Day 14.355: Last snowman of 2021

Also, probably the first. With the snow starting to melt (but plenty still around) it was the perfect day for snowman building and Exile #4 and E5N1 were keen to participate, so that's what we did:

We also played some Beatles Rock Band, did some adulting and saw the New Year in with Miley Cyrus (not in person - on TV) - a pretty good way to see out 2021.

Day 14.354: Sandridges?

OK - maybe just ridges in the sand but I like the idea that there is a word for them. 

I always like this kind of view with the sky reflecting in the water between the ridges:

and this cross-ridge pattern caught our eye too with higher frequency ridges at right angles to the main ones:

Day 14.353: An actual movie - on the big screen

We went to see a movie today - our first visit to the cinema in a long time. In fact, our local cinema has gone out of business, been shuttered for several months and then re-opened under new owners since we last went there.

The movie was great - it was this one (my tip is don't search for images of this film if you're avoiding spoilers - I didn't make that mistake, but looking for an image for this post revealed that it was just as well):

Day 14.352: Portland Head Light

Exile #4 met their friends to go ice skating around lunchtime today and the rest of us managed to get ourselves together for a little outing to Portland Head Light:

Who can resist a tiny snowman? - not me.

I didn't see many birds, but watched this cormorant land and saw a loon diving in an inlet:

Day 14.351: Snow, sand and sea

Exile #2 and I made it to the beach today - it was very snowy above the high tide mark and easily cold enough for the distant islands to be doing their mirage-floaty-thingy.

Day 14.350: Exile #2's Sunday Column #376

Exile #2 writes...

We took it fairly easy today. It snowed overnight and that meant there was a little bit of not-too-urgent shoveling to do.

We were sharing a song at church but we had prerecorded it and submitted to the person in charge of pressing the buttons for our online service, so all we had to do was plonk ourselves down on the sofa at the appropriate time. In fact, perhaps the most stressful thing we did all day was play a game of Ticket to Ride (or the train game, as everyone seems to call it). As usual, there were tense moments as we attempted to complete our routes, but Exile #1 ultimately won. We made up for the mild peril by watching Encanto this evening. It was delightful, and made me glad that the younger Exiles have not decided they are too old for an animated Disney movie.

Day 14.349: Christmas; pudding

We had a lovely Christmas day - gifts and food and watching the snow fall, games and conversations (including video calls with family in the UK) - and of course, setting the pudding on fire:

Day 14.348: Merry Christmas #15

We've done a song at Christmas more often than not. This was our most ambitious to date, and not our most thoroughly rehearsed, but it comes with a heartfelt "Merry Christmas" from us all!

Day 14.347: Choose your weapon

Exile #3 was out for dinner with her friends. The rest of us had some fruit after ours. E5N1 wanted the one "with a tree" which started the observations of the range of stalk lengths going on which led to taking photographs which led to this:

Day 14.346: Ice; rules

There are a couple of rules - one: if I go away during the winter months there will be a snow storm and two: if there is an ice storm, Exile #2 will have somewhere she needs to be.

Today was an example of rule two. School was canceled, but rather than spend the day inside in the warm, Exile #2 had to take E5N1 to a scheduled doctor's appointment including a drive up the highway to Portland.

The ice wasn't too serious in the end, and the treated roads were mostly fine. It was enough to lightly glaze the driveway and the plants:

Day 14.345: Tree removal

There was a lot of activity in our street today for the removal of a tree. I witnessed this limb coming down (although it wasn't - as it appears here - with a grand swing of some kind of axe but a more gradual process with a chainsaw):

Soon enough, the whole tree had gone.

Day 14.344: Snow stack-up

Here are a couple of views of how the snow had stacked up over Saturday night - six inches or so as the snow was tailing off at home in the morning:

and the view from the deck at the farm during the caroling excursion:

Day 14.343: Exile #2's Sunday Column #375

Exile #2 writes...

We tagged along with Exile #4, who was carol singing with the High School Chamber Choir today, at the same Christmas open house that they sang at two years ago. It is held in a beautiful old wooden barn on a local farm and is attended by both Santa and Mrs. Claus. Visitors can take a ride on a horse drawn wagon and toast marshmallows by the fire. It is all very lovely and festive.

The choir stood facing the main barn door, so that visitors would be met with the sound of music as they entered. One toddler was so astonished that they walked right up to the feet of the singers and stood staring up at them, as if they were trying to work out whether the sound was really coming out of them. In these odd times, of course, it could actually have been the first group of people this tiny human had ever seen singing. They seemed to enjoy it.

Day 14.342: Show; snow

Exile #3 and I spent the afternoon and early evening doing the camera work for the video of her erstwhile dance school's holiday show. That all went well, but coincided with the onset of this:

We made it home without incident through the snow. A little later, it looked like this as Exile #2 and I went to get the mail:

The snow is still falling, but since none of us has anywhere else to be until Monday morning, we're not expecting any disruption.

Day 14.341: Maine; lots of trees

This evening, Exile #4 had a little gathering with their friends but the rest of us decided it was high time we went to see the festival of trees in the museum.

One favorite was this one - decorated to represent Maine - lots of good references, but we were disappointed not to be able to locate a potato.

This cute slice of blueberry pie will have to suffice:

Day 14.340: At least it's not the other kind

Our local pharmacy has several types of this product:

I couldn't help wondering if the "with-" version is only available from behind the pharmacy counter.

Day 14.339: Instrumental Concert

Tonight, it was E5N1's turn - his first high school concert - playing his trumpet in the band.

We didn't even see him until they stood to take the applause at the end of the concert because of where he was sitting - our view looked like this:

And here is the dramatic opening of their last number:

Day 14.338: Choral Concert

The high school managed to put on the traditional choral concert tonight. Apart from masks (and slightly fewer students in the choirs after a not-much year last year), it was back!

Exile #4 did a duet as part of one of the pieces, here they are during that:

and here is the end of that piece, including rain sound effects curtesy of finger clicks and some natty actions from everyone else to go with the crunchy harmonies: