Projects

Summer always means lots of outdoor projects (It's interesting how one thing often leads to another). Here's a sampling of what we've been doing--some completed, some still in progress.

First, I sanded and re-painted the wrought iron table. It was pretty rusty, but it had also been about 20 years since the last paint job. Not bad. And I'm pleased with the result. The chairs will probably need to wait 'till next year.


Next, I re-sealed the deck. Actually, it had to be done in sections. First, I did the small porch and the stairs (you can see them in the background). Then, the screened porch. I've done about half of the remaining deck, but rain has meant the rest will have to wait for a while.


Somewhere along the way, we decided to plant climbing roses in the space between the garage windows at the front of the house. Of course, that meant installing a trellis. But, before I could do that, I had to stain the garage. You'll see that the top half of the garage still needs to be stained. Remember that rain?


Sue is always dividing plants in her gardens. This time, it's iris in the bags that will be going to neighbors, friends, and the Sharon Meeting House.


I've also cut three trees. Now it needs to be split and stacked. Also need to burn the brush (that's one time rain is welcome!).


In the meantime, Sue's daylilies and hosta are lookin' good! Summer is great, isn't it?

New England Forest Rally

Okay, imagine a bunch of (barely) street-legal cars (mostly all-wheel-drive Subarus) doing timed races on gravel logging roads. Now imagine that these cars reach speeds well in excess of 100 mph! As Brian said so eloquently, "WHOA!"

I heard a story on NH Public Radio about the race and thought it sounded pretty amazing. So, I visited the web site just to look around. That's when I discovered that one of the spectator viewing areas was only about 10 miles from the cabin. Why not?

This was very much a last-minute affair so, on a whim, I stopped to see if our neighbor, Don Corkran (Windswept) wanted to go with me. Don's a trooper. He said, "Sure." So, off we went.

What we didn't anticipate was the choking dust and the ROCKS that the cars throw up as they hurtle down the road! Don, at least, was prepared with a creative solution to the problem.

Here's a video clip of one of the lead cars going past. Don and I were sitting on the top of a rocky outcropping, maybe 10 feet high, but very close to the road. We estimate that the cars were going at least 60 mph as they made their way around the sweeping turn right at our feet. Amazing!



Here's another clip, this time of a local favorite from Maine. It's not one of the faster cars, but it's fun to hear all the cheers. Also note that the car is a grey VW Golf. Maybe it's Davey's old car, "Bob!"

Hummingbirds

Watching these little aerial daredevils come to our feeder is one of the great pleasures of being at the cabin.

Sunset/Moonset

Very nice sunsets again this weekend. But, once the sun set, we were able to see that the new moon was also sitting low on the horizon. A sunset followed by a moonset was an added treat!

Babies

We've had fun watching the sparrows at the cabin catch insects to take back to their nest. Mom and Dad are quite cautious--they will sit on the rocks or the ground for a l-o-n-g time before they eventually decide it's safe. The nest is on the ground, under the blueberry bushes and ground cover near the cliff. Are there two babies? Or three?

(No, the visit to take this picture didn't cause the parents to abandon the nest.)

Fishing at Sunset

I left work at noon on Friday and got to the cabin about 4:30 -- plenty of time to launch the boat for the summer, shuttle the truck/trailer, eat a quick dinner, and head out for a sunset fishing trip.

Couldn't have been better: a cigar; a little brandy; the lake was calm; and a beautiful sunset. Oh yes, I also caught two nice fish, a 13-14 inch trout and a slightly bigger salmon (both stayed in the lake to breed future generations).

What are you looking for Max?

Blue birds Daddy.