Home again

I ended up not taking my laptop up to Maine with me this year. I knew that if I took it, I would be buried in it, editing photos or wasting time online and not spending time with my friends. So I left it home, posted once or twice on Facebook while I was gone, and basically stayed off the grid for the 8 days I was away.

And it was marvelous. We stayed in the coolest place, the weather was perfect (even when it rained), and we ate lobster and all kinds of great food, even finding a new and fantastic restaurant right near our rental.

 

The first thing I did was to head up to Cadillac Mountain to be close to my husband. This is the view looking down onto Bar Harbor.

 

And this is the view from our rental cottage. I was shocked to find, upon arrival, that the mountains were this close. They looked much further away on the online photos. So this was a great surprise.

 

I am fairly certain that this is a broad-winged hawk. The island had several of them and this tree seemed to be their favorite perch as it was the highest.

 

Cadillac Mountain in the clouds on a rainy day. We never minded the rain. It was a good excuse to drink sherry by the fire and read a good book.

 

My seat by the fireplace.

 

A field of daisies taken along Point Road in Hancock.

 

George was the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time.

 

Our rental cottage. It sits on the rocky ledge at the tip of Ford Island and is the only house on the 3-acre property. It’s owned by a family who runs a lobster pound. The house is accessible by a bridge that runs from the parking area over the water and up and around the length of the island. I’ve got a photo below that shows a section of the walkway with the house on the right, through the trees.

I was going to review the house but this is their last year of renting it out. The owner told my friends that he’s been renting it for 25 years and he’s going to be moving into it. I believe it’s open one more week this summer in late August. It is a fantastic place that I highly recommend. It might be available this fall too, but I’m not sure.

Surfside Cottage

 

I ventured out by myself several times, once to visit my friends, Lili & Henri Vansluys who live in nearby Sorrento. I took this photo at the lookout spot along Rte. 1 between Sullivan and Gouldsboro.

 

Sorrento

 

Cool-looking sky at Schoodic Point. Mount Desert Island in the background.

 

I had a picnic lunch at Prospect Harbor.

 

Prospect Point Lighthouse.

I had hoped to get a few photos so that I could sell them through the gallery and on my etsy site. And I think I may have realized my goal.

It was a vacation worth waiting for. Good to be home, but I wish I was still in Maine ~

 

Thanks for stopping by today.

Wake up mama, turn your lamp down low

I just finished reading The Scottish Prisoner and was wondering why on earth I was so melancholy. And then I realized that it was because the book was finished and I hadn’t wanted it to end. Earlier this year, I discovered the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I’d heard about it years ago but dismissed it, thinking it it had something to do with that old Highlander TV series and I just wasn’t interested.

This turned out to be a good thing, in the end. I’d shut the internet off to the house (it’s a long story involving my son) and while it was off, I needed something to do and decided reading would be best. So on the advice of a friend, I downloaded Outlander to my Kindle. By the time the book got to Scotland in 1743, I was totally hooked. And then, about two thirds through the first book, I discovered there was an entire TV series on Starz. And so began my obsession. Since February, I’ve read all of the books and, just for kicks the other day, decided to read one of the Lord John Grey books. He was a minor character in the Outlander series, showing up in nearly every book save the first.

Are you asleep yet?

Well, wake up! I promise I’ll stop talking about Outlander. I have some photos to share, all taken with my cell phone.

 

I shot this through the window of a charter bus, rented by our school for a faculty trip after the year finished up. We were heading through Amish country to Strasburg Railroad in nearby Pennsylvania.

 

We had tickets for lunch in a private dining car and later on, a tour of the mechanical shop.

 

The view from my table as the train began to chug along through the countryside.

 

We were served a lovely meal as the train slowly made its way east . . . then stopped and went back the other way. It was fun and everyone was in high spirits (which might have had only a little to do with the fact that someone brought a couple boxes of wine along). It was not me but I thought it was a good idea.

The trip was nearly two weeks ago and ever since, I’ve been busy clearing out the old school year and beginning to gear up for the new. People are always surprised that there’s much of anything to do at a school in the summer but there are a million things. And I’ve got a deadline, set by myself, to have so much done by this Thursday. Because on Friday . . .

 

I leave for Maine!

Long-time readers of this blog know how much I love coastal Maine and this year, I’ve rented a house with a couple of friends on a small island that’s only accessible by footbridge. My friends have the place for two weeks so are already there. And George is with them. My dog is on vacation without me! Anyway, I plan on taking my laptop and hopefully posting from there. Hope you’ll come back to see the photos.

Thanks for stopping by today ~