Tuesday, December 25, 2012

White Dreams

Carrie & Ross in our back woods.

We have Ross up for his annual visit and were afraid he wasn't going to have a white christmas. The recent snow kept turning to rain and washing away. Today was supposed to be precipitation free, but look! It's snowing!


Sunday, December 23, 2012

Happy Holidays

The zip-a-tone is yellow with age and shows up muddy.
I did this drawing many years ago when I was a rural mail carrier in Massachusetts for the kard I gave out to people on my route.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

NOT burning bridges

Kemmer's hat admires the bridge

 Kemmer came up for a few days and we did our usual go out to a new oriental restaurant for a holiday dinner trip. We thought we knew where it was, but were not finding it. Carrie called them and when I heard "next to the post office" I didn't need any further directions. For some reason. The restaurant turned out to be mediocre, so we'll not be back again.

 Afterward we went to see our first covered bridge since moving to Maine. Babbs Bridge is over the Presumpscot River and judging from the graffiti, is quite popular. To one side are a couple of ropes and a launch platform.

 The Google Satellite view of the bridge showed a couple of kayaks, and Carrie exclaimed "Kayakers waiting to dive for quarters!" We were disappointed we didn't see any waiting for us. But heartened that one showed up as we were leaving, albeit too late for us to toss quarters.

A couple keen on photography
Will Carrie swing into the water?





Friday, November 9, 2012

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Hallowe'en

An old card colored, not in Photoshop, but in Paint.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Rest In Peace




A dog for all seasons.



She was a go-dog, always wanting to go someplace. She has traveled with us from the Grand Canyon to Land's End.


She loved the snow.


Monday, October 8, 2012

Columbusdriver

the legendary Road Less Traveled
View from a post office

Kemmer came up for another visit Saturday. Carrie had to work, so I took Kemmer up through Belgrade, Belgrade Lakes, New Sharon, Vienna, and more for some leaf peeping. I made sure we included water features, hills, windy roads, and picturesque little towns.

the Kennebec River






an artsy shot

next to the Post Office Cafe






 Sunday it was three of us driving up through the Waterville area to check out more of the same and an antique mall. We went off the detailed map Carrie brought and found that my state map was not just out of date, but rather inaccurate and we wandered a bit more than originally intended.


We still made it back home before dark.



Did the Masons warn about the Creeping Red Menace?


Paul Bunyan's paintbrush
the Frank J Wood bridge













Monday was just Carrie and I for her birthday. I took her down to Brunswick for some gellatto and a little bit of walking and looking at the scenery.



click on a red spot to enlarge a photo

Saturday, September 22, 2012

We popped up to Popham


Seguin Island Light

you can see right through its nostrils


Kemmer wanted to be on a beach for her birthday, so we brought her up to Popham Beach State Park. The overcast Friday crowd was almost nonexistent. The waves were high, the gulls were hungry, and there was a lighthouse a little ways off shore.







Saturday, September 15, 2012

Open Lighthouse Day


Pemaquid
Marshall Point

 One Saturday in September every year is Open Lighthouse Day. It was started around the time we moved to Maine, so we've managed to participate every year they've had it. A big list of lighthouses, some of which are otherwise not open, are open free to the public on this day. We choose different ones to go to each time. This year it was Pemaquid and Marshall Point.

We like to make it a fun roadtrip together and usually stop off at a few post offices for me to take their pictures to add to my collection. We also try to find other interesting things along the way, shops or natural points.

Crawling around on the beach, especially when there are nice rocks, is also de rigueur.

And we do go up into the lighthouses and admire the fresnel lenses as well as the scenic views.
nice rocks
scenic view
to enlarge any picture, just click on a wave

Sunday, August 19, 2012

In for a penny, in for a pond


Update on the water viewing. We were at the Androscoggin River yesterday. We just got back from the actual Allen Pond. There's no real public access to it, but we found an area with a few lots for sale and a big common area. The developer saw us arrive and assumed we were potential buyers and we didn't dissuade him of that idea. We wandered around the shoreline for a bit, then went off to a couple of produce stands so Kemmer could get more veggies above what Carrie had for her out of our garden.

Water You Up To?



 Kemmer came up for a visit this weekend, so we decided to bring her out to Allen Pond. We drove up Allen Pond Road, and pulled off at the boat launch past the bridge. We now think it was not Allen Pond, but just a wide point in one of the area rivers. We're going to check the maps.


It was still a scenic spot, with lots of little striped frogs. The stripe colors ranged from the bronze on this fellow to luminous green.

 
No swimming was allowed, so after we wandered about the shoreline for a while, we sat at one of the picnic tables and chatted. Carrie and Kemmer were facing the water and saw birds diving and catching fish. I was facing inland and saw this caterpillar.

click on any picture for larger views

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Comic Relief


Tarzan #50

Another yard sale find were these 10 comics for 25 cents each. Tarzan, which is in the worst condition of them all, was the second best find. I collect Tarzan comics but didn't know if I had this one or not. Turns out I don't. With that in mind, in spite of its condition, I would have paid more for this one comic than I did for the lot.

Brothers of the Spear is another series I collect, but in this case I already had this issue.

Best find was Secret Agent #1. I never thought I would actually get to own this. There were only two issues and they are generally priced beyond my perceived value, so I am very pleased.





Brothers of the Spear #13
Dell 4 Color 1066
Cimarron Strip #1

Wagon Train #6
Garrison's Gorillas #5











Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp #4







Mission: Impossible #2
Mod Squad #8


Secret Agent #1




To enlarge a comic, click on a finger.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Berry Patch

 More about books

 

 As mentioned earlier, I have been buying books at yard sales, flea markets, and the like. The first one shown here is an advance proof of a biography of one of my favorite authors, Edgar Rice Burroughs. First biography of his I've ever read, let alone bought. Odd, considering what a Tarzan fan I am.

 And don't forget, in honor of Tarzan's 100th anniversary, there is a new postage stamp coming out on August 17th.






 In my earlier post about books, I mentioned a yard sale I bought the 1800's dime novels at. I went back this weekend and found two Lone Wolf novels. Earlier this year I discovered reruns of the old b&w tv show based on the series and a few months ago TCM was showing some of the movies. Both these books feature "scenes from the photoplay". The second book had the front half of the dust jacket tucked inside of it. No dust jacket for the other one.






 



There are a couple of tv series from my childhood that I actively seek books from. But for some reason I've decided to pick up other tv themed books. I won't get just any. I turned down Lassie and Dr Kildare ones offered. But recent purchases include Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Mission: Impossible. Never high literature, but usually fun nostalgia.





As a child I also watched a lot of old movies. That's where my love of Tarzan started. The actor who played Boy in those films went on to star in a series of movies based on the Bomba books. I have long wanted to read one of them, but not been willing to pay the antiquarian bookstore prices of the only copies I'd ever come across. Well, a recent find at a flea market was one from that series in hardcover with dust jacket mostly intact. At only three dollars, I snatched it up. It was about the level of writing I was expecting and felt no need to buy any others. Until I found two more at a buck each.




to enlarge any image, click on the author's favorite word


Friday, July 13, 2012

Happy Kemmer Tiara Day

Kemmer Tiara Day at the Maine Department of Labor

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Turner Classic Mainstreet

Carrie noticed that the public library in Turner was having a book sale today, so we decided that was what we would do for our day off. When we arrived in town we noticed the sides of the main street were packed with people. They were getting ready for a parade. We barely managed to get in the general area of the library before all available parking was gone. The sale was in the basement of the library itself, and very well attended. We both got several books, and one of my purchases was another boy's adventure novel from the 30s.


After we left the building we realized leaving wasn't going to happen soon, so we went across the street to check out the cemetery. A few headstones had artwork, most of which featured roses. There were also some that had fancy shapes like these two. While we were here, the parade started.
 

 They had horses, tractors, classic cars, fire engines, and hookers.


To enlarge any picture, click on something green.