks were rosy from the crisp air and seemed to get rosier with laughter. we found our tree. such a good day. tis the season. 

a pleasant elevation

mountains in summertime... we just got back from several days and nights of tenting in the green mountains of vermont. surrounded by fresh, fresh air and greenery we spent the week enjoying all that goes with the life of a forest dweller. pretty nice. walks amongst the trees, hopping over brooks, raindrops falling on the leaves at night, looking out to see mile after mile, looking down to see mushroom after mushroom...

summer, summer and more summer

a few simple photos taken here and there throughout july...

vintage seashell books tucked into the beachbag's pocket...

somedays, that's where they stay, other days we find ourselves sitting on our beachblanket, scanning the pages to help identify the latest sealife find (like the little-very-mini-bivalve-clams that were scootching around under our feet as the waves rolled out.)

chuck's homemade blueberry ice cream... 

sweet, frozen superfood by the scoop. yum. there was some indecision on the flavor's name — i was all for something like "stella blueberry" and margaret was rooting for something like "blueberry blast". in the end we just simply asked for more "blueberry ice cream".

sunflowers for sale... 

sunflowers seem to be blooming everywhere now. these were found at a farm stand this weekend where we stopped to pick up some blackberries. 

woodland retreat

putting my old swiss army knife to good use...

 
collecting kindling...

collected kindling turned fairy homes...

the papa gets the fire going while...

 
the mama whittles a few marshmallow sticks...

woodsy...

 
at home in the woods...

one evening some early storms had us huddled up in the tent. thanks to the lanterns and headlamps we had games, coloring, journalling and shadow puppets...

chuck mastered the espressos/cappuccinos on the coleman each morning...

in the a.m., scrambled eggs with garden sun gold tomatoes and black olives along with some blueberries from our blueberry bush... went perfectly with the cappuccinos.

packing up the gear. getting ready to hike it all down the trail and back to our car... we miss you already site 75.

this is halloween

hey celithemis eponina! welcome to the garden. glad you could stop by.

a very brightly colored dragonfly decided to swing by our garden this morning. just when i thought i've seen the full assortment of dragonflies that i'd ever see in our yard — this fun new critter shows up. amazed at all her orange and black, i took many photos... while in the meantime margaret tried to offer her presents like dandelion bouquets. then to the field guide we went. seems that this one is called a halloween pennant. of course — orange... black... halloween! in july! fun. and then out came margaret's crayons to capture the excitement all over again... spot on i'd say.

little visitors in the thicket

to add a little more excitement to the already exciting saturday morning (with papa being home — and — being the day that margaret's seeds were expected to emerge out in her new garden bed) a strange little bird was spotted out the kitchen window. up went the blinds, out came the bird books and binoculars, feet were suddenly perched up on chairs... who was this feathered creature?

he was just there, skinny bill and all, stomping around under the cedar trees, sharing our worms. hanging out.
while we flipped through page after page of illustrations trying to figure it out.

our answer turned out to be on the page filled with many other long beaked birds... he was an american woodcock... and a nice welcomed treat to enjoy along with breakfast together.

(after breakfast, when the bird buzz and window woodcock patrol eased up, we made our way to the attic — where we pretty much spent the entire weekend, tackling some big spring cleaning and organizing up there — and found this wee visitor set in amongst the tomato plants. he must have stumbled out of a box of vintage brick-a-brack.)

hope your weekend was full of happiness and unexpected surprises as well.

drawing and painting it

spring. real spring. warm sun, birds, blooms, buds and bugs. today was the real deal. we headed out to the backyard with a blanket and supplies, to see it. feel it. draw it. paint it. and enjoy it...

artist: margaret. medium: watercolor

artist: margaret. medium: ink and crayon

artist: mama. medium: watercolor

springing

the tulips peaking out... buds on the forsythia... the turning of the calendar... wooly hats and scarves being left behind in doors... little signs of a new season showing up here and there... feels like spring is very much on its way.

shadowy

we had sunshine and shadows for ground hog's day today (unlike last year). so, six more wintery weeks then? hmmm, we'll see about that...

(not sure if these guys were checking out their shadows or seashells...)

happy groundhog's day!

full

u-pick apples →

live each season as it passes;
breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit
and resign yourself to the influences of each.
—henry david thoreau

earth mother descending a staircase

this past weekend we observed the return of autumn and the return of our wool earth mother figure of course. this felt project of mine, from last fall, was brought back down from her storage box in the attic. with only a few minor touch ups with a felting needle needed, she has taken her place amongst some collected acorns, dried leaves, seed pods (and whatever else that gets gathered and added) to help set the mood for the season... reminding us of nature (and a bit of art history too) and what is happening outside - the life of flowers and leaves receeding, the earth starting to draw back into herself, calling to and embracing all that was created in the season before... so welcome wooly-earth-mama and welcome fall and all that you bring with you.

buzz words

• sweet...
• delicious
• natural
• color
• light
• texture
• pattern
• golden
• goodness
• design
• structure
• form
• function

it's all there and more, isn't it? my dad dropped off this surprise for margaret today - honeycomb designed by nature, still filled with sweet vermont honey. what a huge hit! visually inspiring and it tasted pretty good too.

spent a little time in the mountains...

now we're back down, much closer to sea level, with lots of great memories of another family summer road trip. we filled the prius up with our gear, cooler, maps, cds, journals, camera, fleeces and just a general assortment of sundries, and journeyed up to the adirondack mountains in the empire state... sing-a-longs, snacks and car bingo kept us smiling on the road... upon arival we inhaled our first few breaths of that crisp air and pitched our tent at site #161, under the stars (and right on the lake!)... the next few days and nights were filled with the usual outdoor fun — both the planned kind of fun that we like to seak out (like hiking up to mountain peaks) and the kind of fun that is more spontaneous (like creating shadow puppets on the tent wall)... all of it was savored and enjoyed. it was truly nice and felt just right to have a high altitude getaway out in the fresh air, in the woods, in a simple tent and simply be there for a while together...

in the moment

last week the three of us went out on a local nature walk... some quiet time together outside to talk, explore, and just be... at some point in our journey this little energy-filled creature zipped in front of our path, and fortunately, as speedy as this darner was, with some apparent need to be going and doing something, he paused and hovered long enough right there at eye level, that i was able to focus, which seemed to take forever (let's see... blurry... spin the lens... almost in focus... spin the lens... blurry again —ok, too far, spin back the other way... etc...) and click in time to get his picture — exactly as he was, in mid-air, center of my concentration, in the moment...

erythemis simplicicollis

finally a photo of the green eastern pondhawk. it is the closest that i could get before she took off...

the dragonfly project

a few summers ago we started to notice that several dragonflies were finding their way to our backyard and into our garden. fancy bugs in the garden = cue the camera, naturally. once i started trying to capture them in photos i just kept on going. now i am on the lookout for them this summer in our yard and out and about on nature adventures constantly. i decided to go ahead and try to start identifying them, yes really, using the book dragonflies through binoculars. (usually it is pretty easy to figure out but sometimes i'm not sure if i got it right or not...) so, now with the photos all labeled and grouped, i have put together an album for everyone's inner-naturalists' enjoyment: view photos here.

these flying critters were found in our yard, on nature walks and canoe trips and at a botanical garden and they are the ones who sat still long enough for the camera... i'm starting to see some repeat visitors in the backyard and there is still one chartreuse green colored guy who zips away every time i dash in to get my camera. him i am especially on the lookout for — so i consider this shared collection of photos a work in progress...

enjoy the bugs!

flotsam du jour

days like today are really my favorite type of summer day. quiet, sunny, no humidity, and brisght crisp light sparkling everywhere on the beach. we actually didn't get down there until afternoon. it was very quiet there for a friday p.m. in the summer... we walked for a bit, scanning every cluster of shells, seaweed and driftwood for treasures until it was time to return home for dinner and welcome the weekend. happy weekend to all.

w is for wednesday

w is for woods.
just got back last night. still sorting through the camping gear, laundry and photos of all that outdoor greenery. we spent a couple days and nights tenting — submerged in a very peaceful little pond eco-system in the woods. with so much non-stop natural activity (croaking bull-frogs, splashing fish, chirping chickadees, hooting owls, falling water, buzzing moths, etc...) going on all around at a natural pace it was quite easy for me too to fall into a more natural slower pace for a bit. everything seemed so alive and fresh. it was nice just hanging around in the mountains, doing our thing, going on little exploring trips by canoe and on foot, breathing it all in... and now here we are home, easing back into our regular routines... however we're still looking in the trees for eastern bluebirds, still talking about the bear tracks and still snacking on those marshsmallows... slowly, easing back.

w is for wednesday

w is for wings.
delicate wings with stripes. we discovered this cool creature hanging around our balloon flowers, luckily he was there long enough for me to run in and retrieve my camera (usually if i don't have it on hand they willl fly away before i can return for a picture). we're hoping that this is the beginning of many more summer dragonfly sightings in our garden...

w is for we all join hands together.
this morning after finishing our cereal we headed out for a little group get-together. the first of a few small, organized summer mornings we have planned at a friend's house. it was really, really nice and had us wondering how we could work a few more of these into our hazy, hot and humid stay-at-home days. was it the lemon-chamomile tea? the reminiscing about those long-ago newborn baby days? or the way our host planned the flow of the morning? i'm not sure but we are so looking forward to the next group-date. there was an easy rhythm of joining hands for circle time (with a little help from a eurythmy teacher the kids got totally immersed in their shared circle with movements, words and songs — very inspiring), some free play, circle-ing up together again for tea/snack and then some outside play. wonderful way to start a wednesday.

tribute.

oh, old blue tent. we still love you so. we really do. and we hope you understand that your sudden retirement is not because of that small hole we've tried to patch up in your back left corner, but only because well, two people and one growing child just require a little more space to sleep comfortably under a nylon dome. unfortunately be it from the redwood forest or to muddy phish concerts, this old tent was made for 2 not 3. you've done more than your share on all of our outdoor adventures - sheltering us from rain, cold, bugs and bears... so to this we say thanks. we'll think of you often as we venture out this season in our new, slightly larger tent... to show our true appreciation for your many years of service i've put together a little visual tribute to you blue tent. here's to you...

breezy

earth-toned results

just as an update, i thought i'd share the results of our egg coloring.

i labeled a few eggs in the photo and listed below what they were dyed with. this will be good for me too, to keep as a visual record. almost all of the eggs were dipped/soaked in room-temperatue dyes except for the two eggs which were boiled straight in with the red cabbage and vinegar. ok, here is the color key:

1. beets
2. red cabbage
3. tumeric
4. * over-soaked in coffee, then in beets
5. boiled with cabbage then soaked after for a few hours.
6. * brown egg soaked in tumeric

*i can't tell which is which actually...

w is for wednesday

w is for welcome spring
march 21st. out with winter. in with spring. today was the vernal equinox, marking the official beginning of a new season. observing the fresh green growth of the garden poking its way up through the old withered seed pods and twigs.

w is for winter wardrobe
wool sweater. worn out jeans. my most worn, warm and cozy ensemble this winter. the seasons may have changed today, but my mama uniform did not.

w is for walnut shell
amazing how many treasures can find their way into the cozy hollow of a walnut shell... nature's little containers.

w is for what next?
my on-going winter project is nearing completion. i've knitted all the pieces. next up is stitching it together into a wearable cardigan... so close... but first i should probably figure out which way the arms go on.

bit o green