May 29, 2003

Remembering Hurricane Carol - a special feature

Hurricane Carol made a big impression on me in 1954 and it remains my most vivid storm experience. Our home on Mathewson Road in Barrington, RI and we overlooked a harbor filled with pleasure craft. The storm was a surprise,...
Posted by Greg Stone at 08:34 PM
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May 28, 2003

Early morning raccoon melodrama?

It was 3 am and the motion sensor had activated the spotlight in the front yard , so for about five minutes I could see clearly what was going on. Directly below me, near Bren's parked car, was a mother...
Posted by Greg Stone at 04:03 AM
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May 26, 2003

Think of it as "playing by ear"

Ah, there it is - that wonderful feeling of being 12 again and coming home with your dungarees soaked through to the knees because you have been roaming through wet woods and wet fields and wet marsh and yes,...
Posted by Greg Stone at 01:29 PM
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May 21, 2003

Crying over spilled oil - and broken lives

Bouchard Transportation, the folks who spilled the oil in Buzzard's Bay, now say they underestimated the damage. Instead of 14,700 gallons leaking from their barge, it was more like 98,000 gallons. Wonder who their accountant is. The Coast Guard didn't...
Posted by Greg Stone at 04:38 PM
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May 19, 2003

Brenda Appleseed and the Cedar Waxwings

About 25-30 years ago Bren ate an apple. On a whim, she placed the seeds in the refrigerator and kept them all winter, then planted them in the spring. The result is we now have three fully grown apple trees...
Posted by Greg Stone at 08:05 PM
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They're small, they're flitty, they're frustrating. . .

. . . but you can see warblers and with luck you'll get a good enough view for a few seconds to identify them. And it's fun doing so, especially when you're in a nice location. We went on our...
Posted by Greg Stone at 02:26 PM
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May 18, 2003

A story told in pictures

"Perfect" is not defined as "warm." We define it as sweat shirt and wind-breaker weather, with clear skies - the sort only spring and fall can bring. In such a day, everything is fresh and wonderful. And so it...
Posted by Greg Stone at 05:47 AM
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May 16, 2003

Oops - I didn't expect that!

Yes, I watched the first half of the eclipse last night and yes, I was surprised to see the moon vanish from the bottom up. I thought the left side would go first - the east side - as it...
Posted by Greg Stone at 09:31 AM
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May 15, 2003

Big orange meets big orange!

Hey, it actually works! Cut up some oranges, spike them on a tree branch, and the Baltimore orioles love 'em. I had read this several times, the most recent in a local newspaper column by Fred Thurber. He said...
Posted by Greg Stone at 01:01 PM
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May 14, 2003

Try to see it this way

You are on this huge ship, circling a brilliant light. Spinning around you is a much smaller boat. Usually you can see this boat fine, for it is lit by the same beam of light as you. But every once...
Posted by Greg Stone at 11:23 AM
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After the winter of our discontent, what a joy the yard is!

Arranged around the dandelion, clockwise, are the great crested flycatcher, a "Confederate" violet, a curious catbird, and a blue violet that I think of as a "Yankee" violet. I usually hate mowing the lawn, but what a treat today!...
Posted by Greg Stone at 08:02 AM
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May 12, 2003

New visitor to feeder

Just spotted a sparrow-like bird on the feeder, only it seemed too large. I got a good look at its markings - pale bill, streaked breast, and a white line above the eye going to the back of the...
Posted by Greg Stone at 11:23 AM
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When the words hide the truth . . .

. . . and numbers and pictures serve to obscure, I am reminded of what Einstein said some years ago: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science....
Posted by Greg Stone at 05:10 AM
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May 08, 2003

A close encounter

Bren came into the office yesterday afternoon, her eyes glowing and a big smile on her face, having just had a close encounter of the hummingbird kind. Seems she was talking on the telephone and standing in front of the...
Posted by Greg Stone at 02:26 PM
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May 07, 2003

Messing about in boats . . .

. . . or not in boats, it really doesn't matter. What matters is the "messing about" part - the aimlessness. All of this came home to me today as I opened a small gift from Margaret, a little ceramic...
Posted by Greg Stone at 12:53 PM
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May 03, 2003

Keep off the beaches - don't add to the harm of the oil spill

The word from the experts is play it safe and stay off of area beaches, including Horseneck in Westport, even if you don't see obvious examples of oil there. The reasons are three: 1. There can be oil present without...
Posted by Greg Stone at 08:06 PM
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OK, so maybe everyone else knows about these?

This comment came in January, 2007 - it updates and earlier comment posted four years ago - and certainly updates this whole post. Thanks Jim. (BTW - comments are now disabled.) Hi Greg, Thanx for the reply. I just wanted...
Posted by Greg Stone at 04:44 PM
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May 02, 2003

Oil - the second wave

While I still feel lucky - and a little selfish at feeling that way - that the oil has not impacted Westport seriously, the spill is proving worse than anticipated. A second wave hit area beaches yesterday. You can read...
Posted by Greg Stone at 01:28 PM
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May 01, 2003

From flat on your back you can see millions of years!

Yesterday was one of those “Where-did-you-go?-Out!-What-did-you-do?-Nothing!” days. Well, some of it was. Like when I turned the point on the beach, put the ocean behind me, and headed up the river shore. Nothing but blue sky, whispy clouds, warm...
Posted by Greg Stone at 07:51 AM
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