HELLO JULY!
Time flies when you are having fun.....! But I am behind the 8 ball when it comes to reporting on recent happenings, including holiday celebrations! We had our usual Sand Sculpture contest as viewed on the home page. Here, you see the kind of foggy weather we had on the morning of the competition. It was cool, but campers were out riding the waves after creating interesting monuments and messages in the sand. Here you see one camper who made the statue of liberty with a different twist.......Life, Liberty and Hermit Island (a.k.a. the Pursuit of Happiness)! We also had a menagerie of sand lobsters, spiders, snakes, turtles and mermaids. One character made a flag with red white and blue embellishments which inspired us to sing the National Anthem to the tune of the surf's crashing cymbals!

And yes, we have an end to the drought. Now showers have to be contended with as our gardens perk up and wells fill up again. In between rain, we had some beach outings and enjoyed watching Moon Snails plow through the sand. they actually disappeared under the sand and we had to dig for them! We were rewarded on Sanddollar Beach by finding several live sanddollars, and enough dead ones to go around. Sand collars are now found, so the Moon snails are mating and laying those interesting egg formations.

On the 4th, we enjoyed a hike into the Bijhouwer Preserve to see the Mountain Laurel in full bloom. Enroute, we also observed orchid blossoms, and saw a Luna Moth and Spring Peeper up close and personal.

All was not alive and well in Phippsburg in recent days. The traffic has claimed the life of one unusual specie of mammal that I had not seen before. I came down Route 209 and stopped to examine a roadkill that looked a bit different. Here is what I found, which I believe to be a young Fisher Cat. These are elusive creatures that can climb trees and even snare a porcupine. Contrary to its name, I'm told they do not catch fish, but they are voracious hunters. Their numbers were decimated by the fur trade, but they are more common now. Look at its pointed nose, small ears and bushy tail. This animal is in the weasel family.

On a happier note, the Twin Flower is now in bloom. Its bell shaped flowers arise on a stalk in pairs......pink and delicate. Their foliage is evergreen and trailing. We have some patches on the island, but these were taken in West Point on a rural road.

So there, you have it.........lots going on. I'm anxious to get out on the Yankee because word has it that a Minke whale has been sighted! Porpoises too! And the Great Blue Heron are raising their young out on Mark Island! It is a wild world up here in Maine, come join us!

7/8/07 Ronnie in the fog.