Fort Preble Window, South Portland, Maine (August 2021) — Image by kenne
“Fort Preble was a military fort in South Portland, Maine, United States, built in 1808 and progressively added to through 1906. The fort was active during all major wars from the War of 1812 through World War II. The fort was deactivated in 1950. It is now on the campus of Southern Maine Community College.” — Source: Wikimedia
“Extending into the harbor from the grounds of Fort Preble on the Southern Maine Community College Campus in South Portland, visitors will find a conspicuous profile in the landscape at the end of a 950-foot breakwater. It is Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, a caisson-style lighthouse built in 1898 to warn mariners of a dangerous ledge in Portland Harbor upon which it sits.” — Source: visitportland.com
Pandemic Kids (1st Graders) In Sabino Canyon Recreation Area — Image by kenne
In the last week of October, Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) began offering nature classes to elementary school children four days a week, the first time since March 2020. The number of children per day is a maximum of 30 students that are divided into six groups. Masks are required except where social distancing is possible. The children have been perfect about wearing masks, even though it may not be a school requirement. Some field trips have been canceled due to COVID outbreaks at the schools. All the SCVN members have been vaccinated. Still, some naturalists have tested positive and have been self-quarantining.
Selma, Alabama is the Ninth Poorest City in Amarica Per Capital (August 10, 2021) Selma Gave America the Right to Call Itself A Democracy
We still have many bridges to CROSS, So come on ya’ll and LET US!
Let us start, Yes you and me With a simple and easy decree, To do something simple, EVERYDAY, To uplift Ourselves and Our Families, In small, Nugget-size Ways!
So,
When STONES are THROWN to Slay Us ALL, We Must, We WILL, We SHALL, build bridges instead of walls!
And so,
We catch their stones and build bridges of Respect and LOVE for Ourselves, Our Families, and ALL Communities who share this World!
We catch their stones and build bridges because, EVERYONE matters equally in the World!
— from “REFLECTING on Selma Alabama” by D. Olivia Jones
I can’t let this month get by without recognizing the 50th anniversary (May 21, 1971) of the release of Marvin Gaye’s masterpiece album, What’s Going On.
“OK, let’s just get this out of the way. Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On LP is a masterpiece. If it’s not in your top five or at least within the realm of your top 10 albums of all-time, then I seriously think you need to reevaluate your list. Not many albums give you a snapshot of the world at the time of its release and still remain very relevant decades later. What’s Going On most certainly does.” — Terry Nelson (albumism.com)
Gaye released the single, What’s Going On, after co-writer Renaldo “Obie” Benson saw police in Berkeley, Calif., brutality beat anti-Vietnam War protesters. Gaye would later say, “What mattered was the message. For the first time, I felt like I had something to say.”
The album went platinum, and Rolling Stone would place it among the greatest albums of all time. Now fifty years out, its influences are evident today as the nation wrestles with inequality and a racial reckoning.
Saveur Bistro, Santa Fe, New Mexico — Image by kenne Dee & Bernie Rusanowski, Proprietaries
While in Santa Fe last week, we had breakfast two mornings at this little bistro, located just a short walk from where we stayed at the Hotel Santa Fe. The poached eggs were prepared to perfection and the corned beef hash, made fresh daily, was something else to experience.
The Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor) is one of my favorite butterflies common in the Tucson area. It is a large butterfly with a wingspan of about 3.5 inches. This butterfly ranges throughout the U.S. and Central America.