Temperatures at Skylands, my well-loved home in Seal Harbor, Maine, are expected to be in the 30s today and then plummeting to single digits overnight.
Last week, I shared photos from the recent storm which covered my Bedford, New York farm with snow. The same weather system also hit Seal Harbor, dropping 11-inches of white powder in the area. The same week brought rain and temperatures in the high 40s, melting much of the snow that fell. The weather has been very erratic along the east coast, but Cheryl DuLong, who helps care for my home in Maine, is a wonderful photographer, and always keeps me updated by sending images of the property and the surrounding areas whenever she can.
Here are some of her recent photos, enjoy.
This photo looking into the woodland was taken from my back driveway at Skylands not far from my tennis court. The image was captured around 4pm, just as the sun was beginning to set. Skylands is beautiful in every season, but under winter’s glistening snow, it is even more magical.
Here is another view into the woodland looking up the hill toward the “lost pools,” where my grandchildren loved to play when they were younger. There is definitely snow on the ground, but with the erratic weather as of late, much of it has already melted away.
This photo was taken in my dining room. Here, Cheryl caught the shadows of the window and the kiwi vine on the wall. These vines are original to the property and continue to thrive here at Skylands.
Here is my cactus. Do you know, it was only about a foot tall when I purchased it? It’s been trimmed down at least twice over the years. It’s planted in a faux bois container and top-dressed with pine needles. Cheryl likes this plant, especially since it needs very little maintenance – only a bit of water once a month.
Here’s the afternoon sun peeking through the trees. This view is from the back porch. On the right, one can see the windows of the dining room, and some of Rockefeller’s guarding “teeth” straight ahead.
The next day, Cheryl took photos during a snow squall – a sudden moderately heavy snow fall with blowing snow and strong, gusty surface winds. This vantage point is from the back porch toward the Jens Jensen designed Council Circle and fire pit, where in the summer, we roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories.
This is a view from inside through a leaded window in the living room to the terrace and the ocean beyond.
Here’s another view looking through the woods toward the ocean. Fortunately, this snow did not accumulate on and weigh down any of the tree branches.
Seen from one of the bedroom windows – this view through the tall evergreens, the ocean and Sutton Island. This photo was also taken during the squall. Sutton Island is a small, private island just north of Cranberry Isles, Maine. There are no roads on the island and there is no regular ferry service.
Here is my large “cracked ice” terrace facing Seal Harbor. During Memorial Day Weekend every spring, I love to come up here and plant all the giant containers displayed on this terrace – it is a tradition I have kept for many years.
Looking over the terrace on this side is Aristide Maillol’s ‘La Riviere,’ but don’t worry – she is safe and all tucked away in a shelter for the remainder of winter. Under the plywood box on the right is a long planter carved from a single block of granite. I purchased it from Trade Secrets in 2013.
Just below this terrace railing are wild Maine blueberry bushes that produce some of the best tasting blueberries I’ve ever had. A bare maple tree stands to the right among many evergreens.
These rocks are right outside my Map Room window. Some of the icicles are quite long. Icicles typically form on days when the outdoor air temperature is subfreezing but sunshine warms and melts some snow or ice. While it drips off, a water droplet freezes as it loses its heat to the cold air. The pink coloration is due to the high potassium feldspar content, a mineral commonly found in granite. This pink tinted granite is all over Mt. Desert Island and is definitely one of the things that makes this region so remarkable and beautiful.
Here is a wide shot of the same rocks. Mountain laurel, evergreens, and cedar trees grow here.
And look at this – very clear deer tracks on the snow. Which way did it go?
In this photo, more of Rockefeller’s teeth – hand-laid granite blocks indicating the edge of a landing toward the Play House.
And more teeth along the front drive that leads to the circle of the house.
Outside Skylands, Cheryl took this picture of Seal Harbor from the beach. Thrumcap Island is straight ahead. The island is owned by Acadia National Park, but is managed as part of the Coast of Maine Wildlife Management Area and supports the nesting of many birds each year.
Here, Cheryl is on the town dock looking toward the beach. Above it are the Jordan Cliffs and the snow covered Sargent mountain. At 1373 feet, Sargent Mountain is the second highest mountain in Acadia National Park. Seal Harbor Beach is pretty desolate now, but in a few months, this will be crowded with beachgoers once again.
This is called Banjo Wall – from above, it is oddly shaped like the instrument.
And this is sea smoke, or steam fog, which is formed when very cold air moves over warmer ocean waters. It’s a beautiful view looking toward Islesford, Maine. One never tires of views like this one. I cannot wait until my next visit.
Wintertime pruning continues at my Bedford, New York farm - this week, the apple trees!
If you grow these wonderful fruit trees, the best time to prune them is now - in winter - or in very early spring before any new growth begins. Pruning not only helps to develop proper shape and form, but also encourages new growth, promotes high fruit yield, and maintains good tree health. My outdoor grounds crew is busy pruning all the old apple trees. Many of these apple trees are original to the farm, and with good maintenance and regular trimming, these trees will continue to bring bounties of delicious, juicy apples for many years to come.
Enjoy these photos.
The apple tree is a deciduous tree in the rose family best known for its sweet, pomaceous fruit, the apple. I have many different varieties growing at my farm. During a good apple season, I make lots and lots of cider. This past autumn, my granddaughter, Jude, took on this tradition and made many quarts of delicious, naturally sweet juice.
A good number of my apple trees are at least 50-years old, so they were already here when I purchased the property. Here’s a late summer photo when the grass is green and the trees are full of fruits. This apple tree is next to some old quince trees not far from my old corn crib.
Here’s another image from this past October when the trees were laden with fruits. Everyone here at the farm loves apple picking season and I share the apples with friends, family and of course, my horses. For cider, the apples need not be flawless, but they should be free of spoilage, which would cause the juice to ferment too rapidly.
These are the “ancient” apple trees in the middle of the horse paddock in front of my Winter House. To maintain productive fruit trees, they do need regular maintenance and pruning once a year. Now is the time to prune these trees. The tree takes up a dormant state after shedding its leaves and before sprouting new buds. Pruning is best completed just before growth starts in the spring as cuts will heal quickly. There are two main goals of pruning trees. On young trees, pruning encourages a strong, solid framework. And on mature trees like these, they usually already have their shape determined, so it’s important to maintain their shape and size. Traditionally, apple trees were always encouraged to stay shorter, so apples were easier to reach.
Looking up, one can see all the new growth that needs trimming. These are water sprouts. Water sprouts are thin branches which normally grow straight up from lateral branches and do not bear fruit.
Pasang is an excellent pruner and does a lot of the smaller tree pruning projects at the farm. Here he is pruning the new growth off of the top of this apple tree in front of my studio.
Pruning encourages the tree to grow more of these fruiting spurs by eliminating competing suckers and unproductive wood.
As with any pruning project, it’s important to cut the three “Ds” – dead, diseased, and damaged branches. This is a dead branch – notice the dark brown wood. Dead branches, or those without any signs of new growth, are cut, so the energy is directed to the branches with fruiting buds.
Pasang also cuts branches that are rubbing or crisscrossing each other, preventing any healthy new growth. Basically, the goal is to create a tree with well spaced lateral branches. Any branches which interfere with the tree’s shape or create a dense framework should be removed.
The final cut on each unwanted bough needs to be alongside the “branch collar”, a raised ring of bark where the branch intersects with another branch. Growth cells concentrate in these nodes, causing fast bark regrowth which seals the cuts.
Pasang is careful to check every section as he works. It is a time consuming task, but good, thorough pruning is important for the health of the tree. I always prefer hand tools that will give my trees a more natural appearance and shape. Smaller twigs are snipped off with regular secateurs. Each member of my outdoor grounds crew has a pair.
Down below – all the cut branches. There is a lot of pruning to do on these trees – they are healthy and have produced a lot of growth in the last year.
Here, Pasang removes crowded branches to help let in light and promote good air circulation.
Some of the apples still remain – holding tight to their branches.
Here’s Phurba working on the ground to gather all the cut branches. After all the branches are cut, they are gathered, neatly piled, and then either saved for kindling or processed through a wood chipper to make mulch.
It looks much better now after pruning. Once the tree is pruned, the crew stands back and takes a look to make sure nothing was missed. The end goal is to encourage good fruit production.
On healthy trees, about a third of the growth can be pruned. Spur branches where the apple tree flowers and sets fruit are the most preferred. Pasang is working on one of the trees in the horse paddock.
The new growth should be pruned fairly flush to the branch from which it grew. The idea is to leave slight stubs. By removing any more, the remaining branch has too much of an opening for disease to enter.
And these trees are behind my herbaceous peony bed – also original to the farm. I am looking forward to many lustrous green trees heavy with rosy red fruit come autumn. The crew has pruned a good number of apple trees in the last few days, but there are still many more to go – keep up the good pruning, guys!
My vibrant and melodious red factor canaries make even the coldest winter days so cheerful.
I keep a number of birds as pets, including a group of canaries and a pair of charming Combassou finches, which live with me inside my Winter House. They have a large wooden cage I designed after one that came from France, built around 1900 - probably to house doves or quails. It sits in my enclosed porch where all the birds can enjoy the views through the floor to ceiling windows. This week has been bitterly cold here in Bedford, New York, but all my curious and active little avian friends are happy as can be singing, flying from perch to perch, and eating from a fresh buffet of seeds and greens from my greenhouses.
Enjoy these photos.
The red factor canary, Serinus canaria domestica, is one of the most popular canary breeds. They are prized for their color rather than their song, but they are also very happy singers. Here is a canary looking down from a branch in my large cage. This day was quite cold outside – temperatures were in the 20s – I have a red heat lamp in the cage to keep it comfortably warm for the birds.
My canaries are located on my enclosed porch. The canaries love it here – they can see so much of the activity around the farm from the big windows and doors.
I also keep classical music on for them every day. The branches are specially picked and saved from my trees – usually the apple trees, when they are groomed. Canaries do not need special toys like some other birds, but they do need strong perches with multiple branches.
They are given lots of fresh water and food every morning. A canary’s metabolism is fast, so it’s important to be observant of their eating needs and habits. This canary is eating and looking out the window.
Red factor canaries need certain nutrients to maintain their bold, colorful plumage. Fresh foods containing beta-carotene, canthaxanthin and carotenoids along with greens and the appropriate canary seed make up a good well-balanced diet.
The birds are given a buffet of seeds, leafy greens, and fruits. Seed blends are designed to support the birds’ seasonal needs with a wide range of micronutrients for resting, breeding, and molting seasons. The greens are always freshly picked from my gardens – the outdoor vegetable garden in summer and my indoor vegetable garden the rest of the year. I am fortunate to always have organic healthy greens here at the farm.
Food is found on every level of the cage – they all love to fly from all the different feeding areas.
They like some mixes more than others, but I always offer a healthy variety containing a balance of protein, carbohydrates and essential fatty acids necessary for proper growth and immune system functioning.
I love seeing the birds gathered by their seed bowls – they have good strong appetites.
If you choose to keep canaries, remember to get the largest cage your home can accommodate, and the nicest cage your budget can afford. Canaries need room to flap their wings and fly from perch to perch.
First bred in the early 1900s, this type of canary is the only color-bred variety with a “red factor” as part of its genetic makeup. They were originally developed by crossing a red siskin and a yellow canary.
When hatched, canaries are pale yellow-peach or orange. As they grow, they develop more red coloring from the beta carotene in their foods. Healthy and well-cared for canaries can live at least 10 to 12 years.
Perched on a branch near the top of the cage are these two Combassou finches I added to my flock a year and a half ago. They were gifted to me by my friend, Ari Katz, who is a very knowledgeable and passionate young avian enthusiast. These small, friendly finches are native to South Africa.
The corn cob litter on the floor of the cage is changed daily, so the birds are always in a fresh, clean environment.
In general, canaries don’t like lots of handling, but my canaries are used to all the activity around them, so they are never scared when visitors approach.
It is interesting to see where they choose to balance and roost. These birds are constantly flying from perch to perch, level to level.
These birds are so photogenic no matter what they’re doing. And they are extremely curious – I wonder what caught this young canary’s attention.
Canaries are active during the day, but they also rest well and prefer to sleep in the dark. At the end of every day, the canary cage is covered with a sheet.
Male Canaries are known for their singing while females use chirps to communicate. I enjoy their chirping and their song.
Canaries are generally good-natured, social creatures with joyful dispositions. I have been keeping canaries for many years. Caring for birds is a big responsibility, but in return, these red factor canaries provide wonderful company and song.
Martha Pins
Martha Tweets
