One of the pleasures of living in the “north country,” as we do, is the opportunity to see Loons, those amazing, diving, water birds. They are regular acrobats in the water, but can barely walk, on land, due to the configuration of their bodies and legs.

If you have never heard loons “talking to each other” in the wild, you have missed a treat. Their “voices” cover a range of sounds, that, at times, sound maniacal like old witches…(or “loon-ey?”).

One year, we went camping at the remote reaches of Lake Umbagog near Pittsburg, NH and the Canadian border. Every night, we would be serenaded with the cacophony of sound that passed for the interactions of the loons. There is nothing more quintessentially a sound of the wild than that of loons.

Today, Charlotte Croft has sent us a photo of a loon quilt inspired by the loons that her family has seen at Caspian Lake in Greensboro, Vermont. The following photo is just a close-up, as the quilt is intended for a gift. (You are sworn to secrecy!)

Charlotte has captured the essence of a loon, with its red eye, and black and white feathers, in this quilt, made for “snuggling.”

Speaking of loons, I used print fabric with loons to make curtains for my front door. My brother-in-law’s sister, a former Junior High School Science teacher wrote a book about loons: buying viagra and cialis from by Charlene W. Billings (Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1988). Currently, I have on hand a lovely loon wall hanging pattern that could be made, using fusible appliqué. The pattern was created by Marlene Anderson, resident of Alaska.

Being a northerner is something that gets in your blood. I can’t imagine living in any place other than New England. I like having the chance to travel around and see the kind of wildlife sightings and bird sightings that we do. It’s always a thrill to know that nature continues to do its thing, in spite of our becoming more and more citified – (is that a word?)

Peace,

Pat

Added note:  Charlotte Croft wrote to tell us that she did not construct the loon from scratch. It is from a printed panel. Nonetheless, the quilt looks lovely and just proves her skills at fine appliqué.

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