Stunning Photos

Once again my readers have sent some gorgeous photos. Most of us are hoping for a brilliant autumn landscape soon, but secretly hoping the beautiful warm weather of the past couple of days will continue well into November! We haven't had a frost yet, and some folks believe that's what it takes to get the maples to turn color; we are seeing a dull, uninspiring brown tinge on lots of trees, but nothing very impressive yet. However, Gretchen Farnsworth found lots of color in this morning's sunrise - the view is from her home looking towards Pearl Island (also known locally as Sim's Island, named for it's original builder and owner, Sim Whittier). Who could ask for a more gorgeous scene! 

And then I opened another email, this one from Mary Whitcomb who had been on a field trip to Plainfield where she grew up. She sent these wonderful shots of ducks and snowy egrets. Mary explained that the male mallards lose their beautifully colored feathers in the spring - they don't need to be handsome after mating season, and their subdued brown feathers help them blend into the landscape to protect them from predators; by next spring they will have full color again.

Mary also caught sight of an unusual bird here in Vermont, a snowy egret. While it's rare to see one here, they do range as far north as southern Canada, and are found along the eastern coast of Maine.  They often hang out with blue herons.The egret is a lovely bird - about the size of a blue heron. (Mary saw one of those, as well, but wasn't quick enough to get a picture.) Mary said she saw a pair of egrets - I wonder if they nested in the area and raised some young.

Many thanks to both Gretchen and Mary for their photos.

We are looking forward to some nice weather for the next few days. The nights are chilly - I had a low of 41 degrees last night - and I have taken all my plants in from the porch already. It seems a little early, but the nights have been consistently in the low 50s or 40s and I don't think my tropical palms and tender house plants enjoy that. I'm happy to have that chore behind me - now all I need to do when the weather gets colder is bundle up my porch furniture and secure it against the wind. 

Enjoy a lovely weekend, and take advantage of all the church suppers that are happening in the area now. Next weekend is the start of Fall Foliage Week in the area and Cabot's famous turkey supper will be a highlight on Saturday, September 30th. More on that later.I can tell you that it is take-out only - I believe the relatively small dining area in the church is now a day care center, which is a much needed service in town. There will be a tent on the common with tables for people to eat their dinners outside, however. I always prefer to take mine home where it's warm and comfortable - but that's just me!