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Journal from a trip to Maine, 1911

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[[Front cover - blank]]
[[blank page]] [[end page] [[start page]] [[underlined]] Florence Merriam Bailey [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Maine [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] 1911 [[/underlined]]
[[underlined]] Washington to Homewood [[/underlined]] Left Washington June 23, 1911. Penn R.R. Spent the night in New York at the [[missing word]] Hotel, & took breakfast with Clint & Hilta, after which we took the train for Lyons Falls. How can people choose to make the trip by sleeper? The Rhine, the Columbia, & the Hudson are said to be the most beautiful of rivers & the ride up along the broad Hudson with the Palisades & the Catskills makes a rare day for a traveller. Then the beautiful Mohawk Valley & finally the Black River valley - a day of satisfactions. Stayed at the Falls about ten days- went to Lyonsdale July 4 - & July 5 went up to Homewood to camp. The country was in the flush of its summer prime. Great clean fields of timothy & fields dotted with buttercups & daisies along the roads & sweet smelling fields of new mown hay. The freshness & sweetness of the big open country was [[underlined]] delicious [[/underlined]] after the shut in city with its "rank vapours". Savanna sparrows sang on the roadside fences their small jumbled but cheery song, while [[Vispus?]] occasionally added richness to the concert. The blue hills were pink at sunrise with white mist rising on the rivers & lakes. The sunset colors - the moonlight with fields of haycocks - the birch woods
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 2 [[underlined]] Montreal [[/underlined]] [[margin]] [[underlined]] Homewood [[/margin]] [[/underlined]] with the sunshine filtering through - it is all a soothing beautiful memory. And beside one tent the fragrance of syringas laden with white bloom - and pervading it all the songs of the Veery thrushes that had taken possession of the old deserted home. What a tender touch of nature! [[underlined]] July 10 [[/underlined]] we left Lyons Falls for Montreal. Went to Clayton & spent the night at the Hubbard House & the next day took the boat. Richlieu & Ontario Navigation Co. to Prescott. Beautiful wooded islands with picturesque castellated architecture & suitable wood colors that fade into the landscape. We were to have taken the Rapids Queen to Montreal but she got disabled & we were transferred to the Grand Trunk R.R. instead. At Montreal we went to the Hotel Corona, a small moderate priced & very comfortable hotel, & spent the next day sight seeing. Chateau de Ramezay, the picturesque old home of French & Eng. governors, Whose thick walls hark back to historic days, is now a museum of curios & historic relics. Notre Dame, St. James Cathedral, reproductions of Notre Dame of Paris & St Peters in Rome , the old Montreal bank, the
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 3 [[underlined]] Montreal to Camp Tewauua [[/underlined]] Canadian Pacific Station, the park - Mt. Royal - on an old volcano - were all visited. On top of the park hill, we saw a toboggan slide. Miss Haiglet: who went about with us, told us of winter sports - 1 week in January - the ice palace which cost $10,000 & is so dangerous to construct on account of cold and slipping that they will probably never have another - of storming of the Palace by ^ [[insertion]] white [[/insertion]] blanket snow shoe clubs - firewood assault. etc. Large French population. [[underlined]] July 13. [[/underlined]] I left Montreal by Canadian Pacific & ^ [[insertion]] after crossing the W. L. [[/insertion]] spent the day passing through - winding in and out among the Green Mts. - beautiful wooded blue mts with good outlines - & then the White Mts. past Fabyans etc. down to Fryeburg. (had an observation car from Fabyans through the best part of the mts.) N.B. It is more impressive to go west through the mts. as the grandest part comes last. Spent the night at Fryeburg at the Arguenot (named by the woman who keeps it - to admonish(?) her husband who argued over the name. [[underlined]] July. 14. [[/underlined]] Left Fryeburg at 7 am. by livery & had a cool refreshing drive out to Camp Tewauua, past New Engld farm houses, through pine woods & fields.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 4 [[underlined]] Camp Tewauua [[/underlined]] A 1/2 mile through the woods from the farm house brought us to the Madeira cottage with its 3 tents & its piazza looking out on the lake & up on [[Kearsargs?]]. & then to the main Cabin & its group of sixteen tents scattered among the trees. The piazza is the dining room & one one of the tables ^ [[insertion]] paddles & [[/insertion]] canoe backs hang - & sometimes fall on the heads of the diners! Paddles canoe backs & cushions are kept at the Cabin, & the canoes turned upside down on the wharf, while the two row boats are tied in the water. The dining-room is protected from storms & wind & the sunset glare by letting down canvas curtains, & during supper it is hard to wait for the full view of the sunset - we have to look through the chinks. The bell ^ [[insertion]] for meals [[/insertion]] is a horn blown by the colored boy & the table bell a cowbell against the piazza wall.
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[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 9 [[underlined]] Pastures [[/underlined]] Old pastures ^ [[insertion]] matted [[/insertion]] with ^ [[insertion]] brown [[/insertion]] moss that crumbles under your feet and spirea bushes scattered over it. Others are sweet fern - the commonest in fields. In this land of forests, they give big open spaces with blue sky & clouds & glorious views of the mts. Corn fields and lovely ^ [[insertion]] pink [[/insertion]] clover fields also appeal to the northerners. As you walk along the country roads between fields the smoke rising from the chimneys tell of pleasant preparations of the housewife for supper while the men are few & voices show an old man and woman jogging by accosted in friendly voice by a neighbor in her house.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 10 [[underlined]] Ferns [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] New York fern [[/underlined]] - Aspidium noveboracisse - tapering both ways - a delicate light green fern growing in masses. [[underlined]] Aspidium spinulosum [[/underlined]] - ^ [[insertion]] dark green [[/insertion]] growing in clusters. [[underlined]] Royal Fern [[/underlined]] - Osmunda regalis - brown fruit slender & separate [[underlined]] Cinnamon [[/underlined]] " [[Ditto for: fern]] [[underlined]] " [[Ditto for: Osmunda]] cinnamomea [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Interrupted [[/underlined]] " [[Ditto for: fern]] " [[Ditto for: Osmunda]] Claytoniana [[underlined]] Ostrich fern [[/underlined]] Onoclea struthiopteris [[underlined]] Sensitive " [[Ditto for: fern]][[/underlined]] " [[Ditto for: Osmunda]] sensibilis [[underlined]] Hairy Dicksonia [[/underlined]] Dicksonia pilosiuscula dark green growing in masses in dry places [[underlined]] Pteris aquilina [[/underlined]] common braken [[underlined]] asplenium filix-femina [[/underlined]] rather thick & compact growth. Brown with spore cases underside fronds.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 11
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 12 [[underlined]] The Outlet [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] July 31 [[/underlined]] Mrs. Norton & I paddled across the foot of the Lower Basin to the Pickeral [[mud?]] front & through its narrow channel between the arrow shaped leaves & blue flower spikes down the Outlet to the second rocks or Rapids. The water was like a Claude Lorraine - we were paddling into pictures all the time - colored photographs for while the [[slim?]]-like river [[strikethrough]] birches [[/strikethrough]] maples were reflected - their dark trunks & green foliage - the white clouds had blue sky spaces. The patches of vivid green [[insertion]] ? sedge [[/insertion]] marsh grass were duplicated & a note of warmth given by the rich ^ [insertion]] bloom of the [[/insertion]] cardinal flower, & the branch of reddened maple leaves reflected in the water. Arching bright green grass stems made ^ [[insertion]] green [[/insertion]] circles. loops in the double. [[superscript]] + [[/superscript]] One picture at a turn seen under the arch of a long sweeping ^[[insertion]] maple [[/insertion]] branch was of blue hills, white clouds blue sky [[strikethrough]] act [[/strikethrough]] framed by in ^[[insertion]] the [[/insertion]] verdure of the ^[[insertion]] river [[/insertion]] banks. The densely verdant banks besides ^[[insertion]] the slender tassels of the [[/insertion]] river maple had bushy young white - pines [[image - arrow circling lower inserted word]] stock [[/lower insertion]] alder, ^[[insertion]] gracefully arching [[/insertion]] silver birches, & a few dense dark green hemlocks. One dark patch of bank was lightened by the red berries of a mountain holly. Tree like masses of ostrich fern ^[[insertion]] fronds [[/insertion]] on top of the bank were offset by luxuriant wide spreading ^[[insertion]] royal fern [[/insertion]] [[underlined]] Osmunda regalis [[underlined]] drooping down a slope - overhanging. Under the dark banks, in the cool black water lay here and there [[superscript]] + [[/superscript]] A white birch a larger loop.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 13 [[on upper top right side]] [[underlined]] The Outlet [[/underlined]] a pure white water lily - a marvelous flower on the bosom of the dark water - exhaling as we passed a breath of most delicate fragrance. In other places big yellow lily heads rose from broad ^ [[insertion]] green [[/insertion]] pads. There were not many birds in evidence but a [[underlined]] tshack [[/underlined]] in the greenery on our shore led to the discovery of an inquisitive female yellow throat clambering up a branch, the monotonous thin song of the Red-eye was ameliorated by the richer notes of the yellow-throated vireo & a still richer song of more quality which we suspected came from the solitary. The sweet ^ [[insertion]] lisping [[/insertion]] notes of chickadees, the [[underlined]] heuk-ah [[/underlined]] of the nuthatch, the cool woodland note of the pewee in harmony with the cool dark depths of the pools & the white water lilies. A harsh [[underline]] squack [[/underline]] from a Bittern rising on broad brown wings with hanging legs made us regret our dullness; but when, beyond, we caught sight of him standing at attention, our self reproach was transferred to the boat that we had let pass us (Wouldn't you like to go ahead? We are just poking along, watching birds. Do you find any? - in tones of incredulous surprise) for when -[[strikethrough]] they [[/strikethrough]] absorbed in talk they had startled the Bittern,as it flew off one of them said in surprise - "Oh! there is a bird!" [[end page]]
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 14 [[underline]] The Outlet [[/underline]] Kingbirds notes contrasting with [[peevers?]] suggested comparisons of disposition. The loud raucous notes of the purple martin seemed out of place. A cuckoo long & slender crossed the river into the greenery, a veery called, & a Hermit sang faintly. A male hummingbird buzzed before a cardinal but he did not have the right light for the answering gleam of the [[gorget?]]. Down a steep bank I caught sight of a form - dark above light below - slipping into the water - was it a muskrat? Heaps of muscel shells in places along the banks suggested their work. A small head seen for an instant above the water suggested a water snake. Turtles were seen on the logs along shore. One sat ^[[insertion]] head up [[/insertion]] with [[strikethrough]] spl [[/strikethrough]] shell open so the yellow showed on a gray log. And there with was a black glistening back. Others were down in the water swimming, the [[strikethrough]] ir [[/strikethrough]] yellow lines of their plates making patterns in the sunlit water. And with all the interest & beauty of the life, the shores, & the reflection, the best of all was the outlet gardens, that made you wish for glass bottomed boats. For when you could see into them - ^[[insertion]] below [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] for [[/strikethrough]] the mirror Claude Lorraine - when for occasional rocks or fallen tree snags you could look into them undisturbed
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 15 [[underline]] The Outlet [[/underline]] they were ^ [[insertion]] full of the [[/insertion]] wonders of river gardens. There are ^ [[insertion]] rising from the bottom [[/insertion]] long filaments that with the sun in the water look like threads of green & gold. Then there are long sweeping dense masses lying in the shallows close along under the surface like [[strikethrough]] matted [[/strikethrough]] thick mermaids' hair - ^ [[insertion]] (?Vellisneria) [[/insertion]] that you have to shove the boat through - could almost better pole. The girls call it [[underline]] rhubarb sauce [[/underline]] & it must be confessed that for color & general appearance it is descriptive! From the bottoms of the deep pool long growths rise to the surface suggesting sea weeds & sea gardens, some of them slanting up toward the surface to bloom at the top. The purple bladderwort has a small but beautifully developed flower - with brightly colored throat to attract the insect whose visit is needed to perfect the cycle of its life. Companies of these pretty delicate flowers at a bend of the river Mrs. N. calls battallions. Yellow bladderwort has beautiful [[image - drawing illustrating shape]] floating devices. White blossoms of Sagittaria stand on the bank. Some leaves broadly sagittate, some slender, narrow pointed skyward. And the water plant lies on the surface - small oval leaves - with a spike raised like a head above the water.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 16 [[underlined]] The Outlet [[/underlined]] Great masses of green algae float like mysterious river jelly fish. We had 3 passengers - a large dragon fly that rode for a short time inside the boat, & two brown butterflies. One of them flew on board as we went down the outlet & after leaving us, joined us again on our way back, & this time a second one came & rode for a long time on my veil in the boat. The other one rode on my hand for some time & then on my paddle, opening & closing its wings to balance itself as the paddle moved back and forth. Schools of scurrying minnows & a long thin pickeral, added to the life & motion of the water. [[long separating line]] Another day when paddling down the outlet a Kingfisher flew up stream, & then as we returned seemed disconcerted - there we were again! - & rattled & flew as if interrupted. Best of all as we went down a duck came flying head on toward us - blackish effect with white belly. Finally seeing us it swerved from its course & flew down on the water, diving before we came up to it. On the way back up the Outlet after watching for it some time I discovered it
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 17 [[underline]] The Outlet [[/underline]] out in the middle of the stream. Its head looked large & round & ^ [[insertion]] a warm [[/insertion]] reddish brown. After moved around nervously on the water as we approached & then rose & flew off through the trees. At first sight it suggested a Redhead. [[line drawn as to divide sections]] 2 girls in a boat wading under the trees along shore. Aug. 23 - The cardinal from abundant bloom is now falling, but a humming bd. buzzed away from the neighborhood of our group. The narrow golden green ribbons are exquisite rising from the bottom straight as [[insertion]] tulip [[/insertion]] tree trunks - threads of gold. Mussels on the bank - eaten out - others under the water in search of longlegged prey. The water has gone down so much that poling through the dense growth becomes necessary. As Mrs. Norton said it was [[underlined]] plowing [[/underlined]] through the - Vallisueria. Hunters came here - to the outlet - for duck shooting & all this rich vegetable growth must supply abundant duck food. In a shallow place where rocks almost fill the channel a brilliant male goldfinch lit down on a rock & probably had a drink. 2 ^ [[insertion]] black [[/insertion]] ducks & a broad-winged hawk, a bittern & 2 herons (see species notes) were about all we saw. See [[underlined] Botaurus [[lintiginosus?]] [[/underlined]] [[underline]] Aug 31 [[/underline]] A Thrush was bathing as we paddled by.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 18 [[underlined]] Frysburg Harbor [[/underlined]] Just before reaching the Charles we landed & climbed up the bank & walked across to Frysburg Harbor. Two long bridges over the Charles River here & the fact that log drivers come down these almost dry washes - in spring gave credence to the suggestion that in the early days the Harbor may have had significance. Now it is a long street - road - with here & there a large [[strikethrough]] wa [[/strikethrough]] river maple on the river side & now & then a house on the opposite side - big white New England farm houses with square lintels [[image - pen drawing showing the square shape of the lintels]] & barns attached - some painted some unpainted. In front of the blacksmith shop stands a huge maple. The young ^ [[insertion]] village [[/insertion]] blacksmith crossed his swarthy arms as he stood in the doorway when appealed to by his - mother ? - outside the house in her apron - & told us with pride that the tree was 23 ft. around at its narrowest girth - 28 ft one foot above the ground - that a river driver who was interested in such things thought it was the largest maple in the state. The Ha'-ba the residents call the Harbor.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 19 [[underlined]] Cranberry Bog [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Sept. 18. [[/underlined]] Wading through the cranberry bog is hard work for the marsh grass is thick & both it and the cranberries are bedding in deep sphagnum, but it is now one of the autumn pleasures. It is a broad 'meadow' - acres at each end are mowed & as you walk over the sphagnum you see pitiful looking pitcher plants shorn of their beauty by the mowing machines. The cranberry bog lies between the Outlet woods & the farm & ^ [[insertion]] its dryer [[/insertion]] woodland. It is a meadow ^ [[insertion]] in [[insertion]] whose high wild grass are patches of royal fern - now golden brown & islets of sweet gale ^ [[insertion]] bushes [[/insertion]] where you try to flush short-billed marsh wrens. Scattered ilex bushes whose berries glow scarlet in the sun & sapling maples getting ready to turn also dot the expanse. The headed grass now has brown nut heads & yellow stems. Down inside the grass are the beautiful heathery cranberry stems with their hanging [[strikethrough]] glown [[/strikethrough]] jewels. From a delicate pink flush the cranberries are now deepening to real cranberry color. Some have been frosted (2 nights about 20°) & are soft to the touch. The berries are sour but you eat them as you do halfripe apples under a tree, with the feeling of the wholesomeness of natures proffered foods - it is an acid that is tonic to the system.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 20 [[underlined]] Cranberry Bog [[/underlined]] As you plow along through the heavy bog you look now into the beautiful berry field at your feet delighting in the heavily fruited exquisitely tinted fruit - now off over the golden brown acres to the dark mountains - Kearsarge with its volcanic outline & up past the woods - the other mountains that border the lake view. It is well in some places to watch your steps for a pitcher plant disrespectfully stepped on may soak your boots or an overgrown ditch may give you a cold plunge. Mrs. Stearns in a blue dress with a neighbor out with pails picking cranberries. Startled - 'scared most to death' when I spoke her name out of the bog! Gypsy jump up into the air to get sight of me above the high marsh grass - must defend her family by [[underline]] knowing [[/underline]] who the intruder is.
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[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 24 [[underlined]] Camp fire on Beach [[/underlined]] 2 girls (one who has a school) came up to camp on our beach & make the Kearsarge trip with our party, & the night before they left they invited us all down to a marshmallow toast. Her invitation, written with a burnt match on a paper plate was tacked to a log of the cabin for all to see. After supper we [[strikethrough]] rowed [[/strikethrough]] [[insertion]] paddled [[/insertion]] on the lake till time (7.45) & then pulled the canoes up on the beach - beached them. A huge camp fire was on the sand with a picturesque evergreen tip giving the effect of a teepee. Inspection of camp was the first event - a shelter tent, a stone camp fire with Stuart Edward White iron rods laid across for frying pan rests, a bough bed, duffle bags, etc. gave a genuine look to camp. When the fire was lit it made a splendid mass & while waiting for it to cool down, rounds were sung. Pointed sticks with marshmallows were stuck in the sand around the blaze, the best effect being a Christmas tree one with a branch holding white cubes on every twig - a labor saving device. When all was over we got into our boats & paddled home by starlight. Sept. 4 another campfire given by Miss Mendenhall, etc. corn roast apple toast & marshmallow toast. Soak corn 1 hour & roast in ashes.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 25 [[underlined]] North Waterford Expedition [[/underline]] A party of the girls went for a two day's trip to North Waterford - about 15 miles walk each way. It began raining the afternoon they left & kept up at intervals till they got back. The trail was obscured by cow paths & lumbering & ^[[insertion]] their map was blurred by the rain & [[/insertion]] they got off from the trail and missed the farmhouse where they had expected to spend the night. Trying to find themselves, as their compass wouldn't work, they looked at the lichen on the trees (???) & followed down a stream to one of the Five Kezar Ponds. In going around it they got into a Floating Bog & two of the girls who led suddenly - in the midst of the bracken - fell into water where she could not touch bottom - & had to be pulled out by the arms. Then, as the dense timber made it hard to walk around the edge of the pond, they took to the lake itself - wading up to their knees. When it was too [[blank space]] to wander about any longer they went back up ^[[insertion]] out of the marsh [[/insertion]] to higher ground & camped for the night. The matches at first would not light, [[strikethrough]] but [[/strikethrough]] and they had visions of a night in ^[[insertion]] cold [[/insertion]] wet clothes on wet cold ground, but finally a light was struck & inner bark fed to it till soon a blazing fire was made. Neckties and belts were
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 26 [[underlined]] North Waterford Exped. [[/underlined]] transformed into a clothes line & dried their garments close to the fire. They ate some chocolate & as the two leaders spelled each other (1 1/2 hr.) tending fire the rest lay down near the fire & dried one side at a time. The next mg. at 5 one of the girls got up & picked blueberries for breakfast, & discovered an old barn only a short distance from camp. This proved to have a road leading out to the main road which led, in 2 - 3 miles to the farmhouse where they had meant to stay the night. Here they had cake of many varieties for breakfast & 3 of the party got carried home in a carriage. The other 2 - the leaders - went back to correct the trail & then walked home.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 27 [[underlined]] Flowers [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Aug. 1 [[/underlined]] The beautiful little [[underlined]] Moneces uniflora [[/underlined]] may still be found coming up out of the moss or pine needles under the pines. The [[underlined]] Dalibarda repens [[/underlined]] is another lovely white flower that adorns the woodland trails under the pines. The bright red Bunch berries - [[underlined]] Cornus canadensis [[/underlined]] ^[[insertion]] (Dwarf cornel) [[/insertion]] brighten the woods in ^[[insertion]] many [[/insertion]] places, rising from their whorl of leaves. And a few deep red partridge berries with dark green vines lighten the ground. [[underline]] Spiranthes [[/underline]] - white flowers on a stalk is deliciously fragrant. [[underline]] Habenarias [[/underline]] ^[[insertion]] psycodes [[/insertion]] - pink & sometimes white - densely flowered [[image: stem with cattail-like top]] [[underline]] Goodyera [[/underline]] pubescens - Rattlesnake plantain - we found a number of the curious ^[[insertion]] snake [[/insertion]] patterened ^[[insertion]] [[cluster?]] [[/insertion]] leaves in them [[underline]] Pogonia ophioglossoides [[/underline]] - a beautiful delicate pink flower growing in the cranberry bog in July.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 28 [[underlined]] Flowers & Shrubs [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Nymphaea odorata [[/underlined]] - almost all gone Sept 1. They say no leaves (pads) left in October. [[underlined]] Nymphae adorna [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Sarracenia purpurea [[/underlined]] - pitcher plant. Found one with 90 pitchers, all but about 10-15 fresh & green. A bright green, with only a hint of red veining. [[underlined]] Drosera filifolia [[/underlined]] A hairy tiny [[underlined]] drosera [[/underlined]] all tiny drops of liquid. [[underlined]] Sept. 1 [[/underlined]] - Found Witch hazel in bloom in pasture. [[underlined]] Sept. 13 [[/underlined]] Find sweet fern with [[image - pen drawing of diagonal line with 3 loops on left top and 2 loops on right top of the line]] little catkin like knobs along the terminal sprays. The Ilix - 'Christmas berry' - bushes are [[underline]] brilliant [[/underline]] now & a blue Viburnum ? also in fruit -
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 29 [[underlined]] Mice, Snakes etc [[/underlined] A vivid green grass snake was discovered on the trail between the cabin & tents. It was as vivid as the ^[[insertion]] paletus or [[/insertion]] marsh grass in the sun in the Outlet. It was fly hunting & would raise itself on what seemed very little coil for a purchase - one kink perhaps - [[image - pen drawing of horizontal line with small dip about the middle of the line]] & straighten out ^[[insertion]] level [[/insertion]] across a space & dart its tongue out after some insect too small for us to see. When out among the leaves it darkened so that it was protectively colored to match them. It was dull yellowish below. [[horizontal separation line]] After sunset we saw the dark form (silhouette) of a mouse climbing up the slanting tree where the Piliotated holes are, in front of the piazza. Does it use them for nesting holes? [[horizontal separation line]] Spiders abound here & on some mgs. ^[[insertion]] numerous [[/insertion]] webs are seen on the ground. One tree (Aug 5) was fairly busy with beautiful discs with geometrical designs. [[image - pen drawing of spider web]] Sept. 20 Trees fairly festooned with beautiful round webs. [[horizontal separation line]] A quill on my table - on a red shawl - one mg. pointed to a bristling visitor, & for several nights noises were heard in or around a number of the tents.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 38 [[underline]] Lake [[/underline]] Under a gray sky the belt of white water lilies look as if laid on glass. Sometimes when the wind is right the fragrance reaches us in camp. Sometimes the lily tract is vivid green - makes green lines - wide belts - on the lake. The foot of the lake at breakfast time is white spotted with lilies, but before noon they close till the next day. When the wind blows & ruffles the open water the lily pad water is smooth except for running lines. [[image - pen drawing of lily pad water ripples]] [[margin]] Full moon [[underlined]] Aug 9 [[/underlined]] [[/margin]] A brilliant sunset over Washington & the ranges with pink clouds reflected in the lake to paddle through was followed by a clear pale green band over the dark shore timber reflected black in the lake. Yellow camp light came out & the whippoor-will called. Then the big ^[[insertion]] round [[/insertion]] yellow moon rose over the forest & was reflected in the lake. [[line]] Sometimes at sunset sun balls will lie on the water. [[underlined]] Aug [[/underlined]]. 20 - The sun sets to the left of Washington now. It did set right over W. After a brilliant yellow - the colors
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 31 [[underlined]] Lake [[/underlined]] changed to red - & then on east the clouds along the horizon turned a blue gray ^[[insertion]] their spaces [[/insertion]] afterwards filled by a pink light. [[underlined]] August. [[/underlined]] In late August there were some wonderful sunsets. One night the sky behind the mts. was [[underlined]] aflame [[/underlined]] - the dark mts. stood against it. Other night golden. On August nights when we were on the lake we watched [[strikethrough]] the su [[/strikethrough]] Venus go down behind the mts. One night I thought it was a signal fire from a peak. Clear starlight nights the Dipper pointed the north star up the lake. Scorpio's whole long & length was in the s.e. sky, the square of Pegasus on the camp woods, Vega overhead. [[underline]] Sept. 1 [[/underline]] - After dull gray days it ^[[insertion]] has [[/insertion]] cleared. The sky is blue & the sun shines warm. How good it is! Coming across the lake at noon the lake was full of big white cumulus clouds that encompassed the boat - it was like the days on the ^[[insertion]] plain of [[/insertion]] Texas when the clouds went with us.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 32 [[underline]] Lake & Mts. [[/underline]] [[underline]] Sept. 1 [[/underline]] The water lilies are nearly gone now. Sept. 6. After heavy rain the mountains are coming into view again - the opposite shore line, green tree hills with sun ^[[insertion]] & shadow [[/insertion]] over, & behind the line of the green ridge outlined against snow white tossing mist - tossing up against dark blue [[image - pen drawing of line representing ridge of a mountain]] mt. mass lost in clouds. Patches of blue sky opening & shutting - tent lighted as clouds thin. White mist reflected in the lake above the dark mt. outline reflection. [[underline]] Sept. 10 [[/underline]] - The Nortons after service took me for a farewell paddle up nor'west cove & Tucker Brook. After a long gray period the sky was blue & ^[[insertion]] in [[/insertion]] the ^[[insertion]] brook the [[/insertion]] boat went through reflected clouds - the brook was full of the white puffs - beautiful cumulus clouds. Rich red maples were reflected & our short bank thick with pink ^[[insertion]] & deeper [[/insertion]] ripening cranberries made a reflection [[insertion]] as [[/insertion]] of a long sod. The brook wound about bordered by fine long ^[[insertion]] marsh [[/insertion]] grass with slender ^[[insertion]] shining whitish [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] swaying [[/strikethrough]] tips, sweet gale & fragrant ^[[insertion]] ripening [[/insertion]] fern. At one bend a [[insertion]] row [[/insertion]] boat was lying in shore & inside the trees we could just make out a small tent. Hunters, probably. We trembled for the loon outside but could
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 33 [[underlined]] Lake & Mts. [[/underlined]] but envy the party in their quiet nook. A tent & a boat - 2 people. What more? From a root on the edge of the water we scared up a solitary sandpiper, & farther on another, & various small cheeps pointed to swamp sparrows & other birds we could not see. We rounded bend after bend till we had to pole & could go no farther when Bald Face loomed up ahead. The brook is full of curious vegetation but not as rich as the Outlet. [[line of separation]] Sept. 13 - Washington was speckled with snow in the mg. White caps on lake. Cold north wind. 14th Snow ^[[insertion]] patches [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] banks [[/strikethrough]] seen ^[[insertion]] early [[/insertion] that melted away during the day. Quiet day on lake except for squalls. [[underline]] Ice [[/underlined]] on water in camp in morning. Mts. turning red - by the glass - also yellowing beeches. Went up ^[[insertion]] to [[/insertion]] Rattlesnake & found maples turning [[underlined]] pink in green [[/underlined]] - also red branches. [[underlined]] Kearsarge [[/underlined]] is called the ^[[insertion]] weather [[/insertion]] Prophet of the lake. If its peak is cloud capped it will rain.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 34 [[underlined]] Sept. 22 [[/underlined]] - Beautiful northern lights - ^ [[insertion]] yellow [[/insertion]] light like arctic pictures - |||| reflected in the lake.
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[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 36 [[underlined]] Alder Swamp [[/underlined]] Back of the lake are alder swamps left dry by a succession of dry seasons, but usually flooded from the lake. The low stocky spreading (sprawling) alders give the character to the swamps. ^ [[insertion]] They [[/insertion]] grow in clusters sometimes spaced with rocks & ferns so that you have a passage way; at others making a network so it is hard to fit through. Cow trails help, but few. In the hollows which are probably filled with water in normal years ferns find rich damp earth, & reguly take advantage of it.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 37 [[underlined]] Alder Swap [[/underlined]] Flocks of chickadees & warblers find a rich supply of insects here & it would be a delectable place to study them - from some mossy stone or foot of a tree - but for the pest of mosquitoes that are quick to discover you & tormentingly persistent in taking advantage of the unexpected feast. The chickadees pervade the place, apparently holding the flocks by their calls. Perhaps the note is one of such security - [[underlined]] chick-a-dee-dee [[/underlined]] - such home comfort that no one can be afraid. As you look up there is a chickadee hanging from a folded leaf busily extracting its possessor; there is another prying along the curl of a birch trunk [[image - pen line drawing of a tree trunk]] (where the bark has curled back); & still another hangs from the tip of a twig at work. Redstarts give a flash of orange [[strikethrough]] fo [[/strikethrough]] as they drop down through the bushes in pursuit of an insect. The place is full of the small insistant notes of fledgelings & the hurrying of hard worked parents, face flashing redstarts, systematic blk & white creepers followed around by dingy fuzzy youngsters, vireos, flycatchers
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 38 [[underlined]] Alder Swamp [[/underlined]] Canadians & bob-tailed young birds, yellow below. A strong animal smell & a smoothed tree trunk stir inquisitiveness. But - switch with a brake as you may, mosquitoes elude you & & stick needles in face, hands, arms, & the back of your neck (you have to sit on your feet) till you are frantic with their irritation & leave in desperation. [[end page]]
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[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 41 [[underline]] Hemlock Swamp [[/underline]] [[underline]] Aug. 4. [[/underline]] - Mrs. Norton and I spent the mg. wandering around a hemlock swamp back of the lake, which the dry weather has relieved of its only objectionable feature - water. Most of the hemlocks were young, growing under pine trees, but some of them were large & made almost a thicket. [[superscript]] + [[/superscript]] Brakes, long ^ [[insertion]] cinnamon [[/insertion]] [[underlined]] Osmunda [[/underlined]] fronds and shield fern (?) gave added richness, but the ground cover of moss was the most swampy feature of the place. Spongy sphagnum that you sank deep into, pigeon wheat & other deep mosses. The roots of the trees ^ [[insertion]] veining the ground [[/insertion]] were outlined by green (? do the roots stand higher in the swamp for breathing purposes?) The floor was carpeted with it - varying shades & forms kept us exclaiming with eyes on the ground. High stalks of the broad-leaved Veratrum spoke of spring richness. Gold thread, with shiny 3 parted strawberry-like leaf slender stem & root of gold thread (orange color) came up through the moss cushions. Clusters of Indian pipes with [[line of separation]] [[superscript]] + [[/superscript]] Among the hemlocks were ^[[insertion]] old [[/insertion]] yellow birches - showing curling bark only on their branches. Two grew over rocks, one sitting like a fat seal [[image - pen drawing of lower tree trunk and roots]] on the rock - amusing.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 42 [[underline]] Hemlock Swamp [[/underline]] seeded heads raised tempted to investigation & proved a beautiful watermelon pink inside. Great rigorous arbutus leaves on the low knolls between mossy places told of fragrant ^ [[insertion]] spring [[/insertion]] bloom. Ground pine - common club moss [[underline]] L. clavatum [[/underline]], trailed along on the ground or swamp emergence ^ [[insertion]] [[underline]] L. lucidulum [[/underline]] [[/insertion]] stood up, miniature forest trees. [[superscript]] + [[/superscript]] On boulders (left by the glaciers?) were fern gardens. The little dark green [[underline]] Polypodicum. [[/underline]] Mushrooms & orange fungus shelves on the side of a tree trunk gave keen color in the dark swamp. And in the dryer places the bright red branch berries - [[underline]] Cornus canadensis [[/underline]] A strong animal smell made us examine the smooth and scratched bark of a slanting tree trunk & nearby a little heap of tiny bones were interpreted by sign. Pileated holes in an old hemlock also told of life. But I could not hoot up the Barred Owl I had hoped to find - perhaps its first morning nap is too sound. Or - perhaps if its ears were awake, our steps & low voices would put it on guard. A few woodpeckers, black and white creepers, & vireos were about all. [[line]] [[superscript]] + [[/superscript]] and in one place we found the exquisite little snow-berry vine with one snowy berry left.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 43 [[underline]] Swamp [[/underline]] [[underline]] Aug. 7 [[/underline]] In a mixed partly cleared hemlock, tamarack, balsam, & deciduous swamp we found dark blue berries of [[underline]] Clintonia umbellata [[/underline]], bushes of Mt. holly, with bluish green leaves & pinkish red berries (brighter in the sun). Patches of vivid red ^[[insertion]] sun lit- [[/insertion]] bunch berries, the snowberry vine with its tiny close set leaves & pearly berries clinging to - clambering on - roots, & young mt. ashes, good to see again. We waded waist deep among the fronds of cinnamon fern & sank ankle deep in sphagnum. An animal that darted [[image - pen drawing of zigzag]] like a rabbit fled from a brush heap that afforded good cover. A Canadian warbler seemed much at home & a pair of white-throats fussed suggestively. The filmy tamaracks are interesting in their individuality. The white throat sang. Hobble bush sprawled on the ground.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 44 [[underlined]] Outlet Swamp [[/underlined]] [[underline]] Aug. 8 [[/underline]] - This mg. Mrs. Norton & I crossed the field at the foot of the lake where I found pitcher plants before the mowing was done, & went on to the trees bordering the Outlet. Royal Fern - the wide spreading luxuriant looking [[underline]] Osmunda [[/underline]] grows there in 'acres', as Mrs. N said. I never dreamed of such fern growth. We waded through it above our waists - sometimes above our shoulders. An old disused road was filled with it, & a park under the high slender water maples was carpeted with it, & some [[underline]] Onoclea Sensibilis [[/underline]]. Sweet gale, a bush allied to the bayberry, mt. holly, a Vibernum in berry & many other shrubs were there between the trees. Birds were very few but the red-eyed Vireo & wood pecker sang, & Maryland yellow throats called - we saw an ad.[[male symbol]]. Overhead we heard wax wings & the chatter of swallows. A chestnut sided warbler was seen [[insertion]] & a Veery heard [[/insertion]]. Song sparrows were abundant & we scared up a swamp sp. A tiny yellowish tree toad made us stop. On a bank we saw what looked like a coon track - a hand. And close above the water was what looked like a deer bed but may have been a horse bed, as we saw a horse & one [[image - downward half circle]] in the soft earth.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 45 [[underlined]] Outlet Swamp [[/underlined]] On the way back we tried to cut across through the [[strikethrough]] marsh [[/strikethrough]] swamp grass & bushes but we had to wade up to our waists in the dense green mass & it was such hard work we returned to the old road. On our way out through the cranberry bog we flushed 2 short-billed marsh wrens. [[horizontal dividing line]] [[underlined]] Aug. [[/underlined]] 9 - In the dryer part near the woods where there is less sphagnum & cranberry, in the grass we found quantities of pitcher plants. Turning around where I stood, at a glance I counted 23 heads (seed pods, petals having fallen) standing up to the level of the grass tops. One plant had [[underlined]] 42 [[/underlined]] pitchers - some brown & dry but most of them in water holding order & beautiful with thin red veining. Is that their device for attracting insects? Draw your finger backwards up the throat of the pitchers & see the fate of the insect that is caught. Alas! The cruelty of nature! [[underlined]] Die, [[/underlined]] that I may live! [[horizontal dividing line]] Looking out on this field from another point - up the woods, we saw a collection of silky, white grass (?) tops - [[underlined]] 'cotton tops' [[/underlined]] beautiful on the level of the grass. Mixed with them was a few pink Habenarias, though they are mostly out of bloom.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 46 [[underline]] Outlet Swamp [[/underline]] Later I found to my amazement a pitcher plant with one stock & one root that came up easily in my hand [[underline]] 90 pitchers. [[/underline]] About 10 - 15 of these were brown but about 75 were bright green strong handsome virile pitchers! The leaf at the back acts like a flying buttress to brace the pitcher when heavy with water. [[underline]] Aug. 31. [[/underline]] We found most of the flower stalks fallen - gone - & the pitchers hidden down in the high fern & grass. In one place they were so abundant we could hardly step without hearing the horrid crunch & perhaps feeling a spurt of water from a ^ [[insertion]] downtrodden [[/insertion]] pitcher. The color of some of them was a keen pleasure. They were red - some small ones entirely red - others thickly veined and netted with dark red. The fall colors are in the swamp - cranberry bog - sphagnum field - [[strikethrough]] are [[/strikethrough]]. In places we waded through royal fern & looking across it was a lovely [[insertion]] warm [[/insertion]] golden brown - blue hills in background as Miss Bleir pointed out. The St. Johnswort stalks [[image - vertical straight line with smaller horizontal lines]] in the grass give bright color - from pink, to plum bloom.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 47 [[underline]] Outlet Swamp [[/underline]] The golden brown of the royal fern fields, the brown sedge heads - some golden brown - & yellow brown of pitcher plant tops make a harmonious autumn picture. The cranberries are ripening in the bog - getting like rosy-cheeked snow apples. [[underline]] Sept. 10 [[/underline]] After a period of rain & gray weather a heavy fog lightened to blue sky & we had a perfect day. The marsh at the foot of the lake was a picture. From its border looking up the lake, the ^[[insertion]] thin scattered [[/insertion]] yellow marsh grass was set in ^ [[insertion]] soft [[/insertion]] blue [[strikethrough]] sky [[/strikethrough]] water reflecting the ^[[insertion]] lovely [[/insertion]] sky. Tongues of dark Pontederia emphasized the delicacy of the light colors. Looking across the marsh ^[[insertion]] gave [[/insertion]] the loveliest autumnal feeling - streaks & patches from sunny yellow through orange & brown. Up at the lake the foothills were [[strikethrough]] mottled [[/strikethrough]] varied with sunshine & shadow - long streaks of afternoon light slanting across while the bulks were shaded. The mountains in soft tones had shadow gulch lines - to the east - & ^[[insertion]] above [[/insertion]] balls & streakers of cloud in the soft blue completed the picture. Golden browns of royal fern full of sun & autumn
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 48 [underline]] Woods [[/underline]] Aug. 9. - In going along the edge of the woods we saw clematis draping the trees - one cluster of flowers crowned with a brown butterfly. Inside a dry patch of woods & also under pines along the road we saw masses of the curious interrupted fern - the green of the frond being interrupted by the brown fruit. We found the feathers & a few bones of a hawk & soon came to a farm house. Blueberries growing in massive clusters deliciously sweet showed the luxuriance of the crop or lack of children in the farm house. The farmer was walking away across his acres & a white-haired woman came out to pump water as we climbed the fence & went off. In dry pine woods we found the big orbicular glossy & somewhat viscid leaves of [[underline]] Habenaria orbiculata. [[/underline]] A pine standing out in the front rank of trees in afternoon has dark depths, & sun touched tips. The cones are ^[[insertion]] green hanging [[/insertion]] in pairs now. [[line]] Aug. 22 - The hobble bush fairly brightens the woods in places now. The berries are a bright red. Some
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 49 [[underline]] Woods [[/underline]] leaves are turned to a dull autumnal color & these bushes have duller berries - yellowish. [[line]] [[underline]] Aug. 2[[overwritten]] 4 [[/overwritten]]5 [[/underlined]] - The hazel is in fruit now. Its cone is fringed (!) & sticky - gummy, perhaps [[vsu?]]ious to keep the nut warm as it has no hard outer shell. The pretty cones are saffron & pinkish. [[line]] A patch of ground juniper has the blue bloom & when the low branches are raised blue berries come to light (thick) [[underline]] Sept. 9 [[/underline]] - For some time the pine [[underlined]] bracts [[/underlined]] have been falling - brown cases that unfold the needles at the base. My platform has been strewn with them mornings. [[underline]] Sept. 19 [[/underline]] - The trees are turning so fast now we sit on the piazza of the cabin with field glasses on the mts. & the foothills. The mt. sides which with the naked eyes are glowing, with the glass are seen to have burst into flames. The lake border is just in transition - each morning there are more tongues of flame. between the pines, while the beauty of the reflected red trees increases.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 50 [[underlined]] Trees [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Hophornbeam [[/underlined]] - out on a pasture hillside (Ladies Delight) was a tree that looked as if hung with hop vine. [[underline]] Sept. 1 [[/underline]] - Wild cherry trees are red or black with cherries now. There are two hazel bushes here, one with a fluted fringelike edge & one with a beak [[image - pen sketch of a leaf]] The fringe takes lovely soft saffron pinks. Some sugar maples are red in the woods - occasional leaves on the road - small bushes are vivid. The fall grasses - sedges? - are brown & of varied forms. The mushrooms - toadstools - are soft purples, yellows, reds, & vivid white - beautiful. Miss Small makes a moss garden on the stove mantle with vari-colored toad stools - a beautiful bouquet. [[underlined]] River maple [[/underlined]] ^[[insertion]] acer dasycarpum [[/insertion]] at Fryeburg Harbor 23 ft in diam. at narrowest [[insertion]] belt [[/insertion]] part. 28 a ft above the ground. 8 large trunks after the fork. [[underline]] Sugar maples [[/underline]] are scattered through the woods & give red touches in September. [[underline]] Hazel [[/underline]] - the fringed kind. Sept. 12 - The leaves are a
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 51 [[underline]] Trees [[/underlined]] soft saffron tones - got warmer as the ^[[insertion]] fringed (?) [[/insertion]] nut cases turn back - open & show the nuts inside - as if offering - take or disseminate. Little catkins are on the bushes at the same time with the nuts. [[line]] Apple trees are beautiful against the sky now - against a gray sky the bright apples [[line]] Maples are coloring beautifully now - here & there isolated trees or branches - a dark red branch or a tongue of flame in a wall of ^[[insertion]] dark [[/insertion]] timber. [[underline]] Sept. [[/underline]] 13. - The ^[[insertion]] white [[/insertion]] pines are shedding their needles now - & ^[[insertion]] old needles [[/insertion]] are yellowish. This follows closely on the falling of the bracts or maybe simultaneous. This I have not noticed it so much before. [[line]] [[underline]] Sept [[/underline]] Witch hazel buses are in yellow flower. [[line]] Rosy apples against blue sky. [[line]] Blushing maple (pink in green) one old stone wall - white birches down the line.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 52 [[underlined]] Ball Game [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Aug. [[/underlined]] 9 - Notice of a Baseball Game was posted on the door of the log cabin for some time, aspirants being asked to sign their names, & between times the camp was interviewed individually & urged to take part, no matter how much or little they knew of the game. Before the appointed hour girls were hurrying around among the tents getting red or blue ribbons tied on their arms. The athletic field in the nearest open space, [[insertion]] reached [[/insertion]] by a walk through the woods - the barnyard of the farmer who supplies camp with milk etc. & whose wife does the camp laundry. The Blues arrived first & stood around waiting for the Reds. Finally a procession emerged from the woods led by a tall young woman (Miss Madeira, Prin. of a Girls' School) wearing a [[insertion]] red [[/insertion]] paper breastplate & carrying a pole topped with ferns & bearing a red bandana. With head up the leader of the procession advanced with martial air, ^[[insertion]] as they all were [[/insertion]] singing the Marsellaise - 'on to victory.' Mr. Norton & John - camp Suptdt. & Camp Boy were Captains of the 2 nines, & when the places
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 53 [[underlined]] Ball Game [[/underlined]] were assigned the teams presented a motley appearance. Some were in the camp uniform - Middy blouse & bloomers, with blue or red collars, one was in a cotton-gingham-dress tucked up short - & one ^[[insertion]] wore [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] had [[/strikethrough]] an elaborate fitted bathing suit! Some had a red or blue ribbon in the hair, & one a blue trimmed hat, & another a red bandana on the arm. Ignorance of the game, especially in the finer points, was the most noticeable feature, but some of the girls showed an astonishing acquaintance with the game, & an expert play. A young sculptor from Providence batted like a boy, & and sent the [[image - ink sketch of baseball diamond]] running for bases as the ball flew across the field; while an artist from Cincinnati acted as coach at the bases. In fact several experienced players had to be called to the bat from a base where they were coaching. As one was lacking to the complete teams, a young farm boy was asked to umpire. He demurred fearing there might be quarreling over his decisions, but finally acquiesced. The audience sat on the stones at the foot of the
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 54 [[underlined]] Ball Game [[/underlined]] barn & the four year old in blue was drawn into their company tho he was so anxious to watch the game it was hard to get him from behind the batter. The farmer's wife & his dog stood in the barn door as audience part of the time, & before the game was over - to the consternation of one of the teams chasing a flying ball - the cows wandered in along the edge of the diamond coming to milking. When it was all over & the Blues had won, 20 to 18, the victors after cheering themselves, cheered their opponents; which would ^ [[insertion]] perhaps [[/insertion]] have been a surprise to the umpire if he had not gone off with a friend before the end of the game casually turning to call over his shoulder as he left the field, that he had to go. One of the small farm boys ran for a lady who couldn't run, & as cheerfully trotted off to the spring for water when he wanted to watch the game. Beforehand one of the girls described a base as "a cushion you carry around with you!" & 'strikes' & 'runs' & 'outs' had to be elaborately explained by the initiated.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 55 [[underline]] Auto to Naples [[/underline]] Sept. 4, Miss Bliss took Miss Julia Madeira, Clara Burnam & me on a 65 9/10 auto ride from the Harman farm to Naples & back. We went to Lovell, down to Black Mt. school & south to the Bridgton road at the foot of Pleasant Mt. then across the Moose Pond bridge, past Beaver Pond, & Highland Lake to Long Lake, through Harrison & Naples; back by West Bridgton, Saco Rim, Fryeburg Harbor & Shave Hill wooded to their shores It was a day of beautiful dark blue ^ [[insertion]] ruffled [[/insertion]] lakes ^ with wooded islets, of roads through forest vistas (blue sky through interarched pines) through ^ [[insertion]] [[elm bord'd?]] [[/insertion]] New England villages through farm land with tasselled cornfields, & open stretches with wide mountain views. From the top of a ridge we looked across over the eastern range which is our camp boundary & saw Washington's great bulk & height, & ^ [[insertion]] brother [[/insertion]] mountains rising beyond. There are no snow clad peaks, no striking forms, but a great mass of blue mountains with light and shadow & color enough to make beautiful pictures. In coming back, near Fryeburg Harbor (the ah-bah, the country people say) we had a more intimate view - of Kearsarge across [[insertion]] a [[/insertion]] flat that [[strikethrough]] highlined [[/strikethrough]] made it seem more companionable - as if we could step
across to it & meet the Nortons who were coming across from Intervale. Even in this southern end of Maine the country is made up of forests, lakes, & mountains. The farm land is only in patches. The question is how, with such small farms the people can have such prosperous looking homes. Is it what is called the New England way of keeping up a good appearance? There is no intensive farming. The pastures are delectable sweet fine fields, the orchards old grassy fields with unkempt trees. Corn is the principal crop & only one outside silo was seen - there are some inside the barns. Corn factories - canning factories take a great deal of the crop. We met wagon loads of corn on the way to the factories. They run only 2 - 3 weeks in the year & the farmer families go to do the work. The road was being built up in one place - made into a broad automobile highway - and the farmers were doing the work, not in the old amoebic way but according to regulations, 1/2 the money being given by the state. The faces of the men were good to see, manly, straight forward, self-respecting for the most part. They matched the houses. [[end page]] [[start page]] 56 [[underline]] Auto to Naples [[/underline]] The type of house seems to be a 2 - 3 story white straight front with dignified front doorway - sometimes with fan decoration over the door, the house leading back by lower levels to the barn which maybe in the same line or jagged to one side [[image - column]] or [[image - t shape]] but almost always connected, & painted white or left unpainted. Winter comfort vs. insurance premiums. When the whole structural extent is white, the effect is harmonious, but a white house attached to an unpainted barn jars on the sensibilities. The yards are scrupulously neat & the houses dignified - & reserved. Piazzas, flowers, open windows - any sign of outside life is more enough to excite remark. Our good natured farmer chauffeur lived in a large 3 story white house at the 'Harbor'. He had only had his machine this summer & said that there weren't many farmers who had them - reluctantly - that they didn't seem to get ahead much. He had been an ice man at Intervale 20 yrs. ago - works in lumbering near home in the winter & now between getting in hay & corn crops takes summer people out in his machine at 15¢ a mile. He owns a good deal of land around the lake. Bought Creeper for
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 57 [[underlined]] Auto to Naples [[/underlined]] about $300 & sold it for $1500 (for the timber). Used to own Buck Id. & sell hunting privelege. He wore home knitted [[strikethrough]] woolen [[/strikethrough]] socks & took us home to get apples (under his trees) for us, & let us see his children. "Children are the making of house", he said feelingly. His eyes filled with mild astonishment at Cal. snake stories. He knew a man who killed a doe moose but wouldn't tell who it was. he announced firmly - get a man into trouble - bad trouble - he wouldn't do that. To get a fox, he said, you had only to make a noise like a mouse & the fox would come close. If he was moving he wouldn't see you. His dialect was delicious but I couldn't get it. Bridgton is a large town with woolen ^ [[insertion]] factory [[/insertion]] & pig skin tannery & Naples has a large hotel & boat landing for steamboat going down to Sebago Lake. It seemed strange to see summer people - [[insertion]] one [[/insertion]] woman in white, with white shoes, & others in tight narrow skirts of the summer fashion. 2 boys in soldier costume with ^ [[insertion]] short [[/insertion]] revolvers in belts looked [[underline]] odd [[/underline]] in this peaceful farming community. Big lines along the village streets.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 58 [[underlined]] Auto to foot of Bald Face [[/underlined]] Mrs. Clarke, Mildred, Grace, and I went by auto/ with Edward J. Stearns) down to Fryeburg Harbour then up the Cold Rim Valley through Stowe up across into New Hampshire & past Chandlers & Bald Face Inn almost to the end of the road. In the Cold River Valley the trees had turned so that they were exciting - we were exclaiming all the way. To a northerner who has had no northern coloring for long years it was an intense satisfaction. It revived memories of days long past. Mellow sugar maples that have been in New York state, and flaming red maples of every shade rejoiced the heart. Then to give tone & contrast them were beauty swamps of ^ [[insertion]] little [[/insertion]] spired evergreens. The road went along the ridge overlooking the beautiful C.R. valley & then up under the hills ^ Slope, Bald Face, Royce & Spade [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] with [[/strikethrough]] We passed the house where the girls stayed one night when they climbed Bald Face. But the best of all was the old amphitheatre of Bald Face between the two peaks - north & south - with its patches of Black timber & what seemed to be moraines at its foot. On the way home the peaks of Bald Face Kearsarge were illuminated with a lovely [[insertion]] rich [[/insertion]] rose glow [[insertion]] that exalted them - lifted them above the subtlety transfigured them [[/insertion]] & the sky flamed up sublimely behind the range.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 59 [[underline]] Animals [[/underline]] [[underline]] Sept. 9 [[/underline]] Mr. Stearns of the adjoining farm told me that deer had frequently been seen in their meadow in former grass, & told me of one doe & one fawn & another with two fawns being seen ^[[insertion]] late [[/insertion]] this summer, then one with two fawns again on Fairview farm this week. [[line]] A man on other side of Creeper saw not long ago either a very large deer or a moose. He thought it was too large ^[[insertion]] & too dark [[/insertion]] for a deer. [[line]] A moose was seen a few years ago by the Camp R. K. letter box - just below the Harman's. [[line]] Foxes are said to be quite common here. To catch them you go out & make a noise like a mouse, one of the Seavey's says. [[line]] A small porcupine quill was left on a red shawl on my table one night. [[line]] Small animals were often heard around camp in the night & once one of the women had a call
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 60 [[underline]] Animals [[/underline]] from a skunk - wood pussy - sachet kitten, they call them. She saw it with her electric lantern - 'bug light'! [[line]] 2 gray squirrels, we have seen - one on the bank of the Outlet, & one on Ladies Delight Hill carrying a butternut. [[line]] A few young red squirrels have been seen & hazel nut hulls & gnawed toadstools found. [[line]] Chipmunks are all about camp & climb the trees between the tents. They are very tame & some come to the hand for chocolate - their favorite food. Some of the young ones come into the cabin & on the piazza when we are at meals there. They fill their pouches with graham crackers & chocolate till it seems as if their skin would burst, & then are off to their holes. Before a storm they worked fast & furiously, storing dry leaves & food. One of the women said they were cutting off acorns near her tent & then carrying them to their holes.
[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 61 [[underlined]] Animals [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Sept. 19 [[/underlined]] Walking down the woods road to the lake & sitting down to watch ducks I scared a chipmunk into terrified shrieks, for I had sat myself down close to its hole! It screamed until breathless you might think [[image - arrow pointing to lower insertion]] [[lower insertion]] [[underlined]] after [[/underlined]] standing up on its hind legs to look at me [[/insertion]] & then from a hole at the root of a white [[strikethrough]] stump made [[/strikethrough]] birch ^ [[insertion]] it [[insertion]] made half frightened half inquisitive starts & dashes at me. It was busy storing apples, when I came. [[line]] Going out with a lantern one night Mildred heard a noise & saw a porcupine coming down the path toward her. It stood sideways & looked at her & then went off to the woods. [[line]]
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[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 63 [[underlined]] Auto to Bald Face [[/underlined]] From the valley we could see the glow of blueberries on the rocky slopes of Bald Face. Unusually large ones grow there & the people of the country go in parties to pick them. At the Ledges where a ^[[insertion]] N.Y. [[/insertion]] Dean of a Theological school spends his summers with his sisters there in an attractive bungalow & cottages, & a 'Salem Tower' as they call it ^[[insertion]] where the men sleep. [[/insertion]] The tower is 3 storied. On the first there is a shower bath & lockers & on the 2d & 3d a bedroom each ^ [[insertion]] so they shower & go to bed [[/insertion]] with window spaces on each of the four tower sides perhaps 10 X 5 ft, but no glass, glazed only by solid wooden blinds that slide across. The views of the valley with its colored trees on one side & of the mountains on the other are worth the tower. It looks right up ^[[insertion]] the [[/insertion]] Bald Face amphitheater. The ledges are granite - over which Cold River falls in cascades. On the road to the valley we went on the Creeper road & past the Kimballs.
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[[blank page]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 65 [[underlined]] Trees [[/underlined]] Sept. 18 - The acorns are falling & come down on the Wharf with a whack that is [[insertion]] startling [[/insertion]] astonishing. [[line]] [[underlined]] Sept. 19 [[/underlined]] The trees are joyous now. There is a mellow yellow light in the woods. [[line]] The pine needles are falling, patterning the ground as the clusters pine needles open. In places the floor is carpeted with them. The old needles yellow before they fall so there is autumn foliage in the pines as well. [[line]] Brown birch leaves lie on my doorstep in the morning & yellow leaves fall at your feet as you walk through the woods. [[line]] In a grove of young white pines on [[Shan?]] Hill a red pine stood apart with an air of distinction from its long needles, & the [[underlined]] reddish brown [[/underlined]] of its old needles compared with the ^ [[insertion]] pale [[/insertion]] yellow of the old ones of the white pine.
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When I retired again, it returned with a distinctive [[underlined]] Oh! Wheedle you wheedle you - Oh - I-fooled - you, fooled - you! [[/underlined]] A speckled thrush was the 2d chapter. Meeting 2 parents just beyond the gate - full of their secret was 1st. Did not see the wood pussy visitor - to the tents below - often sense gives testimony. I did not see the large visitor who left a ^[[insertion]] sharp barbed [[/insertion]] quill on my table - on a red shawl - in the night. Foot falls heard at difft tents - a jump from my platform heard by my next neighbor. See [[underlined]] Gavia immer. [[/underlined]] [[end page]] [[start page]] 90
hunting blueberries. The stirring rattle of the kingfisher resounds as he passes down the shore. There's an Empidonax flycatching! But if his lips must be sealed, his name must be unset down for, who would identify an Emp. with a glass! Of all the voices that come to my tent who can say which is best? The homely caw of the crow ^ [[insertion]] down the lake [[/insertion]] the stirring [[underlined]] kee-you [[/underlined]] of the big red - shoulder ^ [[insertion]] up on the hill [[/insertion]] the clarion bugle of Myiarchus ^[[insertion]] from the wood [[/insertion]] the dreamy whistle of the wood pewee [[superscript]] + [[/superscript]] the sweet realistic lover's call of the goldfinch, the bark of the barred owl disturbed from his nap deep in the wood, the liquid call of the sandpiper from the beach, the ^[[insertion]] whippoor-will & the [[/insertion]] lonely cry of the loon from the lake? Or are those best whose voices come in the hush of sunset - ^[[/insertion]] across the lake as the colors fade behind the mts. the querious ^[[insertion]] call of the [[/insertion]] whippoorwill, or [[/insertion]] the soul-stirring song of the hermit thrush, from out of the heart of the forest? Quawks were heard in the night (Aug 7) Aug. 11 - I opened the flap of my tent & pushed out cautiously to see the hawk that was calling. Had it come to the tent clearing to hunt for our chipmunks? The call stopped & up in a pine top the Blue Jay white flashed off to the woods. [[line]] [[superscript]] + [[/superscript]] compacted of all the mystic secrets of woodland sunshine & green shade [[end page]] [[start page]] 91
the waxwings and yellow birds will build their late nests. For while most birds thoughts are now on the larder, theirs so late are now on love. - What a beauty of a gold - a yellow yellow gold finch I saw down on the beach with his dull colored mate! A whizz, a buzz - there is a tiny hummer seating herself [[insertion]] (?)[[/insertion]] on a twig almost on the peak of the tent. Another whizz - she is gone! One of the most familiar of all my little visitors - & she visits all the camp - is the pretty black & white creeper & her young - first fuzzy [[insertion]] dingy [[/insertion]] little tots who could do little but open their bills, now active little fellows with white lines on the head & clear white patterns on the back Twice when I was at home I saw a shadow on the tent - at the overlapping of the canvas [[image - line drawing of a tent]] which makes a good hiding place for insects - & heard the rattling of little feet on the paraffined (?) cloth - & saw the busy little lady hunt out some ^ [[insertion]] hidden [[/insertion]] morsel. Meanwhile little fledgeling sat by & called in its own little metallic clicking tones. Mother [[Muiotilla?]] then ran over my doorstep - I stood close by - & flew up on the other side of the tree trunk at hand's reach - fearless preoccupied little mother. Crows caw as if stirring up a band to start for the afternoon journey to the roost. A song sparrow with cheerful chirp cries [[end page]] [[start page]] 92
Occasionally I look up to see an ovenbird in the casual manner of ovenbirds walking down a branch craning its neck to take note of you by the way, keeping silent as secretively as if it had no reason for keeping silent - as if it had no babes in the wood. I had a surprise one of the first mornings I came. Walking over the pine needles in front of my tent as complacently as any dry land bird came a water thrush, tipping its tail up & down as if walking along a black earthed mountain brook. Two flickers - probably parent & child - whistled in & out of the tree tops excitedly, for some days the middle of July. Sometimes a downy woodpecker's note calls me to the door & - there he is, fluffy blk & white ball on the side of a tree trunk. Phoebes were about the last of July - having left their nest in the cabin at the other end of camp. Occasionally a hermit thrush comes in to sight - perhaps one of the pair whose one remaining nestling they are guarding so zealously out in the pines beyond camp. The loud calls of young hawks led to investigation & the discovery of a nest in a tree top on the hill back of camp. Real bluejay calls were followed by the discovery of a family of the handsome blue & white birds. Brady notes in the treetops ^[[insertion]] & sweet-lisping goldfinch calls [[/insertion]] make you wonder where [[end page]] [[start page]] 93
Titmouse can sound quick warning. But I like best to think - & I suspect it is the truth - they like to go about with merry Penthestes. In any case, when you hear his call - if warblers are your quest - drop your work or play & look. - And look [[underline]] hard [[/underline]]. Watch for each flutter in the treetop, each flash of color in the air. Listen for each small voice. The metallic clicking pears to be the young black & white creeper. A young blackburvians found the little hemlock in front of the tent & crept on its branches as if very much at home, while a Parula was briskly going about. Now on the ground, now on a stump, now on the side of a brake. (See Haliaeetus leucocephalus) just below camp - would have been in sight from tent. (Aug 22) Saw a shadow on the water & hurried to the edge of my platform - rattle & dash - a kingfisher! The loud trill of the pine warbler over the tent in mid July soon stops. The ^[[insertion]] 4.30 am [[/insertion]] song (see water thrush S.N.) ceases after a while. The grosbeak [[underline]] eek [[/underline]] - a family of young (see notes) See [[underlined]] Gavia immer. [[/underlined]] Was it a screech owl in the night? Sleep {dulled obliterated the record. Nuthatch on side of tree trunk. [[end page]] [[start page]] 94
heard no more, for August has come. The mother finds the blueberry patch very convenient. What a relief it must be for a hard driven parent to find berries - something that can't fly away from you! Once the mother made a pretty picture feeding one of her little ones ^[[insertion]] among the brakes [[/insertion]] sitting on a slender arch - ? brake stem ? - leaning toward it as it leaned toward her [[image - semicircle curve with two dots indicating scene described]] with fluttering wings. Several times (Aug 4) I saw her put a whole blueberry into the bill of the youngster. When families are not entertaining me flocks of warblers, apparently kept together by chickadees come trooping out from the woods. And how they fill the trees & keep your attention keyed up, to ever determine what they all are! Why should they go banded with the chickadees? Perhaps they know that where chickadee calls, there will be a feast. Perhaps the singing [[underline]] phoe-be [[/underline]] or the [[strikethrough]] cheery [[/strikethrough]] unmistakable [[underlined]] chick-a-dee-dee [[/underlined]] are easier to follow than any of their own small notes. Perhaps - who knows? - they like the company of the jolly little titmouse with his cheery heartening call. Who doesn't? A feeling of security may come with such good cheer too. A very misanthrope it would be, or a terrorist, who could hear gloomy feelings or forebodings with such notes singing in his ear! And when danger does threaten, the brave [[end page]] [[start page]] 95
to the nesting time with these tardy birds. Families already out of the nest come by as they wander up the lake front. Kingbirds who [[strikethrough]] see to [[/strikethrough]] attend to duty & pleasure with harsh voices that bely them are besought by young who [[strikethrough]] se [[/strikethrough]] add insistant iteration to the harsh tones of the family to offend the ears & disturb the quiet of the peaceful lake front. Up the shore the old ones have seen driving a crow bk to the woods ^ [insertion]] for the protection of all young families. [[/insertion]] In grateful contrast to the harsh notes of the kingbirds are the soft calls of a family of scarlet tanagers that wander up & down the shore line trees. The call of the green clad young is a soft {see - ee {[[underline]] see-wee [[/underline]] or [[underline]] see-la-wee [[/underline]], as gentle & restful as the lapping of the quiet lake water on the beach. Father, mother, & young go about together, day after day. After watching the leaf colored [[strikethrough]] friends [[/strikethrough]] mother & her brood it gives you a start to look up & see the father of the family in scarlet uniform. He seems out of place. But perhaps he is doing a soldier's duty, standing on guard, drawing fire, while his family hide under green coats. His loud [[underline]] chip-churr [[/underline]] sounds through the woods when he sees danger. I have seen him fly down among the blueberry bushes, but he seems to perch and look mainly in public. Buffy patches are invading the scarlet of his uniform so perhaps he feels a little of the security of his winter costume. Soon after I got here one of the girls of camp asked excitedly "Did you see the tanagers right down in front of your tent? "It was a beauty!" The song of the male given in snatches at first (July 15+) is [[end page]] [[start page]] 96
[[start page]][[underlined]] From My Tent Doorway in the Maine Woods [[/underlined]] A sunny bit of second growth comprising young pines, slender ^[[insertion]] white [[//insertion]] birches, & ^[[insertion]] spotted barked [[/insertion]] maple & beech ^[[insertion]] whose leaves glow vivid yellow green in the sun, [[/insertion]] with a floor cover of brake with stems strong enough to hold a bird, & blueberries to furnish food; all on the edge of a lake where ^[[insertion]] cool drink & [[/insertion]] baths may be had in shallow water and warm sunshine comes in between the trees to quickly dry our ^ [[insertion]] feathers [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] affords [[/strikethrough]] such a bit of woodland attracts many birds. From my doorway I look out under [[strikethrough]] the [[/strikethrough]] low arching branches [[strikethrough]] of [[/strikethrough]] through a vista to the lake and across to the timbered shore beyond, & behind ^[[insertion]] which rise [[/insertion]] [[strikethrough]] it [[/strikethrough]] the hazy or dark blue ridges of the White Mts. & the clouds [[strikethrough]] that [[/strikethrough]] pile up above them. Two small tents ^[[insertion]] [[other?]] shore [[/insertion]] among the trees to the left of my vista give only a feeling of human companionship. A diving raft, seen through the fringe of trees up the lake also gives a pleasant feeling of [[deep?]] pleasure. Most of the day the birds may have full possession, for my tent is the last down the line and woods & lake have left the camp deserted. The twittering of swallows that hunt for insects flying back and forth over the water lilies. [[strikethrough]] that [[/strikethrough]] whose green pads make [[strikethrough]] a [[/strikethrough]] broad belts across the lake. Waxwings beady notes remind me that it is getting [[end page]] [[start page]] [[underlined]] Index [[/underlined]] [[underlined]] Animals [[/underlined]] - 59, 61 [[underlined]] Bald Fall [[/underlined]] - to foot in auto 58, 63. [[underlined]] Ball Game [[/underlined]] 52 Camp Fire 24 [[underline]] Cranberry Bog 19 [[/underline]] " [[ditto for: "Camp"]] [[Tewuua?]] 3 - [[underline]] [[Ferus?]] [[/underline]] 10 [[underline]] Flowers [[/underline]] 27 Fryeburg Harbor 18 [[underline]] Lake & Mts.[[/underline]] 30 [[underline]] Montreal [[/underline]] 2 [[underline]] Naples [[/underline]] [[underline]] North Waterford [[/underline]] 25 [[underline]] Outlet. [[/underline]] 12 - [[underline]] Snakes [[/underline]] 29 [[underline]] Swamps [[/underline]] {Alder 36 {Hemlock 41 - {Outlet 44 - [[underline]] Trees [[/underline]] - 50, 65 [[underline]] Washington to Homewood [[/underline]] 1 [[underline]] Woods [[/underline]] 48
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