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On an ordinary afternoon running errands in Machias, you might find yourself sharing the road with large fishing vessels. Delightful! Photo by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

It’s 6:15 a.m., and a thin line of apricot is only now visible through my living room window. The rate at which our days grow shorter always takes me by surprise, and we’re only weeks away from falling back on Nov. 5, when it will take me by shock as we start calling 4 p.m. evening, turning on the kitchen lights by 3:30 in the afternoon.

Through another window, Washington County has had a vibrant — and comical — week, at least online and, for one hunter, in the woods. As one of the admins on a significant local Facebook group, What’s Happening Washington County, Maine, I have a front-row seat to, well, what’s happening. 

To join, group founder Lupe Soto and I ask people to agree to a set of rules and, to weed out bots and scammers, to state what town interests them within the county. Scammers will answer, “Yes” or “Washington,” and locals will name their hometown, but my favorite answer came this week — “I’m just here for the emu.”

Tammi Seeley shared this photo of the nearly six-foot emu she spotted while moose hunting in Alexander on Thursday, Oct. 12. Because the birds can run 30 miles per hour, for all we know, it could be back in Australia by now. Click the photo to read the comments, and if you join the group, say hello! Photo by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

While moose hunting in Alexander, Tammi Seeley encountered an emu on the ATV trail. We all know the giant birds from Liberty Mutual insurance ads, but they’re rarely seen in the wilds of Maine, mainly because they’re native to Australia. They stand nearly six feet tall, and Tammi shared this photo of hers to the great delight of, well, everyone. 

Apparently, they’re not uncommon as residents of Maine farms. We haven’t heard where this one escaped from yet, but if you’re missing an emu, we can tell you where it was on Friday. But because they can run 30 miles per hour, it’s anyone’s guess where it is today.

Soon, more Maine hunters will take to the woods, as the youth deer hunting day takes place Saturday, Oct. 20, Maine Resident Only Day on Oct. 28, and finally, firearms season for deer opens on Oct. 30 and runs through Nov. 25. 

For woods walkers like me, it’s all about the orange vests and caps from now until the snow flies. My dogs have orange vests, too, and I hope you already have yours.

The foliage is at its peak, and the bugs are gone, so it’s an excellent week for walking.

Local photographer Carrie Johnson captured this beautiful image of our foliage Way Downeast. You can see more of her beautiful work here. Photo by Carrie Johnson

A Few Things That Delighted Me This Week

• Space X’s Friday launch of its Falcon Heavy rocket, bound for the Psyche asteroid. But not just the launch, the re-landing of its side boosters — incredible! And I watched the whole thing from my kitchen table, just 10 feet from where we’re splitting wood to heat our house this winter. What a time.

• Centre Street Congregational Church’s warm winter clothing drive. Got old coats? Now you know where to take them.

• Running into devoted volunteer Deb Eckhart and hearing that Helen’s Elves are hard at work planning for this year’s Community Christmas Giving Tree, which makes Christmas better for hundreds of Washington County families each year. Have a few extra dollars to send their way? They will go far. Donations can be mailed to Community Christmas Giving Tree, PO Box 265, Machias, ME 04654. If you’re local and want to donate new toys, reply to this email, and I will connect you.

• My first sighting of a pickup truck loaded with balsam fir. Wreathing season may have begun!

• The way my neighbors came to my rescue this week, one with medical assistance for our barn cat, Fern, who once again was injured in a brawl, and one with medical assistance for me, in the form of herbal remedies, as I continue to brawl with the meanest cold this side of the Mississippi.

• My friend Michaela’s cooking website, An Affair from the Heart — delicious! Since it’s football season, I don’t mind saying I’m a Cornhusker both by education and heritage, as my mother was a native Nebraskan. Michaela is a Nebraskan, too, so I’m straying from my Washington County focus. But you’ll overlook that when you see her recipes.

The trees in front of Machias Savings Bank are always beautiful this time of year. Photo by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Upcoming Events

Last week’s newsletter was chock-a-block with upcoming events, all of them still before us! Click here to read it.