Welcome Loon Chick No. 1!

 The first loon chick has arrived! Frank Dolan reported this morning he sighted the parents with one chick in the first pond. That loon family was just a few days ahead of the couple in the third pond building their nest, I believe. We will no doubt hear from Gretchen Farnsworth any day now that we have another chick at that site. The loons int he first pond found a suitable spot to nest a few years ago, while the ones in the third pond use the platform nest that was built for them a number of years ago. There are dangers for both families and we are always very sad when a chick doesn't make it. We know one chick was taken in the first pond probably by a large fish, while in the third pond, there has been the threat of a bald eagle to worry about. We are delighted to know there is a chick already, and ask that you keep an eye on boaters or skiers who might go to close to the loons and if possible, politely let them know they must not harass the wildlife or put them in danger.

We have been having a stretch of really nice weather and here at my place, a lot has been accomplished. The foundation for my screened porch was put in last week and this week Ben Ackermann did the excavation work around it.  The photo at the right is when he began work, laying drainage pipe and then back-filling. Below is the same general area finished - tamped, seeded and ready for a soaking rain.

 I am very happy that he also took out a big old maple stump that stood out like a sore thumb in the back yard, and successfully moved a fair-sized maple that was too near the rch site close to that old stump. My parents set out three or four young maples to shade the back lawn when they built this house in 1962, but about ten years ago, each one of those trees died. I never knew why, but we suspected it was because the back lawn area was very wet. We later had Luke Persons did a trench to help keep that area dry, and since then I've successfully planted a couple of replacement trees out there and planted flowers over the stumps. Two of those stumps have decayed and are no longer a problem, but the last one just seemed resistant and nothing was growing around it. So Ben hauled it out for me and now I'll have a nice level lawn. The transplanted maple after the stump beside it  was taken out. 

Ben and his helper, Shawn, are really very pleasant to have around. I've known Ben since he was knee-high, as the saying goes. He is really an artist with his earth moving equipment. He was using his small "dozer" on this job, but when he comes back in a few weeks to dig the pond for me, he will be  using a big one. I enjoyed watching him at work. He also built a very nice stone wall to make the area around the porch look nicer. He left everything neat and as near as I can tell, he thought of everything. Drainage is in place, landscaping done, crushed rock in place - all good. Now I await Randy Chamberlain, who will build the porch. He will be here in about a week.

I still haven't been able to identify all of the men in this photo, taken in about 1977. We know all but the first one on the  left, next to Ralph Hastings. Then Dick Larrabee is next, Tom DiLaura, and Garey Larrabee. Click on the photo to make it larger, and email me if you know who that first man on the left is. janebrowncabot@gmail.com. 

Andy Raymond (now in Hawaii) sent me this blowup that may help. I should have thought to do that! Thanks, Andy!!!

I've had several people say that he looked familiar, and one person guessed that he was a "camper," judging from how he's dressed. (Young folks take note - muscle shirts go way back!)

Someone is bound to know who that is with Ralph!