A Walk at Bowdoin College

It's hard to work at home when the trees are calling me outside. 

A day of writing merits a walk to Bowdoin College...

...says Scout. 

Rolling in fallen leaves offers a fine view of the sugar maples.

Often we linger to watch the sunset over Hubbard Hall, 

where my husband teaches politics.

Other days we head home for sundowners in our backyard, 

wrapped in fleece and down.

The view from inside isn't too shabby, 

and reading in the tub doesn't feel like work at all.

A Winter Dog Walk on Skis

Sunday morning I awoke delighted to find three inches of fresh snow.

We have had so much snow this season, I can practically ski right off the back deck. My cross-country skis are extra wide for trail breaking. I'm usually the first one out after storms. 

Skiing or snowshoeing is the only way to walk the dog these days. On foot, people sink to their knees and dogs sink to their bellies, but I've trained Scout to follow in my tracks. 

Our backyard has become Narnia. I never tire of the magic.

Our wooded trail takes us to Bowdoin College's playing fields.
On the mornings I don't ski, I swim laps in the indoor pool. 

The cross-country trail encircles the fields. Unleashed dogs are welcome as long as you clean up.
If you are walking or snowshoeing, please avoid stepping in the ski tracks as that ruins them. 

Feeling bold, I followed the steep snowshoe trail into the ravine and nearly got stuck.

Trudging uphill was hard work on skis, but it was worth it to speed downhill.

At the base of the hill is the first pond.

Under the bridge, the stream was flowing metallic black, reflecting the sun.

The Town Commons trail lead us back into the woods...

...to the second pond, where I sometimes ice skate.

It was time to turn around and to head back home. Scout was excited to follow our scent.

I tricked her by choosing a different trail that skirts the first pond and a meandering stream. 

We had only been gone an hour or so. Is this our home or a snow drift?

My fabulous husband had shoveled the snow and had made crepes for brunch.
Later we read by the fire and watched Downton Abbey with our daughter.
What a perfect weekend!

More snow is falling this morning....

Blog Watch: this post is part of the Winter Walk-Off, 2015 hosted @A Tidewater Gardener. 

No Surrender Soldier by Christine Kohler & Blizzard Photos

A Japanese soldier hiding on a tropical island for 18 years after Word War II ended? That sounds like pure fiction, but No Surrender Soldier was inspired by a true story. American author Christine Kohler has lived in both Japan and Guam. Her firsthand knowledge brings an historical incident to life with fictional characters. This engaging young adult novel would make a marvelous supplement to the history classroom, as it touches on both World War II and the Vietnam War.

No Surrender Soldier is set in 1972 on the Island of Guam (a US territory.) Fifteen-year-old Kiko chases a baseball into the jungle and finds a Japanese soldier hiding in a cave. His family history makes the encounter all the more horrific: during World War II, a Japanese soldier raped his mother, and now Kiko's brother is missing in action in Vietnam. Kiko is torn between his desire for revenge and his empathy for the old soldier. He's a believably impulsive teenager who hungers to be a man. This is a coming of age story with solid values.

What I loved best about No Surrender Soldier was how it treated the Japanese and Guam cultures with even-handed respect while acknowledging the atrocities of war. Kiko is native to Guam but his best friend is Japanese. Tourists from Japan help his family's business. The story is told in alternating chapters so that we can see inside the Japanese soldier's head and empathize with his harrowing struggle for survival. Seto's flashbacks to his boyhood (including baseball) and his shame over disappointing the emperor make him a sympathetic but scary character.

The writing was accessible with occasional poetic interludes in Seto's voice:

Not raining leaves, nor whistling wind, not gonging bamboo, nor droning airplanes - especially not the bombers - could drown out the sound of a thousand soldiers marching. Marching. Marching.

This fast-paced novel would appeal especially to boys aged eleven to fourteen. Kiko is a young, boyish fifteen. There are lots of gross-out survival details like eating rats, although talking to a girl is even scarier. I had a hard time reading the detailed description of butchering the family pig, but Kiko suffers even more because he loves his pet. The gory violence of that scene was not gratuitous since it foreshadows what may come later. Although the story has plenty of educational value and religious moments, it never sounded didactic or preachy. No Surrender Soldier was designed to be read under the covers with a flashlight.

Reviewer's Disclosure: I bought this 2014 ebook myself. It's also available in hardcover from Merit Press, a new publisher of young adult fiction. I have a personal interest in Japan. My husband teaches Japanese Politics at Bowdoin College and my sister-in-law is Japanese.

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@Barrie Summy

Photos from the Blizzards of 2015

We've had three major storms (four snow days) in the past week, dumping about three feet of snow.

 That's not counting the drifts due to high winds. I have to "walk" Scout on skis. She follows in my tracks.

 My daughter has been a big help with the shoveling...Scout less so.

In my seventeen years in coastal Maine, I've never seen so much snow. Nothing melts in single digit temps.

The skiing has been great so I'm not complaining.
More is due tonight!

Wolfe's Neck Park and Farm in Freeport, Maine

As the days get shorter, I'm gathering the warm ones to store for winter. Maine weather is quite temperamental in November. Our first snowfall was followed by days in the 50's with clear blue skies. Most leaves have fallen, but some still cling to the trees in brilliant shades of red and gold. A late frost means lingering colors.

It's deer hunting season so our hiking choices are limited, but Wolfe's Neck Park is always safe. This state park is situated on a peninsula on Casco Bay. The longest hike is only a couple of miles, but the ocean views from the wooded trails are gorgeous. It's hard to believe this wildlife sanctuary is only a short drive from the outlet shops of downtown Freeport.

On the way home, we stopped at Wolfe's Neck Farm. There's an untended farm shed where you can buy their free range meat, eggs, vegetables and soap. You write what you took and leave the money in a jam jar. It restores my faith in humanity.

Spring FINALLY Comes to Maine

This was a long winter, even by Maine standards. Spring comes late this far north. Late March through April is Mud Season. In May the grass turns green overnight and everything starts blooming all at once. We hit 79F degrees on Sunday, which was the best Mother's Day gift. A walk at Popham Beach was in order (saving those photos for another week.) It was so nice to be welcomed home to wild violets in the garden and cut roses from my family. The azaleas are budding too.

The first to bloom in our White Pine shaded yard is always the forsythia, but usually that happens in late April, not May. There were fewer buds and the rhodies are half dead due to the unusually harsh and snowy winter, I believe. Any advice on how to resuscitate browning rhodies?

Daffodils are floral sunshine.

The magnolias in Bowdoin College's quad are at peak bloom. Can those be new leaves on the trees?

Soon the wildflowers in our woods will burst into bloom. Only Scout is missing the snow. Happy Spring!

Follow this link for more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts.

Next week I'll be on Monhegan Island for a solitary writing and art retreat, researching my WIP.

Next post Wednesday May 28th.

Vacation Question: after several years off, the car ferry is running again from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. My husband and I are planning a week long anniversary trip this summer, bringing the car. Any tips on where to stay and what to see?

A Winter Walk on Skis

The bright side of winter: no leaves means more sunshine in the woods!

In Maine winter lasts well through March. Walking is challenging in deep snow or on icy sidewalks. My advice to newcomers is to find a winter sport. You need to embrace winter, not hide from it.

If you can't walk out the back door, try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.

My children grew up skiing behind me as soon as they could walk. My daughter is captain of her school's Nordic Ski Team and my son has joined the Nordic Club at college. Now I struggle to keep up with them!

It's the best way "to walk" the dog.

We're lucky to live right off a wooded trail that circles Bowdoin College's playing fields. I'm often the first one out after a big storm. This year I got stiffer boots with more ankle support and wider backcountry skis to make it easier to cut the track. I apply Musher's Secret to protect Scout's paws. Snowball paw is no fun.

Young Scout is still learning the hazards of wandering off trail. 

I'm training Scout to run behind me without stepping on my ski tails. My command for getting out of a skier's way is "beep beep." We don't usually encounter that many on our morning outings. The trail winds past two ponds, good for iceskating too. If there's enough snow cover, I can go 6 miles roundtrip through the town commons, only taking off my skis twice to cross roads.

On work days, I usually turn around at the first pond. We pause to listen to water flowing through the dam. I enjoy the peace and quiet of winter, the times of frozen solitude. As I ski, I plan out the chapter I'll write later that day. I don't drink coffee. The exercise wakes me up and gets my mind going.

At the end of the day, I warm up by the fire with a good book, Scout crashed out at my feet.

More Winter Walks at A Tidewater Gardener.
Do join us by posting a winter walk from your house.

Popham Beach Reflections

In January I crave open spaces,

To walk beyond snow and ice,

Past tidal pools to the surf,

Where sea fragments sky,

And sun defies winter,

By casting golden shadows,

Inspiring contemplation and hope.