Maine flowers

Last time I mentioned that there were still lots of lovely flowers in Portland yards when I visited a few weeks ago. Asters, like those you see above, were particularly plentiful.

But there was lots of other color on offer as well. Not only do these folks have a perfect climate for blooms to thrive, but a lot of the families obviously spend a good bit of time working on their floral displays.

a barrel-o-pretties

pink and purple: favorite colors of several of my granddaughters

In addition to seeing these lovely yard displays often on neighborhood walks, a visit to the community garden (for cleaning up vegetable plants past their prime) was another opportunity for colorful snaps...

nasturtiums are a personal favorite

we had nasturtiums in our yard when I was a child, and
seeing them always takes me back

marigolds are always abundant in the garden

Cultivated flowers were the most prominent during my stay; we didn't see many wildflowers on our woodland hikes (although we saw all kinds of other colorful life forms—more about these next time). But these lovely wild ones were growing along the edge of Bunganut Pond:

While I was there, I got to witness the oft-discussed dismantling of the dock, in preparation for the lake's partial draining in winter. How exciting! (Especially when you could just watch and didn't have to help haul heavy dock parts up to the cabin.) Here's a summary of an earlier, summertime visit. And here's the dock, partially taken down:

the diving "island" in the distance also had to be brought in

I feel like I witnessed a crucial piece of New England, and family, fall ritual, finally, after hearing about this operation for several years. Glad it coincided with my visit!

Wordless Wednesday: see you at the pond

 

Maine woods

I never cease to be amazed by what trees look like in areas with reasonable rainfall. Like Houston, or Maine. I spent a delightful couple of weeks in the latter location recently...primarily delightful due to the presence of not two but THREE adorable grandchildren. But the local flora, as well as the wonderfully cool temperatures, was another draw.

The photo above was taken in Robinson Woods, in Cape Elizabeth. And here's one from Sewell Woods, in Scarborough...

But you don't have to drive far, in the Portland area, to see wonderful trees. Just down the street is where I saw most of the fall color that I was hoping for on this trip. Unfortunately, rain at the wrong times, as well as generally warming trends, big-picture-wise, are making leaf-peeping more hit and miss. I was a bit too early for the peaks of color, but saw plenty all the same. Mostly on a walk with my host family around their neighborhood cemetery.

As long-time readers of mine will know, during my semester in London ('way back in ought-8) I lived within a couple of blocks of Brompton Cemetery, where I loved to walk, especially with newly arriving guests working to get their bodies on European time. Cemeteries are just wonderful places for walking (and biking, as my granddaughters can attest), and Evergreen is one of the best.

you can see the host family here, although the bike riders are pretty far ahead

Here's another shot of early fall color and monuments...

...and you can see other neighbors also take advantage of the lovely weather and the expansive trails...

The reds are the most vibrant here, and I couldn't resist zeroing in on them (although I'm not happy with this camera's capture of vivid colors; but good news! I've got a new one now and am hoping for great things!)...

The yellows are eye-catching, too, as you can see elsewhere in the neighborhood...

Not only are these leaves good for passive peeping and photo-snapping, but when you've got a super-crafty (in a good way) mom in the house, collecting them can result in these wonderful pieces of art...

Aren't those nice!? In spite of the cold snap I got to enjoy during my visit, there were still lots of flowers blooming in the 'hood. And I'll show you some of those next time.

Wordless Wednesday: yes, we are