Creative word collages on Wordle.net

My friend Rita just turned me on to a cool site, wordle.net, and I linked my blog to it to create a word collage. Pretty groovy! Check it out: title="Wordle: Mainely Words"> src="http://www.wordle.net/thumb/wrdl/999739/Mainely_Words"
alt="Wordle: Mainely Words"
style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

A week for eagles

It's been quite a week for eagle sightings! In the last 6 days, I've seen 2 eagles' nests and 3 eagles.



The first nest is located along Route 1 in West Bath, and I've noticed it before as I've headed up the Coast to Reid State Park. Last Thursday, I decided it was time to stop and take some photos, and the results are posted here. The following day, I was traveling with my relatives to Reid once again, and this time we spotted a nest as we were driving down Route 127 in Georgetown. And then yesterday, as I was headed north on I-95 to Lewiston, I spotted an eagle in a tree along the highway.



From what I've read online, I believe that these were all bald eagles, which are considered a threatened species. I also read here that the breeding population of bald eagles in Maine has risen from a low of only 21 nesting pairs in 1967 to 412 nesting pairs in 2006. Therefore, since they are growing in number by about 8% each year, they are likely to be taken off the threatened species list.

Maine Maritime Museum

Yesterday my cousin Jon and his family took me to the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. I'd like to share with you some photos of the day. Don't forget to click on the pictures if you'd like to see a larger view.

Funky Friday ~ July 10

As they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Although some would see it as an eyesore, I love this little ramshackle building. In fact, I think it's adorable! I don't know if you can tell, but there is a cute little bird feeder attached to the front and a horse shoe over the door.



But when I stopped to take these photos in June, a woman came out and told me that the shack was going to be burned down. I haven't been back to see if it's happened yet. I guess I'd really rather not know. I like to remember this funky shed just as it was, with all of its ramshackle charm!



Happy Funky Friday to all! Enjoy the weekend.

Recognition & holiday weekend wishes

My good friend Silke of Metamorphosis has given me an award. She says it's because I inspire her -- well, the truth is, we inspire and support each other. Thank you, Silke, for this recognition. Your friendship is the best gift of all!


I'd also like to take a moment to share a photo (above) that I took last night in downtown Portland (Maine) of geraniums on a doorstep, all dressed up for the Fourth, and to wish everyone a happy holiday weekend!

I went to Portland to view the Call of the Coast exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art. I always find it so inspiring and uplifting to see great works of art, such as those by Edward Hopper, Childe Hassam, and Rockwell Kent, among others. I was not able to take any photos of the exhibit, but I did snap one outside the museum. It is a view of the museum garden, which contains this unusual piece of art crafted of wire and filled with stones. (Sorry, I don't know the name of the piece or the artist.) Beyond, you can see some of the American Neoclassical Sculpture exhibit through the window.

A Saturday drive to Western Maine

[North Fryeburg, Maine]

Last Saturday, my friend Julie and I traveled to Western Maine in search of my roots. OK, not in search of them, exactly. It was more like a trip down memory lane for me and a chance for Julie to see where I come from. My father's family is from the Fryeburg area, and there is a farmhouse and 2 summer cabins there that used to be in my family. We took our time driving around, with me pointing out the highpoints. We also went up into Evans Notch, part of the White Mountain National Forest that overlaps the Maine-New Hampshire border.






[This is Julie at the Cold River Overlook in Evans Notch]


Although we had a gray and rainy June, Julie and I were treated to some sunshine and big puffy clouds as we made our way around the beautiful backroads of Maine and New Hampshire.


We also glimpsed some wonderful wildlife, including a beautiful deer dashing into the woods at the side of the road and a family of wild turkeys. Neither of us had ever seen baby wild turkeys before -- they were really quite a sight! Once we got up into the mountains, we seemed to see butterflies everywhere we went. I wish I had photos of these special animals and insects, but they were all too quick for me to capture with my camera.

[The ferns are huge now, due to all the rain we've had.]

Driving from Stow to Chatham, we came across the remains of a yard sale outside the lovely Hidden Meadow Farm. Among the odd's and end's marked free were these two items: a vintage bread box that someone had repainted and a shabby wooden chair. I scooped both of them up. I have a project in mind for the chair. The bread box I may try to decoupage, or it may end up being donated to Goodwill. We'll see.

I'll undoubtedly have more photos of Western Maine for you later in the summer... It's one of the areas of Maine that will never stop calling me home.

Wordless Wednesday ~ red, white, & blue

I'm participating in French Lique's Wordless Wednesday. This week's theme is red, white, and blue - so appropriate for our upcoming Independence Day celebrations! I wish you all a wonderful weekend. Don't forget to take time to appreciate the freedom that we Americans enjoy.

[I took this photo outside Pennsylvania Station in NYC]