Wildlife

Recently we have had quite a bit of nocturnal activity. The folks in the bunkhouse were serenaded at close range the other night by a barred owl (who cooks for yoooou), and we have heard coyote yips and howls. Andrea Hansen has seen a healthy pair of coyotes between her house and the water, as well as on the road. Andrea also reports fox whelps being raised in her yard. The turkey fleet has diminished to a single bird. Red squirrels are not plentiful anymore (whoops...might be another reason for that). We have seen very few deer this summer, despite the mild winter. Perhaps the coyotes have been at work on the herd.

Chaika

Chaika spent the week sharing the mooring with Autumn, but she was very active, as indicated in an earlier post. Today, she headed downriver, loaded with her family, who cruised Casco Bay and brought her to her home off Maquoit Drive in Freeport. There she will be available to the Carlisle clan, as well as to Em and Gregg, who will be responsible for her winter well-being. Seems like a very good deal for everyone.
Her new 150 HP E-Tec engine is very quiet!

KinderWhatever

Sometimes, with many weasels in a small space, it is not so easy to carry on life as usual. Perhaps this is a good thing. In any case, we have gone back to school here at the Crotch, and our former dining room table is just fine for crafts and games.
This weekend, while Bart and Andrea are in Camden, hootin' and hollerin', we have split up the grandkids with Em and thus are being conquered more slowly.
We love it.

Fort Popham

Sam digs while Jonas thinks deep thoughts

Our Carlisle family is spending two weeks with us in Maine. Yesterday we drove two cars down to Popham, and the kids played in the water and on the beach. Lunch at a picnic table; Papa under a beach umbrella; exploration of rocks.
The weather has been excellent. Bart and his family have made good use of Chaika, including trips to Five Islands, Boothbay Harbor, and a circumnavigation on Arrowsic Island. Today they boat up to the library in Bath for some cerebration.

Off to the Cape

Looking out from the Pilgrim Monument

On Sunday we drove to visit the Quattlebaums in Eastham on Cape Cod. The occasion was our joint 46th anniversary, which we celebrated on Monday with a superb dinner at The Mews in Provincetown. We had a most pleasant visit and learned that if you drive at the right time, there is no problem driving to the Cape. It took just under four hours. Of course, on Massachusetts roads, anything can happen. Today we came back to Maine and a full house. Kim was home with Jonas and Maggie, and shortly Chaika pulled in with the rest of the Carlisle gang. Bye bye adult time!

The Old Goat

Finally a fine, sunny day, and we took Autumn uprivah for the first time all summer. Anita, Molly, and the two McGrath utes came along up to Richmond. We lunched at The Old Goat, a great favorite of ours, and found that Scott serves great pizza as well as the traditional paninis. We also found the Goat occupied by a young man, alone at a table, making merry and trying to pick up chicks.

Turnover

When an Arrowsician proposed a town propane co-op, we jumped on board. Our former supplier had consistently charged us at least 10% above the state average and, when queried, said, "Well, we're a full-service company!" Yuh. So we now pay 38% less than before and have a gleaming new tank.
Too bad for the pachysandra, but they will recover. After all, each winter they have tons of snow piled on them.

Living on the river

Here at Fiddler's Crotch, we see some wonderful sights on the Kennebec. Destroyers, built just upriver at the Bath Iron Works, seem to fill the river as they return from sea trials. And every once in a while, we get a real treat, like today's sighting of the Pride of Baltimore, heading down to the sea.

Creativity

Papa and Grandma are grateful to have grandchildren with active and whimsical minds, whose parents have encouraged their creativity as well as limited the passive activities that consume many kiddies today.  The inventiveness and originality that bubbles out of these six children is a very great delight.
An example to the left: Jonas at work with MSPaint on Papa's computer -- another part of his Space Odyssey, I believe.
Jonas loves to climb on rocks and is very fond of "karens." When I asked him to design and create a cairn on a stump by our newly-planted viburnum bush, he produced (in about 90 seconds) this:

Son of FCJ

We have had many thrilling, even hair-raising adventures in Maine, as typified in the image to the right. We have decided to chronicle these, in brief form, in another blog. Any comments and suggestions are welcome, as are new destinations to which we might direct our high-energy attention.
The blog is just begun, and available to discerning viewers at http://maineonenighters.blogspot.com/.
More to come, perhaps.

A couple of Utes

While their parents boogied the night away in Portland, Jonas and Owen came to visit. We went to Bath in the Boston Whaler and made full use of the beautiful new city park, and then -- guess what! Brackett's Market just happened to have the very same ice pops as those Warriner brought to Molly's beach party!

Beforehand, there were some vicious high jinks around the capacious Olympic swimming pool.

Heat and light

It has been a hot summer, but oppressive only on a few days. One of those was yesterday. However, we dealt the heat a blow by boating to Boothbay Harbor with Emily. Once again the fish sandwich at Andrew's Harborside was a winner. After dinner the sky turned yellow. This phenomenon is fairly rare, but it is spectacular.
This is one of the busiest summers we can remember, with people coming and going and lots to do, always. We had Betsy Henderson, her husband David Wofford, and children Cole and Ian here for Wednesday night, but missed connecting with the VanHooks, who had travel delays. All Hendersons are meeting at the Pressmans' in Sargentville. Quite the zoo, I imagine!