Purple Martins

 There is a field with purple martin nests at McKeon Farm in Ridgefield.

The nests are mounted in groups on high poles.  The purple martins fly in and out continually.

Dragonflies are a favorite meal.  The second bird on the left was showing off its capture. 

The purple martin eggs hatched in the last two weeks.  Volunteers were removing the newborns from the nest, banding them so they can be studied, and then placing them back in the nests.

Tomorrow I will show some close-up photographs as the banding took place and the youngsters were returned to the nests. 

Turkeys

Mom and some of the kids.

Hoarder?

 This one is confusing.

A gorgeous Victorian house in Bethel, Connecticut, has been carefully and beautifully painted.

But the porch is overflowing with debris.  Huh?

Milkweed Visitors

 I planted milkweed in my pollinator's garden a couple of years ago.  It now has happy visitors.

The milkweed is absolutely swarming with bees.

I planted the milkweed for the benefit of monarch butterflies.  It has been discovered.

I was surprised to see a great spangled fritillary butterfly enjoying the milkweed.  There is more than enough milkweed.  Welcome!  The more the merrier.

Back in Ridgefield

Timothy Keeler opened his tavern to visitors in 1772.  It became a hub for Revolutionary activities in the town of Ridgefield, of which Timothy was a chief and ardent supporter.  

 

Because of Keeler's patriotism, his home and business were targeted by the British during the Battle of Ridgefield in 1777.  The Keeler Tavern still sports a baseball-sized cannonball in a corner post.  

For fifty years in the first half of the 20th century, the noted architect Cass Gilbert and his family owned and lived here.  Gilbert designed the United States Supreme Court building and the state capitols of Minnesota and West Virginia, as well as many other well known buildings.   By 1966, some Ridgefield residents had raised enough to buy the tavern and convert it to a historical museum.

The Fountain Inn is next door to Keeler Tavern.  Today it is a bed and breakfast inn.  In Revolutionary times it was owned by David Hoyt, a cousin of Timothy Keeler.  Hoyt was a Tory, but he rode out to the British encampment and persuaded them to stop firing at his cousin's tavern, fearful that Hoyt's own house might be struck by an errant cannonball.

The Cass Gilbert fountain is at the intersection of Routes 33 (Main Street) and 35 (West Lane), across the street from Keeler Tavern and The Fountain Inn.  Gilbert designed it around 1915 as a gift for the town of Ridgefield. 

Square Dance

The last night at Squam Lake ends with a family square dance.

It is hard for a tall man to fit under an arch of shorter arms.

It isn't so easy when you are small, either.

The woman in the blue top and red-white-and-blue lei is 94 years old.  She usually uses a wheelchair, but she insisted on dancing.  Her son held her VERY tightly.

The dance closes with a line dance.  A staff member leads the dancers out a side door.

Across the roadway.

In and out of a  few buildings and then back to the dance hall.

 The dancers love it!

Games

 

Pie eating contest.

The egg toss.

Racing with an egg in a spoon.

Leap frog.

Wheelbarrows.

Potato sacks.

Three-legged race.

And dunking your buddy.

Parade

 

A Fourth of July parade is one of the highlights of the week on Squam Lake.

I began this blog fifteen years ago today.  I had retired six days before, on June 30, 2010.   I thought that spending time with a camera would be a good way to be sure I didn't sit inside all day.

Rattlesnake

 

Every year there is a hike to the top of nearby Rattlesnake Mountain, to look back down on Squam Lake..

Fourth of July at the Holderness Bridge

 

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans.  We only have to wait another three and one-half years until we can find an intelligent person with appropriate American values to lead us.

Capture the Flag

The kids love the game of Capture the Flag.

Some adults like the woman in red sneak into the game to relive memories of their youth.

An eagle also played.

 

Nothing like 90 minutes of running to have the kids sleep well.