Thank you Andrea Helm for interviewing me. Through your questions I learned a lot more of what the Chronicle is and even what it could be. Looking at this interview I realize I could have talked more about celebrating the natural beauty all around us as the single unifying principle- the thing we all cherish. We love our lake and our town of Stoneham (rich in gems, both literally and figuratively). I look forward to the next year of Keewaydin Chronicles.

photo by Kim Desanctis

A room full of people delighted to Allen’s presentation of the Ghosts of Mt Washington. When I think of ghosts I think of haunted houses, not haunted forests and climbing trails, but Allen Crabtree did a great job of showing where the spirits are buried both in and outside. One such spirit was Lizzy Bourne who died of exposure just yards from the Tip-Top House Hotel at the top of Mount Washington. More about Lizzy on the link below.

photo by Cathy Fifield. Loons are hanging out in groups of 3 or 4 and socializing now that the nesting window has closed. (from Lee Attix, aka, the Loon Ranger)

To subscribe send your email address to barrylane55@icloud.com. It’s free. If you like it, forward to a friend.

Broadband Baby!

Blue Moon?

I’ve had a lot of moons

Lighting my face,

Loving me, lately,

Including a “blue moon”.

At least that’s what,

What we “humans”

Call it, in English,

In the year 2015.

I wonder what our

Distant neighbors

On the other side

Of the universe call it?

I wonder what the

Indigenous people

Before us

Called it?

I wonder what all

The creatures we

Share the planet with

Call it?

Perhaps they say nothing,

Name nothing,

And it just

Is.

Something to gaze upon

With wonder,

Or not,

If nobody looks up.

Lee Attix

Photos from the Webb telescope are full of wonder and magic.

We are dust made in stars,

but having a great summer, nonetheless.

Suzan and Achim and their 2 children Illy and Jamal came to the Waterford World’s Fair all the way from Essen, Germany. They don’t call it a World’s Fair for nothing! Also in the far right is Carolyn Curtis whose family hosted Suzan as an exchange student 23 years ago.

by Carol-lee Lane

It was sometime in the late 30’s that my grandfather, Herbert Worth, an immigrant from industrial England, bought his quarter acre of Eden. His coworker in Massachusetts knew of a fellow in Maine that had a couple camp lots on a lake to sell. Grandpa was a blue-collar Renaissance man; a machinist who collected miniature steam engines and elephant statuettes; who painted landscapes in oils, and took beautifully composed black and white photographs. When he came to Keewaydin to investigate the camp lots, he fell in love with the gentle dynamism of the silhouette of Albany mountain, with its bold vertical ledges exposing the structural bedrock beneath its lush, sloping forest curves. The mystical serenity of the mist rising above a perfect mirror image of the mountain and heavens extending infinitely into the still waters of the lake in the early morning light delighted and sustained him. He bought the lot with the best view of the mountain and had a one room cabin built. He worked all summer and fall at the machine shop in Massachusetts and drove six hours on Friday night and again on Sunday to spend his weekends at Keewaydin.

My grandmother equally loved it here, spending the whole summer at the cabin in a return to the pastoral simplicity she so missed from her turn-of-the-century childhood on her grandfather’s farm in the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont. She reveled in the hand pump at the sink, the outhouse in the woods, the church casserole suppers and wildflower walks on the roads around the lake. She savored the smaller beauties of the natural world, and two of her favorites were Black-eyed Susans and Water-lilies. I never saw her get in the water, but she would paddle me out to Turtle Island in the canoe to gather a few Water-lilies to float in a bowl on the table, and we would marvel at the brilliance of their golden hearts, their delicate fragrance and the magic of their alabaster petals opening and closing morning and night. There was something otherworldly and regal about the solitary floating lilies, but the ready companionship of the bobbing, communal Black-eyed Susans seemed the perfect metaphor for all my grandmother’s aspirations in this world; simple beauty, community, and radiant goodwill. She prided herself on her membership in the Eastern Star, which accepted persons of all Faiths. Having lived through WWI, the Depression and WWII, she reveled in the harmony of the natural world. To her it was epitomized in the humble Black-eyed Susan. Even the anthropomorphic nature of its name pleased her. The inherent beauty of a simple woman, the unassuming dignity of the feminine in the world, was present in that generous flower, that could be gathered in bountiful handfuls rather than in the deliberate care and restraint demanded by the more glorious water lilies. Black-eyed Susans were her favorite flowers, and we watched for them wherever we walked or drove. They were a treasure and a proof of the inherent bounty and beauty of the natural world, and of our belonging within it.

The season of Black-eyed Susans and Water-lilies has arrived. After this grueling spring of gluttonous caterpillars it is a relief to be able to focus on these two uplifting flowers, that so ably reflect both the mundane and transcendent aspects of our beautiful Keewaydin environment.

For those who aspire to a native garden, the golden, daisy-like roadside rudbeckia hirta makes a radiant, sweet-scented contribution to any flower bed or walkway. They are biennial plants whose dark purple-brown centers produce bountiful nectar for butterflies, bees and other insects that in turn support our woodland birds. It is a perfect choice for our climate zone, tolerating temperatures into the -30s. They prefer rich, moist yet well-draining soil, and plenty of sun. Black-eyed Susans set out root clusters to carry the plant into its second year, when the flowers appear. These root systems make them ideal plantings for containing soil erosion and embankments. Black-eyed Susans are not invasive, but seeds produced in one season will establish new plants that will blossom two summers later, renewing your bed with minimal effort. Picking or deadheading your first flush of blooms may win a second set of blossoms in the fall. In short, Black-eyed Susans are an easy, resilient native flower that can enrich your garden and our wildlife.

The Fragrant Water-lily, or Lily of the Water, (Nymphaea odorata) is a delicate contrast to the robust rudbeckia, seemingly beyond the reach of human cultivation but susceptible to human destruction. They are best seen in early morning when they open to the daylight and release their perfume. They demurely close during the heat of the afternoon but open again in the waning light of the afternoon, and close to seemingly rest through the night. They breathe through the upper surface of their lily pads, which provide a haven and home for many species of frogs, dragonflies and other insects. Fish and other animals rest in their shadows, and water birds eat their seeds. Shore dwelling animals from muskrats and beavers to moose and deer eat the fleshy underground rhizomes of Water-lilies. In short, they are a visual and literal feast for the surrounding community, human and wildlife alike. As a result, unlike my grandmother in her canoe, I do not think we should gather these beautiful, fragrant flowers. Our many water activities - boating, fishing, even swimming - limits the undisturbed shallow areas in which these fruitful plants can create such vital habitats for so many other species. Better to gently glide in on canoe or paddle board or kayak, cautiously and carefully paddling through the pads and stems to preserve and appreciate the bountiful and fragile beauty of the Fragrant Water-lily.

Rod takes a break.

Loon biologist Lee Attix has fielded reports about rogue loons attacking loon chicks on surrounding lakes. I asked him why this happens and what, if anything, we can do about it. Here is his response.

"Rogue" might give the wrong connotation. Historically, loons have always competed for survival and supremacy, and successful occupation of breeding territories. Aggressive encounters are common, and they can happen at any time during the breeding season. What I find interesting about this year is that up until recent chick hatchings, aggressive encounters have been quite low. Then in just a couple of days I learned of three separate cases of parents with chicks being attacked by intruding loons. These encounters lead to the demise of several chicks and at least one of the adults. 🙁 It's hard to witness, but it is nature (wildlife) at work, which often isn't warm and fuzzy, like we'd like it to be.

Lee Attix

Loon Conservation Associates

NOTE: Perhaps that’s why they call it “wildlife” and not “warm and fuzzy life?”

Thank you Thomas Clay for sharing this article of good loon manners from the Bangor Daily News.

A poem read and written by Scott Ruescher of Ban Grover Road.

This is a poem about a North Waterford character named Alton Rich. Enjoy.

For more work by Scott visit https://www.scottruescher.com/

Emmaline and Roo enjoy first fireworks display.

A quick tour of Trish Curtis’s raised bed vegetable garden, featuring 6ft 6 peas and a lesson on tomato plant pruning.

The Fifield’s house is the new destination location for a young family of hungry Maine Black Bears. Keep those bird feeders in and secure the garbage cans. Read link beneath to find out more about Black Bears.

For prints email him at fletcher17@earthlink.net

Ralph took these in Durham, NH.

note from bird watcher, Lucia Owen

Tree swallows have not been around this area for 5-8 years or more. I’d say more. We used to see flocks over the water here and on Norway Lake. Not in a very long time. Not sure what ME biologists or ME Audubon say.

My guess would be this is partly because the insect biomass issue discussed in last month’s chronicle.

I bet you didn’t know the town of Stoneham changed its name to Usher in 1851 and changed it back to Stoneham in 1853.

Canine lifeguard Skidder Curtis patrols the beach at Turtle Island. He is an expert fisherman and snake hunter. Springer spaniels are water dogs and bird dogs but Skidder is a snake dog. Below find out 7 things you didn’t know about Springer Spaniels.

Daisies are everywhere this summer. Here is some daisy facts.

Take West Stoneham road and bear left onto slide in road. Follow the signs to the honey. For $185 you can buy a colony of bees and meet your honey needs for years to come. You will also become a pollinator of fruit trees and flowers. They also have maple syrup and eggs.

My cousin Ellie is a Havanese from Cuba. She was bred to chase and herd chickens. Perhaps that is why she is so calm when I do my chicken spy dance.

With the recent gypsy moth invasion we are reminded how fast an ecosystem can be altered for the worse. We need to be vigilant and proactive. Are you interested in preserving our beautiful lake and its creatures for generations to come? You may want to join FOLK :Friends of Lake Keewaydin. Contact Adam at adamfhelm@gmail.com for more information.

If you are 65 or older, subscribe to Stoneham Rescue and save lots of money if you end up using the ambulance service this year.

If you are single, send check for $35 to the address below. If you are a couple, send $55. You are also welcome to send more money as a charitable donation.

Waterford Farmers market

Mondays 2-5 in Waterford on the green.