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Happy holidays from Ogunquit, Maine

Actually, we’re back in Ithaca, recovering from a holiday family celebration at the Dragonfly Guest House (recently acquired by my brother-in-law Charles and his partner David) in Ogunquit, Maine. I highly recommend the town in general and the guest house in particular. This time of year, the population is about 1,500. During the season, it’s upward of 80,000. So we more or less had the beaches, the trail along the Maine coast and the shops to ourselves. This place is definitely worth checking out.

Here’s a local lobsterman’s Christmas decorations made of lobster traps stacked and decorated as a Christmas tree in his yard. Wish I’d grabbed the camera on my morning walks to watch the sunrise. But you’ll have to visit yourself to have that experience.

lobster pot tree

Cyclamen angels

I was surprised to find a huge tuber buried in the pot of the florist’s cyclamen I bought last winter from Hortus Forum, our undergrad horticulture club at Cornell University. These plants — like forced bulbs — are usually considered disposable after they flower. But I’m glad I saved this one to give some angels to dance on the kitchen window sill.

Landscape:
florists cyclamen

Portrait
florists cyclamen

4-square
florists cyclamen

Kaleidoscope
florists cyclamen

Mosaic:
florists cyclamen

Detail
florists cyclamen

Skippin’ in the Mississippi Dew

To celebrate Nate and Jo making it to the Mississippi, I pulled together some river songs from the late great John Hartford. (Keep up with Nate and Jo’s adventures on Chasing 70.)

While I’ve been a big fan of the late great Hartford since I was a tot watching The Glen Campbell Show (faves include I’m still here, Aereo Plain, Tall Buildings, Joseph’s Dream and this reggae classic), it’s his river songs that always grabbed me and made me imagine that I’m on the trip that Nate and Jo are on today.

nate on the mississippiEnjoy:

Nate on the river (right).

Many thanks to Stan and Kathy and the regulars at the Pekin Boat Club for the hospitality (and warm shower) they provided Nathan and Jo.