Installed a nice, old-fashioned, wooden screen door today. Wonderful it is to work with wood with one's hands! The installation reminded me much of Dad when he did carpentry around the house and as a child I'd "help" him. [Of course, when I got into my teenage years I wasn't really in the frame of mind to want to help.] Didn't realize it, but he was teaching me stuff I'd be using and doing later on in life, which of course I've been discovering / recovering quite a bit lately. "Too soon old. Too late smart." What a wonderful Dad he was to us! The memories intensified when I went over to the Bargain Barn -- a lumberyard outlet for, and across the street from, the Hancock Lumber Company (on Poland Spring Road in Casco). After pulling two 12-foot pieces for the cabin loft floor and looking for some other pieces, salesman Chris directed me to the back lot of the building where he said I could pick through the "reject" pile of lumber and take whatever I wished ... gratis. Wow. [Working with wood is a lot like working with people, which reminds me of a far-better Carpenter than I, Who seemed to delight in working with "wood" He found in the social "reject" pile.] Found 4 or 5 workable boards for the loft area. A short while later I was about to buy a box of 2 1/2" finishing nails when he said, "Wait a minute. I think I've got these -- loose -- out by the lumber." Sure 'nough, he did. He grabbed about a pound's worth, put 'em in a brown bag ... and didn't charge me for 'em. Double wow. Got the lumber loaded atop the car and headed home.

Heading 'round the bend on Lower Coffee Pond Road, a trio of gold finches flashed and darted in front of the car -- bright yellow bodies flanked by black wings in frantic flapping motion. Got back to 43 LCPR and was surprised to hear, then see, 2 woodpeckers tearing away at the Central Maine Power pole adjacent to the cabin. Don't know if that's a good thing -- nice to get the bugs out, but then there are all those holes left behind. Took some video as they made their rounds (literally) up and down the pole.

The birds I've seen and heard to date in the neighborhood:

gold finches
woodpeckers
blue jays
crows
mourning doves
black-capped chickadees (Maine's state bird)
white-throated sparrows
loons

red-breasted robin

hawks

Sauntered over to my neighbor's property to take a look at how he set up his jet pump and water tank. Both are located a short distance away from his well and a much longer distance from his house. Got some ideas and hope to get started on getting my well water running again.

One thing that's really surprised me is that I expected there would be a lot of bugs around here during the summer -- especially the ubiquitous, huge and notoriously pesky Maine mosquito. There haven't been that many (relatively speaking, of course) and that's been a really pleasant surprise. One bug I've seen a lot of is the dragonfly ... what a fascinating creature! As I was photographing it, this little red number actually blinked both its big eyes a few times -- lids moving from the bottom upwards.