Fall Colors Still Present in Maine Augusta, MAINE (October 21, 2015) - Peak and past-peak conditions are taking place throughout the state with moderate to high leaf drop (50 percent to 70 percent), according to the final fall foliage report from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
“The oak trees are just starting to reveal their oranges and golds, amid the still-vibrant reds, yellows and purples, making for a picture perfect backdrop, along with sunny skies in the tracking zones 1 and 2 covering the immediate coastline,” according to Gale Ross, fall foliage coordinator.

 Go to Maine.gov for more information.

Sunset light through the trees

'Twas a pretty end to a chilly autumn day...

First wood stove fire & First Freeze Warning

We finally broke down and had the first wood stove fire of the season, this morning. The indoor temp. was 61F, and the outdoor temp. was 30F. When Toby wanted to crawl under the bedcovers at 3:30 am, that was our signal that it was too cold inside. We've got to keep the dogs comfortable...we did it for the dogs:-) Yup, it's all for the dogs...the dogs made us do it!

We also had our first freeze warning of the season, beginning at 1 am.

The Dempsey Challenge

Team LHS Blue Lightning members
walked, ran, and biked over the weekend.

I walked the 5K race for the Dempsey Challenge, today. This weekend is a huge fundraiser for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope and Healing. Generally, this weekend sees fundraising in excess of 1 million dollars. I was part of the LHS Blue Lightning team, and we raised over $1,800. Other groups and businesses raised in the 10's of thousands of dollars each. This is such a worthwhile cause as I don't think there is anyone on Earth who isn't affected by cancer in some way. I thank my teammates for helping to make this day so special.

The race from start to finish! Some of our group posed after the race.

We started the races at Simard-Payne park, traveled down Lincoln street, went over the Androscoggin River twice, and ended back at the park. Fun, fun, fun!

A few of my favorite shirts are shown here.

I decided to concentrate some of my photography on the tee shirts that people were wearing. There was such a variety of shirts all honoring people affected by cancer.

Here is another coworker of mine, with her team, honoring her mother. I also added in a few more tee shirts that I saw.

Teen helping teens, at the Dempsey Center, really touched my heart.

And, here are a few more of my favorite shirts. I was truly impressed with the Teen Group. We have such great teens, at the local high schools, who volunteer at the Dempsey Center to help others their age who are affected by cancer. 

These words say it all...

Near the end of the race, there were hand-made signs along both sides of the path. This was the part of the race where I fell apart and wept...for my sister and my cousin, as well as several of my friends and coworkers who have all died from cancer. Too many people...so much grief...

There is always beauty to behold even through suffering and sadness...

But, all was not sadness as I soaked in the gorgeous scenery along the way. I thought of Mother Nature filling our senses with beauty even with all the suffering in the world. I think of her as trying to soften the devastation we often feel with illness, and I hope that I am always able to appreciate the beauty of Earth, from the minute to the grandiose, no matter what happens in my life.

Winter weather prediction under El Nino

Winter Outlook 2015-2016: Cold, Wet South and Warm, Dry North, Says NOAA.
"A strong El Niño is in place and should exert a strong influence over our weather this winter," said Mike Halpert, deputy director, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. "While temperature and precipitation impacts associated with El Niño are favored, El Niño is not the only player. Cold-air outbreaks and snow storms will likely occur at times this winter. However, the frequency, number and intensity of these events cannot be predicted on a seasonal timescale."
Other influences that may play a role this winter are the Arctic Oscillation and the Madden-Julian Oscillation. 

It is important to remember that this forecast is for the winter season as a whole and does not project when and where storms may occur."

As far as precipitation goes...Our neck of the woods might be on the cusp of wetter than average or drier than average:-)"The East Coast, from the Southeast into portions of the Mid-Atlantic and into southern New England, may also see a wetter than average winter."

Of course, for Maine, the Arctic Oscillation plays a huge role in climate. "The Arctic Oscillation is a climate pattern characterized by the strength of counterclockwise winds around the Arctic. Its positive phase confines cold air to the polar regions, while its negative phase is associated with cold air penetrating farther south, as well as an increased chance of nor'easters."
http://www.weather.com/storms/winter/news/winter-outlook-2015-2016-noaa-wsi

So, only time will tell as to what our winter season will be like this year. I think it is safe to say that climate prediction is still in its infancy and Mother Nature is full of surprises...

Maine Foliage Report

Well, the trees are changing rapidly all over the state, and the pattern seems unusual when seeing that even the northernmost locales are still at peak color. You can drive everywhere in Maine and see jaw-dropping beauty. Click here to read more about this week's Maine Foliage Report.

A misty day on Caesar Pond

These trees line the eastern shore of Caesar Pond

'Twas a misty day on Caesar Pond, and I went pond prowling as soon as I got home from school. I spent the better part of two hours puttering around. There was a light breeze that continually pushed me around, sometimes in circles, as I tried to photograph the autumn colors. I was thrilled to see that the dark sky yielded a vibrancy of leaf color that I have been waiting for. (Click on the photos for larger views.)

The maple trees were absolutely gorgeous as the leaves change from green, to yellow, to red. I found this combination of leaves and lichen to be stunning.

The beaver was a tad ticked off at me as he doesn't know how to share!

As I was paddling toward the north cove, I heard a splash and saw a beaver swimming ahead of me. He was letting me know that he was none too happy about me invading his end of the pond! Hmmm..."Tough on you, Mr. Beaver, I can be on the pond if I so desire..." (We have this conversation often, all over the pond.) He high-tailed it back to his lodge and I actually heard him vocalize loudly from within it, so I backed off. As you can see, I was far away from the beaver when photographing him (about 60 feet), and I never got close to him, hence the fuzziness of the photo (also due to being pushed around by the wind and the fogginess of the air.)

I love the north cove. There are two wood duck boxes situated there, and the background of colorful trees is always so pleasing to my eye during the height of autumn.

While I was admiring the duck boxes, I heard an osprey vocalize. I looked up to see the osprey chasing a bald eagle! Wowee! I couldn't get much of a photo of the birds as they zoomed by. I had a rather slow shutter speed as nighttime was approaching and the fog was thickening. I also heard a belted kingfisher calling as well, and it flew behind me (no photo of it.)

After the chase, the osprey made a u-turn and landed on a white pine branch far back in the north cove. I paddled quietly and got close enough to get a recognizable photo of him before he flew off.

Looking south along the eastern shore on my way to the dock.

The fog became thicker toward the end of my outing, and I was forced to head for home at 6pm. Ahhh...there is nothing like a peaceful pond to rejuvenate me at the end of a work day.

Hay Field Kaleidoscope

I photographed these hay bales in a tree-lined field on the way home from work. Drew created two kaleidoscopes of it for me.

Here is the stylized version of the photo that the kaleidoscopes were created from.

Kaleidoscope Craziness - Gazania

I'm in a kaleidoscope mood. Drew found an app that works in Photoshop to create these great kaleidoscopes and kaleidoscope animations! I watched the app take many slices of the kaleidoscope "pie" and then create pattern, after pattern, after pattern. All the patterns got stitched together to make a moving picture. Neato!

Here is the original kaleidoscope that Drew surprised me with this morning.

And, here is the original photo that I took of a Gazania flower!

Wagg Rd. Wetland Colors

Drew walked Lady Flame and Toby along Wagg Rd. this morning. The wetland to the south of the road (probably created by overflow from Caesar Pond) was beginning to show some nice fall coloring.