Summer is the season of liquid light—forms and edges seem to melt away. Our forest becomes a chapel dedicated to a goddess of color. Click in this image for a larger view.
Monthly Archives: June 2014
Height of the Land
Height of the Land in Rangeley is a magical place. Overlooking Mooselookmeguntic Lake, this spot makes you feel like you are standing at the top of the world. Click on the image for a larger view.
Mooselookmeguntic Lake is the forth largest lake in Maine, covering an area of 25.5 square miles or 66 square kilometers at an elevation of 1,467ft or 477m. It is part of the Androscoggin watershed. The name come from the Abenaki meaning “moose feeding place.” That evening, as we were leaving, we spotted a female with her calf.
Mountain Sky
Our Sunday trip to western Maine ended in Rangeley. Mountain skies always seem special. Their ephemeral forms fascinate me. Clouds create an illusion of substance, but, within the space of a few minutes, can dissipate into the air that bore them. Click on the image for a larger view.
The Source of the Androscoggin
Not far from Grafton Notch State Park, Umbagog Lake straddles the border of Maine and New Hampshire. This lake is the source of the Androscoggin River, which flows through New Hampshire and into Maine, eventually joining the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay before emptying into the Gulf of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean. The name of the river is thought to come from either the Eastern Abenaki or Penobscot tribe.
Textile and paper mills nearly killed the river, but it has slowly been recovering since the enactment of the Clean Water Act, which the Androscoggin inspired. While great strides have been made to improve the condition of the Androscoggin (it was once known as the “Andro-stinkin” and just swimming in the river would make you sick), industrial pollution down stream is still a serious problem. Click on the image for a larger view.
Bear River
Bear River flows though Grafton Notch State Park. Click on the image for a larger view.
Screw Auger Falls
Yesterday, Naomi and I took a trip out to Grafton Notch State Park in western Maine near the New Hampshire border. The park is home to Old Speck mountain. The Bear River descends into a valley on the eastern side of the notch. Screw Auger Falls is one of a series of waterfalls along the course of the river. Click on the image for a larger view.
Lupine
Lupine, Lupinus, is a symbol of summer in Maine. The common blue variety can be seen along the roadsides throughout the state. It is an elegant plant—the tip extends upwards as the blossoms unfurl. The flowering head takes a wonderful color gradient as the blossoms darken with time. Click on the images for a larger view.
Maple Seeds
One of the great joys of summer is maple seeds, those wonderful natural helicopters that children love to play with. This seed is from a silver maple, Acer saccharinum L., and is about 2.4 inches (6 cm) long. What can a tree know of aerodynamics? Click on the image for a larger view.
Blackberry Blossoms
Our blackberry canes are in blossom. The white flowers can be quite striking against the monochromatic foliage of summer. These are probably our most productive plants and give us almost a year supply of fruit, from the fresh berries at the end of the summer to the pies and smoothies we make from frozen berries throughout the rest of the year. Click on the image for a larger view.
Wild Strawberries
The first fruit we can harvest every year is wild strawberry. Not a very larger fruit, about the size of the tip of your little finger. This plant is found throughout our garden, woods, and meadow. It is also a favorite of the chipmunks. Our Newfoundland dog Kai also loved these berries and would sit out with us as we gathered them. We only get a few handful of strawberries each year—they are time consuming to harvest in any quantities, but they are fun to snack on when we are in the garden. Click on the image for a larger view.
