Merry Christmas

All of us - my family, the turkeys, deer, fox, coyotes, crows, eagles and other birds, fish, rodents and cat enjoy Sunset during these quiet months and wish you all Happy Holidays.

Bird watching

Heidi likes to watch the birds at the feeder. She was as surprised as I was when 60 turkeys showed up this morning looking for extra seeds.

The float

We got the float out of the lake - and not a day too early!

Turkey medicine

The turkeys come here every day looking for food - at the same time brightening my day. Turkey is the symbol of Mother Earth and her abundant harvest. All of Earth's blessings and the ability to use them to their greatest advantage are part of Turkey's teachings. - Turkey medicine is about generosity, giving and sharing.

Wild turkeys

a few days after Thanksgiving wild turkeys are roaming the woods at Sunset Cabins looking for seeds and grubs.

November sunset

By now we have to look southeast when we watch the sun go down. Even in November the sunset is as spectacular as during the summer.

The Maine Moose sweaters

Sweaters and patterns of the popular Maine Moose are ready for the holiday season.

The Big E

Last weekend I spent at the first New England Fiber Fair in Springfield, MA where I sold the patterns I designed for Heron Crossing Farm and Now & Zen Yarns.

November

two islands in the lake in early November.

The Island

Many of our renters like to row or kayak to this island which is about a mile from the cabins. Some of them swim across.

My preferred way to reach this island is during the winter months when I ice skate there.

svca hike

The Sheepscot Valley Conservation Association opened the turquoise trail of the Bass Falls Preserve in Alna. It was a great day for an outing in the woods.

The stowaway

George the treefrog came into the house with my aloe vera plant. He is very tiny and sounds very big. I fed him live flies for 2 days and then let him go so he can hibernate in his natural environment. I'll be waiting for him next Spring.....

Fall

Another glorious Fall day at Sunset.

Fall

The flora around the lake has changed colors. The rowboat is waiting for it's last trip across the lake. The trees' shadows are long...

this is Fall at Sunset.

Common Ground Fair

Diane and I kept busy in our booth with spinning and knitting. The baby sheep were happy in their corral and many children fed them hay.

Workshop Folly

The highlight of day #3 at the Fiber College was the Broomstick lace workshop. The participants learned a new crochet technique and we all had a lot to laugh about.

In my element

That feels like home: being surrounded by my sweaters while knitting a new one.

Fiber College

Now that business at the cabins has slowed down I can devote myself to my love for knitting again.
Diane and I had a booth at the Fiber College in Searsport and taught classes on Hawaiian quilts and Broomstick lace.

First Sail

Elliot learned how to sail two days ago. Here he's taking Adri for her first sail.

By next year he'll probably be teaching all the kids who come to Sunset Cabins.

Moose Safari

Matt Tinker, Maine's premier moose caller, took us into the Northern woods in his jeep. First we found a group of four moose with one nursing calf. Then we saw this beauty beside the road. She was ready to leave when Matt "talked" her into staying with us. It was very interesting to see how this cow responded to Matt's call which is much lower and more gentle than anticipated.

The only drawback: we had to head out from Jefferson at 3:00 in the morning to be in Stratton by 5:30. The experience was well worth losing sleep over.

Canoeing

Our cousin Conny is here from Tirol, Austria. This is her first excursion on a canoe. We canoed to the water lilies. There was one bud left, the remaining lily flowers have gone by.

Getting ready to leave

It's Saturday morning. The kids had one last swim and are waiting for mom and dad to pack the car.

Dad's evening out

Charley is sleeping, mom is reading to Nick and dad goes fishing. All is well at Sunset Cabins!

Music Video

Our Canadian musicians are shooting a video on the lake. There'll be a link later on to u-tube so you all can hear what these guys do with a guitar, a harmonica and singing voices.

Monhegan

We took our guests from Switzerland on a hike to Monhegan island. The weather was perfect, the vista spectacular.

Hummingbird Rescue

As I was swimming today I saw a hummingbird stranded on the lake. It's wings were so wet it could not lift off and the waves pounded it to and fro. Ezra, who is here from Providence, got a net and we brought the bird ashore. Here it is resting and at this moment we did not know yet if the right wing needed to be dried off or if it was broken.

I sat with it for 20 minutes. The bird made eye contact, opened and closed its beak and after a while flew to a nearby branch.

Hummingbird medicine: "You find joy in your own heart. You have high energy and a spirit that must be free".

Ben's Birthday

Ben has been celebrating his birthday for many years now while vacationing at Sunset Cabins.
This year Olivia helped decorate a chocolate train cake to celebrate Ben's special day.

Blueberry Picking

Olivia from New York is here right now and we're celebrating her 6th Birthday.
Today we picked blueberries at the Steep Hill Blueberry Farm in Fayette. These are high-bush berries and the picking is easy and fast.

Around the dock

It's a perfect summer morning. Sue and Naomi from Providence are swimming while Michael from Cambridge practices his asanas.

Hazelnuts

The hazelnuts are ripening. The trick in the Fall will be to harvest them just before the squirrel tuck them all away for the winter.

The bee

The bees are very busy this year at Sunset. Here is one feasting on a zinnia.

Roofing

Elliot took time out from his studies and organic gardening to help me replace a roof on cabin 3. Here he is preparing it for its new shingles.

Tuning up the float

Our guests from Cambridge who've been coming to Sunset for the last 15 summers, took time out from swimming and boating to repair our float. It is wonderful to swim to and enjoy on a hot summer day.

Boating

It is early in the morning and our guests are enjoying breakfast on their porches. A fine mist covers the lake, but soon the blazing sun will evaporate it and boating will be prime.

Strawberry Picking

We picked the last strawberries at Popp's Farm in Dresden. The field was overgrown with weeds, much loved by the bees. The picking was slow but we harvested enough berries for strawberry cream puffs, breakfast treats and some for freezing.

The cookout

The grill/smoker gets its first workout just before Independence Day.

The weather is perfect right now to enjoy the cool waters of the lake.

Maine Fiberarts workshop

A small group of dedicated knitters and crocheters met at the Maine Fiberarts Center in Topsham.

Christine taught the pattern as a knit design, and I taught the crochet version, also called Peacock lace.

We were all pleased with the results.

Summer is here

This is what the first day of summer 2010 looks like at Sunset Cabins:
A mom is helping her son maneuver and navigate the lake kayak.

The resident bullfrog

The bullfrog is here and he has a very strong voice. He has been hiding between rocks and last year's grass.

When I made too much noise with the saw he let me know that I intruded in his territory, but he was not intimidated and stayed in the same spot all afternoon.

Our new dock

Before making the final adjustments, our dock installers enjoy a small fishing break.

Ready for summer

I finished this summer top just in time for summer. Adri is modeling it in front of the irises.

The yarn is the beautiful variegated "Koigu" which I love to work with. It looks best in various textures. This shell has two different textures. The bottom half is knit in a slip stitch design, the top half an overall cable pattern.

Fishing

Last week has been a bit rainy and foggy.

The yellow pollen from the pines is all over the lake and the fish are biting.

One lone fishermen was out on the lake. I watched him on the same spot for hours.

Feathered guests

Right now we have to tip-toe around cabin 4.

A mother bird built a nest on top of the bathroom window. Today we saw the chicks for the first time; their eyes were closed and their beaks were visible.

Apple Blossoms in Jefferson

Our Sunset Fall visitors love to pick apples with us at Andy Williams' orchard.

Here are this year's blossoms - they promise a great harvest!

Spring Harvest

Shawn is cutting up some dead trees which
were blown over by winter storms;
wood for our campfires.

Daffodils

Harbingers of Spring, a couple of daffodils

grace our lawn

in front of the cabins.

This is Lilli in her new fancy sweater. I found the silk/merino blend yarn at the February Knit and Spa weekend.

800 yds of this wonderful fiber was enough for size 6.

Jefferson Village Cemetery

The first full day of Spring and another great day for hiking the DLWA trails.

On the way home we found this sign at the Jefferson Village Cemetery with its gentle prompt.

Spring at Heron Crossing Farm

Spring, Spring is everywhere!
Diane now has 24 baby Finnsheep. Here are three with their mom. Most of the time they stay close to mom and her never-ending supply of yummy milk. Sometimes they lose sight of mother and they start bleaking so forlornly it could break your heart.

The aloof white animal in the background is the mohair goat which will give us her wool this year to blend with the finn. Finn is my favorite wool to work with. It is soft, warm, with a silky sheen and great memory to give every knitting project that special feel; and, as you know, fiber people need to touch the yarn before they commit to working with it.

The Ides of March

Who would want to think of Julius Caesar's assassination when the
most historic moment of a March 15
is the ice-out of Damariscotta Lake?

Saturday we had ice, yesterday it rained
and today we can (could) swim again.