On a sunny spring day

May 14, 2020May 3, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Not long ago, the old carriage road up the hill a few blocks from our house was still covered in ice and snow. Just wait another week, for the deciduous leaves to fill out.

Too tame to run

May 9, 2020May 3, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

These were grazing in a vacant lot right along a city street in Eastport, Maine – the first of many we encountered. No wonder gardens were surrounded by tall fences! We can’t wait to get back. (Photo by Rachel Williams)

School outing … a year ago

May 8, 2020May 1, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

Middle school students ply the intertidal zone at Dover Point in search of an array of animal and plant life. Normally, such field trips are common as the academic year winds down into summer. So this is how it looked last May.

Hobbit house in Maine

May 7, 2020May 3, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ 2 Comments

I must have passed this a thousand times before finally noticing it tucked in beside an older farmhouse. The return of foliage will soon have it completely hidden.

Whaleback in the tide

May 5, 2020April 24, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

On the Maine side of Portsmouth Harbor, Whaleback Lighthouse sits on a menacing ledge. It’s one of two lighthouses along the passageway of tricky, strong tidal currents.

The falls downtown after a day of heavy rain

May 2, 2020May 1, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

The Cocheco River pours over the dam and waterfalls downtown yesterday. The pipe, far right, allows salmon and other migratory fish and eels to bypass the cataract on their way to the tidal waters below.

On the old carriage road

April 28, 2020October 14, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

It’s now a fine trail to the city park at the top of Garrison Hill, for those of us who would rather walk than drive.

And it leads to this observation tower, for more climbing.

Here’s how the route looked in the late 1800s.

World map on a brick wall

April 19, 2020February 1, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

This piece of art is a lovely addition to an external wall of Dover’s indoor swimming pool.

I suspect the New Hampshire Children’s Museum had a hand in its appearing.

We form the pieces of a puzzle, don’t we!

Christos Anesti!

April 19, 2020February 1, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

For the Eastern Orthodox, today ushers in 40 days of Pascha, or Easter. It’s not a one-day event, but the joyous response to Great Lent, culminating in the feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost.

The center of the ceiling in an Eastern Orthodox house of worship typically displays a large icon of Christ Pantocrator, or Ruler of the Universe. Here is the image from Annunciation Greek Orthodox church in Dover, with four angels and what I presume are the authors of the four gospels. Every time I look up at that face, the thought arises, “I could follow that man.”

Just a friendly reminder

April 17, 2020April 16, 2020 ~ Jnana Hodson ~ Leave a comment

The creators of the homemade mask (at left) pose with the creator of the sculpture (right) at this landmark along Interstate 495 north of Boston.

This whimsical public sculpture in Haverhill, Massachusetts, has always brightened our trips down I-495. I don’t know why the dog-bone cutout works so well, but it does, perhaps suggesting that Rusty (or whatever its name) has happily ingested a big treat. The playful open shape even allows opportunities for seasonal additions like a row of pumpkins every October.

So I get this attachment from a favorite funnyman in my life, acknowledging that he’s not the only comedian in the family. His wife and daughter, above, have been sewing Covid masks like crazy and, as dog lovers, they got an impulse to do more.

Look at it as inspiration, either to make your own masks or to make sure you wear one in public.

Ciao and bow-wow!