Newcastle has been blessed with pictures. Besides the many thousands of photos taken by Ivan Flye and the old pictures of the area he bought at his Pictorial Studio in center Newcastle from about 1945 to 1985 there are the more than 3000 glass negatives of this area that were taken by E. Joseph Leighton between 1900 and 1930.

Well folks, another Fourth of July in the books so to speak. As we look back and think about our Independence Day here in America, we need to be grateful for our freedoms.

It’s been a while but summer in Whitefield seems as good a time as any to contribute a column, particularly with the return of the Fourth of July parade. In all honesty, with how things are going lately it didn’t feel like a time for celebrating but it’s been two years since Whitefield had their parade and I was curious to see what it was like.

There is a place near my house where does often hide their fawns. (No, you can’t hunt there – it’s too close to houses.) When a doe with hollow flanks and a bulging udder hangs around that area, we suspect that she has a fawn hidden nearby.

When I think of my favorite forests, I think of hemlock stands. Of the dense canopy of delicate oval needles suspended by swooping boughs. Of the way the light dances and reflects off the foliage, casting intricate patterns below. Of the rich scent of the forest floor, barren except for a thick mat of needles and moss.

The month of June has been a swirl of activity for the volunteers at Whitefield Library, and we are getting ready for more of the same in July. We are making plans for the return of our annual “Yard, Used Books & Baked Goodies Sale” on Saturday, July 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the library, at 1 Arlington Lane, Whitefield.

Originally published June 30, 1977

Nobleboro men had an active part in the Revolutionary War and special events that led to our country’s independence. Thus, when we celebrate July Fourth, let it mean more than a day off with a picnic and the evening fireworks at Damariscotta. This is Independence Day!

This spring I installed 15 birdhouses in my backyard and meadow and waited for the mid-May migration of birds to arrive. Sure enough, they arrived early and wasted no time taking up free boarding in the birdhouses. It is now June 12 and so far I have seen two birdhouses of tree swallows hatch out and leave their houses and one set of tree swallows is still feeding their just-hatched brood.