Today I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a neighbor, introduced by a mutual friend, who shares a passion for photography, nature, fine homebuilding, and travel. I joined him for a tour of Great Meadows viewed through the eyes of a naturalist and volunteer who helps to maintain the sanctuary. It was a most enjoyable 2-hour amble that netted the female downy woodpecker above and juvenile bald eagle below. Jeanine had a prior engagement and was not able to join us but is looking forward, as am I, to doing so on a future outing.

I joined Jeanine and her friend Maria on a lovely hike to nearby Fairhaven Bay. The trail passes by our house on the other side of the river and ends at the former summer home of the Robinson family. The 240 acres through which the trail passes were donated by Helen Robinson Wright to the Concord Land Conservation Trust. She was the granddaughter of Miles Pratt, founder of the Walker and Pratt Company, manufacturer of stoves, furnaces, and heaters who prospered during the Civil War, supplying the Union Army with ammunition and gun carriage castings. All that remains of the summer home is a terrace overlooking the bay and the stone boathouse far below at the water’s edge.

The Concord Journal featured a nice article about a recent grant received by Open Table. The pandemic has not only increased the need for food assistance but has also changed the logistics for gaining access to it. Open Table has had to discontinue the community dining aspect of their program in favor of food delivery. Not many organizations of its size could pivot so quickly to an entirely different operating model without skipping a beat.

I have to admit that geese are some of my least favorite birds. Even so, I am thankful for them every time I don a coat containing their down feathers. One of only a few birds that can be found in every US state at some time during the year, their numbers are on the rise worldwide.

The Covid-19 pandemic has all but shutdown amputee soccer for the last year. The US national team has not had a single match or in-person practice since the outbreak began. It has not, however, stood in the way of recruiting for the sport. Nicolai and a local teammate have made a big push to develop a regional team. They currently have six field players and are constantly working to build out the roster. Nico asked me to take headshots and a team photo at their practice this afternoon which I was more than happy to do.

There seems to be no end to the interesting ways ice can form. In the case above, the river level dropped leaving a horizontal ice cloud clinging to a pair of branches.

I really like the different patterns in the water which make up the foreground and background. of this photo. Having a nice subject in the middle doesn’t hurt either.

On days when the temperature hovers around the freezing mark, ice formations on the river can be quite interesting. I found this early morning shot quite beautiful. In it, one can find crisp linear patterns, diffuse undulating waves, and everything in between.

Last week, I thought I might have photographed a juvenile bald eagle. It turned out to be a red-tail hawk. This time, I am fairly certain this is an eagle but will wait for the neighborhood experts to opine. S/he is perched on a branch that is about 30 feet from our house and I will ensure that our new plans include a window positioned to take advantage of this view. Again, I must apologize for the poor photo quality. I shot through double pane glass at 6:40 AM with overcast skies.

Common Mergansers dive underwater to catch fish. After the chicks leave the nest in summer, the female stays with them as they grow up while males gather in flocks. In winter, mergansers form large flocks on inland reservoirs and rivers. They stay in these tight flocks to feed and court during the cold months. In migration and winter, they mix with other fish-eating, diving ducks such as Bufflehead, goldeneyes, and other species of mergansers. For several weeks now, their numbers have been increasing on the river and it has been fun to watch them fishing.

The most difficult part of designing our new house by far has been working out the details of the stairs. Because they connect two floors, their placement affects the floorplan of both which means a change on one cascades to the other. If they are stacked, one over the other, for efficient use of space as is the case in our west wing, a change on one floor affects three. Stair rise and run determine climbing comfort and the total number of treads determines floor to floor spacing. Today, I finalized all three staircases and have settled on a rise of 7 1/4″ with a run of 10″ and 14 treads resulting in a floor-to-floor height of 9′ 3/4″ (7.25 x (14+1)). This is a huge improvement over the as-built condition of the house which has an 8 1/2″ rise and 8 1/2″ run with 11 treads, a design that is no longer code compliant and very unpleasant to climb or descend. Most importantly, the east basement, where my new shop will reside, will now have a finished ceiling height of 8′ 3″ instead of 7′ 8″ which makes a HUGE difference which will be appreciated by anyone who has ever worked with 4’x8′ sheet goods.

Maya provided this macro image of a peacock feather she took using her iPhone and hand-help loupe. She is taking a class now which looks to the natural world for the wonders of engineering. The iridescent plumage of the peacock originates in the fine side branches of the feathers. Pigment particles are embedded into the newly grown feathers during the molting season. They absorb light of certain wavelengths, or disperse the reflected light, and so contribute to the color of the plumage.

Yesterday, while brunching with the kids at Kyle’s apartment, Maya asked me to photograph this object she found. Obviously originating from a tree or bush, it really is quite fascinating when viewed close up. Anyone who can provide an ID please do so and I will update the post.

UPDATE: This is a seedpod from a Sweet Gum tree. Thank you to SteveK for the ID.