On a small Maine island...#4 ~ The Osprey

There have always been nesting ospreys on the island for as long as I can remember. We have watched them fishing and have seen them soar with their catch high above the boat. Once, we observed a dramatic aerial battle with a lazy bald eagle trying to steal a large fish from the osprey's clutch. The incredible scene lasted for quite some time. The two raptors circled and looped and performed dizzying dives until the more agile osprey finally eluded the larger clumsy would-be thief.

Even though the island is inhabited, we are always careful to leave no trace of our presence, but the ospreys know we are there and swoop and circle high above with their familiar squeaky "cheep cheep." After taking a few photographs, we climb aboard the boat and leave them in peace.

On a small Maine island...#3

It is so peaceful and I feel like time is standing still, but it's only the island playing a trick. I see the rugosa hugging the bank with fragrant blossoms ripening into rosy hips. It's already mid-summer.

On a small Maine island...#2

There is no one here as we walk the length of the island. Overhead we hear the chatter of birds and the "cheep cheep" of the osprey in its nest. There is no one here at all...until we unexpectedly spy two small guardians. A very rare capture with my camera, indeed.

On a small Maine island...#1

With a view of Mere Point from a small Maine island in Casco Bay.



The fog from the previous week has lifted and in its place is the kind of classic Maine day we dream about all winter long. Summer..."Maine, the way life should be" and the way it isn't after howling wind and thick ice and a house that is dark and cold after the power has been out for hours. But today is perfection. We pack a picnic and jump in the boat leaving thoughts of winter far behind in our wake.

Banned in School

The unicorn.

The phoenix.

Sorry to be so behind in reading and commenting on everyone's blog posts. I've missed it more than you can imagine, but it has been a busy (delightfully so!) week at the cottage with family and grandchildren.

When the children arrived, I noticed all three had a collection of the silly bandz that have been banned in schools across the country so I thought it would be fun to post a perspective from an insider's point of view.

I remember hula hoops and pet rocks, but in terms of popularity, the silly bandz craze has left those fads of yesteryear in the dust. The brightly colored bandz come in a variety of themes and forms and can be stretched to wear as bracelets. They instantly retain their original shape when you take them off. Here are a few details provided by my pint size entrepreneurs:

Twelve packs cost $3.00 and come in a myriad of colors as well as tie dye, glow-in-the-dark, sparkling and plain. Some of the shapes are quite rare and set off a frenzy of trading. For example, a unicorn or phoenix would demand at least five bandz in payment and one of the techniques of a good trade is to negotiate with a much younger child (I'm sure there must be some lessons in capitalism here!)

Beware of knock-offs such as "Crazy Bands" which have a slightly different color, are thicker and don't stretch as nicely.

I was curious why such a simple item had acquired the kind of notoriety that it has been banned in so many schools across the country. My small connaisseurs said the boys flick them in class warfare and unfair trading practices cause conflict in the classroom. While I was pursuing this line of questioning, a regional dispute broke out across the picnic table over a phoenix which required swift parental intervention and stiff sanctions against the offending parties. I closed my notebook, the interview was over!

July 4th

Departing for the July 4th boat parade.


A cottage full of family and lots of celebrating on July 4th! I'll be (slowly!) catching up with everyone soon. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Online in Maine ~ Random Memory #17 ~ Maine

Both Peter and our daughter, JCB, have an eye for all things tiny and intricate. It is as if their vision has a built-in zoom lens and I have been the fortunate recipient of countless miniature gifts. Sometimes their offerings are opalescent shells, frosted sea glass, smooth pebbles, doll sized bouquets of bluets and lily of the valley and many other treasures too numerous to count. The little presents rarely come with an explanation, there is no need.

Random Memory #17 ~ Maine

Wordlessly, a bit of pine lands on my laptop while I am online in Maine...

Raw Faith Returns

Our first glimpse of Raw Faith materializing through thick fog was an eerie and thrilling moment. She arrived on June 2nd and left after several days, but now she is back and appears to have settled in our bay. The early excitement of small crafts curiously circling around her has abated and after two weeks of inactivity, the two men on board have begun to paint the old weathered hull black. I think I liked her better when she looked like an old pirate ship! If you missed my earlier post about Raw Faith, you can read more here.

Aspects of Cottage Life ~ and a bowl of cherries!

"Dong!" Flies as big as bats slam into the screen. I know there is a dead mouse somewhere. The fog and humidity are so so thick that swollen drawers won't open. The sponge smells funny so I toss it in the microwave, but set the timer too long. I long for wide open windows and a brisk breeze blowing scents of pine and rugosa through the cottage. My grandmother used to say it is the best way to clean.

Grazing on Route 1 ~ Maine!

Simpson's Seafood in Wiscasset, Maine



Sears Vegetable Stand in Waldoboro, Maine. Wonderful produce, dairy, preserves, organic meat and pies...and you'll probably get to meet Janet Spears too! After a busy summer season, you can then join one of Janet's worldwide tours!

The strawberries are for JCB....without the slagroom!

Crow ~ Random Memory #16 ~ Iran

Random Memory #16 ~ Iran

We have flown from New York to Tehran's Mehr Abad Airport. It has been a long and difficult trip for the children who are completely unprepared for the scene about to greet them. They are so little, what could I tell them? There is complete chaos when we enter the arrival hall. Whole families are present to welcome returning relatives and they surge toward us as I try to grasp the children's hands and our various pieces of carry-on bags. Hundreds of black veiled women seize John so they can touch his white blond hair. He is smothered with kisses and his cheeks are burning from pinches that are none too gentle. No one gives my lovely blue eyed, dark haired daughter a second glance.

John screams, "Mommy, make them stop, make them stop, make them stop!"

Beeline ~ and other shenanigans

We recently had a solid twenty-four hours of rain which was wonderful for our thirsty garden and well. Absorbed in a cozy reading day, we were startled to suddenly see bright sunshine pouring through the cottage windows. It took just seconds to grab my camera and make a beeline outdoors to photograph a jubilant macro world.

Farewell to Buttercup Days

Brunswick, Maine



Scenes from Aldermere Farm, Rockport, Maine.

Even as the days grow longer, June is often a damp and foggy month. Rain or shine, our state lights up its roadsides and meadows with the welcome sight of masses of buttercups. The summer solstice is today and from now on we will begin to lose precious minutes of daylight while we say farewell to the buttercups' cheerful glow as they make way for daisies, black eyed susan and finally, the rippling sea of goldenrod.

I think this rendition of Build Me Up Buttercup is rather sweet!

Father's Day

I am blessed to have four wonderful men in my life; my father, my husband, a brother and a son...all fathers. They all possess the kind of humor that has smoothed over the ruts in the road of my long relationship with them. Some thoughts in no particular order...

One is quick to anger, but forgives instantly. Another has endless patience. Two have given their hearts to children they did not father, but in doing so, became fathers. They all work hard. They have all traveled and understand the world's complexity. None of of them feel threatened by intelligent and successful women. Two of them ran companies, one started his own business and two of them pursue careers doing the kind of things they were passionate about as children. Another found his life's work outside his career and will leave an incredible legacy to the family. One is genuinely a morning person and cheerfully greets the day in good humor...the others by necessity. Two are engineers, two are writers. All four have good organizational skills, although their styles are radically different. Two of them love expensive cars and two could care less as long as the car is safe and runs reliably. One has some fashion sense and all four look great. Two love to fish and two are just happy to be in a fast boat. Two live for literature and the other two are 'rtfm-ers' and read airport books. Two were college athletes and two found offbeat sports and were good at them. Three of them love dogs. Two are gifted at punning and the other two aren't bad. All four are good cooks. Only one actually enjoys working in the garden. Two have weathered a life threatening illness of a spouse and have remained steadfast and loving. All four have smiles that melt my heart.

You know who you are and I love you. Happy Father's Day.

Tea and Oranges ~ Random Memory #15 ~ Iran

Orange tree in Key West, Florida. Antique processing.

Random Memory #15 ~ Iran

It has taken weeks of appointments and interviews and, at last, JCB and John have finally started school. John has a place in an Iranian preschool called Mehr Madar (Mother Love) and JCB is attending Ashraf Pahlavi, named after the Shah's sister, Princess Ashraf. Hardly a role model for my daughter, but the school is highly regarded. JCB's day is divided with English in the morning and afternoon lessons in Farsi. I love her notebooks full of sums and the Persian alphabet. I still have those books with pages of the first practice sentence every Iranian child learns to write. "Baba ab dad," Daddy gave water. She is a good student and has settled in beautifully.

John is the only English speaker at Mehr Madar. My hope is that he will 'soak' up Farsi as the very young so often do with a second language. I know he will feel isolated in the beginning....still it is a better alternative to the tedious hours at the hotel. The teachers are very kind and the walled garden is delightful with its profusion of trees and roses. There are swings and see saws and Tehran's sunny dry climate is perfect for outdoor activity. John seems to accept this new and foreign environment, at least he never complains about going to school.

Many months later, when we have been in our house for some time, I think it is very odd that I have never heard John speak a word of Farsi. Goli and Amir are almost always present and the language is spoken constantly...I have even begun to dream in Farsi! Goli looks puzzled when I tell her about John's reluctance to converse when we are all together and how I wonder if he has learned any words at all. After hearing me out, Goli thinks my concerns are hilarious saying "It's because you are his mother! He comes downstairs every day asking for tea and oranges. He sounds like any Iranian child!"

Pixel Envy and Some Humble Camera phone Shots

When choosing equipment, it is very easy to get caught up in camera reviews and consequently swept away in the ever higher pixel arms race. I'm not saying those pixels don't help, they do! But I am also very attached to some of my early 2 pixel camera phone photos.

Boat shoes on a Maine rock. Mere point, Brunswick, Maine.


Shiner Bock


An abandoned house in Blue Hill, Maine that has since been renovated. While it is a good thing the old house has been refurbished, it has lost its photographic appeal.


A personal favorite taken after the Ellsworth, Maine Christmas parade. Part of a snowman costume worn by one of the Union Trust Company employees.


The Ellsworth, Maine Christmas parade. I love this shot, it looks like it could have been taken a 100 years ago!

Sometimes....at the cottage

Afternoon shadows, adirondack chairs and a book by the water's edge.

Smoke from the grill...a glass of wine on the boathouse steps.

Sometimes people ask what we do here....sometimes we do nothing at all.

Hashish ~ Random Memory #14 ~ Bahrain

Spring Green Lawn, taken May 21, 2009 in Brunswick, Maine.

Random Memory #14 ~ Bahrain

Uprooted from Iran after the revolution, we have, once again, spent months in hotel rooms. We are in Bahrain and have gone through the process of finding a house and making decisions on schools for the children. It's wonderful to be settled in our new home, our shipment has arrived and now, Abdullah the gardener is having a spirited discussion with Peter. It goes something like this:

Abdullah: I am going to plant hashish everywhere! All over the garden!

Peter: Flowers are fine, but please, no hashish!

Abdullah: Why no hashish? Everybody have hashish!

Peter: I don't want hashish, can you plant something else?

Abdullah: But everybody have hashish. The green.

Peter: You mean grass?

Abdullah (beaming): Yes, yes, the grass. The hashish!

So Abdullah planted the hashish and was our gardener for the four years we lived in Bahrain. It was never a beautiful garden by any stretch of the imagination, but Abdullah worked hard in the oppressive heat and humidity and he was always cheerful and reliable. He desperately wanted us to have tomatoes and perhaps, we harvested two or three shriveled and undersized specimens from the spindly plants. Oddly enough, the supporting sticks sprouted in the nutrient rich sand and flourished.

At home...

I don't usually mind days in Maine when the weather closes in and surrounds us with damp and fog. Retreating indoors forces me to open my eyes to the spaces I inhabit. Sometimes I think I really should reorganize my closet, pantry or the junk drawer(s). Is it really a sign of a lack of self esteem if you use wire hangers from the cleaners in your closet? Usually I just grab my camera and look for the light. It's never where I left it.

Green

We wait many months in Maine for our "ideal" summer to arrive...those sunny days on the water, picnics on weathered tables with a bouquet of wild flowers in an old glass jar and damp towels hanging on porch railings. In the meantime, we have something in between...the emerald green of June. The color is so rich and saturated, it's as if it is not of this world. Now, the early signs of spring are long gone and steady rain and mist soak the earth. If you could hear green, I think the sound would be a low rumble of pleasure.