Mother's Day 2011

Spring has been inconsistent so far this year and when I saw the sun out this morning, I decided to indulge myself and go for a hike. Fortunately Mt Pisgah is quite close, even if it isn't quite tall. For the first hike of the season it was fine. The views from part way up the fire tower are incredible, considering I was only about 800 feet up. I wish I had taken my compass so I would have known which direction I was looking. On a clear day Washington is visible; I probably saw a lot of the western mountains in Maine, maybe Sugarloaf. And lakes, too! A few darker clouds blew through. On the way back down I stopped a couple times just to look at the blue sky through the birch branches, listen to an occasional bird, and feel the breeze, particularly as it flowed between my fingers. I know Maine is the pine tree state, but I'm surprised at how many birches I see, and the degree of grizzledness of the bark varies so much from one tree to another. Now I am wondering why and what causes that. It is so good to discover nature that is new to me.

more of Maine

Something I had forgotten from my days in Vermont - spring comes a bit more slowly up North. There are still patches of snow around, and some are not insignificant. A couple trails on the grounds of where I work are still under water, but that didn't stop me from checking out one after work last week. I am always fascinated by water and the beaver dam trail skirts a rapid and good-sized stream. While I was watching the water glistening in the late day sun, I noticed a vee approaching me. I had to remind myself not to jump to conclusions, but this time I was right. It was a beaver, and a pretty large one at that. In nature I love being unnoticed. I watched it swim to the farther shore, climb out and take a few nibbles on a log before it slipped into the stream. Maybe if I saw this every day, it would be less magical, but for now, it's always special. It's my own private show because no one else was around. I went back this afternoon with my camera this time, but he must have been at home. Odds are I'll see him again and maybe you'll see him, too.