Dragon Cement Company

October 5, 2017 - Owls Head, Maine

Well, it took me 58 years, but I finally got a look inside the Dragon Cement company, as opposed to just driving by.  Looming over the mid-coast landscape since 1927, and I've been looking at it since 1960 the Dragon Cement company, straddling Route 1 in Thomaston, is the only primary producer of Cement in the Northeast US.  Currently producing 500,000 tons of cement (used in the production of concrete for all types of construction) they ship throughout the eastern US.  A long time ago it was a Martin Marietta division, sold to the Passamaquoddy indians, then owned by a Spanish firm, and now owned by a Mexican conglomerate Elementia.

Looking NE from 10 stories up, atop the tower) overview of the South Pit and North quarry pit  bisected by Rt. 1

The active quarry on the North side is currently quarrying rock at 200 ft. below sea level!

Looking E, Rockland Harbor is in the distance (if you look real close there's a huge Cruise Ship on the southern end of the harbor)

I participated in a 2 hour tour with the Thomaston Historical Society, led by the plant manager to see all operations of the plant.  Quarrying the limestone, crushing and pulverizing, Lab and Quality Control operations, kiln firing the limestone to turn it into cement.

There is a hundreds of millions of years old limestone seam, that tilts 30 deg from South to North running through the site.  They've got at least 30 more years of proven reserves (and probably more than that).

Drilling for blasting

150 Ton rock-hauler

Lake on the W edge of the South pit

Driving through the tunnel underneath Rt. 1

Pretty cool tour through and through.  Great 360 deg views from atop the tower, looking to the Camden hills, coastline, and Weskeag and St. George river watersheds.  Loved it!

St. Andrews by the Sea, NB, Canada

September 9, 2017 - St. Andrews by the Sea

Made a gorgeous run up the Downeast coast of Maine yesterday all along Route 1 from Owls Head to Calais, ME, then over the border into St. Stephen, New Brunswick and on to St. Andrews.   An old place here, first settled by Europeans (ancient home to the Passamaquoddy of course) in 1604, and then a refuge for loyalists fleeing the US revolution, with many re-settling from Castine, ME.

Depiction of the first English settlement on nearby St. Croix Island

Town is only a 10 minute walk away from the Kiwanis Oceanfront Campground where they pack you in like sardines!

But there are plenty of fine restaurants in this seaside tourist town.

Trifecta!  Beer, Poutine and Mussels at the Red Herring Pub

And the town and campground are right on the shores of Passamaquoddy Bay on the Bay of Fundy.  Featuring one of the world's most amazing tides and shifting 100 Billion Tons of seawater every 6 hours and 13 minutes (from Low to High, or High to Low tides).  Over 24 Feet of tide today:

Before (Low tide)

After (High Tide)

Had a great Whale watch (3 hour tour) aboard the motor sailer Jolly Breeze.  Saw birds, many seals, dozens of Harbour Porpoise (loved hearing their "breaths"), 3 different Finback whales (the 2nd largest of the whales behind Blues) one of which was enormous 70 feet!  and a couple of Minke whales thrown in.  Great adventure!

Seal rookery

Jolly Breeze, dockside at low tide

Ever hear of a lighthouse with no light?  Come to St. Andrews!

Capt. Dave taking us home

Hot Tub on the Coast of Maine

June 26, 2017 - Owls Head, ME -

Well, one thing leads to another, but we've got one of our major wish list items for the "new to us" cottage nearly completed.  Today was the Install Day for the Hot Tub on the front porch.

Barb and Mike F. had recommended "highly" to us an outfit in Scarborough, ME, Mainely Tubs, for the quality of their service and purchase experience.  We haven't been disappointed.  They were marvelous in the selection process and today's install went super smoothly.

Truck and cargo trailer on the new parking area North Side of the cottage

Tilting the 700# beast over the side

Skidding her across the front lawn to the new steps off the porch

And onto the deck

In place

 

View of Rockland Harbor and North Haven Island from the tub!

Thanks to that Structural Engineer, Jonathan Rugg for deck structure advice.  Spent a couple of days last week hunched over in the crawlspace adding 2 new columns, doubling up 4 of the floor joists and tying it all in with X-bracing.

New columns and X-bracing

Doubled up joists

Solid as a rock!

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

March 25, 2017 - Tucson, Arizona

From the Ridiculous

Yesterday we visited the Spring 4th Street Food and Craft Festival.  I got a chance to the see the World's Biggest Grill, up close and personal!

Courtesy of Johnsonville Brats.

Now, on to the sublime.

Today!  Connie and I participated in an Open House at the Watershed Management Group facility
1157 N. Dodge Blvd., Tucson, AZ this morning, to learn about Rainwater management!

https://watershedmg.org/

Did you know that the 11 inches of rain that occurs in the Tucson basin each year is more than enough to supply the water needs of it's inhabitants AND re-charge their aquifer?  Just need to do it right.

We learned a good deal, in the short amount of time we spent there, on capturing and using rainwater, and graywater systems as well.  Cool stuff, and NOT just applicable in the desert, but transferrable across many climates.

Sample 400 gal, tank cistern and catchment/filter system.

10,000 gal. concrete cistern providing for all of the facilities water needs, 16 employees, 3 buildings, 0.2 acre lot.  Captures roof rainwater, screen filter, then down to 2 micron filter

Tippy Tap system, use your foot to tilt the gal. jug and wash your hands after using the composting toilet!

Just cool beans.

Sonoran Desert Flowers coming alive!

March 4, 2017 - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument - Southern Arizona

About 10 days ago, this area of the Sonoran Desert experienced 3 inches of rain over a 3 day period and it has really started to kick-off the wild flowers.

Blue Dicks Lily

Creosote Bush

Ocotillo

Arizona Desert Poppy

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

February 12, 2017 - Patagonia Lake State Park, Patagonia, AZ

Thought I'd share some pics from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. This is one of the biggest events in town and attracts ~55,000 international visitors and vendors over a two week period Jan-Feb each year.

Mountains, Mines and Minerals - learning about the Geography and Geology of the Helvetia mining area

January 30, 2017- Near Sahuarita, AZ

Yesterday, Connie and I took a one-day class with the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and got an introduction to Arizona minerals, including learning some identification techniques: Color, Streak, Luster, Cleavage (my favorite), Specific Gravity, Hardness and other properties.

Then we had a field trip to an old mining site, reaching it's peak with several hundred small mines in the early 1900's it hasn't been mined since 1954.  We ended up finding quite a few mineral samples; including, garnets, Chrysocolla (blue green and common in this region), Bornite, Calcite, Hematite, Malachite, Pyrolucite, Quartz and Magnetite!

Class viewing the Helvetia mine site

Come of the blue-green "color" of Chrysocolla amd Malachite

Dave the rockhound

Crumbling adobe wall from old mine building

Rock samples (not ours)

Ben visits a cold Tucson

January 30, 2017 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ

We said goodbye to Benjamin on Friday, he had a chance to get a week off from work and came to visit here in Tucson.  Unlucky for him, it was cold, rainy and windy for most of his stay.  Of course we had to clean up the area prior to his visit.

Dave with a County Truck doing road duty cleanup.

But we took plenty of time off to show Ben around and try out the dining scene.

Ben, hiking Signal Hill at Saguaro National Park

At D&D Pinball

Didn't even fall off while horseback riding at Old Tucson Studios

Let me ask you this, is gambling at the Casino fun?

Enjoying the dining and brew at BJ's Brewpub

And at Street Taco and Beer

Or just hunkering down in the R-Pod during a rain storm.

Hope you enjoyed the week Ben!