Spring!

I know winter ended and spring started back on March 20. Last night we had about a half an inch of snow. That melted off by noon, and the temps went up to 55. I put my xc skis on,(yes we still have that much snow,up to 2 feet in the woods), and went out across the field. That degraded into a shuffle, then slog, and finally I took them off walked across the grass and came back up the road.

Later, I went out and saw a butterfly. What?! Wait! What are you? I chased it down and snapped a picture of it. Camera phones suck, but as a record shot, it works. A Milbert's Tortoiseshell (Aglais milberti), and that is the first of spring butterfly for me.

And the birds are heading back too. A Kestrel made a flyby, and the woodcocks were busy peenting this morning. Saturday night, I go out for owl monitoring. The weather looks bad, but at least I can start a post with "It was a dark and stormy night..."

Ponderings

It's been a busy month, and a busy winter. I recently took on another job, which I really don't need, but it seemed like it would be interesting. It is. I am the Natural Science Program Coordinator for a local museum. You could call it a cat wrangler.
I'm going to expand my blog to include other areas instead of just doing photography, so take off your coat and stay a while.
Tonight I was looking around as I am want to do and found an interesting piece of jewelry over at Maxilla & Mandible, a store in New York. I had been there once and if you are ever in NYC, you should stop in a see it. Anyway, they have beetle bracelets and pendants. Pretty much, beetles in acrylic. In summer around here I usually have enough bugs and other forest detritus that having beetles in plastic just might look real weird. I'm not real sure what I think about it.
This summer is shaping up to be a busy one. Along with the nature programs , I will be doing a butterfly survey and participating in Mountain Birdwatch. And trying to keep hiking, (Baxter State Park, here I come!) And taking more photos.

Candle

Look closely at things. See the beauty.

Tea

While doing the dishes tonight, I put my glass of tea on the windowsill over the sink. Sunlight streaming in through the glass glowed . Tea with a touch of honey in a Mason jar.

This don't feel like Spring.

While standing in line at the Gifford's Ice Cream Stand in Farmington, the guy in front of me, an older gent, was waiting for his banana split, he turns to me and says "This don't feel like Spring". "No,no it doesn't", I said. It was 5 above this morning in Rangeley, and at noon in Farmington ,there still was a good chill in the air. Breezy too.

Errand done and a strawberry frappe' in hand. I headed back north along the Sandy River to Strong and Phillips, then turning up the mountain towards home. Sap buckets are out, there are bare patches of ground, and the rivers are beginning to break up. Spring in Maine. March in Maine.

Remembering Ed

20 years ago today, Edward Abbey passed away in Arizona.

Take a few moments to remember him today.

Shadows