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| Blueberries ripening on the barren. |
In mid-July DH and I visited friends with a camp on Lake Sennebec, near Camden, Maine. The blueberry harvest was imminent.
We walked up a country road to the blueberry field - properly, a
blueberry barren.
Wild blueberries are cultivated differently from their domesticated cousins; "wild" is a bit of a misnomer, as the barrens are in reality actively-managed stands of lowbush blueberry. Every two to three years the barren is scorched in a controlled burn; this stimulates new growth followed by a new crop of berries. In the image above the blackened rocks testify to the role of fire in regeneration.
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| DH, with our friend Steve, on the barren. |
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| Some of the blueberries will become breakfast. |
On our walk to the blueberries we enjoyed typical Maine scenery.
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| Rural mailboxes. |
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| A white horse - make a wish! |
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| Where the horses live. |
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| Beautiful Greek revival home. |
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| A vintage A-frame - not many of these left. |
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| Black-Eye Susan. |
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| Lichen-covered rock. |
For a contrast to the rural sights, our kind hosts Steve and Lisa took us into Camden, a delightful coastal town with lots to do and see. It's worth the trip just to see landscape architect Fletcher Steele's
outdoor amphitheatre, occupied by
arts festival vendor's tents during our visit. In beautiful weather the vintage automobiles and trucks are part of the fun too.
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| Restored postal truck. |
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| Shopping for things you didn't know you needed. |
After the hustle and bustle of Camden, and a wonderful dinner at the
Youngtown Inn, the lake and the
loons - Maine's iconic bird - returned us to a slower pace.
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| Lake Sennebec. |
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| Two symbols of summer - straw hat and Adirondack chair. |
Steve and Lisa's camp has been updated and improved by their daughter, landscape architect
Emma Kelly - how handy to have such expertise right in the family!
