Tuesday, May 31, 2011

A Sense of Place










The scent of lilacs and the sight of thousands of buttercups sprinkled across a field are so deeply associated with childhood for me that I forget my grown-up self entirely when I encounter them.  Toss in a lily pond teeming with plump pollywogs, and I'm a goner.

Wild turkeys, on the other hand, are something I never saw as a child.  These days I see them quite often.  I suppose this has something to do with how much of their habitat humans have stolen with our never-ending sprawl of Tim Horton's and Targets.  Or maybe there are more of them now than there were 30 years ago.  That's a lovely thought.  Does anyone know if it's true?  

I am lucky.  I live in a port city that is small enough to feel neighborly, yet large enough to be cosmopolitan.  And best of all, it is sprinkled within and around its borders by fields, ponds, rivers, and  marshes.  I've shown you Gilsland Farm before, and here it is again in these photos.  The home of the Maine Audubon Society, this place is simply stunning.  If you visit Portland and love bird watching or just taking walks in a peaceful place, you can drive or bike two miles north of the city center, and suddenly you are in the middle of fields bordering an estuary and home to loads of wildlife, from turkeys to hawks to bullfrogs to osprey.  Oh, and don't forget the groundhogs!

In a few days I will have a treat to share when the hundreds and hundreds of peonies bloom at Gilsland.  For what's a blog in late spring without photos of peonies, right?  In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who wrote kind comments and emails in response to my last post.  I was feeling more than a little shaky.  You all are a boost to a girl's spirits.  Thank you for your generosity and friendship . . . and welcome to new readers and followers.  

Requisite springtime-blogging photos of peonies coming soon! 

16 comments:

  1. Breathtaking. 1st & 3rd are my faves.

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  2. What beautiful images Gigi and ones that remind me of my childhood.....yes, I can remember that far back !! haha
    It's the tadpole image that relates a lot with me.....we used to catch them with our little nets and, when I look at that photograph I can hear sounds and smell smells and taste tastes.....isn't it amazing what a picture can do ? XXXX

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  3. I love the third picture down. I just want to skip through the field! Looking forward to the pictures of peonies. :)

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  4. Amazing photography again Gigi!

    I do believe the number of wild turkeys have increased...I never saw them as a child either but now see them frequently as I do coyotes. Canadian geese and Cardinals were rare birds when I was young too...wonder what my grandchildren will be find flourishing when they are my age....

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  5. Oh my god, Gigi...lilacs and tadpoles. I am having major New England cravings. Beautiful photos. Miss you. xo

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  6. Dearest Gigi,

    Yes, the lilacs and foremost their heavenly scent, were part of my childhood. A were the pollywogs! We did catch them and bring them to school in a large canning jar from Weck. Of course they got released after the observation. But it is so educational.
    Turkeys are quite numerous I guess, they're not a shy bird so they extend their territory easily. We've seen and heard them here as well.
    What a joy to live in such natural environment as you do. Oh, the peonies must be gorgeous in your moderate climate. Here they always struggle with the intense heat and drought. The soil quality is also poor. But we try, with lots of potting soil and using the sprinkler on them we hope for a nice reward.

    Lots of love,

    Mariette

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  7. Oh my, Gigi - those are the most gorgeous photos...You do live in a magical spot! Much love, sweet Gigi! xxoo :)

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  8. i love your pics!!!!! greetings, angie

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  9. these were beautiful photos....and i'll wait patiently for the peonies :)

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  10. These photos are almost achingly beautiful! You know what I mean! My landscape is all tropical green, not one flower, no other colour than various shades of green so to look at your photos puts me in colour heaven!
    Vickixx

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  11. Lilacs bring me right back to my childhood as my grandmother had literally 20-30 bushes on her property. Each spring almost every room in our house had lilacs of every color. Your photos are amazing. Thank you for bringing back the memories.

    McKenna

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  12. Love your girlhood memories, lilacs, and the coming peonies. It I ever arrive at the other Portland, for sure I would want to visit here.

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  13. Hi, dear Gigi! Lovely to be back and catching up with you here after our travels. I missed my does of beauty and words from here while away. 100s of peonies...*swoon*... Our pink peonies are about to bloom--so excited, just love these flowers. Hoping to add two more to the garden this summer. LOVED hearing about the Hindu wedding in your previous post, and hope you writing project is going well. Having been away from my studio two weeks now, I can't wait to dive into creativity! I think we'll need the weekend to get over the jet lag and get back on track first. ;o) Happy Days ((HUGS))

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  14. Wonder sharing of spring and natures beauty.

    Thank you for sharing.

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  15. You have an amazing eye! I've enjoyed my time here. Every second counted.

    Thank you.

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  16. It may seem a weird response to your post, but what is a Tim Horton?

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