Day 19.172: Ordway Grove

After lunch in Norway, we walked up the street to Ordway Grove - a small area of old growth forest with some huge pine and hemlock trees. Exile #2 was hoping we would see a Blackburnian warbler there but although we heard at least two, they were likely out of sight in the very high treetops. 

I’m glad we were forewarned that the entrance isn’t especially obvious. 

Red squirrel

Red squirrel

Downy woodpecker

Downy woodpecker 

American robin

Yellow-bellied sapsucker

Yellow-bellied sapsucker

Common self heal

Day 19.170: Shepard's Farm Preserve

Our first stop in Norway was at Shepard's Farm Preserve. It's a park with sculptures adjoining trails to Witt's Swamp. Here are some photos.

The trail names and signs have fun with the name of the swamp:

We saw some birds and some interesting plants which I'll save for another day, but the birds we only heard may have been the highlight of the trails. We heard an Eastern wood pewee, black-throated green warblers and oven birds and were serenaded as we looped around the swamp by winter wrens, but the most magical moment was standing on a trail in the woods with at least two hermit thrushes calling around us here is a tiny flavor (sound only):

Day 19.169: Exile #2's Sunday Column #557

Exile #2 writes...

Norway turned out to be a fun little town, with a surprising number of artists’ studios on its Main Street, plus a number of nice cafes and restaurants. One was called Pizza XChange and something about the vibe of the town, or maybe because it was on the same block as the town’s cooperative market, it had us wondering what might be considered an acceptable exchange for pizza.

This building, however, intrigued us the most. The US is home to many societies: Freemasons, Shriners, Elks, Odd-fellows and more, I’m sure, but we’d never come across a Weary Club before. I couldn’t help wondering if their membership had increased lately...

Weary Club of Norway, Maine

Day 19.097: No Smokin’

Spotted at the airport on our recent trip back from the UK:

Day 19.079: It’s all this way…

Greetings from Wisconsin! I managed a short walk with my camera before work today but whatever I captured is stuck in techno-purgatory until I get home a can transfer the photos from my camera. In the meantime, here is a sign at Portland Jetport. So much awaits through this door…

Day 19.012: Mixed messages

I was getting mixed messages from this sidewalk hardware:

This week in Clearwater Beach has been good. Nearly time to go home!

Day 18.302: Exile #2’s Sunday Column #531

Exile #2 writes...

We got up bright and early to meet up with our nature group then, with a quick pit stop for some coffee, headed off to church. As the route was not our usual dash down the highway, we got to enjoy some of the current roadside signage in our town.

One of the ice cream stands, now closed for the season, was offering a somewhat terse “Closed. Thanks.” Our local garage was advertising “Newt ires”. But our favorite sign was one a little way out of town, which read: “Now in stock - road legal vehicles!” You’ll be relieved to know that the business in question supplies golf carts...

Day 18.257: Philip be doing what?

We saw this commemorative plaque on a bench in the West Quoddy Head park. We hoped that in life Mr Hoppin leaned into both his last name and his middle initial. 

Always be hoppin’

Day 18.249: Aboarder crossings?

At the otherwise fairly normal looking public boat-launch in Lubec is this sign:

I suppose the rules are always to do this, but maybe more sign-worthy when Canada is just a few hundred feet away. 

Day 18.239: Sand bar, Eastport, Calais and Moosehorn

With rain in the forecast for today, we planned a drive around the bay to Eastport - the easternmost city in the US (Lubec being a mere town), but since the rain hadn't started and it was otherwise pretty clear unlike the misty morning recently we stopped down the road to witness the tide come rapidly in over the South Lubec Sand Bar.

Here are a couple of videos (actual speed!):

After I had retreated from the disappearing sand bar

After that, we headed to Eastport as planned. It was the final day of their pirate festival and although I suspect we were a bit early in the day for too much pirate action, we enjoyed our visit - including the pirates, street art, the port and a Wabanaki art exhibit on loan from nearby New Brunswick.

Ye Ole Hookers

Uncle Sam caring for a bird

The Roosevelt house on Campobello across the bay

Tiny car ferry

Having got that far, we decided to drive another thirty minutes to Calais ("CAL-us"), a true border town with just a fairly narrow river crossing separating it from St. Stephen, New Brunswick. We visited a small museum at the visitors center and had a tasty lunch. 

Selfie with a moose at the museum

On the way home we stopped at a couple of spots in the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge and drove the 4.4 mile auto tour on some challenging roads.

Yes, this blind is really at this jaunty angle. The viewing windows are angled to suit wildlife enthusiasts of all heights

On the auto tour

Wildlife viewings to follow in due course.