It's snowing! We have the yule log on tv (what will cable think of next?) and we're warm and happy. The cats had turkey and we're planning lobster bisque. Merry Christmas from our house to yours.

Winter #2

I've finally figured out what's up with the blog- I can't post using my iPad. Simple. I've tried a couple of times but keep getting an error code.
Hi.
We've been inching into winter here and today there is a trace of the snow we got yesterday that's being washed away by drizzle. Temp outside is warmer than yesterday but upstairs at Four Rivers it's pretty chilly. Downstairs is warm and cozy though. The tree is up and we're getting ready for the outdoor extravaganza of lights. Annelle has been out all morning getting the extra lights. I'll post a picture when it's finished. Our neighborhood is doing a contest and hopefully we can provide a good showing.
Work has taken a huge leap for me in intensity. We're very busy and I've been involved in getting a new service started in the OR so that's been exciting. I still love my job, it's just not as footloose as it was for me last year. Glad I was able to get my bearings for the first year!
Four Rivers has a brand new roof! We are happy we were able to have it installed before winter set in. It is quite nice looking, as roofs go. Our neighbor across the street has commented on how crisp it makes our house look. Funny how I'd never noticed roofs in the past.

A Wonderful Year

Just spent time rereading the blog from the beginning, remembering highlights from our journey, our first year in Maine. So many delights. A fun way to mark the anniversary. And the cycle of seasons is happening just a little differently this year, which is fun to discover. I think those winter clothes are coming out of the attic soon.
Annelle is on her way home (early) from work so we can do some shopping. Yup, our first anniversary in the house has us replacing the roof! We knew it was in the cards for the future, just didn't think the future would be so soon. Little leak in the bathroom = problems all over the roof. Incorrect installation of the previous roof is what hastened the replacement time. Oh, well, we've said from the beginning we love Four Rivers and will take good care of it.

Fall

It's so close! The marsh is turning before the trees and is full of goldenrod. Our resident juvenile Red Tailed Hawk is ever-present, as are the Ravens who are on constant alert! This morning there is a cool, slightly damp breeze that feels just right.
Have had a few more visits with far-away friends. Blair and Lisa were in Maine for a vacation and we had a great evening with them. Then Jean and Rick drove up from Wells and we had another wonderful evening. We have one more visit scheduled for the beginning of Oct when Lori comes for a long weekend.
We also have time off early in October and are planning some small home projects. Some painting, some deck renewal. We will have been in the house 1 year on Sept 24th!

Vacation

We have just had a fantastic week of vacation. Four Rivers hosted 5 Athens/Atlanta friends for the week. Much fun was had seeing Atlantic Puffins, Wyeths, flora at the Botanical Garden, biking and kayaking Peaks Island as well as eating seafood and enjoying local brews. Not to mention leisurely coffee on the deck each morning. And a hike. And more seafood. It was such a treat for us to be able to share our little piece of Maine with good friends. And Four Rivers gracefully held us all comfortably. Some sniffling happened at the airport, but we'll just look forward to next time.
Today is amazingly cool and dry after warm and muggy while visitors were here. Grass is finally cut and all is well. Windows open, no dehumidifier!

Summer

Great summer. We've had some hot and humid days but have survived without AC. Fans are a must, especially at night. Breezes are fantastic here on the coast. Cool and musical- one of my favorite things about living here is the almost constant sound of the wind in the leaves. So peaceful.

Getting ready for a week of Georgia friends at Four Rivers. Lots of fun planned showing off the area, eating seafood, and enjoying the 5 wonderful friends who all fly in on the same plane (!) next Saturday.  Can't wait. 

Dragonflies!

Looks like those little nymphs we delivered to the marsh are now all grown up! There are lots and lots of dragonflies, some flying, some landing on the deck to say hi. Mosquitos around but we haven't felt attacked yet. The flies, however... We had the cracked window replaced yesterday and when Annelle got home (I had gone to happy hour after work, whew)the house was full of ugly flies. Black, yellow, blue-eyed, whatever kind, they were icky. I got home in time to see the carcasses on their way to the trash. Project day today was (these projects are supposed to be saved for winter)the downstairs half-bath. It's now a lovely pale blue instead of cat-food mauvey-brown. It looks fabulous. Lighter and more airy. Now we have to find a strip of tiles to replace the weirdo tiles above the sink. Leaving in a few for Bratfest at the Wise residence. A yearly summer celebration of the cased meat, which we, of course, will be passing up, substituting the amazing Tofu Pup. Looking forward to our first time attending and enjoying a summer evening with friends.

A good day

Jury duty finished for the next 5 years! Luckily I was not chosen (for a change.) We were let out during a torrential rainstorm but we all ran the few blocks to the parking deck to freedom. Waiting around most of the day was painful, but at least they let us have reading material, iPads, etc. Drove home the long way through Cape Elizabeth to see all the beautiful marsh areas. Everything is so green now. Egrets are everywhere. The Red Winged Blackbirds look like Stealth bombers coming in to the feeder. The cats and I are enjoying the show.

Hot and humid

Today is one of those few really hot (high 80s) days. The talk is all about AC! We had a fan in the window last night and slept ok, so we hope that will continue! The upstairs is significantly warmer than downstairs, which is 73 at the moment with all windows closed. We open in the evenings when it cools down. Livable for the southerners so far. We do have dehumidifiers in our future, however. And maybe a few more fans. No new bird activity. Egrets around, as well as Great Crested Flycatchers. Poor little Bluebird sitting on the Bluebird house was chased away by the Tree Swallow who has nested there. No takers for the mealworms yet. Happy Summer Solstice.

Sunday afternoon

A beautiful, sunny, warm and breezy day today. Instead of mowing grass I'm out on the deck enjoying the sounds of birds and wind in the trees. Jack is all muddy from snake wrangling in the marsh. Poor black snake I rescued and sent out on his way. Saw a juvenile Bluebird in the tree today. We were wondering why the male Bluebird has been hovering around so much. Today is the Old Port festival downtown and I feel I should go, knowing it will be fun. But I worked all day yesterday and I really just want to enjoy the peace. It's one of those pinch-me kind of days that I still can't believe are real. There are still so many times I think to myself how crazy/amazing a thing it was to pack up our lives and settle in somewhere new. Not a complaint or a wish-we-hadn't, just an awareness. Some days driving through the city and over the water I feel like a stranger in a strange land. I keep going back to the idea of history in a place. Friends. Places, the dentist, etc, etc. And then I turn around and feel this is where we belong. It has been an interesting consciousnes.

Lots of rain this weekend has us with flood warnings on the coast. The riffles actually have a current! Water is quickly making its way back to the ocean, less than a mile from here (as the crow/egret flies.)
We got back from the grocery store to 8 (Great and Snowy) Egrets out back. Three of them you can see above. They've been coming and going all afternoon. Spotted what we think was a Willet also, but it was too far away and the rain is coming down in sheets that are blowing across the marsh. One of those amazing days.
The other day the Goldfinches ate 1/2 the food in the feeder in one afternoon!! There were tons of them. Lots of Tree Swallows taking care of the bugs too. No new sightings of the Baltimore Oriole, but I think we need to get some mealworms to entice it now.
Though summer is close, I'm in a long-sleeved tee and fleece today with the damp rain. We have chowder in the crock pot for tonight. Corn muffins will bake later. Yum.

Maine?

Wait, where do we live? Humidity in the house is 76% and temp is supposed to get to 80 today. And it's 0830. Guess we'll figure out where fans and dehumidifiers will live this summer. The other surprise this morning: the male Baltimore Oriole was checking out our new Oriole feeder!! Oranges and grapes with grape jelly to come. He stood on its roof and looked only, but that's a good start. Speaking of birds: we watched "The Big Year" last night. Cute and funny, lightweight entertainment. Was curious to see how Steve Martin, Owen Wilson and Jack Black would do. Happy Memorial Day weekend to you.

NYC

Photo from the ferry to Ellis Island of the new World Trade center building. The crane on top made it, again, the tallest building in NYC. Pretty beautiful.

Lazy afternoon

Baltimore Orioles and hummingbirds are here. A Tree Swallow is making many trips to the birdhouse with pieces of marsh grass. We've seen the deer, a raccoon, our groundhog and a flock of what we now can tell are Glossy, as well as White Faced, Ibis. Very cool. Warm sun and cool breezes. No bugs yet! Spring cleaning and packing up the winter clothes this weekend too. Keeping a few things out for cool evenings.

The ecosystem in early May

We have the various grasses coming up in the marsh as of today. You can see the trees are yet to leaf out here on Cinco de Mayo. And you can see one of the female turkeys who like to eat the birdseed that has fallen! I couldn't believe seeing her just plop down to take a rest. Then I must have spooked her- she took off at quite the pace.
We have had a lot of rain in these last two weeks. In fact, one day there was threat of flooding so Annelle came home at high tide to make sure the house was ok. Again, we had lots of water running off into the marsh from our side yard, but nothing got close enough for concern. We can get tides to around 11ft without getting water in the yard. Higher than that can creep into the yard. The tide is rising out the window at the moment, has overrun the banks of the riffles and is expected to get higher in the next hour. Tonight the moon is full and we hope to get a nice photo of the high tide near midnight.

Saturday AM sightings

Yeah, it's a little small, but it is just off the road near the new Veteran's bridge, across from Mercy Fore River. Osprey nest with inhabitants. This was what we set out this morning to see more closely. It was 32 degrees and super windy. Since we were at the hospital anyway, we decided to walk around the retention pool as a Black Crowned Night Heron had been spotted there last month. I didn't think we'd see much, but around back Annelle saw him in some reeds. Unfortunately he spooked and flew. We walked around the pool and managed to find him again. Again spooked, flying. Then we spotted the female in the trees!! So it looks like there are a pair, perhaps nesting there. Very skittish, even though we were pretty far away.
Saw, I think, a Merlin flying. Then back at the Pine Point Marsh area Annelle saw a fox. We didn't stay out too long because of the wind, but it was a fine start to the day.
Oh, yeah, it started with the female turkey in the marsh. I'm wondering if they are nesting back there too.

Marsh clean-up

Spent this morning with the Friends of the Scarborough Marsh, cleaning the marsh alongside the Rte 1 and Pine Point roads. What was supposed to be a drizzly day turned out to be cool and clear. Just perfect, in fact. Home now relaxing on the deck as the tide comes into the marsh. No new bird activity to report, other than the Osprey nest. Just across from the hospital at the edge of the Fore River (very near where the new bridge ig being built) is a nest not 8ft above water level. I need to get my act together and photograph the family living there. Probably the closest ill ever get to Osprey. When I take the shuttle to the State Street campus they are out the right-side window! Spring has greened our yard and is working on greening the marsh. Little buds on trees. Did a short road ride the other day on my bicycle that felt great. We are planning to do some group rides, much as we did in GA. I think the Trek Across Maine we'll skip though. Something shorter than 70 mile days is more to my liking these days!

Exciting bird day

First, though, here's George the groundhog just outside our back window. We think he lives under our deck at least part of the time. He's pretty cute. He's a lot smaller this Spring than he was last Fall!
This morning Annelle and I got up early and went out birding at high tide. Saw a lone Glossy Ibis, a bird we've never seen in Maine. Apparently they come here to mate then move elsewhere. Later in the day we took a bike ride on the ET and saw 5 more! Also saw a pair of Red Breasted Mergansers. So beautifully marked. After the bike ride we looked out our back door and saw a Bald Eagle and an Osprey flying back and forth. We weren't sure what they were doing and I wasn't even sure it wasn't an immature Bald Eagle with an adult, but when the Osprey dropped it's prey and the Eagle grabbed it I got a better look.
Beautiful weekend here. Spring is definitely close, though we will have some cool weather again next week. Trees are budding. We have tulips coming up in our front yard!

This morning

Tom and Tina Turkey cruising the marsh. Both with beautiful blues, greens and reds showing. Possibly an American Widgeon as well. Still cool and windy here, possibly flurries in the am! After a quick weekend in GA we've gotten spoiled. This feels cold in a way the rest of the winter didn't. I think we are ready for spring.
Last evening had dinner with the Suppah Six (see the blog). Honeysuckles ala Jane, Pan fried haddock sandwiches, roasted potatoes (ala Lydia), broccoli slaw (ala Elizabeth), brownies (moi) and ice cream. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Along with the company and laughter it was a splendid Friday night.
Grilling fish and veggies for Easter. Happy day to you all.

Happy weather

Spring started Tuesday and on Wednesday and Thursday we had a sudden summer! I was off Thursday so went into the attic and got the screens for the casement windows and opened every window and door. It was glorious. Sat outside and read. Enjoyed soaking up sweet sun and warmth.
Today it's back in the 50s, but still beautiful. Goldfinches at feeders. Cats to the vet this morning then maybe an Eastern Trail ride. Dinner with the YMs (young McNeelys)tonight when Annelle gets back from her conference in Boston. All is well on the northern front today.

Spring

Sitting outside on the deck in the fab new set of table and chairs. Lots of bird activity. Lots of sun and warmth. Yeah, it'll change, but it's definitely good while a it lasts. Honeysuckle in hand (um hmm), cats by my side. Sunday, 5:30pm!!! This is what it's all about.

Spring

60 degrees, just got home from work and immediately unfolded a chair out on the deck. Simone and I are basking. Jack is exploring. It's a glorious day!
Our neighbors gave us a bluebird nesting box this past weekend, which a lone bluebird watched us hammer into the still somewhat frozen ground. Fingers crossed. We saw several Bufflehead pairs at the Audobon center while waiting for the Snowy Owl. No show. We figure it's way too warm for him now and he's on his way far, far north. It looks like we may have a pair of nesting Canada Geese at the back of the marsh. Helen says sometimes the Red Tails also nest across the marsh. We are looking forward to what the Spring will reveal.
Had our first lobster meal here at Four Rivers- bought already cooked and cleaned at the fish pound and it was the best I've had in a while. I think I'll get the grocery store to cook it next time and I'll do the harvesting of the meat. Much cheaper that way.
Portland is a few degrees warmer than Athens today!

Our little mink

This is a cropped photo of the little guy way out in the marsh. It was running and jumping around the riffles, trying to find a place to get into the water. Pretty cute.
Rain today is starting to melt the snow from the other day. Icky, cold day. Thinking about making a delicious Sicilian Fish Stew for tonight with fresh scallops and shrimp. We went out last night so Matt could have a hamburger! Kind of difficult for a meat-eater in our house so we thought we'd give him a break. I think he enjoyed every bite. Luckily he isn't a picky eater and does like fish, so it hasn't been too too bad for him. Maybe a burger every couple of weeks will do!

Weather

The marsh is almost clear of snow this morning. It feels damp and wicked cold. Roger the weatherman says snow tonight. Plowable amounts expected. Our last big one was 8inches in Scarborough, much more inland. We haven't used our snowshoes anywhere but the yard yet, so maybe this weekend we can at least make it out to the ET. After we rake the roof, that is.

The fish market down the road from work is one of my new favorite stops. Last week I made delicious salmon and today I have some beautiful shiny haddock (for way less than the grocery store price) for chowder. Yum. I need to get over mussel fear- I've never cooked them. Can't be too hard, huh? Scallops also look good.

Things are a little crazy at work. Our OR manager is leaving to go back to Hawaii (go figure. Ha ha) so the uncertainty factor is moving in. Anybody need an OR manager job in beautiful Maine?? No, I'm not applying.

Melting

The snow is melting in the marsh and the yard. This morning we saw lots of beautiful mallards, as well as some starlings feeding. It's acting like spring up here, though we know the other shoe has to fall. Snow showers are predicted later next week.
We may take a short trip to Biddeford where the snowy owl has recently been spotted, but I now have the miserable cold Annelle and Matt have had all week. I see why Annelle was so pitiful last week.
Hoping to plan a jaunt down south soon but am waiting for the finalized schedule. Will let you know.

Winter

The marsh on an exceptionally cold morning after and exceptionally high tide. I love the way it ices over before makes its way out again. It looks like we live on the moon, or in the frozen tundra. Beautiful.
Matt is here with us. He and Annelle got here last Thursday and he's getting somewhat settled, as are we. Cooking for the week on my day off, I welcome veggie/fish recipes anyone wants to send. My range has narrowed and I'd like to add some new dishes. It's a great way to make sure to have lunch leftovers too, cooking at home.
If you haven't listened to her, Adele ROCKS. Unfortunately overplayed on pop radio, but a voice that is amazing. Am loving "Rolling in the Deep" (which she did on the Grammy's.)
Hear it's winter now in GA too. Finally.

Scarborough

Apparently, our neighborhood was settled by the English in the 1600s. In 1690 the Indians burned the town and all the villagers fled. Pretty interesting, huh?
So today is my birthday and I actually have the day off, just by coincidence. I've done some cooking, shopping (nothing fun), and I got a slight haircut. Have decided to let it grow, though I don't know what I plan to do with it. It seems like another marker to indicate change right now though.
We drove to Boston yesterday to go to Ikea, and, missing one sliver of a turn, ended up circling The Commons! While not what we had planned, it turned out to be less of a nightmare than we expected. Even during the 3 months I lived there I never drove downtown! We got to Ikea and got a chest of drawers for the guest room, a coffee table, and a rug for the dining room for less than what it cost today to have our heating tank filled! And we do need a place for Matt to put his clothes while he stays here with us (which we still don't have dates on.)
I think I'll enjoy what snow is out on the marsh still. From the comfort of the chair in front of the window, while knitting a baby blanket. And drinking tea. Aah.

Snowy Saturday morning

Sitting in the living room enjoying the snow coming down. Third day this week! We had 4 inches last snow, but this is supposed to be just a sprinkling. Doesn't look like a sprinkling! We don't usually get to sit and watch, so this is delightful. You can see the tide is on the higher side today, though not as high as it can get.
I'm loving having a vehicle with 4wd.  The car was a little more than I needed in Athens, but it's absolutely perfect here. Our neighborhood (especially our road) doesn't get totally cleared, so there is ice and snow build up.  The Crosstour hasn't slid an inch! I am being careful, and I can actually feel when the wheels act independently. Pretty cool. The main roads are usually much better, unless it's 6am and the snow has just started. It's a good thing we know the roads somewhat! They kind of disappear under new snow.
Keeping warm and happy here.

We love our (not-so) little house

The kitchen (during our little house-warming). Top photo: Background is the actual kitchen and foreground is the "eat-in" part. Notice the fireplace. Odd placement, huh? We just had the chimney guy inspect it and it's good to go, so we will probably be cranking it up soon. The doorway on the left goes to the laundry/mud room off the garage.
Bottom photo: We love the long countertop. Don't know why they didn't leave an overhang for the barstools, but maybe we can do that. It's laminate so won't be expensive to just change that. Though it's a bit on the small side, it's more counter space than we had in Athens by far and we're enjoying eating in almost every night. The crockpot has gotten lots of use with our chowder experiments, each one delicious so far.

The white stuff

There must be at least 8in of snow on the deck, maybe more. It's been coming down all day without let-up and the plows have been plowing and replowing, but still the roads are white. Had to dig my car out in the parking lot at work with drifts coming up above my boots. Think I'll rethink the work essentials on snow days: better gloves, snow pants. The coat was perfect. When I got home I shoveled 2ft wide (on the 25ft long deck) beside the house. The snow is powdery but it's still very heavy. And now the rain/sleet is starting. But it's 4:30 pm and there is light outside! Amazing how a few minutes lengthening of each day makes such a difference.
Oddly, schools and such closed today. I don't know if it was because of ice predicted for the afternoon, but I didn't expect it.
Had a delightful week end in NC with the Beall clan. Had me some grits too! I may have to make a pot of them to take to work as everyone thinks they must be disgusting, even though they haven't tried them.