November is the time to toughen up for the cold months ahead. It takes some doing because a temperature around 40º Fahrenheit that felt downright balmy back in March feels a mite chilly in November after several months of soothing warmth. The birds molt and add new down. Deer change into their thicker and darker winter coats.
Bangor-based artist and photographer Andrea Hand specializes in events and portraits. A visit to this private fishing camp in Northern Maine inspired her to add landscapes to her repertoire. “I have lived in Maine for 26 years, but until last year had never participated in the ‘camp’ lifestyle. When folks talked about ‘going to camp,’ I thought they were talking about a week away at some kind of summer camp. Then last summer I was invited to an 1890s fishing camp for a late-season jaunt. As we turned off the logging road and across the small bridge onto the site, my soul was flooded with the spirit of this sacred place.
These images are part of an exhibit at the Portland Public Library (March 6-31, 2015) entitled “Tiny Giants: Marine microbes revealed on a grand scale.” The photos were taken by scientists at the East Boothbay-based Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences who explore how marine microbes drive global ocean processes. These tiny, nearly invisible plants and animals provide a foundation for life both in the ocean and on land. They consist of plants—phytoplankton that provide half of the oxygen we breathe, and animals—zooplankton that serve as the source of food for all marine life from fish to whales.
Jonathan Ives spent his childhood exploring the coast with his family in an old Banks dory. While exposed and small, the vessel was incredibly seaworthy.
Rhubarb is a tough perennial; along with some humans, deer and woodchucks don’t eat it. It is one of the first edibles to appear in May, with long red stalks ready for use in desserts and, increasingly, in the 21st century, in savory dishes, too.
