Bird Central

For those who keep up with birds and the interest of them-here is a list of the birds in or by my yard/Merrymeeting Bay.
morning dove           goldfinch            blue jay            titmouse
chickadee           baltimore oriole         sparrows     plover  
hairy woodpecker          downy woodpecker      grackle          
mallard              great blue heron       bald eagle         osprey
merganser                  red finch           carolina nuthatch   robin
broad winged hawk              turkey            seagulls            
rose breasted grosbeak     hummingbird                      crow      
 cormorant         cowbird      eastern phoebe    
white breasted nuthatch                   warbler       cardinal  
red breasted woodpecker          red winged blackbir    wren  

and still counting.....

New Saturday Market

Well, Bath is not a new market. It has been there quite some time and I heard a lot of nice things so I decided to go there today and combined it with a dog trip to Thorne Head.
The Farmer's Market is along the river which makes for a lovely backdrop and a bit of a breeze.
There were some really nice things, I got particularly excited about the cheeses. Two farms-Hahn's End and Appleton Creamery caught my eye today and I had to pick up some lovely chunks. Appleton had some smashing looking goat cheese and if I knew how my schedule was going to work I would have gotten more. It leaves some planning for next week and they told me I could freeze some of them which is nice to know if I am going to miss a Saturday visit. I also got a sheep cheese which smelled good and next week I will try their cheese that has a layer of dulse (seaweed). Intriguing.
From Hahn's End I got a delightful  piece of "Cloud 9" which I sampled in a whole wheat turkey wrap with some honey mustard for lunch- yummy. I bought Olde Shiretowne, which smells nutty and of course reminds me of hobbits. Some fresh mozzarella rounded out the cheese selections today which I will have with some of the fresh basil and heirloom tomatoes I picked up. I love summer.
But- I miss my West Virginia peaches something fierce and the Eastern Shore corn of Maryland puts all that we have sampled here to shame. I guess the weather and the heat does something that Maine doesn't. It has been hot enough this week for anyone. I will see how the corn develops....

Bouquet

A five dollar bouquet

from a private garden

Fills my kitchen

With the scent of vanilla and weddings.

Early evening paddle

The heat

Settles on the bay

creating a late afternoon haze

It's low tide.

I paddle slowly watching the bottom grasses

The jump of catfish,

Gulls, eagles, swallows.

Its a democratic sky here.

Run aground

I clear my mind

And wait for the

Waters to rise.

Vinalhaven

A lovely weekend can be had in Vinalhaven. On the ferry going, dolphins and seals and flat water. The way back the same. In between, a charming island welcome and comfortable hotel. Not a bad way to spend a weekend.