Skip to main content

Signs of Spring


Good morning everyone. Though morning temperatures have been in the single digits for the last few days we know spring is near. For one Drew, our chief mate, arrived this week and he and I have been building new paint floats in the barn. More on those later. Jen went down to the harbor yesterday to photograph some more of our unique winter ducks and was instead greeted by robins. I don't know what birds are unique to the place you call home but here in Maine robins give us hope that a new season is right around the corner. This particular robin seemed most interested in our anchor chain. I have a theory. As you can see, the part of the chain stack that faces south certainly gets some solar gain and provides about the only open ground one is likely to find here. I am not sure how the worm hunting is on the granite bulkhead but who are we to argue with a robin. That bird must have one tough beak!

Have a great day. Be well. Do good.

Comments

Unknown said…
Drew - Welcome to the Schooner Mary Day extended family. It is a special honor to be mentioned in the Captain's Blog an honor bequeathed on only the most able seamen (insert smiley emoticon here if I was an emoticon kind of guy). I look forward to sailing with you this summer. Enjoy what's left to the winter in Maine. Barry tells me the Maine winters are great but I know the summers are even better, if for no other reason than it's the sailing season.
Michele B said…
Welcome Drew! Wait until you meet the crazy folks on the wooden boat rendezvous! :)

Popular posts from this blog

Hail Mary

My heart is heavy with sadness as I write this particular blog. Since the beginning of August our dear friend and cook for the last 12 years, Mary Barney, had been struggling with cancer. I have intentionally respected Mary’s privacy and I apologize to you for not sharing any news about Mary’s health sooner. On Monday afternoon Mary passed away very peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and “family”. Her departure was as graceful as the rest of her life. Many people, including Jen, have been doing heroic work to support Mary these last few weeks. Oddly enough Mary was never very excited about transitions though this was about the fastest transition she ever made. And as I struggle to let go of Mary I realize I am terrible with transitions as well. We used to joke about how we liked things just the way they are, thank you very much, so why change what is working already even if it might be less labor intensive. Hard works is its own reward. I used to joke about getting Mary a Cui...

Swimming Anyone?

Good morning everyone. Winter is still here in New England though it seems to be taking a rest these days. We have enjoyed a little bit of a thaw. We still have snow covering our field but it is thinning out in the sunny patches. Mary Day rests comfortably in the harbor, bilges dry, cover intact, waiting for the crew to return. Another busy week has passed so I will get you up to speed on everything that is happening here at the global headquarters. Jen is putting the finishing touches on year end taxes. Blockfest 2008 is finally finished. The blocks have received quite the massaging. And while we have the off-white paint out we are starting in on the lifeline stanchions, the davits, and a few other miscellaneous parts. Alex asked me last night how we were doing with our pace. We are doing great but in the back of my mind I know that there is never enough time to do it all. Having perfectionist tendencies is a curse. I want to do it all and know we will never have enough time. There se...

Black Dots Make Me Smile

Good morning everyone. Happy Ground Hogs Day to all. If today’s forecast comes true folklore tells us we will see an early spring here in our neighborhood. What does the groundhog say about your weather forecast? We start a new month, albeit a short one but a month in which we gain an emotionally crucial 1 hour and 13 minutes of light. By months end the sunrise will be at 0620, a full 37 minutes ahead of this morning. Jen and I were shocked how light it was so early yesterday even though it was overcast. So while the weather is one thing we spend much time talking about the light is what really makes the psychic difference here. One of the things you will find me talking about in blogs, especially in summer, is seals. We have more lousy, unfocused pictures of little black dots on the ledges and every one of them makes me smile. Each picture reminds us how delighted we are to see seals. Harbor seals (phoca vitulina) are the most common seal here in Maine and their numbers have gr...