Our final destination for the day was Christmas Cove, where we are staying at a lovely bed and breakfast. As soon as we drove up, George, the nicest dog you will ever meet, greeted us. I was so busy making his acquaintance that I did not pause to take a photo of him. I hope to rectify this tomorrow morning.
As luck would have it, we happened upon Pumpkin Fest in the small town of Damariscotta. Apparently, a cash prize is awarded to the grower who produces the largest pumpkin (1,700 pounds was the largest we spotted). Next, the pumpkins are sponsored by businesses, and artists are assigned to create a town-wide work of art. Finally, and I am sad to say we will miss this part, a Pumpkin Regatta is held in which motorized, hollowed-out pumpkins are raced on the Damariscotta River.
Jeanine and I got up before first light and walked to the Pemaquid Lighthouse from our nearby lodging. There, we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise to start our day.
The photo below was taken by Jeanine. I think it is spectacular. She has become an exceptional photographer in her own right. She claims it is from hanging around with me for so long. I think she has simply discovered her inner artist.
To celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary, Jeanine and I are spending three days in Boothbay, Maine. Today we visited the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. It is my first visit and Jeanine’s second. Angry skies gave way to 15 minutes of rain, during which we sheltered inside a gazebo. For the remainder of the day, the weather was ideal.
Born in Odense, Denmark, Thomas Dambo lives and works in Copenhagen. Building and creating with wood since the age of five, a self-labeled “recycle art activist,” his trolls can be found worldwide, including five within this park.
This evening, Jeanine and I attended a talk given at the Concord Public Library by architect Henry Moss entitled Conantum: From Conception to Maturity. We were joined by a large group of our neighbors who were equally interested in learning about the history of the place where we live. It was created 75 years ago and represented a novel development at the time, both in terms of the architecture and the harmonious integration with the natural surroundings. Pictured above is a map showing the 100+ lots, common land, and the Sudbury River.
I suspect I am the only person in the world who can claim to have received a massive mason jar of peaches as a birthday gift from a soccer teammate. The honor was bestowed upon me by Mike Baltay, back for his first game since rupturing his Achilles tendon, and one of my soccer teammates at Union College.
Last week, I got my first chance to test-drive a BMW iX3. Although my reservation is in the queue, I am toward the tail end of the 100,000-plus orders that have been placed for the car, and my expectation is that it will not arrive until April, 2027. The car lived up to my high expectations, with the exception of the steering wheel buttons and the general lack of useful storage compartments. This notwithstanding, it was a total joy to drive.
Given the rather lengthy wait, however, I have decided to do a little more auto research. Today, I test-drove the highly rated Rivian R2. There is certainly a lot to like about this vehicle as compared to the iX3: off-road capability, thoughtful storage, awesome acceleration, and an unconventional but oddly attractive body design. Despite reviewer claims to the contrary, it still has very truck-like handling, however. The BMW, on the other hand, has superior range and faster charging, lives up to the ultimate driving machine catchphrase, and has an expansive service network.
I decided to reserve a place in the Rivian queue just to keep my options open.
The kids and their partners joined us this evening to celebrate my birthday. My nephew John also attended but arrived after we had already taken photos. Jeanine prepared Enchiladas Suizas for dinner, with corn fritters (one of my favorite foods) as an appetizer, and a decadent chocolate-raspberry layer cake for dessert. Everyone contributed photos for a wonderful slideshow presentation, and I spooled up some old videos of the kids when they were small. All in all, a fantastic birthday treat for me.
Earlier in the day, my soccer team won our toughest match of the year by a score of 2-0. I had to watch from the sidelines because my pinky toe has not sufficiently healed to play. After the game, I took advantage of the fair weather to create the official team portrait for this season.
Easing my disappointment for not having played, one of my teammates presented me with a delicious birthday gift, a huge jar of peaches from his orchard. I can’t wait to sample them.
The good news first. I timed my visit to Franconia Notch perfectly. Fall color was at its peak; the vibrancy this year was off the charts and the sky was clear. The bad news. I was not the only person who figured out that today would be an optimal time to visit. Traffic and congestion were terrible. Click on the photo below for a look at the crowds at the Artist’s Bluff Lookout.
Zoom in on the photo below to appreciate the classic New England fall foliage palette. I think the photograph is pretty good, but it does not do justice to the experience of seeing it in person. If you have never witnessed peak color in the Northeast Kingdom, it is something you should add to your bucket list.
Coprinus comatus, commonly known as the shaggy mane or lawyer’s wig, is a distinct mushroom recognized by its tall, white, scaly cylindrical cap. I found a few emerging on the edge of our driveway today. As the mushroom matures, its gills turn pink and then undergo rapid self-digestion, melting into a black, inky liquid that spreads its spores. At the rate it was being eaten by the slug in the photo, I doubt it will reach that stage. For more information on this mushroom, follow the link below.
Tom Volk’s Fungus of the Month for May 2004
More diners may be found enjoying this nearby crop of Hypholoma genus mushrooms.
Jeanine and I drove to Scituate this morning to meet up with her sister, Susan, and friends Jean and Debra Jo, who are renting a house there.
I flew my drone 2 miles out to sea to photograph the Minots Ledge Light and was lucky enough to catch a sailboat in the background. The original iron-pile lighthouse, completed in 1850, was destroyed in a fierce storm in April 1851, killing its two keepers. Rebuilt between 1855 and 1860 as a sturdy 97-foot granite tower, it is also known as the “Lover’s Light” or “I Love You Light” because of its distinctive 1-4-3 flashing pattern.
Pictured below is my own version of the “I Love You Light.”
When in Scituate, the Lawson Tower is a must-visit destination.
<copied from the post I made after my last visit here>
Described as the most beautiful, most photographed, and most expensive water tower in the world, it is said that Lawson’s wife Jeannie was thrilled with her new home until, in 1901, the Scituate Water Co. decided to build a 276,000 gallon, 153’ high steel water tank in the town center. Mrs. Lawson saw this massive standpipe as a monstrosity and urged her husband to do something about it. Having made a fortune in the stock market, he was happy to oblige her wish.
The Scituate Lighthouse is another popular destination. Each time I visit, I try to explore a new composition, but I keep returning to the one below as my favorite, captured today with the American flag at full attention.
My injured pinky toe is on the mend. It is more colorful and less swollen than it was earlier this week. I think my odds favor a return to the soccer pitch this weekend. I was able to complete my routine 4-mile run on the elliptical this morning with only moderate discomfort. The real test will come when I try to squeeze into my tight-fitting soccer shoes on match day.
On an aesthetically more pleasing note, I received the birthday card below this morning, hand-painted by my cousin Heather.
I feel fortunate that my birthday falls during autumn, my favorite time of year. Fall color usually doesn’t arrive in this part of Massachusetts until mid-October. Over the years, however, I have discovered nearby pockets of vibrance that emerge earlier. The one below is only a few hundered feet from our prior home on Mattison Drive and remained undiscovered by me until I purchased my first drone.
The title of today’s post expresses my age today as a function of my favorite number, two, and Jeanine’s favorite, three.
Mercifully, I woke up to discover that the swelling of my pinky toe was no worse than yesterday. Even so, it was still too painful to walk on it while wearing a shoe, so I had to skip my routine gym workout with Jeanine. Instead, I spent most of the day with my foot elevated while watching TV. I did manage to spend a little time in the shop making minor repairs to a set of chairs gifted to Nico and Teddy by Jeanine’s sister, Susan.
Nicolai, who is also recovering from a soccer-related toe injury, shared the AI-generated photo above sent to him by his coach. Apparently, Nico is expected to lead the US to a World Cup victory in Mexico with his newly acquired right leg and third arm. Just in is the World Cup group draw. Uzbekistan finished 3rd and Morocco 5th in the last World Cup, presenting very stiff competition to the USA, which finished 15th.
The 2022 World Cup results. Looks like Group B will be a cakewalk for Turkiye.
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Turkey |
| 2 | Angola |
| 3 | Uzbekistan |
| 4 | Haiti |
| 5 | Morocco |
| 6 | Brazil |
| 7 | Tanzania |
| 8 | Italy |
| 9 | England |
| 10 | Argentina |
| 11 | Japan |
| 12 | Colombia |
| 13 | Poland |
| 14 | Iran |
| 15 | United States |
| 16 | Mexico |
| 17 | Liberia |
| 18 | France |
| 19 | Iraq |
| 20 | Republic of Ireland |
| 21 | Uruguay |
| 22 | Indonesia |
| 23 | Spain |
| 24 | Germany |