Day 11.141: Popham tide

When we arrived at Popham beach on Saturday, there was a sign saying that Fox Island was closed due to the incoming tide. According to our calculations, it was about two hours after high tide, so we were wondering if we'd made a mistake as we watched the waves crisscrossing over the sand-bar causeway:

However, just 40 minutes later after a walk down the beach and back, we were reassured that the tide was definitely retreating.

It wasn't quite passable without getting wet feet and we were moving on to the fort, so we didn't venture over this time although we did on a previous May visit.

Day 11.140: Popham birds

Here are the birds I photographed on Sunday. Identification help is welcome!

This is the swallow (presumably a barn swallow) that Exile #2 mentioned we saw fighting valiantly upwind:

I'm really struggling to identify these sandpipers even though I got some reasonable pictures of them:

We saw an osprey at the beach and then again the same or a different one at the fort:

and, also at the port a pair of common eider:

Day 11.139: Fort Popham

We enjoyed our short visit to Fort Popham after we'd had enough of the breezy beach. As Exile #2 mentioned, it was started as a Civil War fortification, but never completed. The site had previously held fortifications during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

Day 11.138: Popham Beach

We had a pretty quiet day today - except for a board game, a ballet class and a few minor chores.

More interesting are some more pictures from Popham Beach State Park.

The angry ocean:

the family on the sand:

and the kids doing physics experiments with possibly non-Newtonian fluids:

Day 11.137: Exile #2's Sunday Column #206

Exile #2 writes...

As it is a long weekend, we decided to drive a little way up the coast to Popham Beach State Park for a picnic lunch and a walk about. It may not have been what most people consider beach weather, being closer to 55 °F (12 °C) than the 85 °F (29 °C) we had the other day, but we wrapped up well and enjoyed a bracing time, admiring the large amounts of driftwood, the very choppy water, and some hard-working swallows that were being buffeted around.

We made a brief stop at Fort Popham before heading home. It’s a compact structure, dating back to the Civil War. It’s possible to visit parts of it, although other bits are clearly in need of restoration. We were more than a little distracted, however, by what was going on in the river on which it stands. As we watched, dozens of seals bobbed by, heading inland. Sometimes we would catch a few noses, at other times we would see a Nessie-like arch of a back before it disappeared, and occasionally one would give a great sinus clearing snuffle.

They caused quite a lot of excitement on the beach, both for the human and canine visitors!

Day 11.136: Band boy

While I was away in Ohio, E5N1 had his last band concert. They've come a long way in one school year.

Here he is introducing their last number:


and here it is (with E5N1 on trumpet):

Day 11.135: One swallow does not a summer make

...but one hummingbird is a pretty good indication that winter is over.

Day 11.134: Flowers at the marsh

We saw some flowers at Scarborough Marsh too!

Day 11.133: Birds at the marsh

Here are some of the birds we saw on our walk at Scarborough Marsh on Saturday (click for bigger):

Clockwise from bottom left: an unknown smallish raptor, a double-crested cormorant, a great egret, a red-winged blackbird, a snowy egret, a willet, and three pictures of the glossy ibises.

This is a great time of year to see birds at the marsh - lots of activity but not yet too much cover!

Day 11.132: Capital detour

The mystery location for my trip was Ohio. A few minutes after my alarm went off this morning I discovered that my 8:20 flight was delayed to 10:00 more than enough for me to miss my connection. A few seconds later, it was delayed to 11:45 (it was canceled several hours later but by then I had made other arrangements). I managed to get my flights changed to a connection through Washington D.C. with only about an hour delay to my original schedule.

I was slow to realize that there might be some sights to see as we came in to land and so missed capturing a rather good view of the White House, Even from the concourse windows, the Washington Monument and the Capitol are pretty easy to spot:

The last photo shows a crowd gathering to greet some war veterans on one of the "Honor Flights" that are organised to take them to the war memorials and other sights. There was a jazz band and lots of people stopped to welcome them. I, however, remembered that I should make sure I got my flight and - thanks to that thought - I am home safely.

Day 11.131: Familiar distance

I arrived at my current work-trip location you see this at the airport:

I’m not - however - back in the vicinity of our many New York Five Rivers adventures  but a little further west.

Day 11.130: Exile #2's Sunday Column #205

Exile #2 writes...

Photographers have it good over here. No, I’m not talking about the beautiful natural settings, or the interesting and variable climate. I’m not even talking about the photogenic smiles, courtesy of the orthodontic industry. No, I’m talking about the world of opportunity that exists, especially for those willing to photograph kids. There are school photos in the fall, and optional spring ones as well. Then, for every activity, each sport, or performing art more photos are in order! This afternoon, it was time for dance photos to be taken, so E5N1 and Exile #3 went over to the studio to strike poses and take actions shots for each class.

We can’t wait to see the results!

In other news, Exile #4 stayed home and tried to get well. E5N1 has his band concert tomorrow, so we are hoping his smart clothes still fit him and Exile #1 is going out of state for a day or two. Just an ordinary week, I guess.

Day 11.129: We marshed up and down

Exile #4 is recovering slowly and at the end of this day, Exile #3 has left for a birthday sleepover. Earlier, Exile #2, E5N1 and I went for a walk on the Eastern Trail at Scarborough Marsh.

E5N1 spent a good deal of the walk honing his punning skills which are a little inconsistent, but often pretty good. It reminded me that somewhere I had a blog post marking his first pun. It turns out it was a couple of months before his fourth birthday. If you're curious (as I was) you can read it here: Day 4.018: My First Pun.

Day 11.128: Videographer's view

It's really been Exile #3-week this week right? In fact, today was at least partly centered around Exile #4 who has been home from school sick, but seems to be on the road to recovery.

Anyway, in between concerts and dance classes etc., I've been editing the video from the show last Saturday and since I have, I can share a couple of stills from Exile #3's student choreography duet:

Day 11.127: Flowers and campers

Exile #2 pointed out this tree to me yesterday:

I thought it was a bit strange, since we'd just been talking about the flowers. It turns out she wasn't pointing to the blossom, but to this:

a little colony of eastern tent caterpillars.

Day 11.126: Exile #3 by Exile #3

Exile #2 and I went back to see Exile #3's choral concert again tonight (since we had originally bought tickets for tonight before we found out she was doing a solo yesterday). Tonight's performance is now available to watch here.

We also saw her artwork that was chosen for the gallery walls - this self portrait. We're very proud of what she has accomplished.

Of course (in case she's reading this), there are a few things she could do better at...!

Day 11.125: Spring Choral Concert

Tonight we went to the Spring Choral Concert at Exile #3's school.

As an extra bonus she had a solo in this interesting nonsense-word piece - she is the second soloist in case it's hard to tell:


I wouldn't normally have recorded any of it since tomorrow's concert will be live streamed (and available afterwards here) but there will be different soloists tomorrow, so I made an exception. The rest of the concert was amazing and well worth a look!

Day 11.124: Lawn meadow

I have cut most of the grass for the first time this year, but I couldn't bring myself to do this strip down the side of the house because the large number of weeds biodiversity we are cultivating there is so darn pretty:

Day 11.123: Exile #2's Sunday Column #204

Exile #2 writes...

Today is Mother’s Day in the US. I was woken fairly effectively by E5N1, who seemed to need somewhere to warm his icy feet. But he he did wish me a Happy Mother’s Day as he did it, so I guess that was OK! All three of the young Exiles had been busy and had made me lovely hand made art,

but there wasn’t too much time to linger over it as we were due to play music for the services at HopeGateWay. It’s been a while since I played for any length of time. I’d forgotten how much of a workout it could be, especially after hauling bags of dirt and mulch all week but we got through it and, as ever, are left with a renewed appreciation of how effortless our usual pianist makes it all seem!

The young Exiles were ready for some lunch (once they’d finally dragged us away from cooing over our friends’ new baby) and we struck it lucky, managing to be seated right away at our first choice of restaurant.

Now we’re home and resting up before another busy week of music making. This time, it’s Exile #3’s turn. Tomorrow is the final rehearsal and then she’ll be singing for the following couple of evenings in her school choral concert, with even a solo on one of the nights.

Day 11.122: CM Cares

Exile #3 danced with her student company colleagues and the adult company at the studio today in their annual charity performance. It was a great evening!

Day 11.121: "Party"

Exile #2, E5N1 and I went to a 40th birthday party this evening. It was a fun event but I didn't take any photos. Instead I asked Google Photos for suggestions for "party". Here were two of the less-obvious matches:

Day 11.120: Remembering Day 8.120

Facebook reminded me that three years ago - on Mother's Day - I ran my fastest marathon ever to date and qualified for Boston. A year and a half later I ran almost exactly the same time, qualifying for this year's Boston Marathon, but I missed the cut-off and so missed the miserable cold rain-soaked event a few weeks ago.

I am a way off running this far this fast now, but I am getting back to some consistent training habits. If I can keep up with my good habits for months rather than days, maybe I can be this exhausted again some day!