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, Vermont.
A tree that you might call, in a slang way, the mother of all maples, stands in a grove on a 200-year-old farm in Orange, Vermont. By certain dimensions it ties in size with the largest living maple of its kind in the state. And it almost went unrecognized as such until, in 2011, Dave Strong asked me to make a short informational video about the history of his family’s sugaring operation and the year-round forestry work involved in producing maple syrup.
As we wrapped up shooting and came out another side of the woods, we passed the enormous matriarch of the sugarwoods. The tree early settlers left standing to continue seeding the grove. It was an everyday sight to Dave, but I was awestruck and suggested he have a state forester take a look. Just for grins, you know? They might be interested in cataloging it. And so Dave did. And now this tree is in the official record books. Stick with the 5-minute video to the end to see this spectacular specimen and its stats. Please be patient near the middle where the screen goes black for several seconds before the video proceeds. A rookie error. This was my first attempt producing something like this back in the day. Lessons were learned.
CLICK TO 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 (when a toddler) at the Vancouver, B.C. Aquarium. It endures for me as a testament to interspecies curiosity.
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..