Margery Niblock

It's June in Maine

Old Port Festival

The first Sunday in June is always the day for the Old Port festival, a wonderful downtown tradition.

This year's weather was perfect! The parade by the Shoestring Theater, headed by Nance Parker, was well attended and much enjoyed.

There was also a petting zoo.

A Bit of Country in the City

A neighbor of mine has created a wonderful pond in her backyard. It's deep enough for a frog to hibernate in over the winter.

This bullfrog is quite happy with his new digs.

She also has three chickens, who seem to be quite content in their new urban setting.

House Portraits

I've been doing scratchboard house portraits the past few months. It's a lot of fun doing my artwork, and I really enjoy when the owners pick up the pictures. They've all been quite happy with the representation of their homes, so that pleases me, in turn.

Praying Mantis Babies

The specks in that container are baby praying mantises; they'd hatched two days prior to my taking this shot.

My young friends Andrew and Henry are in charge of this nature experiment. They'd sent away for a praying mantis egg case that had instructions about what to do after the eggs hatched, which was supposed to be in about four to six weeks. Andrew had just about given up hope after eight weeks of waiting, when they hatched the following day.

The egg case is the round brown object on the stick, toward the right. The mantises are eating aphids until they go out into the garden to start working there. Some of them have already been released into the garden at the boys' home and some will go to the community garden they participate in.

I hadn't seen one of these insects since I've been living in Maine. I had been quite excited when one appeared in my Philadelphia garden.

Another City Bird

This pigeon has made a nest in a wonderful spot.

june "art of the month club"

It was exciting to receive my June envelope, with an apology for being late; May never produced an "art of the month" mailing.

As you can see, there was a charming little envelope decorated by hand, which contained flower seeds. I planted them immediately. I'll be checking them often and will take pictures of whatever sprouts in the area I've placed them.

If you click on these two photos to enlarge them, you can read about the guest artist. It's pretty funny.

Olio

Hannaford Origami

While writing a check for my supermarket purchases, I noticed that the young woman who was waiting for my check to be processed was putting those few moments to very good use. She was deftly creating tiny origami birds.

Then I noticed that she had about seven of them near the register. When I asked what she was planning to do with them, she said she was going to place one at each cash register. At that point I asked if I could possibly have one, and she cheerfully obliged.

Now I have this lovely little origami bird sitting right by my computer.

Thanks, Whitney! And keep up the good work. It's nice to discover something "different" during a trip to buy groceries.

Mr. TinyToes

Here he is! My favorite skunk in the entire world, who is also my neighbor. I just completed his portrait, which will soon be available at the eBay store.

I'm anxiously awaiting my first glimpse of him this spring. I know he's out and about because my neighbors saw him around dawn several weeks ago. It's still a bit to cool for me to be camping out in the garden at dusk, so I must be patient.

Emily's Favorite Shirt

Emily (a dancer) and James lived on the third floor of the building where I reside. You couldn't ask for nicer neighbors.

The other day we were all in the first-floor hallway at the same time, and Emily was wearing the T-shirt pictured above. I'd never seen her in anything that approximated the look of this particular top, so I said "Emily, you're dressed in rags! What's going on?"

That's when she said "This is my favorite shirt." And James's statement explained it all, when he remarked: "She danced her heart out in it."

Emily's a beauty, even in rags! Don't you agree? But these "rags" have a story to accompany the look.

My Favorite Kind of Maine Day

This is the view I had from the top of the hill the other day. It's what I call a blue-water/blue-sky day. That makes it a perfect day. I've been here almost 19 years and I still get a thrill when I walk out the door and see that magnificent water down the hill. I never tire of that sight.

Dead Tranny

It's been quite a while since I've seen an interesting note while walking, but this one certainly falls into that category. And I like the fact that it's so very polite.

Hola!

This hat looked as though it were in perfect condition. I don't know whether it was accidentally dropped or if it is meant as a gift for someone who might be looking for a south-of-the-border sombero.

Forty years ago I might have picked it up and stuck it on my head, but today—not a chance.

Be an Angel . . .

Angels in My Home

These are my favorite cherubs, from a painting by Raphael. The small images are from a tote bag hanging on a doorknob in my living room.

I also have little magnets of these babies on my kitchen stove. Angels and cherubs are the children and adult versions of the same celestial beings; I think of cherubs as baby angels. They all have wings.

I have several more of these charming creatures in my home. This wooden angel is on the wall next to my bed. And this saxophone-playing angel hangs from the reading lamp above my bed. He's about four inches long and he has the greatest pair of sneakers. I also am fond of his gold-colored patina.

Standing on the floor below the bedroom window is this stone cherub. It's very heavy. And very cute! He'd actually be suitable for a garden ornament, but I like having him close by.

Strolling through the dining room, I have a wonderful triptych that I bought eons ago at an auction in Philadelphia at Freeman's. These are adult angels, Gabriel and an unnamed woman.

They're special because they have gold wings.

The Birthday Angel

One evening eleven years ago I took a friend to dinner to celebrate her fiftieth birthday, and an angel became a focal point of the celebration. We went to the Eastland Hotel here in Portland, which has a dining room on the first floor.

Shortly after we were seated, an agitated man burst into the dining room, carrying a gigantic bunch of beautiful flowers in a vase.

He hurried to the banquette next to us, placed the flowers in the middle of the table, and then approached us, saying: "I'm having dinner with a very special friend tonight—Angela." The man in the black leather coat, with a long scarf dramatically thrown across one shoulder then announced: "She's in the car, and I'm going to get her now. I'll be right back and then you can see for yourself. Don't go away."

I was thinking "You go away! And leave us alone, dammit!" He rushed out and within a couple of minutes was back, carrying a large angel doll, which he plopped down at the banquette. It was quite similar to this one, from the Franklin Mint.

He said "This is Angela. Isn't she gorgeous?" Yes, she was beautiful, we had to agree. He then pulled out a camera and stuck it into my friend Deb's hand, telling her he'd like her to take some pictures of him with Angela, how this was his birthday, and that he'd spent his birthday last year in Los Angeles. He said "I'd like you to take a picture of me with my dinner companion." She complied with his wishes, snapping a few photos of the "odd couple."

He finally left us alone and went to sit down with his angel for his birthday dinner. There's nothing that I enjoy more than finding out people's "stories." Most have fascinating ones, even if they may not realize it. I love getting to know people. But this guy had crossed some sort of line in my psyche, where I just wanted him to get far away from me. I would like to know his story, but I didn't want to hear it from him. There was something about him that made me think he could drag us across an invisible marker and we'd wind up in The Twilight Zone, of the old Rod Serling TV series.

We managed to have our dinner without any other interruptions, and to commemorate the event Deb gave me this tiny book a couple of weeks later. Whenever I see it on my shelf I remember that bizarre man, who was touched—and with an angel.

Emerson's Angels

Doug Emerson, a talented photographer, is someone I was introduced to by this same friend. I didn't realize I'd known Doug for such a long time until I typed this in. Time does fly, doesn't it?

Doug is also an angel aficionado, and has taken many beautiful photos of angel statues.

Here are three of his delightful angel photographs.

I'm always drawn to black and white photography. I'm having a difficult time trying to decide which of Doug's angels to bring home. And then it will be exciting deciding in which room the angel should live. I think I feel a need coming on to have an angel residing in my living room.

Oh, yes! I know the exact spot where it will go. It will be fun waiting for my new addition to arrive and become part of the household.

Out and About Once Again

New Family Members

This magnificent chickadee was created by Sue Talbot, who carves all sorts of birds out of wood. When I saw her work I had to get one of her creations.

Sue informed me that the bird was carved from tupelo wood and painted with many layers of thin acrylic washes. The legs and toes are brass rods that have been shaped, soldered, and covered with epoxy putty. The base and cone were carved from one piece of cedar.

The chickadee was shipped down to Portland from Camden, Maine, in a well-packed cardboard container. He seems to have acclimated very well to his new home, and I've told Sue that she has "visitation rights." It's also very special, since the chickadee is Maine's state bird.

Toni Wolf, a wonderful artist, sent me this little paper frog that she made. Toni knows I have a long-standing relationship with frogs and she thought that sending this little fellow my way might make spring seem a bit closer.

It's a welcome addition to my eclectic collection of artwork. Thank you, Toni!

March "art of the month club"

My envelope for March arrived from the art of the month club. As you can see, for this month's activity I was asked to draw something that I love on the other side of this prestamped, self-addressed postcard. I didn't exactly follow the instructions to the letter.

I cut out my skunk from one of my prints, and pasted it on to the card. Then I did do some drawing of grass and I signed my name to it. I hope those folks won't be too upset with my interpretation of the rules.

Snow and Hydrants

This is a creative way to draw attention to a lost glove. For those of you who don't live in snowy climes, the reason that metal rod is attached to the fire hydrant is so firefighters will know where those very important pieces of equipment are if they happen to get buried under the snow.

During the winter, you'll see firefighters driving around to make certain that all of the hydrants are exposed and available for use, if need be.

Huh? What Is It?

I got quite excited when I saw this "thing" lying on the bricks. I had no idea what it might be. It's a little dog toy that squeaks when pressed. I pressed it and it squeaked, so I'm able to report that with authority. Some poor pooch is without its little leopard toy.

Bacon Lovers' Delight

My agent Kevin, who handles my artwork at the eBay store, sent me this photo. I thought that he'd done something new and different with a package of bacon and wanted to share it with me.

I'd never seen a bacon pot holder before—nor had I ever hoped to see one. It's very similar to that purple-cow syndrome from our childhoods. But that was not the case at all. This isn't something Kevin made. He'd found the photo on the Internet while searching for something. You know how that goes, don't you?

I wouldn't be surprised if he does make one of these at some point. I've had bacon at his house and he does wonders with it, so I hope I get invited if he ever decides to make one of these.

Oops! Spring Snow

I'm so anxious to see "my" skunk again that when I saw these footprints in the snow, I thought that's who made them. I was quite disappointed after sending them to a friend, when she sent back a drawing of skunk footprints and told me these were made by a cat. A cat! Of course I should have known. That's what wishful thinking can do, it can turn one into a fool.

This is what my garden looked like on March 29! We had more snow, a spring snowstorm. Well, at least it helped us break the 100-inch mark. That's special.

The Latest Addiction: Cell-Phone Mania

Officer Kent Porter received a call last fall, late in the afternoon, about two teenagers who had stolen DVDs at Guitar Grave, in Portland's downtown area. Porter was met by the store’s owner who said he’d chased one of the thieves down Elm Street and then lost him near Portland High School.

During the chase the youth dropped his cell phone, which was turned over to the officer.

After Porter saw a number for "Mom," he dialed it, got her name and address, and was told her son wasn’t home yet. Now that's making good use of a cell phone. I approve of that!

Police were waiting to arrest the teenage thief upon his arrival. And speaking of Officer Kent Porter, what a name! Whenever I hear it, I always think he should go to Hollywood with that moniker.

What! You Don't Have a Cell Phone?

And now to get back to cell phones, lest I get too distracted. I may be the only person in Portland without a cell phone, and that would include most high school students. I don't need one! I don't have to be available to people every minute of the day. That's the purpose of an answering machine, which I do have.

How about those folks at the supermarket gabbing on their cells? What are they talking about? Whether to purchase Wonder Bread or focaccia?

And then there are all of those people supposedly walking along together; but in so many instances, one of them is blabbing into a mouthpiece.

 

I see people on cell phones walking with their children; people on cell phones walking dogs;   people on cell phones walking alone; people supposedly driving cars who are yakking on cell phones.

I do understand that cell phones have an important function today. They are certainly necessary for people who have professions where they may be called for emergencies. But I've also read that some women carrying cell phones will place themselves into potentially risky situations because they believe the phone carries such an element of safety. That isn't a good thing.

A Carnegie Mellon University study just released has shown that merely listening to a cell phone while driving impairs drivers. The study will be appear in an upcoming edition of Brain Research.

Cell phones are just everywhere. You can't escape them. There are too many cell-phone users who are also inconsiderate of everyone else around them. Restaurants are not places where you should hear ringtones going off every few minutes. There are probably a million different ringtones available, so that everyone with a cell phone can be truly unique. There should be a ban on their use in these establishments.

I'm sure you've come across people who have their hands free while walking down the street and talking on a phone. When you first approach them you get the impression that they're talking to themselves. But they aren't. They're probably speaking to some other nincompoop who's walking down another street spouting gibberish into a phone.

Perhaps cell phones will be given to children at birth. Then they can fit into our manic telephone society as soon as they begin walking and talking.

"Hello Nana!"

Cell Phones and the Hereafter

And would you believe that some people are desirous of being buried with their cell phones?

I'm not really interested in putting profanity on this site, but when someone sent me this road sign, how could I resist? It just sums it all up so well, and so succinctly.

Amen!

Winter Events

The Portland Police Department held its third annual Recognition Ceremony at a breakfast event held at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.

Officer of the Year

Officer Robert Bickford was proclaimed Officer of the Year. Bob has been a member of the force since 1987. He's assigned to the Traffic Unit and has received numerous commendations during his years of service. He's also a very nice guy, and a credit to this community.

Congratulations, Bob!

Citizen Award

The young man in the center is John Lough, a nineteen-year-old Portland resident, who was given a citizen award for coming to the aid of a man who had been stabbed.

Tom Kane, (a former Mayor of our fair city) along with his wife Maureen and son Jimmy, were also in attendance, since John Lough is their neighbor. That's Jimmy seated to the left of John Lough.

Commissioned Painting Unveiled

Detective Sergeant Bruce Coffin unveiled a large painting he was commissioned to do by the Police Unions, depicting a roll call from the 1940s. It will be installed at Headquarters on Middle Street.

That's Chief Tim Burton on the left and Bruce Coffin on the right. If you'd like to see more of Bruce's paintings, read my article "Bruce Coffin: No Shortage of Talent."

Snow, Snow, and Yet More Snow

It seems as though it has snowed every second or third day this winter. It's quite beautiful, although it does make getting around somewhat difficult. We've already used up the money allotted for snow removal this year, as have most of the other Maine communities.

Beautiful Winter Sunset

A phone call from my friend (and neighbor) Dave Brackett, alerted me to the lovely color of the sunset behind the snowy treetops.

It's great to have people that are willing to take the time to let you know that something special is happening outside. Dave was also the person who alerted me to the presence of the barred owl around the corner.

An Odd Coincidence

[David Howe's roof creations]

My friend David Howe lent me this book, which he highly recommended. Titled American Ground: Unbuilding the World Trade Center, by William Langewiesche, it describes the daunting task of removing the 1.5 million tons of ruins from an incredibly dangerous site. And the author was there for six months, usually seven days a week; traversing the site day and night with those in charge of the massive cleanup (he refers to it as the "deconstruction"); attending meetings with the engineers. He became, in effect, part of the crew, and was privy to all of the problem solving that went on, and the many disagreements that came into play during the process.

Langewiesche states in the afterword that his aim was "to maintain the narrative's detachment," which he has done admirably well.

As an artist, I was very drawn to the cover illustration by Lynn Buckley. I kept looking at it from differing points of view; its vantage point and perspective; the drawn shapes; and the eeriness of the color. I found it fascinating.

That afternoon I received a handwritten card from Annette Dragon, a dear friend and talented photographer, who moved from Maine to Rochester several years ago. Her card had a reproduction of a Grant Wood painting on its cover.

I was startled when I saw the color of the fields in this painting. They were the same as those on the cover of the book I'd just gotten a few hours earlier. I placed the two objects side by side and just kept looking at them. These aren't colors that you'd normally run into placed next to one another, and especially in one day's time.

I e-mailed the two photos to my friend Kate O'Halloran, associated with the WMPG Thursday evening show "Big Talk," and this was her comment: "Interesting, too, how they're similar in color and tone, but different in texture—one all smooth and sinuous, the other uneven and crystalline."

Kate definitely has a way with words. I had been so focused on the color similarity that I hadn't even looked further.

House Portraits

My friend Nini, who lives around the corner, commissioned me to do a scratchboard portrait of her home. I had a great time working on this project and I hope to do more of them.

She got the original scratchboard and plans to have note cards done with this image. She said she may also want to use it on letterheads.

What's New? Snow!

Those tracks were not made by a cat. I think Mr. TinyToes (the skunk) has been venturing out in the snow. Poor thing! What's out there to eat these days? I wish I could help him get some nutrients. I'm quite fond of him and I miss seeing him, and those wonderful photo sessions we had last summer.

I'm starting a new scratchboard of him and I'll show you the finished product when I'm done.

Bruce Coffin: No Shortage of Talent

On Saturday, January 12, 2008, Detective Sergeant Bruce Coffin unveiled a large painting he was commissioned to do by the Police Unions, depicting a roll call from the 1940s. The event occurred at the third annual Portland Police Department's Recognition Ceremony, held at the Holiday Inn by the Bay.

It will be installed at Headquarters on Middle Street.

Doesn't it make you feel as though you're in an old detective movie?

That's Chief Tim Burton on the left and the very talented artist Bruce Coffin on the right.

Bruce Coffin is a tall, elegant man with the voice of a TV or radio announcer. He has been interested in art his entire life. As a youngster, he drew all the time. As is common with many children who have a talent for drawing, he was treated specially because of this artistic gift. Coffin has had no formal training, but his wife Karen encouraged him to pursue his love of art after Coffin’s mother showed her some of the things he’d created during his youth. Karen bought him lots of art supplies and signed him up for a short period of art lessons as a surprise. Coffins says "I picked it up quickly; I read and tried to do things on my own."

Coffin enjoys working with watercolors and oils, and especially likes the effects he can achieve using glazes on oil paintings. He has an affinity for the outdoors and enjoys painting landscapes.

He also likes to do portraits and has done many of deceased relatives of the people who commission him to do such paintings. "You get drawn into portrait work. I try to capture what those people appeared to be at their best; the way you’d want them remembered." Pet portraits are another area where Coffin excels, and he’s done numerous commissions of animals. Coffin also has a Web site featuring many fine examples of his work.

Coffin hit it off and became friendly with a local artist, Suran (Sam) Kaklegian, who had been in art his entire life. Kaklegian became his mentor and was "a huge influence. He gave me critiques that were really helpful. After Sam died I did a pencil drawing of him for his wife Suzanne."

All of the Wyeths are favorites of Coffin, particularly N. C. Wyeth, whose work he was fascinated with when reading books in childhood illustrated by him. Norman Rockwell is another artist that Coffin admires. "His portraits tell a story," says Coffin.

At the present time, Bruce Coffin’s art is a second career. He’s a Detective Sergeant working for the Portland Police Department, where he’s been on loan since 2004 to the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Coffin’s law enforcement career spans a 23-year period. He started out working a foot beat and has been in many different units, including patrol and traffic, where he investigated fatal accidents. Coffin joined the Detective Bureau in 1997 was promoted to Sergeant in 1998, rejoining the Detective Bureau as a Detective Sergeant in 1999, and holding that rank since then.

Coffin says that he has become more of an extrovert because of his art, and he enjoys combining his art and his law enforcement career. In 2006 Coffin did a portrait of Sergeant Michael J. Wallace, who was a beloved member of the Portland Police Department and had mentored many of the young officers. An award had just been named in Wallace’s honor and Coffin presented his painting at the department’s Recognition Ceremony, in 2007. The painting was very warmly received and now hangs in Headquarters.

Coffin shows his work in Portland’s summertime Sidewalk Art Festival and will be having an exhibit in August at The Gallery of Casco Bay Frames.

This painting of a sunrise over Portland's skyline was done from a view along Back Cove, where Coffin often jogs.

After retirement, he plans to work on his art full time, quipping, "I won’t be a starving artist because I’ll have a pension."

I hope you’ll mark down his opening date on your calendar.

Ending a Year, Starting a Year

Who Are Your Favorite People?

My friend Kate O'Halloran gave me this delightful little gift on the way to the party that is the next subject.

It's just too precious to hang in my car, so I placed it on a wall in my kitchen. What a perfect item for the "police-beat" reporter for The West End NEWS!

I felt I had to share it with some of the police personnel that I deal with on a regular basis, and sent the photo off to a few of them. Detective Sergeant Robert Martin, a highly-decorated officer with many commendations and citations, who also possesses a finely-honed wit, responded with the following e-mail.

"That is funny. It probably won't get you out of a ticket but it might get your window broken."

It was excellent cautionary advice from one who knows what he's talking about.

Here's the back of the air freshener; it's a little badge.

Glitter Party

I was invited to a solstice party on December 22, hosted by Hannah Holmes and John Dorvee, which happened to be—you got it—the solstice! Everyone attending was supposed to wear something that glittered. The sequined "butterfly" above is the blouse I wore. It was a good choice. I was the "glitteriest" person there. I thought I might be.

One of the men there, who admired my shiny blouse, after hearing me make mention of my leopard-skin tuxedo jacket, said he'd like to come to my home and see my wardrobe closet. That jacket was purchased for my "dinosaur" party, a terrific event, with a magician, and of course lots of good food and great company.

[rear view of tuxedo jacket]

Several of my parties wound up with titles as a way of distinguishing them: There was the dinosaur party, held at the Ethical Society of Philadelphia; the bumblebee party; the dog- fight party; the gun-that-went-off party. I'll just mention that it was a tavern owner whose gun went off while showing it to someone in my kitchen. Scary! Unknown to me, he was holstered up with three weapons; one across his chest (.45); one at his waist (.38); and one on his ankle (.22). There were three unarmed off-duty officers (two of them a married couple) in attendance at that one, one of whom left immediately. The others remained and the rest of the people at the party thought that a firecracker had gone off in the kitchen. The gun-toting friend was removed from my party list after that event.

I just went to check my e-mail and one had come in a couple of minutes ago from the detective whose wife (now ex-wife) whisked him out of my house right after the gun went off. The bullet landed in the kitchen door jamb and I never removed it, as a reminder of how very lucky I was that night.

These guys must know that I'm writing about them. I checked my e-mail once again, and had one from the officer whose wife (also a police officer) did not drag him out the front door of my home.

Memories, memories, now back to the solstice event. Then the man who was interested in my clothing, proposed to me. I'd be happy to have him come over and look into my closet, but as far as marriage, "been there; done that"; x 2! That was enough for me. Some people just aren't marriage material, and I think I'm one of those. I love men, I just don't love being married to any of them.

More Glitter—on Flowers

Folks, do you see those shiny spots on the flowers that look like sequins? It's glitter! This is almost as bad as those donut peaches I wrote about many months ago. Why would anyone need to put glitter on flowers?

Old Port Fight

Three young suburban men in their twenties, no doubt buoyed by high levels of alcohol and testosterone, were engaging in fisticuffs in the middle of the street, a quarter after the hour of the closing of the local drinking establishments.

A Portland Police Department sergeant on routine patrol, after viewing the scene, brought his vehicle to a halt and ordered the combatants to cease and desist. One of the men heeded the command but the other two, somewhat in lack of good sense, were bent on finishing what they had started.

The pummeler on top was arrested and charged with assault and the pummelee was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.

One can only hope they were pleased with their accommodations at the Cumberland County Jail, whereby they would be able to contemplate the result of their foolishness in quiet reverie, and possibly forge some worthwhile New Year’s resolutions based on the evening’s events.

Safe Sex Isn't Free

On New Year's Day at three o'clock in the afternoon, a twenty-four-year-old person of the male persuasion, catering to his libidinous urges, entered a Rite Aid drugstore in search of condoms. He is to be commended for his desire to have safe sex; however, he either didn't want to pay the price of the aforementioned items, or couldn't afford to. Whatever.

He was seen stealing condoms, police were called, and the guy was arrested for theft. We can only hope that his detainment didn't last long enough to prevent him from purchasing those same items and having a better start to the new year.

And He Had . . . What?

A guy goes into a Big Apple at 11:30 in the evening. He's wearing a ski mask (but after all, it is Maine) and after being aggressive toward the staff, refuses to leave the premises.

An employee promptly called for the help of the men in blue and upon their arrival the prominent feature pertaining to this 45-year-old man was a wooden handle protruding from his left jacket pocket.

Guess what? Upon the removal of the wood from the pocket, it was discovered to have a steak knife attached to it. The gentleman was relieved of said item before being transported to jail and charged with carrying a concealed weapon and criminal trespass.

Owl Takes Up Residence in Neighborhood

A magnificent barred owl took up residence around the corner in a giant fir tree for several days. I was hoping it might be a more permanent move, that I might be able to visit it and take photos on a daily basis.

Barred owls and spotted owls are very similar in appearance. Barred owls live in the eastern portion of the country and spotted owls' habitats are in the western parts of the United States.

He's gone! I'm going to keep checking out that tree though, hoping to see him once again. It certainly was a winter treat.

Reckless Conduct, Snow, and Ice: A Bad Combination

We've had a lot of snow and ice in Portland, more than the usual amount. People here usually don't turn the snow and ice into weapons.

But that's what occurred when police responded to a call after being notified that a man was throwing large chunks of ice and snow into the street directly in front of passing vehicles, causing them to either swerve or slam on their brakes.

When Officer Kent Porter arrived at the scene at three in the afternoon he saw pieces of ice in the street that were so large they could have caused serious bodily injury or damage to property.

Officer Porter, a gentleman with a pleasant demeanor, explained the reason he was asking the 53-year-old Portland man to stop this particular activity. The guy's response was "Get a life!" And then he threw a large shovelful of ice and snow at the policeman.

The officer, who has a very nice life, part of which is protecting the public from jackasses such as this, decided it was time for this man to take a short ride to the jail. He was charged with reckless conduct and disorderly conduct.

A Perfect Wedding

September 15 was the date set for Hannah Holmes's wedding to John Dorvee; at her house; hopefully outside. The weather had been lovely for a week—but rain was predicted for that Saturday. No fair! I believed the sun would shine by four o'clock. The ceremony was scheduled for 3:30, but I didn't think it would start until four. It's too bad I didn't make bets on the weather with lots of people. I could have cleaned up. The sun was shining at four and the sky was blue. Yippee!

There was one of these floral arrangements on either side of the driveway. Hannah had placed calls to many of her friends, in search of hydrangeas. A neighbor of mine has the largest bush I've ever seen; just loaded with blossoms. I reported back to Hannah, but she was all set. She had all the hydrangeas necessary by the time of the ceremony.

There were a couple of tents set up in the backyard, which is the garden written about in Suburban Safari, Hannah's last book. Travis Humphrey provided the music and Monica Wood also sang a song accompanying herself on the guitar. It's amazing how some people can have so many talents. Monica is a woman who's lovely to look at, is a talented writer, and also plays guitar and sings beautifully.

Attorney Leonard I. Sharon conducted the ceremony. Several group hugs with John's children Kyara and Aidan were conducted after Hannah and John were officially declared husband and wife.

There was an awful lot of love going around that day.

The cake not only looked delectable, it was. I'm a dessert lover, and I can vouch for the tastiness of this. Just looking at the photo now is making me lust for another piece.

Hannah is sporting a lug-nut necklace and earrings made by her childhood friend Paula, from Boothbay Harbor. It looks great on her, doesn't it? Of course anything would look great on Hannah! And the jewelry is a wonderful complement to the metallic color of her lovely gown.

May John and Hannah live happily ever after. A fairy tale ending couldn't happen to a nicer couple.

L'Chaim!

Saga of the "Crazy" Carrots

Check Out These Carrots!

They're different, aren't they? My friend Kevin got them at the farmers' market downtown last week. (Revise that to two weeks ago. This story is taking longer than anticipated.) They weren't for sale; they were for barter only. Kevin wanted these badly, so he looked in his backpack for something to barter. He had some over-the-counter pills for cold symptoms, but the man who had the carrots wasn't interested in those. He said he'd just gotten over a cold and was now fine.

Kevin rummaged around and came up with a CD that he'd made on cell division. He asked the man whether he might be interested in that. The gentleman accepted the CD as a trade for the carrots, and presumably everyone was happy. I know I was quite happy to take a portrait shot of these carrots that appear to be embracing. They are embracing, aren't they? Gee!

Strike One!

I went to the market today. (Change that to last week.) I'd been looking forward to this event since I'd seen Kevin's carrots, which happened to be Halloween; very fitting day to bring home such an oddity. I'd been told which section this farmer's spot was. I went directly there, but saw no freaky-looking carrots. I asked the young man whose space it was if he knew who had the barter-only carrots.

Daniel Price, of Freedom, Maine (what a great name for a town), stated he was the person with those carrots, but he didn't have any with him because he hadn't packed the truck for the market. I expressed my disappointment and told him I'd come prepared to barter. He was curious to see what I'd brought with me, so I showed him. He liked the print of "my" skunk and we decided that he could keep that and I'd come back the following week to pick up my carrot. He said he'd try to find a very unusual looking one for me.

Dan's dog Abbey accompanies him on his outings. Abbey is an eight-year-old mixed breed, really sweet and well behaved. The dog is wearing a bandanna and I have a weakness for dogs wearing such things. Too bad I couldn't get a nice head-on shot with the kerchief. You can see that bit of orange, so you know I'm telling the truth. What a big, fuzzy animal! And what a wonderful expression in its eyes.

As we were chatting, a handsome young man came over. He began to look over the produce to make some choices. And he knew my name, which mystified me. He said "Everybody knows Marge!" Really?

He told me his name when I asked him, but said that he didn't want to be identified on my blog. So I'm acceding to his wishes. From this photo, you wouldn't be able to tell who he is and I won't divulge his name, nor will I tell you which newspaper he works for as a reporter. It's too bad that you can't see how good looking he is. He lives in my neighborhood and we know some of the same people, so I told him to come and visit me. I said "I don't drink beer, but I keep some in the refrigerator for friends that stop by."

Isn't this a neat sign? And it's so happy! Freedom Farm is owned by Dan Price and his partner Ginger. They started the organic farm three years ago and Dan had been working on farms for five years prior to that. He loves farming. He comes to both farmers' markets in Portland, the one on Wednesdays at Monument Square, where I met him, and the one held Saturdays in Deering Oaks. The farm also participates in markets in Belfast and Bar Harbor.

I was on a mission, and I'd come prepared to barter. I brought things I created: a stone necklace from my days of making sea glass jewelry; and a print of the skunk I became so fond of who shared my garden this summer. I'd come to think of him as Mister TinyToes.

Price chose the picture of the skunk. For some reason, I thought he'd like that, which is why I brought it with me. But then I made the mistake of saying, "The skunk, the farmer's friend." He seemed a bit horrified and said, "Oh, no! They kill chickens!" Oops! I'd read about all of the bad bugs they eat, not the naughtiness they were involved with. Of course I was coming from a pro-skunk bias also. He straightened out my thinking very quickly.

We then got into a discussion about how and why the bartering of "crazy" carrots began. Price told me that in the bunching process, they had been discarding lots of good carrots because of their appearance. These anomalies are natural occurrences. He said "We don't get paid for our time as farmers. It's a two-person job for four hours to bunch carrots, so we don't want to put a monetary value on it." And so began the bartering aspect of the produce stand, the summer before last.

Price said many customers aren't aware of the sign. The interest "ebbs and flows. We've accepted lots of crummy things." Some of the items in the "crummy" category were dental floss, a battery, and a half-eaten granola bar. There have also been some wonderful trades conducted: a foot massage, a lovely watercolor of carrots and parsnips, which was shown to me, and Price said that one woman wrote a song and performed it. She chose her carrot, and said she'd return the following week with the song and performance. She delivered everything she'd promised.

When I asked what the strangest barter item received was, Price ran to his truck and came back with this little trinket. It would be interesting to know the story behind how and why this chicken bone came to be decorated in this manner.

Strike Two!

I went back to the market on November 14, with high anticipation of seeing some crazy carrots and returning home with one of my own. Farmer Price was there, his produce looking inviting.

Abbey was there, wearing the same bandanna, and this time I was able to get a good shot of the scarf.

Although the produce was luscious in appearance, I was only interested in getting my carrot trade, and possibly seeing an assortment of these mutants, which I could photograph.

But I struck out for the second time. Dan said he'd been in New York until late the night before and Ginger had packed the truck. He apologized and said that he'd neglected to tell her to pack some crazy carrots. Oops!

I wasn't interested in the squash. It wasn't "crazy." I wasn't interested in the potatoes. They weren't "crazy" either. Price did offer me a distorted parsnip, to tide me over, but I wanted none of that. My mission was to secure a crazy carrot and nothing less than that would satisfy me.

My next opportunity would be Saturday, at Deering Oaks. It's marked on my calendar and I'll be there.

I happened to be at the market when the official Christmas tree for Portland arrived at Monument Square. I was able to see it unloaded from the giant flatbed trailer and watch its installation.

That made the trip worthwhile because I got pictures of the event.

A Triple! (Or Triplets)

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day, after two solid days of heavy rain and gray miserable weather. Once again I was excited about the prospect of getting my very own crazy carrots. I got to Deering Oaks around 8:30. As I began walking toward the center of the park, there was a young woman almost next to me. We began talking and she said she was a "foodie" and she had a food blog; she and her husband had been eating just locally grown food since July. She said they've recently added olive oil back to their menu because they missed it and it's hard to find a replacement. Amen!

When I asked her name she said it was Alison LePage, and I wrote down the address of her Web site. I gave her a card with mine on it. She was familiar with Freedom Farm, knew about the crazy carrots, and bought produce from Dan Price on a regular basis.

Dan was there and so were the crazy carrots. I asked permission to remove the box with the carrots from the table to take some photos of them in the shade. Permission was granted.

Every time I look at this carrot above, I think: "It's a boy!"

This one I've titled "carrot orgy" in my photo folder. Yes?

When I brought the crate back, Alison was making a purchase and we walked back to our cars together. I'd taken one carrot and was thrilled to have this saga coming to an end.

Right by the parking area, Dan came running and calling my name. He said "Don't you want these?" I told him I had a carrot, but he said in order to repay me for my patience and fortitude, he wanted me to have three different crazies to bring home. That was awfully sweet of him, and he ran quite a distance to catch up with us.

I asked Alison if she'd like to bring one of my carrots home, since I had more than enough, and she was quite happy to be able to add it to her other vegetables. We parted company, saying we'd link to each other's Web sites.

I hope Alison LePage's carrot tasted as delicious as mine. And I'm certain it did.