Tree STORIES
American Elm
“The elms bent to one another, like giants who were whispering secrets, and after a few seconds of such repose, fell into a violent flurry, tossing their wild arms about…” David Copperfield, Charles Dickens Recently we were walking in the historic section of Newport. In front of the Judicial Center near the Old State House or Old Colony House[i] on the…
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Acclimated
“It takes a very long time to become young.” Pablo Picasso Late in June of 2014 we moved from the Providence home in which we had lived for almost thirty years to Middletown. Riding our bikes yesterday we saw cottontail rabbits again—four of them in a field adjacent to Oliphant Lane along our regular route. On rides earlier in the month…
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Acrophobia – Tale of Two Bobs
Any phobia is irrational. There is a fear of heights that is rational, however, and any tree climber will tell you that to fail to respect gravity adequately is to learn it is not to be mocked without consequence. Only a fool is careless after leaving the ground. To paraphrase the old adage about pilots: there are bold tree climbers, and…
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MAINE TALES
Scarborough Marsh
“The total size is approximately 3,000 acres making it Maine’s largest contiguous saltmarsh. It is fed by three major tributaries: the Scarborough, Nonesuch, and Libby Rivers.” Audubon Society website[i]
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Mist
“What was full was not my creel, but my memory. Like the white-throats, I had forgotten it would ever again be aught but morning……” Sand County Almanac, Trout fishing in June, Aldo Leopold, 1948 When I served on the Mount Vernon Conservation Commission in Maine, we had been charged by the Planning Board to recommend either authorizing or proscribing…
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Beer Cans, Sandwich Wrappers and Other Flotsam
“Beauty is the battlefield where God and Satan contend for the hearts of men.” The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky When our son Gabe was seven or eight, we were driving back from Portland to our home in Farmington, Maine. At some point on Route 202 near Winthrop, he rid himself of a pesky bit of trash out the open back…
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SACHUEST POINT AND OTHER WONDERS
Quaker Hill
“There is a hill about 7 miles from Newport, and on the Eastern side of this Island, called Quaker Hill, from whence there is a very fine view of all the N. part of the Island, and of the adjacent islands, and the Continent for many miles. The … Continue reading
Divers and Dabblers
Statistically, the probability of any one of us being here is so small that you’d think the mere fact of existing would keep us all in a contented dazzlement of surprise.” Lewis Thomas Two types of ducks occur: divers and dabblers. The dabblers, compensating for their undignified manner … Continue reading
