The new business, Adirondack Safaris, has been keeping me occupied. After the disastrous disappearance of the graphic designer who was working on the logo and brochure, I was pretty despairing at mid-week. But, fortunately, Ann and Pete Hornbeck (of Hornbeck Boats) steered me to Terry Young in Jay, New York, who designed their website. I spoke to him on the phone on Thursday morning, drove up there (160 miles round trip), and met with him for two hours. So far he's designed the brochure cover, and all I can say is, he really gets it. He's also designing a website for me, which I'm creating/writing now.

In wilderness doings, I've been birdwatching all week despite the incredibly miserable weather. Have Muck Boots, will travel. The warbler migration is in full swing now, though I expect it will soon end. Gorgeous, colorful birds! Blackburnian warblers with their brilliant red-orange throats, Magnolia warblers, Nashville warblers, yellowthroats (common but cute nonetheless), ovenbirds (also a warbler, though the name does not suggest it), chestnut-sided warblers, blue-headed vireos, yellow-rumped warblers. It was fun to take Annie out today--she has what it takes to be a birder: patience, stamina, curiosity, and excellent binocular skills. A group I was birding with all noted the song of a scarlet tanager in the distance. I couldn't believe they were going to march on and leave it behind. You mean you're not going to march into this swamp and see this spectacular bird? No, they had seen them before many times and didn't need to. Shucks. I've only seen one once, on Peaks Island, off the coast of Portland, Maine.

I really want to get back to hiking and climbing, but we've had so much rain that the trails are a mess and streams have flooded their banks in places. The black flies and mosquitoes are going to be horrendous. Of course, we're all dying for a sunny day. It's been over ten days.

Forget gardening. The backyard is one gigantic sponge.