Memories of Maine

 Evlyn has been posting about things she likes about June.  For me, June always brings back memories of holidays we took in Maine.  We always went in June before the rates went up.  These photos were taken by our son on one of our last visits.

 We started going when our oldest daughter was 4 . We made many trips down to Kennebunkport, always staying at the same resort where we could rent a housekeeping cottage.  One of the big pluses - on site washing machine!

 When I look at these photos, I can feel the crunchy seaweed on my feet, taste the salt, and feel the sand change from hot up near the sea grass to cool down by the water.  I can feel the icy cold water on my lower legs as I wade through the surf. So many  happy memories.

The kids always loved it.  They could handle the cold water and would bodysurf in on the waves.
They built lots of sandcastles and sculptures, and found lots of treasures on the beach.
This summer, our oldest daughter is going to Maine with her husband, and two little boys. Not to the same town, but not too far away.  I know they'll love it.

Ninebark

 I have two ninebark bushes.  This is the flower cluster on the Dart's Gold which blooms well even in part-shade .  The shrub has also grown really fast so that in its third year it is 6' tall.  Of course being a bit short of light, it is ganglier than it would be out in full sun. I like the yellowy green leaves that brighten up the shady spot and I'm quite happy to have it overgrown as I planted it to crowd out the wild maple raspberry plants that can be so hard to control.

It's hard to see where it begins and ends because there is so much green around it, but it it probably close to 8' at its widest part.  It could be pruned if someone wanted a tidier plant and in full sun it would be shorter.  Hardy to zone 3, maybe even 2 in a sheltered spot.

The other ninebark is Coppertina which is a cross between a purple ninebark and the gold ninebark. The leaves start out yellowy-green and then gradually turn sort of bronzish.  In the fall, some of the leaves will have pinky red markings.  My Coppertina is much tidier than the Dart's Gold even though it is in a pretty shady spot, and it has only grown to  about 3' tall.  The colour is ever changing over the season which makes it an interesting plant. Both ninebarks are bug and disease free and don't seem to mind dry or wet weather.  Very easy shrub to grow.

Light and Shadow

 I always like walking in the dappled light under a canopy of trees.

 Rocks, a link to the past.

The greens are so vibrant in June.

White fence

A way in.

June Wildflowers

The June wildflowers are beginning to bloom at the roadsides making informal gardens both colourful and varied. I suppose clover is not technically a wildflower, but they have naturalized in so many areas that I think of them as gone wild.

 Hawkweed also comes in a bright orangey-red. The wildflowers almost always have some kind of insects on them which just shows how important they are for our insect life.

Daisies- the quintessential summer flower.

 Bladder campion.  It's always fun to pick the little balloons, pinch together the open end and pop them on the back of your hand.

 Buttercups that have the shiniest, brightest blooms of any flower.

 Purple vetch. Hard to capture the real beauty of this viney plant with its purple and blue flowers.

Fleabane with a common bug of which I don't know the name.  I think fleabane is a largely overlooked plant but its soft pale pink petals and bright yellow center makes it very pretty.

The Balloon

A veritable whiz was Tom with a ball.
Whatever the sport, he excelled in them all.
Far from the basket, with a twirl and a spin,
He would always succeed to shoot the ball in.
In soccer, he zip-zagged, all in control,
Kicking the ball straight into the goal.
A birdie, an eagle, didn't compare;
Golfing for him, a swing-winning affair.
The sweet spot was his when he swung with his bat,
And sent the ball flying above where they sat.

One day he met Nigel, a small happy boy.
"Is that on a string some kind of a toy?"
Nigel replied," It's called a balloon.
And it can fly almost up to the moon."
Juggling a ball, Tom challenged with glee,
"Let's each have a try and see what we see."

Tom swung his arm round, round and around
And let his ball go with a frightening sound.
His ball rose up high, as high as a tree
So far in the sky it was barely to see.
Then right at the apex, it halted and dropped
And headed for land where it suddenly stopped.

Tom smiled at wee Nigel, and patted his head.
"Now, that's a great throw," he so modestly said.

Nigel had to agree that it was quite a throw
But also he noticed the fall to below.
He gazed with affection at his bright red balloon
And opened his hand to give it some room.
The balloon gave a wiggle, then started to rise
Higher and higher, up into the skies.
Nigel stood looking, his neck arching back
While up in the blue, going out of sight track
His balloon went on flying, flying and flying
With no never, ever a sign of it dying.

Hot, dry summer?

 The long range forecast this spring was for a hot, dry summer.  Hm, 6" of rain in one week - no too  dry  - or hot, for that matter.
 When we drove home this evening, we could see that past our house the road was flooded from the heavy rain we had today.  From a distance, it looked like only half the road was covered.

 But when I got up close, the water was flowing right across and was about 2" deep at the shallowest.
 It's not the first time that water has gone right over the road, but it doesn't happen very often.

 The water was just gushing through the culvert.

 And cascading over the side of the road into the ditch.

 Some of the gravel will certainly be washed away making a bumpy road until the grader can come along.
Our house, thankfully, is on a bit of a rise and so the water runs away from it. I'm sure some people in our area are getting water in their basements.  The trees, frogs, ducks, geese are all very, very happy.  We may get sun tomorrow.

Candelabra Primula

 This is a new addition this year.  It's a candelabra primula.  Unlike the drumstick primula, it has a circle of blooms, then grows more stem and then opens another circle of blooms so it ends up being a series of coloured tiers.  I really like the bright orange colour.  The all  important question, though, is will it come through the winter.  It likes a moist soil so I have it in with the drumstick primula which finished blooming a while ago.

 I picked a bunch of columbine that were knocked over in the rain and made an impromptu bouquet.  I like the colours with the petunias and impatiens behind it.

A photo for the skywatchers.  I liked the contrast between the wispy clouds and  the dense, puffy cumulus clouds.  Click for full photo.
Also check out www.artfayre.blogspot.ca for some great paintings and sculptures.