More From Maine

Herons on the dock this morning, testing out the 10x magnification on my new phone. Not bad.

Osprey nest that guards the entrance to our driveway, with one of the parents on a nearby tree. They make so much fuss when you get close that they must have babies up there.

Today's big event was climbing Sargent Mountain (1378 feet) via the South Ridge Trail, 7 miles round trip, 1200 feet up. The great thing about these "mountains" is that they are bald on top, and hiking up there is like walking in the sky.

Lovely boulder.

Sunset from our dock.

Another Trip to New York

I was back up in New York City yesterday for a round of meetings. Here I am in Midtown, just stepped out of the train station.

My clients up there have a 51st floor office with amazing views.

Engineers are nerds.

In the Manhattan canyon.

Old Macy's facade.

Band on the subway. They were pretty good, although the acoustics were terrible. I got lost on my first attempt to find a train; I wonder if you can measure differences in New Yorkers' brains from all the navigating they have to do in tunnels.

Farewell to the city.

A Visit to the Walters

Sunday I took a friend who had never been there to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. There I am above with a bust of Othello by Pietro Calvi, 1873.

We started in the Asian collection, wandering at random, our eyes seeking out striking objects like this hair ornament and wine pot.

Then we wandered through the medieval section, where there was much stained glass.

Love this Palmesel, or Palm Sunday Donkey (1350-1400), made to pulled through the streets of some German town in a Palm Sunday procession.

And then to the Renaissance, where the best stuff was portraits. Paolo Veronese, Portrait of Countess Livia da Porto Thiene and her Daughter Deidamia, 1552

Lavinia Fontana, Portrait of Ginevra Aldrovandi Hercolani, c. 1595

Same in the Baroque section. Giuseppe Ghislandi, portrait of a nobleman, c. 1700. He looks like a television star.

Unknown artist, Portrait of the Marchioness Angela Maria Lombardi, c. 1710.

We were getting weary so we went down to the first floor to see an exhibit of jewelry by Afrofuturist Douriean Fletcher, who did a lot of work for the Black Panther films. Great exhibit, with some beautiful stuff and some stuff that was weird in interesting ways. Loved it.

And then home.

Somewhere in There

So I was visiting with one of my favorite clients this week, exploring a new tract that may be developed. After reviewing historic maps I identified two sites where there might be old house sites. The first one looked like this.

And me with no machete. But at least it was *possible* to explore this place.

Not so the second, which looked like this. That's trifoliate orange, and those thorns are sharp.

So, I have no idea if there are any house foundations here or not.

Home from Maine

One of the best things  we did on this trip was to walk around Little Long Pond, an area that used to be the Rockefellers' private estate but is now open to the public. We watched a whole family of loons diving together, although between the distance and the fog this was best picture I got.

View of the pond.

And of the lovely stream we followed for about a mile.

Amazing mushrooms in this rainy year.

Wednesday my son Ben and I kayaked over to a rocky islet called Folly Island. In a shallow spot along the landward side of the islet we saw lots of life, including a small eel, several small fish, and numerous hermit crabs.

Fascinating rocks on Folly Island, a shattered record of earth's cataclysmic past. With a bit of orange lichen.

Farewell view from Acadia Mountain.

Two Days in Maine

Late in the afternoon after we arrived, we hiked a little hill called Beech Mountain. It was very foggy.

I've been trying for years to take a photograph of the ferns and moss that grow in a steep, shady valley on the back side of the mountain. My sister's new iPhone does better than any other camera I ever tried.

And they today we hiked Sargeant Mountain, a bigger hill. Still foggy.

But lots of flowers and blueberries, as well as many charming mushrooms.

First Daffodils, and Others

First daffodils I have seen this year, at the old estate I mentioned last week.

Amazing meadow of snowdrops, like this across half an acre.

One-antlered buck.

Decorative concrete piece, probably a leg from a garden bench.