Author: Kimsmithdesigns

Documentary filmmaker, photographer, landscape designer, author, and illustrator. "Beauty on the Wing: Life Story of the Monarch Butterfly" currently airing on PBS. Current film projects include Piping Plovers, Gloucester's Feast of St. Joseph, and Saint Peter's Fiesta. Visit my websites for more information about film and design projects at kimsmithdesigns.com, monarchbutterflyfilm.com, and pipingploverproject.org. Author/illustrator "Oh Garden of Fresh Possibilities! Notes from a Gloucester Garden."

The Seaside Garden Club Presents Green City Growers

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 The Seaside Garden Club presents Green City Growers talk on Container Farming 101 on March 8th at the Manchester Community Center.  Doors open at 7:00 pm for social time and program begins promptly at 7:30 pm. All are welcome. Guests $5. Light refreshments will be served.
Getting Started: Container Farming 101.  From raised beds to pots and everything in between,learn the ins and outs of successfully growing vegetables and fruits in small spaces and unconventional containers.  We’ll cover everything you need to know about setting up for success – location, design, light and containers.  Learn about choosing your edible plants and the planting methods – goals, seasons, crop mapping, seeds and starts, where to get your plants and soil mix.
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Jessie Banhazl is CEO and Founder of Green City Growers. She has managed Green City Growers since inception in 2008 while establishing GCG as the leader in urban agriculture in the Northeast. Since 2008, Green City Growers has built and maintains hundreds of raised bed and rooftop vegetable gardens in greater Boston and beyond, including a 5000 square foot milk crate rooftop garden on Fenway Park and a half-acre rooftop farm atop Whole Foods in Lynnfield.  Jessie graduated from Smith College and worked previously in reality TV production, utilizing her project management, marketing and communications experience when choosing to launch GCG. Jessie was named “…arguably the queen of Boston’s urban ag visionaries” by Stuff Magazine, among the Top 40 Under 40 by Boston Business Journal, Top 30 Under 30 by Zagat, and a Root Cause 2013 Social Innovator. http://greencitygrowers.com/
The Seaside Garden Club’s upcoming programs include: April 12th – Simple Steps to Organic Lawn Care by Chip Osborne; May 10th – Annual Auction and Plant Sale; June 14th – The Art of Ikebana presented by Kaye Vosburgh and sponsored by the Manchester Cultural Council.
The Seaside Garden Club meets the 2nd Tuesday of the Month (September through June) and are always looking for new members.  Make sure to sign up for your 2015/2016 Seaside Garden Club Membership – still on $25 for the entire season! Invite your friends and neighbors, all are welcome.  Guests $5. Visit our blog https://seasidegardenclub.wordpress.com/ or find us on Facebook!
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MAKE SOME NOISE FOR ONE BILLION RISING!

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One Billion Rising Gloucester kimsmith designs.com -2Hosted by Mayor Sefatia, a tremendous and well-attended event was held today in support of Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention. A coalition of survivors, supporters, community leaders, local police, and service agencies gathered in City Hall’s foyer to stand up for compassion towards survivors and an end to violence against women locally, nationally, and internationally. Make some noise for One Billion Rising!

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GLOUCESTER CITY HALL

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Gloucester City Hall, taken from Eastern Point Road, across the harbor, at 150mm and 400mm focal lengths (handheld, no tripod).Gloucester City hall night kimsmithdesigns.com

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CHARLES AND GEORGE KING’S CIVIL WAR COAT FUNDRAISER PROJECT FEAUTURED IN GLOUCESTER DAILY TIMES!

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See today’s Gloucester Daily Times for more information and a superb story by Ray Lamont on GMG contributor Catherine Ryan’s son’s efforts to raise money to restore the Civil War coat worn by veteran Alfred Bachelor, who served for 20 years as the Gloucester High School principal during the turn of the previous century (1884-1914).

To donate to help rehabilitate Gloucester’s historic Civil War coat:

Visit YouCaring.com, and search for “Civil War Bacheler coat caper” and follow instructions on how to contribute.

Send a check with “Civil War coat” written in the check’s memo field to The Gloucester Fund, 45 Middle St., Gloucester, MA 01930, or Committee for the Arts, c/o Gloucester City Hall, 9 Dale Ave., Gloucester MA 01930.

Charles and George King ©Kim Smith 2015

Please donate to these super civic-minded brothers Charles and George. Here they are helping with spring cleaning and planting at the Harbor Walk Gardens, where they have lent a hand and many Sunday mornings. They are truly awesome kids!

To date the boys have raised approximately $1,000.00 of the goal of $3,500.00 needed to restore the coat.

FEBRUARY SNOW MOON

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Snow Moon February Niles Pond Birch Tree kimsmithdesigns.com 2016

Niles Pond Birch Tree in the Rising Snow Moon
Snow Moon February Good Harbor Beach kimsmithdesigns.com 2016

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon. – Edward Lear

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See more Moon Glow photos here Continue reading “FEBRUARY SNOW MOON” →

BEAUTY, BEAUTY ALL AROUND

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Last night’s sunset from Pebble Beach

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PEBBLE BEACH Penzance Road Rockport www.kimsmithdesigns.com 2016

The first photo was taken with an iPhone, the next photo with my new long lens, standing in the same spot as the first photo.

LIVE FROM THE ROCKY NECK BIRDHOUSE AUCTION!

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Wonderful and whimsical birdhouses from our local artists, with the amazing auctioneer Senator Bruce Tarr!

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“On a Hot Tin Roof,” birdhouse by Tin Can Sally

FullSizeRender (28)Kathy Archer’s sweet “Beach Retreat”

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I MARRIED A BOY SCOUT!

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Yesterday morning could have been a complete disaster, not just the partial disaster that it became. I was all set up, ready to film a scene in which I had waited for over an hour to unfold. With cold numb fingers, just as the action began, I clumsily shut off the record button. Next, a puff of wind knocked over my tripod and movie camera (fortunately not permanently damaged, but very disconcerting nonetheless). In the rule of bad things happen in threes, while unloading my gear, I accidentally locked myself out of our car.

Not the first time to have happened, my husband’s solution was to put a spare key under the car, in a magnetic box. I reached under the car and, through a winter’s worth of mud and crud, found the little box and was able to quickly get out of a jam. I’m so happy I married a Boy Scout! (in reality, he never was a scout, but you’d never know because he certainly adheres to the motto be prepared.) Thank you honey!

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EXQUISITE COOPER’S HAWK

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Cooper's Hawk Rockport MA www.kimsmithdesigns.com 2016Cooper’s Hawk, at least I think it is an immature Cooper’s Hawk. Raptor experts reading this please weigh in!

Several nights ago while filming at T Wharf in truly gorgeous fading light a very cool hawk flew on the scene, hungrily hunting the flock of pigeons that were circling around Motif #1. The kerfuffle was captured on film, and then he perched about fifteen feet away from where I was standing! I very slowly and quietly turned cameras toward him. The hawk stayed for a few moments longer before heading back out to chase the pigeons.

I believe this is an immature Cooper’s Hawk because of the beautiful elongated teardrop-shaped patterning of the feathers on its breast, the distinguishing three bars on its long tail, and the yellow eyes. What do you think?

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Cooper's Hawk Rockport MA www.kimsmithdesigns.com 2016 -3The light was so dim and the hawk photos were shot at only a shutter speed of 40 and high ISO of 5400. Nonetheless, I’m impressed with the clarity of the images from my new lens when shooting in very low light conditions.

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Motif #1 (Not fuji, iPhone 6sPlus photo)

HUGE THANK YOU TO THE ROCKY NECK ART COLONY!

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So many thanks to everyone who came out for my talk at the Cultural Center last night. Thank you to old friends who were there and thank you to my new friends; it was a pleasure to meet you! We had a wonderful turnout. The Cultural Center at Rocky Neck and the Rocky Neck Art Colony did a tremendous job hosting. With special thanks and gratitude to Martha Swanson, Suzanne Gilbert Lee, Jane Keddy, Karen Ristuben, Tom Nihan, and Mary Lou. The Beautiful Birds of Cape Ann thank you to!

MUTE SWAN ROCKY NECK GLOUCESTER KIMSMITHDESIGNS.COM 2016Mr. Swan and Mallards Rocky Neck Gloucester

ON GOLDEN POND

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Swan Niles Pond www.kimsmithdesigns.comIs it immodest to say that I like this picture? I don’t have a great deal of spare time to mat my photos and run around looking for frames, but think I’ll make the effort with this one.

I hope to see you at my talk at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck tonight!

WHEN SWANS DRINK SALTWATER, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SALT?

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Several weeks ago, in response to a question sent in by a reader that asked can swans drink seawater, we responded yes, because just above the eyes and under the skin, they have a gland that removes salt from their blood stream and concentrates it in a solution that is excreted from their nostrils. In the photo below, you can see sunlight coming through the nare holes, which are near the base of the bill. When the swan shakes its head, the salt is removed through the nares. Most species of birds have nare holes, which lead to the nasal cavity within the skull, which is part of the respiratory system.

Swan Nare holes male Cygnus olor www.kimsmithdesigns.com 2016

Please join us Thursday night at the Cultural Center at Rocky Neck. For more information on my illustrated talk”Beautiful Birds of Cape Ann” visit this post here.

WHASSUP HOMIE

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Testing out a new long lens for my still camera and I think I love it!

HERRING GULL. Larus aregentatus www.kimsmithdesigns.comHerring Gull at Henry’s Pond

KURT VONNEGUT NIGHT AT DUCKWORTH’S LIT HOUSE DINNER BOOK CLUB EVENT THIS COMING SUNDAY!

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CONGRATULATIONS GLOUCESTER SEA CADETS!!!

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The Gloucester Sea Cadets were the winners at the most recent Awesome Gloucester Pitch Night, receiving $1000 from the local micro grant foundation to support the leadership training they offer to local youth interested in naval careers.

Each month the Gloucester chapter of the Awesome Foundation solicits proposals from the community and chooses the top three to attend a public Pitch Night on the evening of the thirdMonday. Submitters make their case before the 20 local trustees who have each donated $50 toward the monthly award. The top vote getters walk away with $1000 in cash. Proposals to make Gloucester more awesome can be made at Awesome Gloucester.

HOODED MERGANSER

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Hooded merganser male mallard www.kimsmithdesigns 2016Male Mallard left, male Hooded Merganser right

This charming little diving duck was spotted several days ago in Rockport Harbor with a group of Mallards. About two thirds the size of the male Mallards, the striking pattern of the male Hooded Merganser made it easily spotted in the flock. A fun fact about Hooded Mergansers is that they can find their prey underwater by changing the refractive properties of their eyes. Additionally, they have an extra pair of eyelids that are both transparent and protective, functioning like a pair of goggles.

I hope to see you at the “Beautiful Birds of Cape Ann” program on Thursday night at the Rocky Neck Cultural Center!

Hooded merganser www.kimsmithdesigns 2016

loph_cucu_AllAm_map Kim Smith Talk