September. The nights are cooler now, and the leaves are beginning to change. I visited No Name Pond one last time and waved good-bye to the loon family. We watched the chicks grow from tiny fluff balls in June, to nearly ready to fly adolescents. I worked on a picture book about them while listening to the parents call across the lake to each other in that incredible, haunting sound. The book is taking shape--not ready to go out as a proposal to a publisher just yet.
So-- here's the loon family, taken last week, and one of the chicks doing a little foot waggle. And a "farewell to summer" photo of the lake. If you missed my earlier post about loons, be sure to check out the wonderful work being done by the BioDiversity Research Institute in Gorham, Maine.
we took it along to the treehouse. Sam and Vick-- the first kids I have read this book to!--enjoyed the story and plan to make a bean teepee in their garden next year. 
The dog days of summer have arrived....and we are now very sorry that we complained about our too-cool Maine weather. Ugh. So being lazy on a hot and humid Sunday afternoon is the only option. Star (kitty...pictured here) chose the dock, as did a resident frog a bit later. The treehouse offered me a bit of a breeze. A very good day to read, indeed.
Just returned from a fabulous writers' retreat on a lake up near Lewiston, Maine. We managed to persuade the wonderful owners of 
All participants enjoyed productive work-- occasionally breaking for a refreshing swim, a bit of yoga, or a romp with the adorable puppy-in-residence, Sashi. We're hoping that Nilaya and James (PERFECT hosts!) will be willing to offer this again next year! Check out their site--and the incredibly beautiful boats you can learn to build with them, too. 
