Aroostook County Spring

It is Easter today and it is snowing. The forecast is 3 to 6 inches. There are forecasts for either snow or rain or both every day for the next week. These pictures were taken this morning:

The snow is drifting down, the trees are covered, boots are needed, and it certainly looks more like January than April.

We have filled the bird feeders and the chickadees and goldfinches have returned to eat. In most respects it looks very much like it did in December when we left for Florida.

The summery clothes have been put into the back of the closet and winter duds and sweaters have been found. The tulips are up under the kitchen windows, but they are certainly not ready to bud soon.

So we have our spell of winter after all. The budding trees and blossoms will have to wait a few weeks in northern Maine.

Ryan spent yesterday and last night with us. Here you see him helping Grampy get the winter greens out of the window boxes.

Here we have Ryan and Gary putting out forsythia and creating spring decorations.

And that's the way it is - spring in Washburn!

The Trip Home

The Coles traveled four days from Florida to Maine. This post will be in two parts - the trip home and spring in Washburn. As we headed out on I 95 north climate changes were most obvious. We spent a night in Wilson, North Carolina, where it was nearly as warm as it had been in Florida. Here we have a road picture from the first day.

We noticed lots of purple trees flowered out, and wondered what they are. We never did find out.

As we moved north into Virginia everything was green and blossoms were abundant.

We spent the second night in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and needed jackets. It was windy, chilly, and spring was not in bloom. The third day we moved on to Massachusetts where we met up with Bob. They treated us to a night in a lovely inn, and dinner at the Wayside Inn.  Here we have Bob and Bridget:

The Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts:

That is Bridget out in front of the inn. Here is a nice photo of one of the dining rooms:

We spent a lovely evening and had a wonderful meal here. Early the next morning we headed north to Maine and met Jon for breakfast in Portland. We spent much of the day at the Maine Mall getting a computer, so we were late heading north. We first noticed snow in the woods beside the road in the Lincoln area. Upon reaching Houlton the snow started and it snowed most of the way to Presque Isle. We finally arrived home well into the evening, cold and tired.

Farewell for Another Year

Today we are packing and cleaning. Our time in Florida has come to an end, and we will be leaving early in the morning tomorrow.

We have had an eventful winter here and will miss the sunshine and warmth, but spring will come to northern Maine and we will be there to enjoy it. One of the negative things about Florida is the lack of season change. Things are greener and more trees are in blossom than there were when we came in January, but the changes are not dramatic like the snow melt, the ice out, and mud season.

Gary has made many strides in his art career. Here you can see the gallery that he has been working with, and one of his original paintings on display in the window of  the gallery.  He is leaving two behind with the hope of selling them here. The car is going to be full of paintings, prints, and cards to bring home. He plans to exhibit and sell them there.

The only guest we have had this year in Florida is Louise's cousin, Tobey Lombardo. Here is a picture of the two of them together.

And so we conclude our winter trip to the south. There is much we have come to love about Florida. The sunshine and warmth defy the imagination, and this has been a very warm winter. There is an ease of living here that defies the New England ethic of being busy every minute and working hard to get by. On the other hand, it is very busy, has lots of traffic and crazy people. It isn't home. We look forward to visiting family and friends we have missed over the past three months.

So as we load the car to make the trip, we say farewell to another winter in the sun. See you soon!

Friday at the Wildlife Refuge

Friday was a beautiful, sunny day spent at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. We need to get a good variety of photos to fuel the painting over the next few months. We share with you the beauty of this quiet place.

Here we have a blue heron hiding under a bush

Alligator swimming

We only have two weeks left to our trip to Florida, and soon we will be back to Maine enjoying spring and watching the snow melt! It is hard to think of snow in such warm and sunny weather.

Florida at it's best

The Coles have been out and about a bit this week doing some tourism. Monday we went to the Brevard Zoo again and enjoyed it as we have several times before. It is by far the best zoo we have found.

The colorful birds are one of the highlights of the zoo.

Yesterday we ventured down the Treasure Coast to Vero Beach. This is by far the loveliest part of Florida that we have seen. We traveled down Route A1A, following the ocean. As you leave Melbourne Beach the scenery changes. Gone are the endless lines on condos and in their place are beautiful private homes, landscaped perfectly, and large areas of preserve with no development on it. It is a beautiful place. We spotted several places we didn't have time to visit, so we will return to that area. We spent all of the afternoon in the McKee Botanical Garden. Here are just a few photos of what we found there.

Lunch at the garden cafe

Taking a rest

 

 

Another painting?

 

The stump of a giant cypress tree

 

 

We have had a great week enjoying the beautiful weather and visiting some favorite places. This is by far the best part of Florida that we have seen. Oh, yes, there was a yarn store in Vero Beach!

Art Show!

Gary has decided today to share photos of the paintings he has done here in the past two months.

This photo of the Bugbee farm was his first this winter.

This one of the Portland Head Light at dawn is based on a photo taken by Jon Cole, as was the Bugbee Farm photo.

This is the first of several Florida scenes.

Shore Birds

This Carolina Mill was an art class project.

This duck was found in the Brevard Zoo last year.

This abandoned house was an art class project to which Gary added an abandoned piece of farm machinery.

This hibiscus blossomed by our door, and is the most recent creation. Gary has been invited to join a group of professional painters at the art gallery where he has been taking classes.

The relentless summer heat continues here as the temperatures reach the mid and upper 80s. We are learning this year what tropical means!

Louise has completed sweater #3 of her 12 sweaters for the year. This one will be an addition to Bridget's spring wardrobe.

Life is good at the beach.

89 Degrees at Cocoa Beach

That's right - 89 in February. It was 90 a few miles south of us in Melbourne. There was only one thing to do today - go to the beach. The sea breeze made it seem cooler. Here we are:

And the rocket did launch this afternoon, but we missed it as we went out to an early dinner. We felt it and heard it at the restaurant. Tomorrow the temperature drops to the 60s again. Did you say it was snowing in northern Maine??