Autumn is my favorite season. Clear blue skies, puffy white clouds, brisk temperatures and lovely hues of golden browns, yellows, oranges and red all combine to please every sense. It is the perfect time of year to get out and enjoy some of the great walks around Portland.

Mackworth Island is one of our favorites. It was low tide when we crossed the causeway and we marveled at how narrow the channel was – it looked barely wide enough for a canoe – but when we returned to the main land a few hours later, the bay was full of water again, sparkling in the sun. Parking can be a problem on Mackworth – we stopped at the guard shack to say we were just going for a walk and were relieved to find one space still available in the small lot.

The great thing about this walk is that it is a loop – no retracing one’s steps – and the views are ever-changing – Portland skyline, then Great Diamond Island, down the main channel to Portland Headlight, and around to Falmouth and the sea of masts at the yacht club. Also, if one ventures off the main path one can enter a little burial ground surrounded by stonewalls where Governor Baxter laid to rest his favorite dogs and horses. And then the fairy houses – under the pine trees, cushioned by pine needles, are what seems like hundreds of them – fashioned from sticks, pine cones, pebbles, driftwood, leaves, moss – little homes built by passersby that make a fairy village to excite any child’s imagination. Perhaps best of all are the benches placed all along the way for weary walkers or for those who want to enjoy the views of Casco Bay.

Another delightful walk is hidden behind “The Cascades,” the brown with yellow trim restaurant and cabins on Route 1 in Saco. Drive in behind the last row of cabins to find the entrance at the edge of the woods. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the waterfall or “cascade” along a path through deep woods with many wet spots, some of them covered with wooden planks, some of them difficult to navigate – but the falls are worth the trip. We stand at the bottom of the ravine, looking up at a stream of water plunging down the steep cliff and then tumbling over rocks to lose itself in a small stream that continues down the valley. It is a charming sight and hard to believe that Route 1 is just a few minutes away.

‘Americans in Paris’ exhibit

The Portland Museum of Art docent program sponsored a trip to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to see the exhibit “Americans in Paris, 1860-1900.” I was fortunate to get a seat on the bus and enjoyed the show immensely, particularly the painting of “Madame X” by John Singer Sargent, his striking portrait of Madame Pierre Gautreau in a low-cut sleek black dress, her profile sharply delineated against the stark background.

However, of special interest to me was the gorgeous, mysterious landscape by Winslow Homer entitled “A Summer Night” – two women dancing on the rocks by the side of the sea in silvery moonlight. My husband and I had searched for that same painting while visiting the Musee d’Orsay in Paris and now here it was for me to see again in Boston. On the way into the exhibit I had stopped to view the two Winslow Homers prominently displayed in the corridor leading to 19th century American painters. The first, entitled “Driftwood,” was painted the year before Homer died. A solitary figure in oilskins tries to salvage a massive tree trunk washed up on the rocks – the background of grey sky and green sea covered with white foam is striking. The second painting, called “The Fog Warning” is of a stormy sea – the fisherman in his dory, with two large halibut at his feet, is looking over his shoulder at an approaching fog bank – in the far distance is his mother ship – will he make it to safety? As with so many of Homer’s paintings, you are left wondering, “What happens next? – What is the rest of the story?”

A ‘Birder’s’ eye view of Monhegan

The Scarborough Garden Club held its annual fall luncheon at Camp Ketcha to welcome old members, new members and guests. Hostesses were club officers, including President Audrey Bell, Vice Presidents Marion Nielsen and Marjory Halacy, Secretary Linda Foss and Treasurer Elaine Toher.

During the business meeting, Barbara Zaharis reported that plans for a tour of Scarborough gardens next summer are progressing. The date will be July 23 and as many as 12 local gardens will be included. Marie Jordan of South Portland was our speaker – her topic was a “Birder’s Eye View of Monhegan.”

As a member of the York Audubon Society, Marie has made frequent trips to Monhegan to observe the many birds that stop to rest on this tiny island during their fall and spring migrations. With the help of the staff at South Portland Community Television, she has taken all of her photos and put together a marvelous DVD with her own commentary and background music.

Right along with Marie, we take the boat out of Port Clyde and head for Monhegan, 10 miles out to sea. We see the island’s prominent landmarks, the Island Inn, the Monhegan House and the lighthouse tower on the hill above the village. We visit the small cemetery, the community church, and the post office. We watch the kids entering the one room schoolhouse, and view the washing on the clotheslines, blowing in the constant breeze. We stroll by galleries, watch painters at work, and admire outdoor sculptures. But most of all we see wonderful pictures of birds – woodpeckers, wax wings, kingfishers, warblers, sapsuckers, flycatchers, falcons, merlins, sparrows, chickadees and mocking birds, We are also treated to photos of dragon flies, butterflies, and spider webs; moss, fungi, and lichen; bunch berries, New England asters, rugosa roses and ferns. We feel as if we have had a glimpse of what life is like on the island, and many of us hope that a trip to Monhegan will be possible in the future.