Margery Niblock

Autumn Is a Lovely Season

While walking in Evergreen Cemetery with my friend Cindy, this dog's beautiful tombstone was pointed out to me. Cindy then laid a dog biscuit at its base. She said that whenever she knows she's going to pass by, she makes sure she has one in her pocket.

What a sweet gesture by a very sweet person!

 


Children Friends

Triplets

It's a rarity for me to run into my little triplet friends, so it was a treat to see them before they went off for a picnic on the Eastern Promenade.

Can you imagine what it must be like dealing with three babies the same age?

I can't! One was more than enough for me to handle.

Twins

I saw my twin friends, Ruby and Madeline, as I was taking a walk one Saturday.

They were heading for the Hilltop to have a bite to eat. Mom and Dad went to the counter to order while we sat at the booth, when a gentleman named Chris came over.

He had a ukulele and proceeded to amuse the girls with some lively children's songs.

Andrew Brings the First Egg

Those city chickens, the ones that live on North Street, have finally matured enough to begin laying eggs.

Andrew came over with his dad to show me the first one produced by the six chicks at the top of the hill. I never knew that the first eggs laid are smaller than normal, but that's what I was told when that egg was presented.

  

Halloween

It wasn't even Halloween yet, but someone lost this terrific hat. I hope another person will come by and put it to good use.

I was tempted to bring it home and throw it into the wash, but I restrained myself. I think it would look utterly charming.













Now Halloween is past. That didn't take long, did it?

Geep and Dottie, who live on the second floor won first prize in a contest Halloween night! Here's what they looked like: Princess Peach and Mario.

 Check out Dottie's delightful blog, Hip Dropped Stitches.

 

 

"art of the month club" Arrival

Here's what it says on the red paper:

September = sweater season

maybe you lost some buttons on your sweaters last year. use these to snaz it up and get it back to functional!

Once again, some talented, thoughtful person has sent me a delightful hand drawn card; this time with four wonderful buttons on it.

I noticed that the envelope had some letters omitted, and that was a choice, not an accident, I'd say.

Instead of "month" it has "mo nt"; there is no t in "porland," and there is an e lacking in "qubec st."

There's a new stamp that appeared for the first time since I've been receiving these wonderful mailings. This had all been handwritten previously. Having this stamp will save a bit of time for the creative person responsible for these "random acts of beauty," as my friend Kate O'Halloran referred to them. I think that's a terrific description.

Here's a little tale to go with the "art of the month mystery."

Once upon a time last week I was asked to show the third-floor apartment in the building where I live. I was given several first names and told that people would be arriving between five and six o'clock, at 15-minute intervals. Fine! That was something I was willing and able to do.

The first person to arrive was a lovely young woman who introduced herself to me as "Emily." We went into my apartment to wait for a few minutes because a couple of other people were supposed to come at the same time.

Emily said "Are you Margery Niblock?" I responded yes to that question. And then she said: "I'm art of the month club."

I was astounded by this revelation and so I asked how on earth I'd ever gotten to be included on this very special list. Emily then told me that a couple of years ago she had taken some little ceramic birds and hung them on various trees in Portland.

I'd come across one of these charming birds while walking on Congress Street. I took a photograph of it and put it on this blog, with a little description of how I noticed it and what a delightful thing it was for someone to do, to hang this piece of art in a tree for people to enjoy.

Somehow Emily saw my blog, with the photo of the bird she'd hung on the tree. She knew if I had been so taken by that gesture that I would certainly enjoy being included in the mystery mailings, and that I would also appreciate her art and all of the effort involved in creating it.

She was absolutely right about that!

Emily didn't take the apartment, I'm sad to say. It would have saved her a lot of money on stamps.

But everyone lived happily ever after.
 

A No-Knock Warrant

A Serendipitous Walk

Whenever I walk past the garage located underneath Police Headquarters, if the doors are open, I always look to see whether anyone I know is driving out.

It was shortly after nine in the morning, the doors were open, and I did know the person driving out that day.

It was Commander Michael Sauschuck. He'd just been promoted to that newly-created position by Chief James E. Craig, who came from Los Angeles and took over on May 4.

This photo of him is from a couple of years ago when his rank was Sergeant. He's come a long way in a short time.

It wasn't unusual for me to run into him, but what was quite chilling was the person seated next to him in that car. I'd never seen anyone dressed like this near the building.

It told me something major was in the works.

Just then, police cars began lining up across the street. I hoped I might know one of the officers in those cars, who could let me know what was happening.

I knew the man in the last car.

It was Sergeant Heath Gorham (recently promoted). This is a photo of him taken July Fourth on the Eastern Promenade, when we were walking toward one another. I snapped the picture as we were both moving, so it's a bit blurred. But his million-dollar smile is quite apparent.

I motioned for him to roll down his window, which he did, and then I said "What's going on?"

His reply was "I can't tell you, Marge." That wasn't the answer I had hoped for.

A quick glance at the car in front of his showed someone smiling and waving to me.  What luck! That was very hopeful.

It was Andelko Napijalo, who had been the subject of an article I'd written for The West End NEWS when he was testing a Segway for a few weeks, to see whether the Portland Police Department wanted to make them part of their fleet.

I shouted across the street: "Shall I follow you?"

His reply wasn't encouraging. He said "No! It could be very dangerous."

I didn't want to place myself in danger but I wanted this story very badly. It seemed like it could be a big scoop. And I like those!

I tried to find people in the building who might have a warm spot in their hearts for me. And then, bingo! I hit upon the right person.

I was given the location of the unfolding event and was told that a no-knock search warrant and an arrest warrant were going to be served for a 22-year-old man with "an assaultive history." The arrest warrant was for violation of probation.

Police were concerned that weapons might be present in his mother's home, where the convoy was heading.

The Special Reaction Team was part of the major police presence at the location.

Members of the Southern Maine Violent Crimes Task Force worked in conjunction with the Portland Police Department to execute the warrants at the home that was surrounded.

Officer Bethany Edwards could be seen taking photographs in and around the house after other police vehicles had left the scene.

It all ended well. A door was breached by the police and the wanted man surrendered without incident.

The entire episode lasted a couple of hours, and no one passing through that lovely suburban-type neighborhood would be able to imagine the dramatic scenario that had taken place earlier.

Summer Strolls

Nature in the City

I have no idea what sort of caterpillar this is, but I'm sure I'll find out. It was big!

I saw it near the curb in front of my house. It looked as though he was heading directly across the street, which could be a dangerous thing to accomplish.

I ran into the house to grab my camera and when I returned with it, I couldn't see the caterpillar anywhere nearby. Finally I found it heading up the street. It had traveled quite a distance in the few minutes that I'd been gone.

I placed him in some grass, off the street, and out of danger.

This poor little frog was one of those living in Joe's water garden. Trying to solve the cause of this creature's demise, we thought that perhaps it had jumped down to the sidewalk and then became dessicated when unable to return to the water.

Poor thing! The fish are thriving and are really growing quite large. They'll be moving indoors to an aquarium when fall arrives.

The children in the neighborhood love to come to the water garden to see the fish. It has become quite the gathering place.

I go over several times a day, and the sound of the running water is soothing.

The downtown birds that hang out near the waterfront, trying to get morsels dropped by people dining outside are doing quite well also.

Here's one of our local seagulls, taken last week when I was having dinner on the deck of a restaurant right next to the water. What a beautiful, blue Maine sky there was that evening.

This sign has been posted for a couple of weeks, but I hadn't noticed it previously.

Now I'm curious to know whether the person who'd lost the rabbit ever got it back, and how it disappeared initially. That's something to ponder.

My son found a baby rabbit under a car early one morning in downtown Philadelphia. When he found out that the local animal shelter would have done away with it, he wound up taking it home, buying all the equipment he needed to care for a pet rabbit, and having that rabbit for a good many years. It got to be huge! And it had a lovely home. 

It was shortly after Easter when he saw the rabbit. Someone probably got it for the holiday and then had enough of caring for a bunny, and just let it go into the street. We do not like people who do things like that. Not at all. 

This dead bird was lying in the grass as I walked down the very steep hill on Walnut Street.

I hope it's not there the next time I'm walking on the street. Some cat will probably remove it. And there are plenty of them prowling around.

Someone changed a bleak-looking landscape into a cheerful garden that's right on the sidewalk. After passing by this area so many years and just seeing ugly bricks, it's a real pleasure to be greeted by these giant, healthy sunflowers.

What a difference something like this makes to an area.

And speaking of improvements to neighborhood views, Portland Pottery should get an award for beautifying Washington Avenue.

What a great mural! It has improved the visual aspects of walking along that street. Portland Pottery has classes for adults and children; they have seasonal sales of ceramic items made by different people, where wonderful bargains can be had. I've bought many objects at those events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nature à la David Howe

 

You've seen these marvelous creations before, when they were all dressed up for Christmas. This is what they look like without their holiday garb; this is their everyday appearance.

I do hope that people look up to the roof and see this cat and dog. They're missing out on a truly wondrous site if they don't.

David is now working on his garden fence, another delightful aspect of this property on Munjoy Hill. I'm going to share some views of the fence with you and I hope you all enjoy them.

Here's the gate.

I love the way you're able to see the green grass through the cutout of the frog.

And don't miss that sinuous snake to the right.

In the photo to the right you can see the cat on one of the posts. And there is a tree that's sketched on another post, which hasn't been cut out yet.  

And not to be forgotten, is Iggy the iguana who resides in the hallway coming up to David's apartment; another special creature to beautify this dwelling.

 

What a talented guy! I'm sure you'll all agree with that assessment.

Keep the Baddies Away from Your Car!

Auto Burglaries Abound

I've written many articles for The West End NEWS about break-ins to cars. It always bothers me when I hear that people have left valuable objects in plain view because that encourages someone to break a window to get at what they see in the car.

This is what I saw this morning while I was taking a walk. It may be difficult for you to discern what it is from this photo, so I'll tell you.

It's tiny pieces of broken glass from a car window, which was evidently shattered last night because of something that was seeen that looked like it might be worth taking.

The map to the right was displayed at a news conference held by the Portland Police Department the other day. It represents motor vehicle burglaries in the city from January 31 through July 31 of 2009.

The numbers have gone down from last year's 388 to 355. But the police want to prevent more of these incidents.

A flier has been created to warn people about locking their cars and not leaving valuables inside vehicles, particularly if they are visible, as they become invitations to car burglars.

It's common sense after all, to not leave a purse or an iPod in plain view, but evidently there are many people who lack that attribute.

Here's the flier that police have started to place on car windshields to make people more aware of what might happen if they leave things visible in cars.

Hopefully people will respond by following the simple directions given on this flier.

The areas where people park their cars and then go jogging are prime targets. And these are the areas that police are concentrating on to start this campaign.

A few weeks ago, after writing my last story about a theft from an automobile, I decided that I would look into people's cars while taking my walks and if I saw anything that looked enticing, I would take photographs of those objects.

So that's exactly what I began doing. I now have some results from those car-peeping walks.

This is a good-looking briefcase, something that should not be left visible in a car. And who knows what might be inside it.

This could be quite tempting to someone looking to make a few bucks.

Here are some other items left in cars that would have been better left in a trunk or someplace where they couldn't be seen.

These items would be temptations to someone with criminal tendencies.

Last night police were called by my neighbor, who had noticed two teenagers going through contents in an unlocked car parked across the street. The two got away. It's nice to know that I have neighbors who are aware of what's going on and who are willing to dial 911.

I came across an interesting fabric on someone's car seat as I was being nosy about what people's cars contained.

Check this out. It's sort of creepy. I wouldn't want to be seated on a strand of skulls. But I know that people have different tastes. I liked the artwork and the design a lot. It's just the topic that I don't find appealing.

The difficult thing about taking these photographs was all of the reflections that came out in the pictures. As you can see, the house behind me is very well depicted here.

 

Skulls are wonderful to draw. One of my favorite scratchboard illustrations that I did for a book contains a skull. The title of the pictures is "Canyon."

It's from a teacher's guide to the works of Gary Paulsen. Five of his books are discussed and I'd done a picture for each of them. The title of this book was Canyons.

I'd read each of the books that I illustrated, even though I didn't have to. These were all books for young adults and it was interesting to see what people in middle school were reading. Gary Paulsen was one of my favorite authors from the group that I read. And I did read a lot of those books, 35.

While strolling around and looking into cars as I conducted my research, I came upon a car that I can only refer to as an "art car."

The interior of this car is sort of a shrine. And there are all sorts of wonderful shiny decorations that have been pasted on.

Here's the dashboard, and you can see what I mean about it looking like a shrine. 

Now check out the rear of the car. That is also quite an interesting sight. As you can see, all of the bumper stickers are black and white, and they're pasted right next to one another, with no space in between. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to see this oddly decorated vehicle parked in my neighborhood.

It's not a car I'd ever seen before. And I like it. But as we know, I think odd. So what?

I like the sticker that says "unmarked police car."

No one will be pulling any bank heists with a car like this. You know that the person driving it is probably a very law-abiding citizen. The car itself attracts so much attention that you wouldn't dare do anything bad. It would be very easy to provide a description, just like my FlameMobile!

The message is simple: Don't leave anything visible in your car and keep it locked.

Summer in the City

What's in the Streets

Hey! This is a city, which is obvious from the surface that this beautiful snakeskin is lying on.

It certainly makes me wonder whether this snake actually shed his skin right in the street on North Street or if it got blown into the street from a garden nearby.

I was lucky to find it when I did, because within four days there wasn't a trace of it left. I watched it disintegrate each time I walked past. I was astounded to see something like this in my neighborhood. It was a wonderful sight for me. But I'm glad I only saw the skin and not the snake. That was enough nature for me while walking in the street.

Gloves—in the Summer?

If I'd come across these a few months ago I wouldn't have been at all surprised. People are always losing gloves during the cold weather.

However, it was slightly shocking to see these wool gloves—aside from their shocking color, which I like a lot—during very warm summer weather.

It always makes me wonder about what sort of story might be connected to these dropped gloves. But I'll never know. That means you'll never know either. But we can all just imagine our own stories to go with the image.

How Did This Happen?

 

I counted an awful lot of cigarettes before taking this ugly picture. They hadn't been smoked. And there were more cigarettes than there are in a pack, which made me wonder how this happened.

Oh, well, it's just one more story to imagine.

Great Catch, Geep! Summer Sport

Geep went down to Connecticut to visit his family last week. He went fishing with his brother and this is what he caught.

Pretty astounding fish. He said his brother didn't catch anything. That hardly seems fair.

This is a striped bass. I don't know its length but I've been told that in Maine you can't take one less than 26 inches or more than 42 inches.

I don't know what the law is in Connecticut, where this whopper came from. I was given a piece of this delicious fish. Yummy!

I've never gone fishing. One of the many things I've never experienced. I have to wonder what it must have felt like to be trying to pull such a large fish out of the water. It seems as thought you'd be able to be pulled overboard with something that size flailing around.

Bayside Block Party Huge Success

Perfect weather and lots of hard work combined to turn Cindy's long-desired block party into a wonderful neighborhood event, enjoyed by lots of people.

It was pretty hot in the sun, but there were beverages to cool people off, and there were lots of hot dogs and hamburgers with all of the trimmings. Everything was free, including the balloons that children were hanging on to when I arrived.

The festivities began at noon and ran until five o'clock. It was the perfect setting for a summer day on a Saturday in Bayside. Lots of people donated many hours of their time in order to make this event happen.

Our famous "bike cops" stopped by several times to see how things were going. This area is part of the city that they patrol, so they were familiar with many of those attending.

Here they are, Dan Knight and Karl Geib. Even though they are in a social setting here, you can see by looking at them that between the two of them they have everything covered visually.

They're always working when that uniform is on, even when they're stopping in at a block party. They have all bases covered, all the time. Quite a duo!

I always have to give leg shots whenever I take their photos. My female readers require that.

That's Dan's leg on the left and Karl's on the right.

 

Here's Mary-Ellen Welch with Dan and Andjelko Napijalo, who also patrols the Bayside neighborhood. He wasn't on the Segway on this particular Saturday. But he'd become a real icon for several weeks as he cruised around on the unusual vehicle.

He drew adoring crowds everywhere he went. And he still was able to make arrests.

Mary-Ellen is the Coordinator for the Midtown Community Policing Center. She worked very hard at this party, making sure things were running smoothly. It was an extremely hot day and there was little shade in the parking lot where the event was being held. I can attest to that because I spent a few hours there.

I should have taken a photo of Mary-Ellen's car, a VW beetle convertible, with a license plate that says "AMORE." I tell you, she's a woman after my own heart! A real delight.

Thinking Odd

 Layoffs in Portland

I went to a rally on the steps of City Hall, organized by Portland's firefighters. Nine of them are being laid off because their union wouldn't accept a one-year wage freeze. The two good-looking specimens of manhood at the left were at the event. I just had to capture them with my camera. Can't blame me, can you? I really like those macho types. There's nothing better than a manly man. Androgyny leaves me cold. Give me a bruiser any day!

It was a well-attended rally, with the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters in Washington, D.C., as one of the main speakers.

I was standing next to a good friend of mine of the male persuasion, and was impressed and fascinated by the passion exhibited by this union leader. Passion is a good thing! And it's not something I run across too often in Maine. I turned to my friend and said "I bet he's good in bed."

My buddy said "You think odd."

Huh?

I don't see anything odd about that. Passion at a rally should be able to be converted to a bedroom. I'm still pondering that statement about my odd thinking.

 

How's This for Odd Thinking?

See the creamer. It has a specific job to do. Pouring. This one works as it should. It doesn't drip after the milk is poured from it. Isn't that a good thing? I think so.

But after all, we've learned that I think odd, so perhaps we shouldn't give too much credence to my thoughts. But that won't stop me; no, sir, it won't, because this is an issue that annoys me. I could even become passionate about this subject, but that's because I'm a passionate artist. And that's a very good thing.

Someone should give a course to potters on the purpose of creamers and spouts. That purpose is not to have milk dribbling down the front or side while it is in use.

Thank goodness I only break these ceramic items about every 10 or 12 years. I have learned, however, when purchasing a new creamer that the most important attribute is the ability to pour driplessly. So now, on those rare occasions when I have to replace one that I've just carelessly knocked to the floor and smashed, as happened Memorial Day weekend as I was removing some things from the refrigerator that I was bringing to a barbecue I was about to attend, I have the person in the shop where I'm making the purchase fill the aforesaid vessel with water and demonstrate its ability to pour without dripping.

Those people who are requested to perform this task, probably say to themselves: "She thinks odd!" But they comply with my wishes, hoping to make a sale, thus enabling me to choose the proper creamer to bring home and hopefully to use for the next 10 years of coffee drinking. It's sort of sad that I usually can't choose the one I consider to be the most beautiful because of the fact that it doesn't work.

When I bought the creamer in the photo above, early in June, I went to a shop that handles work created by Maine potters. It's a store that has many lovely objects. 

I told the woman behind the counter what I was looking for. She was very pleasant and helpful, and mentioned that she was a potter and her work was exhibited in the store. I said "I may as well buy one of your pieces then." I chose an attractive creamer of hers from several that she had on display. There was a problem though. When she did the pouring test, her creamer failed—big-time.

She then went into a detailed explanation of why the water dripped, saying that if the spout is formed in a certain manner this wouldn't happen and the problem would be solved. So—if you're a potter, making creamers that are supposed to be functional items, and you're aware of what the problem is but you don't resolve it, what on earth are you thinking?

To me, that's "thinking odd." I'm quite pleased with the creamer I left the store with on that day in early June. It does its job well. That's what it's all about, after all.

 Someone Who Really Thinks Odd!

I subscribe to The New Yorker magazine because I have always enjoyed their cartoons. I don't like to place too much pressure on myself, therefore I don't. I get this magazine only for the cartoons. If I want to read some articles in a particular issue, I do so, but I never feel compelled to. I also don't want to have a huge pile of these magazines taking up space in my home, so I recycle them by passing them along to friends who live nearby.

I normally don't pay attention to all of the small ads appearing in the magazine, and that's why I hadn't noticed one placed by The Soul Storage Company at www.storeyoursoul.com.

Here's what it said in this add: "Is your soul weighing you down? Store it! In a painless outpatient procedure, Dr. David Flintstein can extract and store your soul in our state-of-the-art cold souls storage facility. 

I never would have seen this ad if it weren't for friends who hosted a dinner party a week ago and pointed it out to me when I arrived.

I was asked which ad on the page might look like a joke. After a very cursory glance, I pointed to the soul storage advertisement.

I was then told that this was a legitimate Web site, that my friends had indeed researched it, and although no prices were given for storing souls, it had lots of other information about the process. My friends were believers that this was an actual business for storing souls.

If that were the case, someone would be raking in a lot of moola from idiots and fools, and I would think the government would be after those folks, ready to lock them in some federal clinker.

I was not going to be hooked into this concept that easily. The next morning I started looking things up on the Internet and discovered that these ads are actually for a movie called Cold Storage, starring Paul Giamatti playing a man named Paul Giamatti. This site will take you to a clip from that film. 

Here's a photo of the soul extractor.

Pretty nifty, isn't it? Of course I have no desire to spend the rest of my life without my soul intact. And it seems as though any extraction would be painful. Ouch!

And so I must say at this point, that anyone who sees any of these New Yorker ads and believes that they are true is someone who thinks odd. It seems as though the movie might be pretty funny though, and its opening on August 7 "in select cities."

July Is Here

 St. Lawrence Hosts a Wedding

It's July! So far we've had an inordinate amount of rain, but thankfully the Fourth became quite a lovely day. That was a good thing because many people would have been disappointed if they hadn't been able to view the spectacular fireworks.

July Fourth was an extra-special day for celebration on Munjoy Hill because City Councilor Kevin Donoghue tied the knot at the St. Lawrence Church on that day.

Ed King, the editor of The West End NEWS had done beautiful wedding invitations for Kevin and Krista, with delightful caricatures of them. He did this chalk drawing on a large, heavy piece of slate that was inside the church. Ed's cartoons are a delight; I now own three of them. It seems as though a lot of people who read the paper on a regular basis aren't aware of the fact that all of the cartoons, including the large one in the centerfold, are done by Ed. The man has talent!

Best wishes and a toast for a long life with much happiness!

The photographs below were taken during the period when part of the church was being dismantled due to safety concerns.

All of the pieces that were removed were numbered and have been stored in a safe place.

It's hoped that at some point enough money can be raised to return the building to its former stature. It was a beautiful building, and it's still a shock to walk by and see such a large portion of it missing.

When a structure that was such a prominent part of the neighborhood becomes reduced to an empty lot, it's difficult to come to terms with the loss.

I'm sure there are many people who still see the ghost of the tower when they walk past the part of the building that remains.

. . . and Down on the Promenade . . .

This polar bear amused the assembled crowds. Many children had conversations with the big guy, but many were also a bit fearful of him at first.

There were vendors selling food and toys for children. It was an atmosphere of fun and joy.

I must admit that I'm always happy to see July Fourth end. The fireworks are held right down the hill from my home and thousands of people flock to the neighborhood. Of course they do!

It's nice to see everyone walking back up the hill from the Eastern Promenade, heading home. This year seemed to be more quiet than usual. There were no people setting of firecrackers and bottle rockets until two o'clock in the morning, which was a welcome relief from previous years' festivities.

July Fourth Plus One

 

The weather was beautiful, so there was no need to put anything away—evidently.

I always look forward to strolling along the Prom early on the morning of July fifth, to see what people have lost or left on the grass. This is the first year I haven't come back with a miniature American flag. I usually find one. What I always find is at least one brand-new cigarette lighter. Of course there's always change that's dropped and that gets added to my found-object vases with the money collected from my walks.

These flip flops are quite jolly. Looking at them on the grass makes me wonder what sort of condition the person was in at the time she left that location. Perhaps she was carried away? Mmm.

 

Don't you know that you're leaving an event barefoot, when you arrived wearing something on your feet?

I have to assume that it just didn't matter.

 

And so we leave the remnants of America's birthday party to be cleaned up by the city's able crew. The Promenade once again becomes the gem of Portland; the trash and the crowds have left. That's okay with me!

Here and There

A Real Whodunit!

LQQk! The photo at the left is the ankh, which was embedded in the macadam of Cumberland Avenue. I'd written about that a couple of weeks ago.

I would have liked to come back with a screwdriver and a small hammer, so that I could pry it up and bring this lovely silver piece home with me.

But I didn't do that. I left it there.

Today, when I was walking up the same street, I decided to cross right at that spot so that I could visit the beautiful ankh and take another look at it.

What I found in the street was the "ghost" of the ankh, which is pictured in the second photo. Someone else did what I'd thought of doing. It's gone! Now I have to wonder whether that person read about it on my blog or just crossed at the same spot and decided to remove it after seeing it.

I'll never know. One more of life's mysteries.

Today's Found Object

This is something I brought home from today's walk. Quite cute, and cute is something I'm attracted to.

I have no idea who this character is. It's a cookie cutter but I won't be baking any cookies using it, even though I did give it a good bath upon getting home.

Next week I'll consult with Janine Kaserman, my friend who is the excellent Munjoy Hill Community Policing Coordinator. She's advised me several times in the past about found objects that were cartoon characters. She has a young son, so she's up on all of these things, and she's my pop-culture consultant. I found out about Dora the Explorer and numerous others through her wisdom. 

I just got smart! I sent Janine an e-mail with this photo, and she's already written back that this is Boots the monkey, one of Dora's friends. Boy, that was easy because she's terrific! She also informed me that Boots carries a backpack containing maps to help Dora find things.

Not the Best Part of My Walk

I'm sorry! I didn't do this! I'm just showing you something I saw when I took my walk. You can just scroll down quickly if it's too difficult for you.

I believe it's called "Nature," isn't it?

And here's another nature shot, from a safari in Zanzibar that my friend Luke Flagg took a couple of weeks ago.

I just think it's such an incredible photo that I'm posting it here. I think the title should be "Alfresco Dining." Do you agree?

The photograph below should be a calming influence after that shot of gore. It's a new path that goes down a very steep hill. It was put in by Portland Trails and is a fantastic addition to our Munjoy Hill neighborhood.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chickening Out

Those baby chicks are really growing quickly. This is what they looked like a month ago.

And here's what they look like now.

They look like teenage chickens! I'm told that they should be ready to lay eggs around October.

 

 

 

 

 

June's "art of the month"

Once again I am the honored recipient of a wonderful envelope with that oh-so-special artwork from an unknown donor, that has been mailed to me for such a long time.

Upon carefully opening the envelope, here's the card that I saw enclosed.

And then I got to the good part! The art.

This month's artwork consisted of four beautiful renditions of stamps from other countries.

Each month I am amazed at the artistry and care involved in sending these surprise envelopes.

As soon as I finished photographing the stamps, I ran down to the basement, where I have a few small frames stored. I brought up a 4 X 6 and used rubber cement to glue the stamps to a black background. They are now hanging happily on a wall in my kitchen, along with other treasures.

  

Aren't they delightful? Can you imagine doing something like this? When will I be able to meet this wonderful person?

I'd always thought they were done by a talented woman who lives around the corner from me. But now that I see the post office box has been given up and there's an actual address on both the envelope and the enclosed card, I guess I'll have to take a ride over to Tyng Street and see if I can find out who lives there.

Will it be someone I know? I don't officially know anyone with an address on that street, so it certainly does add more mystery to this whole mail/art saga.

Stay tuned . . .

Heading into Summer

My Secret Boom Boom Room

Just about everyone loves summer. I do too, although there's one aspect of it that I do not like, and I'm going to share my silly little secret with you.

I detest bad thunderstorms! And I also hate it when the newspaper's weather page has its nasty little icon for those events. We may have 15 or so thunderstorms during the summer months, but I think that the newspaper and Internet weather sites know how vulnerable I am to hearing about this type of weather being expected. Because they are in collusion and are determined to frighten me as much as they can beforehand, there is one of these events predicted several times a week. That causes me to suffer great angst.

 

Believe it or not, I have my own "Boom Boom Room," which is a walk-in closet. It's a wonderful cocoon for those occasions when a storm is directly overhead, menacing and loud.

Here's what the inside looks like.

It's quite roomy for my purposes. I'm able to pull in this chair, which normally is in front of the desk I have in the dining room.

There are a couple of lights in the closet, so I'm able to occupy myself by reading. I usually work on crossword puzzles. And I've discovered something very interesting when I've been engaged in this activity. I can solve the most difficult puzzles in there because my concentration is so intense and absolute under those circumstances that I find so intolerable.

I'm also able to see my west-facing window in the dining room when I open the door. Then I can check out the sky and see whether the storm's intensity is lessening. It all works quite well for me.

And here's another secret. I'm definitely a puzzle snob! Even though I usually work all three puzzles that appear in my local daily newspaper, that crossword puzzle doesn't count for much.

I'm only interested and challenged by the puzzles in The New York Times. This is possibly my only snobby fault. And who cares? I subscribe to the online puzzle, and it's worth every penny as far as I'm concerned. I print out the puzzles every day of the year, which I think is quite a bargain. I do not finish every puzzle, I'm sorry to say. Some weeks I'm not able to finish a Friday or Saturday puzzle. When I do complete an entire week's worth of puzzles, I'm pleased. And many weeks that happens. Although I don't think it will happen this week.

I barely got a start on yesterday's Saturday puzzle. The Sunday puzzle is available online at six o'clock Saturday evening. That's kind of the Times folks to accommodate my needs in that regard. Doing Sunday's puzzle is part of my Saturday night fun.

Joe's Stunning Garden Design

I've used Joe's beautiful garden previously. He planted this dwarf Japanese maple tree last summer, and was anxiously awaiting spring's arrival to see whether it would make it through the harsh Maine winter.

As you can see, the little tree is thriving. The garden is a memorial to Joe's daughter Roan, who died 16 years ago when only a teenager. It's a fitting tribute to her memory.

The neighborhood takes great pleasure in this garden, which is right next to the sidewalk, making it accessible to everyone walking by.

Many people with children stop there for long periods of time because this year something has been added to the water: goldfish!

There are also several different types of water plants, and the recirculating water is such a pleasant, relaxing sound.

Joe's cat Sammy hangs out near the pond a lot, but he doesn't try to do any fishing in there. At least not that I've noticed. He's a very friendly cat who interacts with people and does quite a bit of talking (meowing). He also likes being petted and spoken to, and I'm always happy to accommodate his needs.

 

This last photo is a different view of the garden, from inside the fence. There's a wooden bench in the corner that's not visible here, where you are able to sit and enjoy the peaceful quality of the setting, without being seen by anyone walking past on the sidewalk.

It's a pretty amazing little city garden. A true work of outdoor artistry.

 

 

 

Gay Pride Parade in Portland

For a day that had rain predicted on and off, the people who spent so much energy planning the events connected to Gay Pride Week definitely "lucked out." There was no rain!

This was taken as the participants in the parade were lining up before its start.

There were lots of people along the entire route on Congress Street and also along High Street, where the parade turned to head down to Deering Oaks.

Here's a rear view of the same two "girls" as the parade moved along Congress Street. Their headdresses were fantastic.

Participants in the parade threw candy, bubble gum, and Frisbees to people along the route who were watching, so there was a lot of interaction between the crowd and the marchers.

It was a colorful parade and an appreciative crowd along the route. A man marching alongside a float from the Frannie Peabody Center gave me a red necklace, a "love" necklace.

I was holding my camera and the necklace in my hand when my upstairs neighbors came downstairs, and I opened the door to speak to them. I'd seen Geep when I was leaving to attend the parade so he knew I'd gone to the event, and wanted to know whether I'd gotten any pictures.

I showed him the necklace and mentioned I'd just taken a picture of it for the blog, and then went on to tell him about what had been attached to the metal ring on the necklace: a red condom! It was beautiful. Geep said "You've used it already?" He was impressed at what a fast worker I was.

I hated to destroy my mystique and ruin his image of me as a "hot chick" (which I am), but I told him that I'd given it to a friend of mine who had recently thrown her husband out of their home. I said to her: "Just put this away, and take it out when it's the right time. It's red and it's very pretty." She got a big laugh out of that and she took it. I hope she doesn't have to wait too long to use it.

This man had a snazzy outfit on and he was happy to stand still so I could snap a photo of him.

These people were watching the parade in front of the art school. As onlookers, they were more decorated than many of those participating in the actual parade.

This bright and jolly float deserves to be taken note of.

Here's Officer Karl Geib, with the "long arm of the law," directing traffic at the street where the parade turned down to head toward Deering Oaks. He had to divert traffic off Congress Street, which he did with his usual aplomb.

Karl is one of our famous "bike cops." Take note of those legs, gals!

Outside Joys

Local Postings

People just can't leave signs alone, can they?

And here's a rather charming thank-you note that was posted on a car parked on North Street. This warning is much better than having the air let out of your tires, as would have been the case in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.

 

 

Stuck in the Street

As I was crossing Cumberland Avenue, I noticed something that appeared to be silver in the middle of the street.

It was silver! An ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life. But alas, I wasn't able to pick it up and bring it home to place it with my other found objects and money. It was embedded in the tar.

It's quite attractive, isn't it? I don't think I'll be going back to pry it up. But I will enjoy looking at it whenever I cross the street at that particular spot.

A Lovely Gift

When my friend Megan took a little trip back to New Jersey to visit her folks and attend a reunion a couple of weeks ago, she returned with this decorated shell that she gave to me.

Both the inside and outside surfaces of the shells have been painted. It's the work of Wendy A. Morrison, who happens to be a friend of Megan's sister Tara. So that was a nice connection to the gift.

Since I had a business selling sea glass jewelry for many years, I am fond of things found on beaches. As a matter of fact, the beaches I prefer are not the ones where people are basking in the sun. I'm attracted to the rocky areas where people used to dump their unwanted possessions before trash was collected by municipalities. For me, those areas are pure treasure troves. Mm. Makes me want to take a trip to the beach right now. I wonder what level the tide is at.

I still purchase a tide calendar each year, so I know when low tides are. They're my favorites, of course! And minus tides are the very best of all. That's when I used to find antique bottles stuck in the mud. I think I got all of the worthwhile ones from the one beach that had all the treasures.

The World's Longest Lobstah Roll!

Only in Maine would this happen. The West End Neighborhood Association decided to have a fund-raiser, and at the same time to get into the Guinness World Records for creating the longest lobster roll in the world.

 

That's the roll being carried down Commercial Street to the very long table in front of Portland Lobster Company, where it was put together by members of the neighborhood group. The cute costumed lobster is a hardworking young man employed by Three Sons Lobster & Fish. My editor, Ed King, of The West End NEWS had given me an assignment to take a photograph for the event that would have "a little action and be a bit different."

That was a stumper, since there were dozens of people with cameras at the assembly table, waiting for the long roll to arrive. I started walking toward India Street, where I knew the roll would be coming around the corner for its final leg of the trip. When I came to the dressed-up lobster, I thought "This is it!"

 

With a lot of hard work, organization, and volunteers, capped off by a perfect day of weather, a 61 foot 9 1/2 inch roll was filled with 45 pounds of luscious lobster meat, cut into four-inch pieces and sold to an eager crowd.

The group pulled in a total of about $7,000, which will be used for a swim scholarship program. Approximately 200 children will be taught to swim at no charge thanks to the good work of everyone involved in the event.

After I spoke to the lobster guy, asking him if he'd grant me the wish of taking his photo near the roll as it passed down the street, he went to speak to his boss, who gave him permission to follow the roll bearers to the tables where the lobster roll was going to be put together. He was able to hang out in front of the table while the event continued.

 

 

Outdoor Still Lifes

I liked the little sign saying "WATCH YOUR STEP." Looking at the shoes left out there, it sort of becomes a small story of its own.

I have giant hostas in my side yard along the driveway. When I planted them 20 years ago I had no idea how huge they would eventually grow. It was a stroke of luck they wound up in the right place, with enough room for expansion. They looked quite lovely the other day, with raindrops still sitting on them.