City Daily Photo Theme Day: Numbers in Barton

I live in Barton, Vermont. The village is located where US Route 5 and Vermont Rt 16 intersect. I live on Rt 16 about two miles out of the village. Rt. 16 runs from Hardwick to Westmore, a distance of approximately 30 miles. I am on the last leg of the road near Westmore. Rt 5 runs north and south from Maine to Florida. Rt 16 runs north, south, east and west. These road signs are at the end of my road in Barton Village.

Just east of these signs, on the way to my house, is the sign in the photo on the left saying you are going east on Rt 16 (which you are, actually). You can see Crystal Lake and a part of Hardscrabble Mountain behind the sign. Nearly a mile east beyond this sign is the village limit. Rt. 16 from Barton Village to the village limit is called Eastern Avenue. But at the village limit, as you enter Barton Town, the name of the road changes to Willoughby Lake Road (Rt 16 ends at Willoughby Lake, 6 miles east.) Whew! Got all that?

Approximately ten years ago, Vermont began to implement the enhanced 9-1-1 emergency telephone system. At that time, the address for my house would have been RR 1 (for Rural Route), the same as just about everybody else in town. But the new law decreed that every road have a name. Town meetings were held and all the roads were named. The numbering system for the houses is the mileage on the road from the beginning of the road. Therefore, I live 1.203 miles from the beginning of Willoughby Lake Road. The system sort of works. Behind my mail box you can see my beaver bog. You can read a very lengthy but fascinating paper on the history of Vermont town roads here. And here is a great link for the Vermont Enhanced 911 Board.

One summer, my stepmother lived with me after she suffered a heart attack. One morning before dawn she needed an ambulance to the Newport hospital. But the 911 emergency dispatch operator (in Hardwick, 20 miles south), despite having my address, needed to know where we were ("Two miles east past the railroad tracks in the village," I cried. "Ahhh," she replied, "good, now I know where you are.")

Two summers ago, a Vermont state trooper kept driving slowly by my house and finally drove up the drive and stopped. He asked what road he was on. An emergency call had been made from a house on Willoughby Lake Road. But the phone number of the caller was a Brownington exchange (one town to the northeast) and he couldn't find it. A Brownington phone number could be just about anywhere near me up to the Canadian border. The trooper and I discussed where this other Willoughby Lake Road could be (we identified two other roads with the same name within a 10 mile radius of my house) and he took off to try to help this poor person. I hope he made it there in time.

Coming to visit? Just remember this: I am two miles east of the village past the railroad tracks. Or if you are coming from the east, I am one mile west of the Rainbow Farm. Everybody knows where that is.

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Albuquerque (NM), USA by Helen American Fork (UT), USA by Annie Arradon, France by Alice Aspen (CO), USA by IamMBB Athens, Greece by Debbie Auckland, New Zealand by Lachezar Austin (TX), USA by LB Avignon, France by Nathalie Barrow-in-Furness, UK by Enitharmon Barton (VT), USA by Andree Belgrade, Serbia by Bibi Bellefonte (PA), USA by Barb-n-PA Bicheno, Australia by Greg Bogor, Indonesia by Gagah Boston (MA), USA by Cluelessinboston Boston (MA), USA by Sarah, Whit, & Leyre Bucharest, Romania by Malpraxis Budapest, Hungary by agrajag Buenos Aires, Argentina by Karine Busan, Korea South by iamnbinb Canterbury, UK by Rose Chandler (AZ), USA by Melindaduff Chateaubriant, France by Bergson Cheltenham, UK by Marley Chesapeake Daily Photo (VA), USA by ptowngirl Chicago (IL), USA by Focused Light Christchurch, New Zealand by Michelle Clearwater (FL), USA by Smaridge01 Clearwater Beach (FL), USA by Smaridge01 Cleveland (OH), USA by iBlowfish Cologne, Germany by April11 Concordia Sagittaria, Italy by Patrizia Coral Gables (FL), USA by Jnstropic Corsicana (TX), USA by Lake Lady Dallas (TX), USA by turtle Darmstadt, Germany by Elsch Dunedin (FL), USA by Smaridge01 Durban, South Africa by CrazyCow East Gwillimbury, Canada by Your EG Tour Guide Evry, France by Olivier Forks (WA), USA by Mary Geneva (IL), USA by Kelly Glasgow, Scotland by Jackie Greenville (SC), USA by Denton Gun Barrel City (TX), USA by Lake Lady Hamilton, New Zealand by Sakiwi Hampton (VA), USA by ptowngirl Helsinki, Finland by Kaa Hobart, Australia by Greg Hong Kong, Hong Kong by Rachel A. Hyde, UK by Gerald Inverness (IL), USA by Neva Ioannina, Greece by Christos-Ioanna Jackson (MS), USA by Halcyon Jefferson City (MO), USA by Chinamom2005 Jogjakarta, Indonesia by Jogja Portrait Joplin (MO), USA by Victoria Katonah (NY), USA by Inkster1 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by Edwin Kyoto, Japan by Tadamine Larchmont (NY), USA by Marie-Noyale Las Vegas (NV), USA by Mo Le Guilvinec, France by ds2944 Lisbon, Portugal by Maria João Lisbon, Portugal by Sailor Girl Lodz, Poland by ritalounge London, UK by Mo London, UK by Ham Mainz, Germany by JB Malaga, Spain by Paula Manila, Philippines by Heyokity Maple Ridge, Canada by Susan Marseille, France by Alex Medan, Indonesia by KT Melbourne, Australia by Mblamo Melbourne, Australia by John Memphis (TN), USA by SouthernHeart Menton, France by Jilly Mexico City, Mexico by Poly Mexico City, Mexico by Carraol Minneapolis (MN), USA by Greg Minneapolis (MN), USA by Mitch Minsk, Belarus by Olga Misawa, Japan by misawa mama Monrovia (CA), USA by Keith Monte Carlo, Monaco by Jilly Monterrey, Mexico by rafa Montpellier, France by Marie Moscow, Russia by Irina Mumbai, India by Kunalbhatia Mumbai, India by Magiceye

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Technorati Tags: Barton Vermont, City Daily Photo Theme Day, Numbers, US Rt 5, Vt Rt 16
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Lens Day: (Almost) Purple Mountains

A view of Jay Peak from Coventry, Vermont, 26 April 2008
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Why I Love To Photograph Robins

American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
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My Neighbor, the American Beaver

The beaver live mostly on my end of the bog. They are out and about at dawn and dusk, usually just as the light is growing or going. But I was lucky this past Saturday morning while sitting on my porch. This big guy was chomping on all sorts of vegetation in the ponds that he helped to create. Click here to see my photos of the main dam. Above, he is sitting on a flooded hummock.

In these two photos, he is swimming about between two hummocks that would be perfect goose nest areas. Photos were taken with full 10x zoom with Kodak Z710 camera. My Canon is coming soon! (Story later!)

Below: his house. This lodge is visible from every window in the front of my house.

American Beaver (Castor canadensis)

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Beaver Dam

View of the back of the dam looking east at the eastern end of the beaver bog near Doyle Road.
This is the best time to view dams because the foliage is not out.

The front of the same dam, looking west. There used to be a human dam here. I haven't learned why it was built yet, but may have been for a mill whose ruins are on the western end of the bog, nearer to my house. When clicked, these photos will open, full size, in a new window.

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ABC Wednesday: O is for Oriole

This post, with updated links, is from my other blog from May 27, 2007: 

Mr. T and I left this morning at 6:30 AM to go birding with folks from the Northeast Kingdom Audobon Society for the annual Birdathon. The others knew the sounds of all the birds and could tell even by their flight what they were looking at. I wandered around happy as a clam photographing anything I liked. We followed the Barton River in Coventry on the River Road (the Coventry Marshes).

At one point I left the group entirely and followed the railroad tracks. That is where I managed to catch the photo above of a Baltimore Oriole. I only had one shot and it came out rather well for having only a second or two to focus. I was going to e-mail the photo to the group but after I saw the bird photos of one member, I decided not to. After all the walking I decided to sit and rest in the car while they continued to "bird." I shot the photo below of the group from the car.

Suddenly the others were excitedly motioning me to leave the car and join them. They had found another oriole and were watching her build her nest. The clouds had thickened and the available light was very poor for my camera. But somehow I got this very poor shot of her weaving her nest:

The oriole flew away and I was able to get many photos of the nest-in-progress with different magnifications. I have posted only one here but the rest are in a Flickr set I made today.

We left the group and returned home at 9 AM because we were soaked from lying in wet grass to photograph wild flowers and tramping through the fields and marsh. This has been another wonderful day. 

UPDATE: The oriole never completed the nest. 

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Technorati Tags: Baltimore Oriole, Icterus galbula, Northeast Kingdom Audobon
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One Single Impression: Flowering Pussy Willow

Beautiful willow —
catkins gray, green and yellow
softly adorn you

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My pussy willows (all wild, none are cultivated) are all blooming. The catkins are not the showy flowers of spring, but are muted and gentle. During this week of death and memories, the pussy willows sustain me with their special version of flowering life and renewal. Pussy willows grow everywhere here in very wet soil, which I have because I live in an area of underground spring water that bubbles to the surface nearly everywhere. Go here to read more about the American Pussy Willow and go here to see the most fantastic photographs of the catkins that can be seen anywhere.

Technorati Tags: American Pussy Willow, catkins, Salix discolor
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Odd Shots: The Last Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped chickadees were the main visitors at my feeders all winter. They were so much fun to watch that I miss them now that the feeders are down. This was the last series of shots of a chickadee that I took this spring. The chickadee is holding a sunflower seed in its "toes" while it cracked open the shell. When she was done, she flew off for the summer. I barely see any chickadees now since they live nearly invisible lives in the woods. But I hear them all day long. This "odd shot" of the chickadee taking off in flight is my thank you to the little birds for my winter of bird photography. When clicked, these photos will open, full size, in a new window.

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Sunday Spire: Island Pond Congregational Church, Vermont

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Sunday Spire

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Sky Watch Friday: Turkey Vulture

I took a drive on my bird road on Monday. Suddenly from the ditch flew a bird so big that its wing span was wider than my station wagon. I knew immediately that it was a turkey vulture because of it's coloring and size.

On Tuesday I returned at the same time of day. But I got my camera ready and held it on top of the steering wheel while I drove slowly. This was on a Vermont back road where there is no traffic. The same bird flew out of the ditch at the same place. I got two shots of it in flight and pulled over. I searched the trees and saw it perched high in a tree. I used 10x zoom on my Kodak Z710 Zoom camera. I took these photos without a tripod.

The vulture kept an eye on me and after 20 shots it flew away. These five photos are the best of the bunch. They are untouched except for some cropping.

I have returned every day and will continue for at least another week or so. It may return because its food is still there. What was it eating? A dead porcupine and raccoon. These animals were not hit by cars. They may have been shot by kids that live in the area. There was another dead raccoon in the woods a short distance down the road.

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ABC Wednesday: N is for Northern Junco

I never saw these juncos all winter. But they have been here for two weeks now in a large flock. Peterson's Eastern Birds Field Guide groups these Northern Juncos (also called slate-colored juncos) with snowbirds. Their range is the "cool forests of Alaska, Canada; south in eastern mountains to northern Georgia." That is a large range so I am not sure why they are called snowbirds. When clicked, these photos will open, full size, in a new window.

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Canada Goose

I know we have all posted geese photos but I liked this one for a few reasons: I took it from the road (not the house), the cattail in the foreground, and the lighting. There is a tranquility aout this photo that I enjoy looking at. When clicked, this photo will open, full size, in a new window.

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Beaver Cuts

Beaver are cutting these trees down on the Missisquoi River in Troy. Further downstream are many more that have been cut. This is new activity. In March I saw a couple of girdled trees but thought it had been done by porcupines. I doubt that the beavers are damming the Missisquoi. They are probably building a dam further back in the field behind the river.
Technorati Tags: beavers, Missisquoi River, Troy, Vermont
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Odd Shots: Nose Shot

I was photographing a herd of cattle in a field in Barton village. They saw me standing near the fence and came right over for a chat. This particular cow actually bumped the camera lens. I saw her coming through the view finder but I guess I misjudged how long she would take to bump into me. She and I are just fine and I got this shot. For more about this heard, see here and here. When clicked, this photo will open, full size, in a new window.

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Sunday Spire: South Wheelock Freewill Baptist Church

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Sunday Spire

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