Machias River

Machias River, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Playing around with HDR (High dynamic range imaging) Using Photomatix free software, thus the watermarks. The picture is made by combining three bracketed photos of the same scene. To get the watermarks removed you need to buy a pro copy of the program which is around 100$ it's a lot of fun and I will buy it but not until I get a new computer hopefully in the new year it runs so slowly on my old desktop that it is painful to use. The black and white and the colour photo were made from the same set of photos.

Red Poles

Red Poles, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Out for a hike on Fundy Drive and came across a flock of Red Poles picking seeds out of Alder cones. I'm still trying to teach myself the various features of my Canon G11 and today's exercise was to take RAW photos and edit them with the Canon Software when I got back home. No idea what I'm doing really but I'm pleased with the results of these two hand held images of the Red Poles. I particularly like the bottom one it almost has the quality of an Oil Painting.

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Santa in Beziers

I thought they were hanging the little red bandit but I was told that is how Santa enters apartments in Beziers., originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I was just reading some Santa jokes that a friend sent me and I remembered this picture that I took in France last winter. I saw several of these hanging from balconies and I thought they were hanging the little red bandit but I was told that is how Santa enters apartments in Beziers, he climes up a rope and comes in the window.

More Christmas Tree Comments

The Ravens Breakfast a Christmas treat.

The Ravens Breakfast, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Breakfast for my one legged Raven and his friends. I give them breakfast most mornings sometimes porridge, sometimes pasta or bread and always a scoop of wild bird food . This morning it was left over deviled eggs from the Christmas party Sunday afternoon and porridge with brown sugar.

There is a photo of my one legged Raven earlier on in this blog or you can click on this photo and see it attached as a comment in my flickr account.

Pathfinders Christmas Party at Herb and Bonnie Phillips, Boot Cove, December 19, 2010

Pathfinders Christmas Party at Herb and Bonnie Phillips, Boot Cove, December 19, 2010, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

A great get together with my friends in the Pathfinders Walking group at our annual Christmas Party Sunday afternoon. Lots of good food and a great group of people. If you are in the area please feel free to join us for a walk this is our January and February schedule all times are in Eastern Time Zone:

Pathfinder walks for January and February 2011
All walks begin at 1PM Eastern Time

Join us for enjoyable explorations of our beautiful area. Call the walk leader for more information and possible cancellation due to inclement weather. Pathfinders is an a volunteer group. All walkers assume responsibility for their own safety on all walks and outings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Jan 2 at 1PM. Edmunds area. Cobscook Bay State Park. Meet at the park entrance. Contact Chad Milne at 332-8072.



Jan 9 at 1PM. Edmunds area. Moosehorn walk. Meet at the Whiting store and gas station. Contact Frank or Gayle Studenski at 733-4234.



Jan 16 at 1PM Eastern Time. Campobello Island Herring Cove. Meet at the Campobello Island visitor parking lot. Bring proper ID for the border crossing. Contact Fred Gralenski at 726-5837.



Jan 23 at 1PM. East Machias. Meet at the parking lot behind Archibald's Store. Contact Tom Finlay at 255-8970.



Jan 30 at 1PM. Machias. Meet near the Sunrise Trail across the road from Dunkin' Donuts in Machias. Contact Pat Smith at 255-6219.



Feb 6 at 1PM. Columbia Falls. Meet at the Columbia Falls Fire Station. A walk along the Sunrise Trail. Contact Tom Finlay at 255-8970.



Feb 13 at 1PM. Pembroke area. Meet at 857 Leighton Point Road. Contact Fred Gralenski at 726-5837.



Feb 20 at 1PM. Jasper Beach area. Meet at the Machiasport Post Office. Contact Chad Milne at 332-8072.



Feb 27 at 1PM. Mowry Beach in Lubec. Meet behind the Lubec School. Contact Gayle or Frank Studenski at 733-4234.

Lobster Pot Christmas Tree on Campobello Island

I took this night time video of the Lobster Pot Christmas Tree that is in a photo that I posted earlier this week. It looks fantastic.

Christmas in the Barn

Christmas in the Barn, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Sometimes the simplest decoration is the best. Just a simple wreath on the barn door.

Lobster Pot Tree

Lobster Pot Tree , originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Friends were telling me about a large one of these down in Jonesport, Maine so I was surprised to find one here on Campobello Island. I must drive out to have a look at this at night when it is all lit up. I like it !!

Gift the gift that can change lives

Give Kiva Cards this Holiday!

This holiday season, think about adding Kiva Cards to your holiday gift list. Give one to a Kiva fan or introduce friends and family to microlending by giving them credit to make a loan! Kiva Cards allow the recipient to search for a borrower and make a loan using the Kiva Card they have been given. And don't forget the best part: credit from Kiva Cards can be used again and again after repayment from the borrower! It truly is a reusable gift that is helping to alleviate poverty around the globe.

Visit www.kiva.org/gifts to explore the options we have this year for giving. This year Kiva is excited to offer the best gift idea yet: a real, hold-in-your-hand Kiva Card! You can also print or email Kiva Cards directly from the site. For a limited time, there will be FREE shipping!

Seed catalogs are arriving

Seed catalogs are arriving, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

One of my favourite winter pass times racking up big charges on my credit cards to various seed and garden catalog companies.

The Seasons

The Seasons, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

One of my favourite places to walk is the Glensevern Road and Eagle Hill Heath . There are a number of benches on the heath boardwalk but I have always loved the setting for this one and as you can see I have photographed it several times. I put together this little collage to show the Seasons.

A walk in the Snow.

Rose Hips in the Snow, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Seems to be getting colder everyday now, but today was a great day for a walk. I walked the Glennsevern Road which isn't plowed in winter but so far there isn't enough snow down to make it impassable and the lake still hasn't frozen over.

Snow !!!

Our first real snow storm of winter 2010 - 2011. A short video to show my Auzzie friend what it looks like around here when it snows. As snow storms go this one is pretty tame mild temperature right around zero, no wind to mention and not a lot of snow.

Merry Christmas, 圣诞快乐 ,Vrolijke Kerstmis ,Joyeux Noël ,Frohe Weihnachten ,Χαρούμενα Χριστούγεννα ,Buon Natale ,メリークリスマス ,즐거 운 성탄 ,Feliz Natal ,С Рождеством Христовым ,Feliz Navidad,Hauskaa Joulua,Good Jul

Merry Christmas, 圣诞快乐 ,Vrolijke Kerstmis ,Joyeux Noël ,Frohe Weihnachten ,Χαρούμενα Χριστούγεννα ,Buon Natale ,メリークリスマス ,즐거운 성탄 ,Feliz Natal ,С Рождеством Христовым ,Feliz Navidad,Hauskaa Joulua,Good Jul, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I think that just about says it unless you have one you would like to add.

Just found a website with all of the Christmas greetings:

Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees
Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees
African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats
Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden
Arabic: Milad Majid
Argentine: Feliz Navidad
Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand
Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun
Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal
Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!
Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha
Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce
Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina
Brazilian: Feliz Natal
Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat
Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo
Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!
Chile: Feliz Navidad
Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun
Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan
Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo
Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth
Corsian: Pace e salute
Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo
Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi
Croatian: Sretan Bozic
Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok
Danish: Glædelig Jul
Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak
Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast
English: Merry Christmas
Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!
Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon
Estonian: Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi
Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal
Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!
Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad
Finnish: Hyvaa joulua
Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
French: Joyeux Noel
Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!
Galician: Bo Nada
Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!
German: Fröhliche Weihnachten
Greek: Kala Christouyenna!
Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato Brichto
Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!
Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka
Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova
Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket
Icelandic: Gledileg Jol
Indonesian: Selamat Hari Natal
Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah
Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat
Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.
Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie
Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto
Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags
Korean: Sung Tan Chuk Ha
Lao: souksan van Christmas
Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!
Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!
Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe leto
Lettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus
Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu
Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar
Luxembourgish: Schèine Chreschtdaag an e gudde Rutsch
Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik
Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb
Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa
Maori: Meri Kirihimete
Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Navajo: Merry Keshmish
Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul
Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado
Papiamento: Bon Pasco
Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu
Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!
Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo
Philippines: Maligayang Pasko!
Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie
Portuguese:Feliz Natal
Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak Sha
Rapa-Nui (Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua
Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn
Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!
Rumanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit
Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom
Sami: Buorrit Juovllat
Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou
Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou
Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh
Serbian: Hristos se rodi.
Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa
Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok
Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto
Spanish: Feliz Navidad
Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År
Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon
Tamil: (Tamizh) Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!
Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas
Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun
Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym or Z RIZDVOM HRYSTOVYM
Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho (good New Year not Merry Christmas)
Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh
Welsh: Nadolig Llawen
Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

Lake Glenn Severn starting to freeze over.(Sunset)

Lake Glenn Severn starting to freeze over.(Sunset), originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

The weather is getting mild again and the forecast calls for rain for the next couple of days so I'm sure the lake will thaw-up again, but it won't be long now before it is frozen solid for the rest of the winter.

My one legged Raven

My one legged Raven , originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I'm always so glad when I have the first sighting of my one legged Raven in the late fall or early winter. He and two of his friends have been feeding at my winter feeders for at least a decade now. I'm not sure how he lost his left leg or if he was born deformed but he does quite well for himself and he is always seen with two other ravens . Ravens mate for life so I'm not quite sure how to interpret this trio. Maybe the other two Ravens are his parents and they have stayed with him because he is disabled or they are his siblings at any rate they are very happy together and he is never alone. In the photo he is having a breakfast of leftover oatmeal. There is a pecking order the other two ravens eat first and he stands in the background until they fly over to a tree to wait for him then he eats his fill. I usually have my feeder hanging in an apple tree about 10 meters from the house but this year I have it above a small deck outside my garden door and I wasn't sure if he would come this close to the house because they are very shy and fly away at the slightest noise even-though I've been feeding them for years. Well I guess he just couldn't resist his porridge breakfast.

My First Submissions to Getty Images Artist Picks group

My First Submissions to Getty Images Artist Picks group, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

My First Submissions to Getty Images Artist Picks group

Members can submit 25 photos per month these are my November submissions.

Clicking on the photo will take you to my flickr account and links to each of the individual photos in the collage.

Hybrid Greenhouse Cucumber Carmen

Hybrid Cucumber Carmen, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Hybrid Cucumber Carmen grown under lights in my house. This is the third one that I've picked and there are lots more coming along behind this one. I wondered if this would work and am pleased that it is working. I love these "English Cucumbers" and they go for $2.00 each in the stores around here in the winter. They taste as good as the ones I grow in the greenhouse in the summer but I don't think they are as dark a green.

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

The saga of the Downy Woodpecker continues. I bought a woodpecker seed, fruit and nut cake and a cake of suet. I still haven't put the suet out because it attracts Raccoons and it hasn't been cold enough for them to hibernate yet. He's enjoying his special fruit, nut and seed woodpecker treat but he is still screaming for suet , it's in the freezer and any day now it is getting colder by the day. Minus 5 this morning.

Herring Cove Park the yellow trail

Herring Cove Park the yellow trail , originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I'm leading the Pathfinders walk this weekend so I went out today to check the trail that I plan to use.

Congratulations to Campobello's first Mayor and Council Elected today. Honneur à notre élu

Mayor: Stephen David Smart
Councillor At Large: Carson R. SAVAGE
Councillor Ward 1 : Kevin E. SAWTELLE
Councillor Ward 2: Terrance Dale PRESTON
Councillor Ward 3: Janice M. WATTERS

They do a lovely thing in France in every little town and village at the home of all elected officials they erect a sign and two flags, the sign says, "Honneur à notre élu". translates to Honour to our elected ones or representatives. So in honour of our representatives I'll post this sign:

Portia Owen Hemery

Portia Owen Hemery, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I've been invited on a trip to the Channel Islands with a group of friends next March so one of the things that I hope to do while there is to spend a day or two on Jersey and see if I can locate the final resting place of Portia Owen, this memorial to Portia is in St. Anne's Church here on the Island.

I've been fascinated at what I have found on the Internet in just the last 24 hours. Portia married into a very prominent Jersey family of wine merchants and her husband Clement was an aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria :

Clement Hemery
Baptized 2.10.1811. Married Portia Owen in September 1838 in St. Georges Church Hanover Square London. He was a wine merchant. Colonel of the Town Regiment. Constable of St. Helier 1873 - 1876. A.D.C. to Queen Victoria. Died 16.1.1877.



Testament of Clement Hemery of Plaisance, Jersey. Dated 15/07/1876. Bequeaths to the eldest representative of the family a portrait by Fisher, to Cornelia Robinson Owen a portrait by Fisher. Bequeaths to the Jersey National School £200, to St Mark's and St Luke's Schools £50 each, to Cornelia Robinson Owen £50 for religious purposes at Campobello, New Brunswick.


I found one Jersey Church that has a website and contact information so I just wrote them to see if they could offer any information that might be helpful.

I would like to visit the grave and bring back pictures of the Church and Grave to give to St. Anne's.

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker , originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Lots of birds at the feeder today but this Downy Woodpecker was doing the strangest things. He went to two different windows in the living room and looked in at me and screamed then he hung on the screen on the Garden Door and did the same thing. In between these performances he would go to the feeder and pick out some pieces of corn to eat. The feeder has two cages for suet but I don't buy any until the Raccoons have hibernated and I sure it is cold enough that it won't spoil in the sun. I think perhaps he is one of the woodpeckers that feed at the feeder every winter and he is upset that there isn't any suet.

Herring Cove

Herring Cove, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

Still having fun with the camera after dark. This time I went out on Herring Cove Beach and stood in the cold for and hour or so just after sunset. There is a new moon in the sky so the sky isn't dark enough to see very many stars. I will do it again some dark moonless night.

The Big Dipper

Stat light star bright

Stat light star bright, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

My first night time photo with the Canon G11. A 15 second exposure taken just outside my door. If you click on the photo that will take you to my flickr account and you can read notes that I placed on the photo you can also select to see a larger version. Not a perfect photo by any means but it was fun and now I want to try some more perhaps in a darker location.

After The Rain

After The Rain, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

A good day to try out some of the features on my new Canon G11 camera, gray and overcast, after almost a week of steady rain the streams are swollen and running fast. First time I've ever tried anything other then fully automatic or macro photos. The little camera still amazes me and there are lots of features that I haven't tried yet. If you would like to see more of theses just click on the photo and that will take you to my flickr account where there are a few more.

My Brother called me shortly after I put the photos up wanting to know if I help the man get out of the stream in this photo. I hadn't even noticed the strange rock until he drew it to my attention.

Last of the fall colour - Acer palmatum ( Bloodgood Japanese Maple )

Last of the fall colour - Acer palmatum ( Bloodgood Japanese Maple ), originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

What a miserable week weather wise it snowed last Sunday and has rained every day since, lots of wind too. Most of the fall colour is on the ground and the trees are bare until next spring. My Japanese Maple Bloodgood is always appreciated at this time of year it keeps it's leaves for a week or two after all the native trees have shed theirs. According to the forecast we might see a bit of sun this Wednesday and Thursday should be a clear sunny day. Adding to all this fun we set the clocks back an hour today so it is dark by late afternoon, I don't understand why we let them do this to us I don't Know anyone who is in favour of it.

Sauerkraut started

Sauerkraut started, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

The Sauerkraut is in the picklemiester and the fermentation process is underway. A process which should take four to five weeks, after which it can be put in the refrigerator and kept for months as you use it up.

The last of the harvest

A compilation of several short video clips taken over the last three weeks as I harvested and preserved my garden produce as well as a look at my new little chicken coop all ready for my hens when they arrive next summer and a short clip of my indoor cucumbers.

Wild Cranberry Preserve

I use this as a guideline then measure my cranberries and add sugar and water according to the amount of cranberries. This year I put the cooked berries through a kitchen mill to remove the skins, most years I don't bother.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups (625mL) cranberries (fresh or frozen)
3/4 cup (175mL) sugar
3/4 cup (175mL) water

Get Cooking!

1. Combine cranberries with sugar and water in a large saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes until cranberries pop and sauce starts to thicken.
3. Pour sauce into a bowl and chill. Serve cold. Sauce will thicken on cooling.

Wild Blueberry Jam

BLUEBERRY JAM
Printed from COOKS.COM

4 c. prepared fruit (about 1 1/2 qts. ripe berries)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 box powdered fruit pectin
5 c. (2 1/4 lbs.) sugar

First, prepare the fruit. Crush completely about 1 1/2 quarts fully ripe blueberries. Measure 4 cups into a very large saucepan. Add lemon juice.

Then make the jam. Add powdered pectin to fruit in saucepan and mix well. Bring to a hard boil over high heat, stirring constantly. At once stir in sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off foam with metal spoon. Then alternately stir and skim for 5 minutes to cool slightly and to prevent floating fruit. Ladle quickly into glasses. Cover with paraffin.

Male Cardinal

Male Cardinal, originally uploaded by Campobello Island.

I don't think I've ever had one of these at my feeders before. We used to get them over on the North Road where I grew up and my Mother had them where she lived in Welshpool, but I think this is a first for me. There are at least two males here at first I thought I was only seeing one bird but I just saw two at the same time one at the feeder and one not far away trying to eat rose hips off one of my rose bushes.