Clapboard house on a foggy island off the coast of Maine. and a clapboard house birdhouse in Wilmington, Delaware.

Another kingfisher captured on the wing in Costa Rica. And his Australian buddy, the Kookaburra.

I had a huge hoya a few years ago.....too huge! It hung from a beam in an alcove with incredible SW, S, SE exposures from three windows. It would be covered with nearly a hundred blooms for several months. OMG, I grew to hate that chocolatey smell! On a day that I was showing my bonsai collection in order to sell them, someone begged me to sell the hoya, too! Yay!

It is a lovely house, especially considering that this is the view from the kitchen window It also has beautiful, well-tended gardens including prolific raspberry bushes Although the interior hasn't been updated for quite some time (this is pre-cleaning and staging) and the layout (especially upstairs) is somewhat dysfunctional, with low, head-bonking ceilings, and a bath room that is also functions as the only hallway between one bedroom and the rest of the upstairs. Additionally we were concerned that the condition of the rubble foundation might frighten potential buyers, or cause them to demand extensive, expensive repairs even though the foundation has been unchanged for decades. So although we thought it was a good house in a great location, and will be somewhat sad that it is gone, we are happy and thrilled that it sold as quickly as it did, especially since the buyers seem to love the house.