My Blurb-osphere
You may know that a bee, back from scouting the fields, does a sweet little dance for the hive, directing them to the precise location of a honeypot of pollen. This page is the human equivalent of that desire to share a good thing when you find it. Have a buzz around.
Dave Strong, formerly of Plainfield, Vermont, attending sap lines in a younger part of the sugarbush on his family’s farm in Orange,
A tree you might call the mother of all maples stands in a grove on a 200-year-old farm in Orange, Vermont. By certain dimensions it ranks as the largest living maple in the state. And it almost went unrecognized as such until, in 2011, Dave asked me to make a short video (slides and text) about the history of his family’s maple grove and the year-round forestry work involved in producing maple syrup.
As we wrapped up shooting and came out another side of the grove, we passed the “mother maple.” It was a familiar sight to Dave, but I was awestruck and suggested he have a state forester take a look. And now it’s in the record books. Stick with the 5-minute video to the end to see this spectacular specimen and its stats. Be patient near the middle where the screen goes black for a bit and then the rest of the video proceeds. This was my first attempt producing something like this back in the day. Lessons were learned. WATCH VIDEO
Alicia displays one of her toad houses.
Alicia Cusimano, of Marshfield, Vermont, creates enchanting fired and finished clay toad abodes for the garden that are more than just pretty objects. They help attract creatures that eat the pests that gardeners love to hate. Nearing 89 years old, Alicia, exposed to the art world at a young age, only much later in life began this rewarding and absorbing work, and things are hopping for her. READ
What ravishing strangeness is this?
Who ever thought up jellyfish? Well, who ever thought up humans, the jellies may rightfully ask, peering at this child from their display tank. Wait. Can jellyfish peer? In their own ways, each species ponders the peculiarities of the other in this beautiful snap by my step-daughter Jessica of her son at the Vancouver, B.C. Aquarium.
Vermont Life Magazine (1946-2018) once showcased some of the finest scenic photographers around. I remember being enchanted by this image of icicles on one of the later covers by Peter Arthur. He called it “Diamond Dusk.” I loved the ephemeral, crystalline forms etched against the dimming of the day. When I later had the good fortune to speak with Peter, I learned that he was still, at the time, a hold-out master of black-and-white film photography with an "ever-loving analog heart." He's a don't-get-me-started guy when it comes to the culture of "purdy" digital hocus pocus. His ethereal black-and-white landscapes remain in my top tier of favorite work of this kind.
But once upon a time, Peter worked professionally throughout the U.S. and Europe as a glossy magazine photographer with a specialty in automotive images. He's both a committed gearhead and environmentalist. Now there's a pairing you don't often see.
Visit his website and gallery here.
Vermont Life Magazine cover with Peter Arthur’s work. .