Five Things

I've been shorthanded at work for the last month and a half- hence my lack of posting. In celebration of National Coming Out Day (tomorrow!) I have previously blogged about my own coming out- but I've now told most of that story (the bits of the story are here, here, and here. UrSpo recently did a post that serves nicely as a meme appropriate for a day dedicated to honesty in identity. The question is simple:

What five things would you pick to symbolize yourself?


1. Leon. This should surprise nobody. I have spent over half my life with the man. He has helped me to become the man I am today and my life would be greatly impoverished without him.


2. A butterfly net. Butterflies have at various times of my life been my hobby or my career, but they have always been my passion. Most people who know me strongly associate me with them. My current net has accompanied me across the country, and to many exotic places including Ecuador, Malaysia and Mexico, so it also represents my love of travel.

3. Home made cheese. Although a relatively recent interest, cheese making represents a lot of what I like about food and cooking. The end result is something that I really enjoy sharing with family and friends. For me, cheese making appeals to both head and heart. My heart responds to the nurturing aspects of making something good for people who mean a lot to me. For a while I was teaching the process to a friend and felt similarly about that experience. My head really enjoys the chemistry involved.

4. A Spo-shirt. This object is really about friendship. UrSpo makes fabulous Hawaiian-style shirts, and I am the proud recipient of several of these. A handmade gift such as this (or, for example, jam or tomatillo salsa) is a beautiful expression of friendship. I choose this item both as a specific emblem of my friendship with Spo and as a more general symbol of the importance of friendship in my life.


5. Bluff Spring Fen. I got the Fen at about the same time that I got Leon. It has been a joint project and a labor of love for nearly thirty years now. I would have had no idea when I started volunteering there, but the fen has influenced huge parts of my life: where I live, my job, my marriage. As with all great loves it has been the source of both joy and heartache. My decision to become involved remains one of the most fulfilling transformative experiences of my life.

Happy Coming Out Day to all!

Cinnamon

It was April, 2003. Leon's elderly cat had died about six months before, and he had decided that, a suitable period of mourning having elapsed, he would bring a new kitty into his life. I went with him to the animal shelter- mostly for moral support.

While Leon was doing some serious kitty shopping, I wandered around looking at some of the caged cats and poking my finger into a cage here and there to stroke a appreciative nose. One cage contained a very handsome grayish tabby with brown ears. I stroked his nose for a moment. Apparently this kitty was lonely, because when I withdrew my finger, he stuck his paw out of the cage at me in a gesture that could only mean "please, don't stop." Leon did not end up finding a suitable cat that day. I fell in love.

I asked for an interview with the cat. Leon came with me into the kitty interview room. The cat was very friendly. He loved being petted. He purred. He sat in our laps- but made it quite clear that he was more interested in me. About two weeks after he came home with us he figured out who the real feline pushover in the house is and became Leon's cat, though he always remained very affectionate with me.

About 2 1/2 years ago, Cinnamon began losing weight. A trip to the vet revealed that he was in the early stages of kidney failure. We have kept him going by feeding him a (very expensive) special renal diet. He stabilized on the diet, however the kidney failure eventually caught up with him. Cinnamon died last night.

I've shared my life with a total of about 8 cats. All were different, and all were much loved. Cinnamon was very special. I've only had one other cat that I would place in that category, and he has been gone for 20 years now. The sensation that the house feels very empty will fade and other cats will come into my life, but Cinnamon will always retain a very special place in my heart.

Good kitty. Bye.

Holiday Creations

I've been working for some time now for cheese to accompany me home for the holidays. This is the first year that I have been able to create a cheese flight for Christmas Eve. I began a blue cheese way back last summer, a Gouda around Labor Day, and a Camembert just a few weeks ago. I was especially eager to try the Gouda, as it's the first one that I have made with the Guernsey milk (verdict: better, but still not what I'm looking for).

The Flight (l-r): Karner Bleu, Gouda, Camembert

Chilmark Girl gave me a beautiful porcelain tray for my birthday. It set the cheese flight off nicely.

Jan Hagels

I made Jan Hagels again this year- a perennial favorite (the link will get you to the recipe)

Th Sally Lunn bread came out much better than last year.

Today, Chilmark Girl was typically adept in creating a Christmas feast featuring herbed rack of lamb. I've only been home a few days, and have already eaten far too much. I hope all of my readers have had a fine day.

Fun with Chilmark Girl

The end of my New England trip was all about family. I've already blogged about going to the Sox game with my dad on Wednesday night. Thursday, Chilmark Girl (my little sister, for those who don't know) and the BIL got together for lunch with Leon and I. Friday night they had us over for dinner.


I brought a round of Camembert with me and a bread called Ami de Fromage from a Chicago bakery. I was very eager to have CG try my cheese, because this is her first time tasting some that I have made with raw Guernsey milk. She seemed reasonably impressed.



Chilmark Girl has been one of my primary cooking inspirations in life (along, of course with Mom- however my cooking style is much more like CG's than it is like Mom's was). It was the kind of meal that I'd expect from CG- succulent pork tenderloin, amazing salad, fresh asparagus (perfectly steamed) Parmesan biscuits, and a wild mushroom risotto that I couldn't believe. Dessert was the orange-ricotta tart with blackberries that you can see us holding in the top photo.

The CG household gets on very well with Leon and I in part because they are fellow geeks. The BIL and the nephew spend lots of time building electronic gadgets from parts that they scrounge from old electronics that they find online, at yard sales, and in the trash. Sample invention: a zapper that discourages squirrel raids to the bird feeder. It was only natural that the group would spend the evening blacklighting in the back yard.

Still working on an ID for this tiny guy

Harris's Three-spot (Harrisimemna trisignata)

The blacklighting was notable only for the good company. Most of the latter half of the trip was cloudy and rainy. We did get a few good moths, however, including Harris's Three-spot, a lifer for me.

The weather improved on Saturday, which was beautifully warm and sunny. We had lunch in downtown Manchester and time in the park with my brother, SIL, and two nieces. The CG family arrived by boat, and took Leon and I out for some time in Manchester Harbor and out by Misery Island.

The outer harbor, looking back towards Manchester

I spent a lot of time on the water off of Cape Ann when I was growing up. It's been many years since I've been out there. I had a great time, and was surprised at how enthusiastic Leon was about being out on the water.

Me, the nephew (who's nearly 14) and Leon. The last time I say the nephew at Christmas, I was still able to look him in the eye. Now I'm definitely looking up at him. Yeeps!

It was a wonderful weekend. Thanks, Chilmark Girl!

Holiday Recap

First things first. Happy birthday, Chilmark Girl!


We took the tree down this afternoon. For me, that’s always meant that the holiday season is officially over. It was a nice season this year. I was more on top of things than I often am. The shopping and wrapping got done with time to spare. I was able to do my share of the baking without feeling rushed (this didn’t allow me to avoid a slightly overdone Sally Lunn bread, however).

Arrgh! Overdone

Christmas was a lot of fun. We did Christmas Eve at Dad’s. The homemade Camembert and homemade Gouda made an appearance. The Camembert was too ripe (and very runny). The Gouda was still too hard and crumbly- though later I had it out much longer before serving it and it both sliced and tasted better. It would be wonderful if all I need to do is let it come closer to room temperature before serving it in order to get a better cheese.

Homage to our grandmother. Photo- David Kinney.

Christmas dinner was at Chilmark Girl’s place. We had rack of lamb (not the most traditional, but when it’s that awesome, who cares). I provided the tangerine sorbet that was part of a recently revived tradition (from my grandmother) of starting the meal with fruit compote. My nephew got Rock Band II as a gift. We spent much of the afternoon playing. That’s my Dad on vocals doing Eye of the Tiger. So wrong on so many levels.


The fun continued after Christmas. Leon and I visited Will and Fritz in New Hampshire. It’s always great to see them. They are wonderful people and very gracious hosts. Who else would come out to greet us wearing red light-up reindeer noses? My niece arrived just before I returned to Chicago.

What will 2009 hold? I hope it will hold more of what 2008 did (at least if we don’t include the economy). There are already travel plans: I’ll be in Florida in about 4 weeks, doing my usual grand tour (the Keys, Naples and then up to Gainesville). I’m back in New England in June, and off for a jaunt to Malaysia in November. Expect to hear more about butterflies and tiger beetles. Happy 2009 to all.

Isabelle Joanne

My new niece came into the world at around 3 PM on Saturday December 27, 2008. She weighed 10 lb 4 oz (Yowza! I feel sorry for my SIL). The best part: she arrived a bit early, and just early enough that Uncle Doug got to visit her before returning to Chicago this evening. Yay!!

Freedom from Want

The Norman Rockwell grandmother wasn't available. Leon is the next best thing. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Cape Poge

Way out at the end of Chappaquiddick on Martha's Vineyard is Cape Poge- a long sand spit interrupted by a few high spots with clumps of trees. Oh, yes, there's a lighthouse as well. We went out there on Friday. It's home to lots of fish, crabs, and bird life- and little else. It was a wonderful day.

The famous bridge in Chappaquiddick

You get there via a really funky ferry. It's essentially a small barge that holds 3 cars. Once on the island, you cross a famous bridge. Once across, the vehicle's tires are deflated to 12-15 psi. The trip involves four-wheeling across a lot of sand.

The funky ferry

Dunes along the four-wheeling track

We spent the whole day out there. There were plenty of birds, bugs, and marine life to keep our interest. My favorites were the oystercatchers, a species I've never seen before. I finally managed to get a good picture of a seaside grasshopper.

American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus)

Seaside Grasshopper (Trimerotropis maritima)

Spider Crab (Libinia emarginata)

It was the kind of day where time slows delightfully. We flew kites, swam (a bit) caught minnows and other sea creatures, took picures, read, walked and sat in the sun. Mostly we enjoyed the good food, company and scenery. A great Italian dinner was about the only thing that could lure us back into civilization from this paradise.

Cape Poge Light

Skywatch Friday - Martha's Vineyard

Herring gull on the navigational equipment.
Ferry from Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard

Greetings from Martha’s Vineyard. The trip to New England is going splendidly. On Monday, Leon and I visited New Hampshire. We drove up to the southern White Mountains on a brilliantly sunny day. I was surprised at the paucity of insect life, but the views were amazing. The high point of the day was stopping in to meet Will and Fritz and see their new house. The house is spectacular. Will and Fritz are both really grat guys. We had a delicious dinner at a local restaurant, and conversation that spanned a diverse array of topics. It was one of those evenings that end too soon.

Will and Fritz' place


Me and Will

On Wednesday we joined David, my BIL, and drove down to Cape Cod to catch the ferry boat to Martha’s Vineyard. As we entered the Cape, we noticed that the ends of the branches of the oak trees were all dead. It’s cicada damage. I did not realize that this was the emergence year for the 17-year cicadas in this part of the world. I’m glad to see them, some of the web sites that I was checking out during last year’s Chicago emergence said that the southeast Massachusetts population was extinct. Not hardly. The damage was far more extensive than anything I saw in Illinois. Fortunately, all but the youngest trees will recover from the damage. Unfortunately, I failed to take a photo (dumb move).

Woods Hole

Vineyard Haven

We have been staying in a cottage in Chilmark with the Chilmark Girl, the BIL, and the nephew. The cottage sits in a big field wurrounded by oak/pine scrub. It’s very beautiful. Thursday was the nephew’s 13th birthday. I gave him a black light. We were all very dissapointed in how little insect life came to the light.

Scallops in lemon pesto

Salmon with mascarpone and capers.
Chilmark Girl has outdone herself.

The weather has been gorgeous- clear and mild, more like September than August. The nights have actually been chilly. We’ve been eating extremely well. Chilmark Girl iis an awesome cook. I’ve found some interesting insect life in the dunes just up the street- hairy necked tiger beetles and seaside grasshoppers. I haven’t managed to get decent pictures yet, but there will be ample opportunities today when we go four wheeling to Cape Poge.

The beach with cool insects.
Pictures (I hope) later.

The Gizzy Rock

Big Agassiz Rock

I'm home in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, spending time with my dad in the town of Manchester-by-the-Sea where I grew up. It's been quite a few years since I've been here at the height of summer, and Leon and I have never been here together at this time of year.

Little Agassiz Rock

Today, we walked up to Agassiz rock. It's just off of a route that we traveled regularly when I was a kid, and our family name for this spot was "The Gizzy Rock." It's not one, but two huge glacial erratic boulders, Big Agassiz Rock and Little Agassiz Rock. They are named for Louis Agassiz, Harvard geologist (and creationist) who first postulated that the large boulders that litter the landscape in this part of the country were brought here by the glaciers. The sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia) was in bloom, it's cloying odor wafting through the woods as we began our walk.

The trail through the woods

Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia)

The hike up to the boulders is short, no more than about 15 minutes, and leads through some beautiful hemlock/maple woodland, the ecosystem of my childhood. It was great to see some familiar species from back then- things like Indian pipes (Monotropa uniflora), the plant that taught me the word saprophyte (a plant that produces no chlorophyll, but gets it's nutrients from the decaying vegetation that it grows in). I showed Leon the maple-leaved viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium). It was a big favorite when I was a kid, because the leaves turn a fairly vivid purple in the fall.

Indian Pipes (Monotropa uniflora)

Maple-leaved viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium)
These leaves will turn bright purple in the fall.

There were some nice species that I never noticed as a child. An unusual aster with whorled leaves caught my eye. On a whim, I Googled whorled aster after I got home. Yes, indeed, it's woodland whorled aster (Aster acuminoides). I love the Internet- make an educated guess, get an ID!

Woodland whorled aster (Aster acuminoides)

Another of my interests has changed since the last time I was at home during the summer. My entomological interests have expanded way beyond butterflies. The area around Little Agassiz Rock is a large expanse of granite with thin soil. Drought-tolerant plants like bearberry and lowbush blueberries grow there. It's a fairly common habitat type on Cape Ann. It turns out, this is a tiger beetle spot. I only saw one, but I got some nice photos. Better yet, it's a particular subspecies of the eastern red-bellied tiger beetle (Cicindela rufiventris hentzi). It's very narrowly endemic to the area right around Boston, including my home town. Whatt a great species to have as the very forst tiger beetle that I've ever found in New England.

Eastern red-bellied tiger beetle (Cicindela rufiventris hentzi)
Endemic to the Boston area

Skywatch Friday - Prairie Clouds

Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin, Illinois - August 9, 2008

Tomorrow I leave for a week in Massachusetts. I'll be staying with my dad on Cape Ann and then staying at a cottage my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew are renting on Martha's Vineyard. I have tentative plans to visit Will in New Hampshire. I should have internet access for most of the time I'm away, so I'll be in touch.

By the time I return, the blazing stars (purple flowers in the foreground) will be just about done for the year.

Skywatch is, as always, brought to you by Wom Tigley.

One of Those Families

In celebration of Blog Action Day, I'm posting some memories spurred by the No Child Left Inside movement. This is a national move to reconnect kids with nature. It was spawned as a response to the influential book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv. I am posting some rememberances of a family that did not experience nature-deficit disorder. That would be my birth family. For a lot of my readers, it's probably your family, too.


Growing up, there were any number of families in my home town whose identities revolved around one shared interest. The Cs were the sports family. Their four sons all dominated on the football and basketball teams in my high school. The Ss were the artistic family, the Ts were into music and the Ws were avid skiers. My family dabbled in several of these areas, but we weren’t immediately associated in everyone’s minds with them. We weren’t one of those families.

Mostly we hung out together. In our case, hanging out meant walks in the woods. Or fishing trips. Or weekend day trips to Cape Cod, the White Mountains of New Hampshire, or the coast of Maine. Self-guided trails with their pamphlets identifying flora and geological features figured prominently on those weekends. We became adept at locating the brown and white signs along the highways- the ones that directed to various natural features. Trips to Cape Cod meant the nature trails that threaded the National Seashore. New Hampshire meant the Kancagamus Highway and Franconia Notch.

My family’s travel activities were extensions of the kinds of things that we enjoyed doing together while we were at home. We started feeding the birds when I was in kindergarten or the first grade. I got my first butterfly net from the Easter Bunny at about the same time. Audubon’s Birds of North America and The Golden Guide to the Butterflies and Moths were both well-thumbed volumes in my household. Even today, although I’m considered the one who knows all about butterflies- every member of my immediate family can still identify many of the common species from southern New England.

Butterflies figured prominently throughout growing up. I remember having a butterfly net with me for most of the summers through junior high school. Even in high school, I was keeping live butterflies, mostly smaller species like blues, alive for weeks in small cages, feeding them sugar water. I remember taking a caged American Copper butterfly with us when we went apple picking in southern New Hampshire and marveling at still having the live butterfly in my possession when it snowed that afternoon. How could I have known then that my future career was being played out that day?

I guess at the time that I never thought of us as being a science family. My parents had no formal science training- indeed my dad was the first member of his family to receive a college degree. I think that my parents were always a bit bemused- proud, but bemused- that all of their kids spent at least some of their professional lives in science. Of the six members of my generation- myself, two sibs, and our spouses- four of us today make our livings as scientists.

Our interest in science did not grow out of having parents who were scientists. It grew out of having parents who were in love with the natural world, and who took the time to share it with us. To this day, our family remains very aware of the environment and of the changes happening in it. I can’t imagine living any other way. After all, we were one of those families.

A Night to Remember

January 23, 1982 was exactly 25 years ago today. It was a Saturday, and I went with friends from church to see the Windy City Gay Chorus perform. It was a preview show of the councert that they were about to give at Lincoln Center in New York. I was sitting with David, an endearingly queenly young man from our church group. David was always making sure that everyone felt included in whatever group he was with at the time, so it was entirely in character when he introduced several of us to the new guy who was sitting directly in front of me. New Guy was this very handsome bearded guy who struck my fancy immediately. Wanting to continue the interaction, I asked him what he did. "I'm a chemist," was the reply. "Really? So am I." At the time I was working on my grad degree in biochemistry and was more chemist and less biologist than I am now. David, of course, got a bit fluttery over the exchange. "Oh, my, that's not what I would have said."

It's funny how you often don't know at the time what days and what events are having a profound effect on your life. New Guy was, of course, Leon, and today is the 25th anniversary of the day that we met.

My Home Town

Once again, I find myself home for Christmas in the little town where I grew up. Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts was an incredible place to grow up. My childhood and adolescence were dominated by the ocean, the beaches, and the woods around my home. My Dad still lives in the house that we moved into when I was in the 5th grade.



















White Beach and Crow Island (actually a peninsula, not an island)


















Black Beach

The Atlantic is about a 10-minute walk from Dad’s house. At the end of the 10 minutes are White and Black beaches. White Beach is the better bathing beach of the two. It has nicer sand (the Black Beach sand is a bit muddy). As you look at the ocean, the rocks on the left-hand side of the beach become exposed at low tide, revealing a series of tide pools. I spent many hours as a child searching the tide pools for crabs, starfish, anenomes and other sea creatures. These pastimes contributed, as did so much of where I grew up, to my growing interest in biology. It’s very much a case of geography as destiny.



















Salt Marsh.

Just inland from these beaches is a beautiful salt marsh. I did a biological survey of the salt marsh as my independent study project my senior year in high school. The marsh is flooded in this picture because we are having a minor storm. It’s the remnants of the blizzard that hit Denver a couple of days ago. The picture was taken at the peak of high tide.



















Eaglehead Rock at the east end of Singing Beach



















Looking west along Singing Beach



















Skate egg case

About 3 miles south of my house is Singing Beach, the "big" beach in town. It gets its name from the fact that the dry sand squeaks or "sings" when you walk on it. No singing today- the sand was too wet. In the summertime, this beach is jammed wall to wall with sun worshipers. The beach was much more peaceful today, and we even got to share the sand with some skate egg cases.


















The Rotunda at Tuck's Point



















The Chowder House as seen from the Rotunda

One of the main places to access Manchester Harbor of at Tuck’s Point. There is a picturesque rotunda where you can walk for a better view of the harbor. There is a "chowda house" at the park where summer events are sometimes held. The harbor itself holds many special memories for me. I used to have a small sailing dinghy and would go tooling around the harbor in it. There wasn’t much of a view today- the outer islands were obscured in fog. The sea was one of the things that made Manchester a great place to grow up.



















Manchester Harbor