Poltrack Blog

I don't know how we survived our childhood. Open air nuclear testing, polio, DDT, red dye #40, no bicycle helmets, leaded gasoline and NO SEATBELTS! My sister gets a good view of the road from this vantage part Our 1950s era Mercury featured suicide doors and a nice metal dashboard to fly into if we crashed. Whew, we dodged that bullet. Buckle up folks!   www.poltrack.net

Pitcher Plants (Sarracenia purpurea) flower in early June at the Ponemah Bog Refuge in Amherst, NH. They had gone by when I visited but the traps were fully developed and in operation. It's a deadly landscape for insects. The bog is a unique place, a large kettle hole filled with sphagnum moss a process that occurred over 18,000 years. Sarracenia purpurea A short 3/4 mile walk along a boardwalk allows visitors to observe the plants. It is dangerous to get off the boardwalk. A close up view of  sundew plants Each "dewdrop" is actually a sticky liquid that traps insects. The hairs move the insect to the pad where they are digested for the benefit of the plants. The pitcher plant flowers were past peak blooms Notice hairs are located downward to prevent insects from escaping Ponemah Bog is a great place to pick blueberries I believe this is a bog laurel Unfurling fern fronds Cute very small mushroom growing out of mos...

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Cheryl Ricci. Cheryl had a tremendous love of gardening and undertook a project of developing gardens at the New Ipswich Congregational Church, I had the opportunity to work with her in the Garden Shop at the annual Children's Fair at the Church. Some photos of Cheryl Donations of perennials were made in remembrance of Cheryl such as this Gaillardia Another donation of a beautiful monarda Cheryl's artwork I love this illustration Volunteers cleaned out the weeds near the rock wall on the Saturday before the memorial service. One of Cheryl's Flower Beds   www.poltrack.net

There are a number of gardeners in New Ipswich and after years of running the Garden Shop at the annual Children's Fair I've had the pleasure of visiting many gardens. Here a few recent photos taken of one of those gardens. I didn't know that a Siberian Iris could have a pinkish hue. Yellow Foxglove (most of mine are pink) I love the shape and complexity of these flowers This was my first opportunity to smell the fragrance of a mock orange I'm fond of the Lady's Mantle as a ground cover. It is most interesting when drops of water bead on the leaves Pinks (Dianthus) are named for the shape of the flowers, not the color. They appear to be cut with pinking shears. White Bleeding Heart The yellow flag grows in wet areas. I used to have these in my own garden but they died out. Next time I'll try for a wetter spot. I was surprised to see a day lily this early in the season. Mine won't be out for weeks. Interesti...

Performance by Hiroya Tsukamoto at The Living Room Coffeehouse in Mason, NH. BIOGRAPHY Hiroya  is a one-of-a-kind composer, guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kyoto, Japan. He began playing the five-string banjo when he was thirteen, and took up the guitar shortly after. In 2000, Hiroya received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and came to the United States. He formed his own group in Boston "INTEROCEANICO (inter-oceanic)" which consists of unique musicians from different continents including Latin Grammy nominee Colombian singer Marta Gomez. The group released three acclaimed records ("The Other Side of the World", "Confluencia" and "Where the River Shines"). Hiroya released two solo albums ("Heartland" and "Places") from Japanese record label 333 discs. Hiroya has been leading concerts internationally including several appearances at Blue Note in New York City with his group and Japanese National Tel...

Jane Fallon performed original compositions at the Living Room Concert at the Mason Coffee House in New Hampshire on Saturday June 17th. From Jane's website : Singer-songwriter, Jane Fallon, is a veteran performer whose smooth, rich voice and well-written songs get noticed. With vocals that have been called “angelic” and “mesmerizing”,  by Boston's Metronome magazine, her original songs “combine humor, intelligence, and deep musicality with an artfulness that is unusual.” (Wildy's Word Music blog).  Currently living in New Hampshire, she was born in California, she spent her formative years on the West Coast. As a member of a large musical family, she began singing and writing songs at an early age. Raised on Traditional country, Appalachian Folk, and Gospel, and trained in classical and jazz, Jane has sung everything from Barbara Allen to Ain't Misbehavin' and La Boheme and back again. Her own songs cover a wide variety of topics with a contemporary fla...

I attended a concert at the Mason Living Room Coffee House held at the Congregational Church in Mason, New Hampshire. Chaz Beauleiu on flute and Eric Blackmer on guitar form the group "Wicked Good Old Boys" who performed a number of classical tunes including many composed by the blind fiddler Turlough O'Carolan . This concert benefited the St. Vincent de Paul food bank. Stephen Tamulonis served as master of ceremonies  Chaz Beauleiu on flute, Eric Blackmer on guitar   www.poltrack.net

On Saturday I had the opportunity to tour the gardens of Ken Vengren and Harrison Kendall. They have converted their backyard into a beautiful garden. A mixture of colors and textures An attractive chicken coop A Wisteria vine climbs over a weathered pergola. No blossoms yet Skittles Sculpture Lupines and Giant Allium Sedum and Thyme Susan enjoys a laugh with a friend Whimsical fountain Weathered Barn The Shade Garden It wouldn't be a garden party without hats Ken & Harrison's home Harrison chats with hos guests Pathways Fruit, cheese and mimosas A place to sit in the middle of the garden which is usable for three seasons and when a wood stove is added, year round. Wide angle view It was difficult to photograph the garden on such a bright day with deep shadows and brilliant sunshine.  Weeping blue spruce looks like some kind of creature   www.poltrack...