Hiking in Acadia National Park

Hello, all!

I’ve finally returned from my vacation and am just now getting caught up with the all the commotion that my previous posts had generated. I had no idea that Maine, and my travels in general, would generate such interest.

As most of you know, I’ve been unable to post all week due to the lack of internet service at the cottage we rented while vacationing in Stonington, Maine last week.

We stayed at [this place], located on a peninsula directly between Burnt Cove and Crockett Cove, on the west (Sunset) side of Deer Isle. It’s a great place, but was billed as ‘secluded’ and it was not. But no complaints. It was well-apportioned and the nearby hiking was wonderful. MDI (Mt. Desert Island) is about an hour and 45 minutes away and is where Acadia National Park is located. This park is a must-see and is a gem in the nation’s list of national parks. We visited there twice while staying on Deer Isle last week.

I’d like to address a couple of the comments I’ve read since getting the internet going again. I’ve only been able to read through about half of them but one or two things keep coming to surface, so I’d like to address them, if you’ll be so kind.

YES, when you throw a live lobster into a pot, there is sort of a slight commotion (very slight) and a sound like your tea kettle has come to a boil. And then it ends as quickly as it happens. I’m not sorry that I love lobster and how it tastes with butter and lemon. I worked hard to eat lobster for three of the meals I had while in Maine. Hiking some of the trails at Acadia National Park are just a little bit more than I’m used to and there’s nothing better than tucking into a good lobstah meal!

And yes, you need to visit Maine in the summertime. I can’t recommend it in the winter, but only because I’ve never visited at that time of year. I would think that if you liked snow and cold that it would be awesome. I like snow and cold, in moderation.

 

AND NOW, here is the post I attempted to do on Friday, when I arrived at the local community store and found a parking lot full of some sort of fair, which I later saw was a big farmer’s market.

Twice this week, we headed to Mount Desert Island to hike a couple of trails in the park there. If you haven’t been to Acadia National Park, I suggest you go. It’s one of the most beautiful parks in the country.

On Tuesday, we hiked the Great Head Trail which is listed as a moderate hike that leads you to beautiful vistas of the water as well as an excellent view of Sand Beach. If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll see George and my husband, just around the middle. My husband wants me to hike the Beehive, which is in the photo below.

The Beehive is on the right and we can’t take George on the trail (yay!) so we won’t be hiking that one (secret *Yay* here) . It’s a “ladder” trail, which means that in several spots, you’ll either climb a ladder or hold onto one as you ascend the hill. An even more strenuous hike is The Precipice. I’m not even going to discuss that one. I will say, though, that in my youth I would have been all over it.

Oh, and notice that there’s not many people in the water on the beach above. It’s because it’s fricken freezin', that’s why! But it’s beautiful from here. And it’s getting hot hiking . . .

 

Thursday morning brought us back to MDI, driving up the Cadillac Mountain Drive for a view of Bar Harbor and the Porcupine Islands in the fog.

 

Somebody’s watching me taking photos from the roadside on Cadillac Mountain.

 

We followed the Park Loop Road to the parking lot at Jordan Pond. We’ve never been able to park here before, due to the throngs that visit this spot. But if you get to Jordan Pond before 9 am, the parking lot is quite empty. Just as we begin our hike around this beautiful lake, we see a carriage tour going past. The park is filled with wonderful carriage trails where you can either walk, bike or take a ride like this. No cars permitted.

 

View of Jordan Pond with The Bubbles (the two hills) in the background.

For about a mile around the lake, the trail is on planks like this, sometimes as high as 4-feet off the ground. George did quite well, in case you’re wondering~

We got nothing but compliments on him and he’s doing much better around lots of people. He’s still a little funny around small children, though. They sort of freak him out a bit.

After our hike, we left the Park Loop Road and took the road into Northwest Harbor which is way too swanky for my tastes. Beautiful, yes. We stopped at The Colonel’s to get a lunch to go, which was served in little cardboard boxes. I had a lobster roll and my husband had fish & chips. And let me tell you, it was the best lobster roll I’ve ever had and it even came with seasoned fries.

I promise to go on a diet really soon.

We drove along with the scent of our boxed lunches filling the car and making our mouths water. We were looking for Sergeant Drive which runs along the Somes Sound and has many little pullover areas. This is where we finally stopped to eat our lunch. Sorry I didn’t get a photo of the little box but it’s up there on the right. I was too hungry.

I don’t mean to sound like a hog, but we’d hiked all morning and I’d only had a power bar and that smell was driving me . . . crazy . . . who cares about taking pictures for the blog . . .

 

Home again. This is the scene we see as we look to the left (the south) every time we pull into the road that leads to our cottage in the woods.

I haven’t even been able to read any of my mail this week so am not able to respond to any comments. I’ll try to get up to the Community Center here on the island this morning to post this. Today is our last day here and it looks like another beautiful one. We were thinking of taking the Mail Boat to Isle Au Haut this morning but we’ll see how it goes. I don’t want to leave this place. It’s just too beautiful!

Until next time, my friends . . .

PS ~ Thanks to all, regular readers and all the new faces, for your comments and visits. Glad to have you along!

Having a wonderful time! Wish you were here. Seriously.

Well, you can be here, though my photos . . . right?

Today was another beautiful one on the Maine coast. We visited Deer Island and the town of Stonington. I think Stonington just may be the lobster capitol of the world.

George on the beach this morning. He’s in his element. Did you know he was actually born near here? George was born in July of 2007 in Ellsworth, Maine.

Our cottage. It’s really beautiful inside. Very simple with pine floors and old kilim rugs everywhere. Leather furniture in the living room, and a big king size bed with two twins upstairs in the single bedroom. The only thing that’s missing is a view of the sea.

 

I’m reading The Lobster Chronicles on the little front deck.

The weather continues to amaze me. I looked up from my reading spot this afternoon and saw this beautiful sky.

 

Later in the afternoon, after a drive all around this island, we went to Stonington to get some lobsters for dinner. What an absolutely picturesque little town this is. In the background, the big island is Isle au Haut. It means High Island and the locals pronounce it Aisle –a –hoe.

We went to 3 different lobster places before finding this one. All the others had packed them up for the day and sent them to market.

This is a co-op operation, as most of them are here in the village. One of the other lobster places gave me directions to this one. I had to traverse this very narrow gangplank that you see here to get to the floating dock where the lobsters are being distributed. The boy in the grey t-shirt had just pulled in with a crate of hardshells and he pushed them down the gangplank just ahead of me, yelling, “crate o’ hardshells comin’ down!”

I was just in time because they’d just run out.

 

I asked for “two one-and- a- half pounders, please” and told them I wanted to get a picture, as well. They asked where I was from and told me to enjoy my lahbsta dinna. That’s how it sounded to me, with that thick Maine accent.

 

After I ascended the plank and was on my way to pay, I turned and saw this lovely site in the Stonington Harbor.

Be still, my heart.

 

Back home, my husband brings the lobster pot to a rolling boil and plunges both of them in and holds down the top in case they try to get out.

For a second, I was sad because we were killing them, and it was hard to listen to, but it only lasted a couple of seconds and then they were silent (thank God).

 

My dinner tonight was absolutely, positively fantastic. Lobsters fresh out of the water, a garden salad, and crusty garlic bread.

I will tell you, though, that although this Maryland girl is quite adept at picking blue crabs, she is absolutely clueless when it comes to lobster. My husband told me it was difficult to watch but I figured it out (eventually).

Tomorrow, we go for a hike in Acadia National Park. Went on a small one today to an old quarry. I think my husband is trying to build me up for the Big One. Say prayers for me, k?

Until the next time I’m able to post, my friends . . .

Greetings from the coast of Maine

I’m writing this from a cottage in the woods at the edge of the sea. The description of this rental included amenities such as high speed internet service (which I would have been fine without) and a beach that was just a short walk through the woods.

Well, there’s no internet service, so I won’t be posting very often this week. A local told me that one of the little restaurants nearby has free wifi (and they also make a mean lobster roll).  I’ll head up there later this afternoon to publish this (and pick up some dinner).

(Update: The restaurant was closed. There was a sign apologizing, saying they’d be back Tuesday).

The weather is incredible and perfect, having gone up to only about 77 degrees today with a westerly breeze. I can smell is ocean and pine as I write this and I love this scent.

This is the beach that came with our place (over where the kayaks are). It turns out that it’s also a public launching place for kayaks and canoes. The realty company failed to mention that fact, but having checked the listing again, I notice that it didn’t actually say that the beach was the property of the cottage. I also checked into the internet and the owner said it “had to be fixed”. But I really  don’t care about either of these things because it’s so damn beautiful here!

I took the photo above at high tide earlier this afternoon. Just in case you don’t know, the tides in Maine are occur every eight hours or so and are around six feet between high and low marks.

The photo above was taken at low tide, on Saturday night around sunset. Can you see the water line on the rocks?  And if you look in the center of the picture, you’ll see George investigating the waves lapping at the shore. He’s about to get wet, too.

The rocks here have so many interesting things growing on them. There’s barnacles and seaweed, beautiful blue mussels (which I plan on harvesting and eating) and little snails that live inside those shells.

I turned around to take a picture of the sunset, below.

I love how rugged and wild the coast is here.

 

On Sunday morning we hiked along one of the most beautiful trails I’ve ever seen. It runs along the edge of the coast in a nearby nature preserve. The owners of the rental cottage have a bookcase that is stocked with books on the area, maps (which I love) and a whole folder entitled ‘Things To Do’. It’s where I found this little place. The hike was a couple of miles through moss-covered woods and huge boulders and all the while, you can see the water. And the scent!! It’s incredibly strong in some areas, this wonderful smell of spruce trees!

Today was crystal clear with no humidity and . . . can I tell you something?

I think I’m in love.

I’m in love with this place.

You know, every time I come to Maine, I feel the same way. Is there somewhere you visit that makes you feel like this?

Until later (whenever that may be), my friends . . .

UPDATE: I’ve been all over the place looking for internet service and am currently in a room in the local Community Center. It doubles as a day care, so the laughter of children is right down the hall. They just came in from the playground and it’s snack time. The room is full of old furniture, a pool table, shelves of books and is very comfortable. I feel as though I’ve stepped back in time about 70 years. Beautiful plants are all along one windowsill and through the clear glass windows, I can see trees, the gables of an old house next door, and gulls flying in the bright blue sky. Is this what heaven is like?

A small step in the recent past

There are places in my photo files that I do not visit if I don’t have to. And for good reason. I call them The Folders I Do Not Open and they all took place last summer. In June 2008, our lives began to go downhill and steadily went from a slippery slope to hell in a handbasket.

Everybody has times in their lives when that kind of thing happens, so I get the feeling that most of you know of what I speak.

I haven’t been able to bring myself to look back at any of the pictures I took back then because of all the pain that is still associated with them. There was the loss of my husband’s job of more than ten years, then the promise of a better life with what seemed like a caring new boss. It turned out to be nothing but stress for my husband, however, that had him doing his best to please someone who could never be pleased. His subsequent firing, the day after she and her husband found out that his brain tumor had returned was less than kind. But I digress.

Tonight, for some reason, I accidentally opened one of these files and instead of jumping out like I’ve touched something hot, I forced myself to stay.

And I’m glad I did, because I’d forgotten about these pictures.

These photographs of my husband’s parents were taken a week after we moved to that new life in Pennsylvania. They wanted to come out to visit and see that their son had landed on his feet. And I can only imagine the relief they felt knowing that he was going to be okay, after just losing his job a few weeks prior to this. It would be short-lived, as it turned out, but all seemed well at the time.

I don’t often visit the past. Especially when it hurts. But I’m glad I forced myself this time.

I have always been blessed with the kind of in-laws that are the envy of all of my friends. They’re really great people. And right now, they are the only parents I have.

And I am grateful.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

There’s a lot I’m grateful for. How ‘bout you?

Not out of my gourd yet

I feel much better than I did an hour ago. I went outside after dinner to water the container gardens, deadheading all the petunia plants while I was at it. It’s a very time-consuming and sticky job but they look so better when you remove the dead bits and besides, it helps them to produce more flowers.

Then I took George for a big walk.

And when I say big, I really mean small. Really small. I was just so dang tired and hot and couldn’t stand the stickiness of it all.

While I was outside, I noticed how beautiful my husband’s new gourd birdhouse looks hanging in the dogwood tree. I gave this to him for his birthday a couple of weeks ago and I love the little wood burnings that are on it.

I took these photos of it over the weekend.

This birdhouse was made by a retired postman who had moved to Mathews, VA. He found that a section of his newly acquired property was covered with gourd vines and decided he’d like to do something artistic with them. It turned out that he was pretty good at this new-found skill of his and now sells his beautiful birdhouses at Sibley’s General Store on Main Street in Mathews.

The store also serves as the Welcome Center for the area and has an abundance of other local artists’ wares for sale. They also carry maps and souvenirs. I was especially enamored with the claw-foot bathtub on the front porch.

You know, for all those plants who just may happen to need a bath.

And speaking of baths, they really do make you feel so much better. The fans help, too.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

POM and circumstance

You’ve all heard of POM Wonderful, right? You know, the juice made from pomegranates?

Well, imagine my surprise at receiving an e-mail last week from a representative of the company who told me that she’d come across my site while searching for a few blogs that she thought would have quality tips on how to live a healthier life. She also told me that I had featured some fantastic recipes and that her company, POM Wonderful, would like me to try a sample of their product.

I wrote back and asked her if she was sure she had the right blog because I’m not really a recipe blog. I told her I was more a nature/photography blog than a healthy eating blog. She quickly responded, telling me that there’s more to healthy living than just eating the right things, and that there was nothing expected of me in return. They just wanted me to try the juice.

So I gave her my work address. And then I sort of forgot about it.

A couple of days later, my boss and one of my co-workers were sorting out the mail that had come in. “Kate’s got a package,” they chimed. “Ohhh, and it’s from Los Angeles. That’s hoity-toity!” My co-worker began to tease me because they’re always saying how hoity-toity I am. (I guess if you go to a nice hair salon every 8 weeks and get a pedicure a few times a year, you’re hoity-toity).

I explained that it was a gift from someone who works for POM Wonderful, that they had seen my blog, and yadda yadda yadda. They were both skeptical.

Look how cute these little bottles are! Very impressive with the miniature cooling system as well. There were instructions to refrigerate immediately, so I did. There were actually 8 bottles but I drank two of them.

When I got home, I read the information that came with these tasty little critters. I had no idea of the health benefits of this juice, nor did I know that the pomegranate was one mankind’s earliest cultivated fruits. I read that the pomegranate has been revered over the centuries as a symbol of health, fertility and rebirth. I read about studies that touted all sorts of health benefits including decreasing arterial placque, prostate health, and even improved erectile function! Wowee!

It stands to show you that good things really do come in small packages. Thanks, Molly.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Oh, and PS ~ The manufacturers of POM Wonderful did not ask me to say anything publicly about their juice. I am not a spokesperson for the magical powers of the pomegranate. I just really liked it a lot.

UPDATE: I neglected to post the official [POM Wonderful] site. Here you’ll find recipes and information. There’s a whole section on cocktails, too. I love the looks of the Pom Julep . . .

Hand-colored flowers

While perusing photos on flickr this afternoon, I came across some that I absolutely fell in love with. Using hand-coloring of black & white photographs, the [photographer] had an ethereal couple of sets of these painted works of art and I had no idea how she accomplished this feat. But I was in love with her photos.

So I googled a tutorial and found several, but I wanted one with a video. Although I followed the instructions to a ‘T’, I am not satisfied with my results. But it’s only a first attempt, and like the textures when I first discovered them, I’ll figure it out eventually.

The [tutorial] here, offers instruction in one way of hand-coloring a black & white photograph. After I got the photo to my satisfaction, I applied three Florabella textures, ‘antique’ warm, ‘sugar & spice’ and ‘milk & honey’. And then because I felt like going full-on crazy, I applied some brushes that I downloaded yesterday.

I’m not sure about the brushes yet. I’m looking for something much better than this but got tired of the search.

Here’s the photo without the embellishments (brushes). I think I like this better.

In other news, I finally managed to vacuum the upstairs. I know you’ll be proud of me.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Squash blossoms

It rained like crazy here in Maryland this morning and I figured it was a sign to stay in my pajamas as long as possible. So of course, I complied.

It was also too wet to do any cleaning, although I did try out the new vacuum (which worked fine, by the way). Right before it began pouring, I went outside and saw these lovely squash blossoms that are blooming out front. I laid a towel down to keep me dry as I took pictures from the ground. I didn’t want to get my pajamas wet, you know.

We didn’t plant this vine. It appeared recently and has since taken over the front of the house but we’ve left it grow to see what it would become.

I’m guessing it’s a pumpkin.

I remember my husband carving a couple of jack-o-lanterns on the porch last October after he’d come home from the hospital. He just told me that he remembers throwing some of the seeds behind the azalea bush out front.

I remember it very well now. And it wasn’t until I went back and read [this post] that I also remembered how I’d felt at the time.

 

Oh, hello there.

 

There’s a storm coming, little bee. Just wanted to let you know.

In other happenings today, I took an absolutely delicious two hour nap. I rarely ever take naps but I must have needed it. It was wonderful with the cool breeze coming in the window and I had just looked at all these beautiful photos of Maine on flickr and dreamed of being there.

So you see how exciting it was around here today?

 

Yes, I’m pretty sure it’s a pumpkin. I’ll keep you posted, k?

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Thanks for your visits. It’s always good to have you stop by.

The excitement mounts

It’s been a complete bust of a day, as far as cleaning my house goes. But who’s the wiser? It’s only the two of us that sees the mess and it will still be here waiting for me when I’m ready.

I spent several hours looking for, in vain I might add, a belt for my Eureka vacuum cleaner. It’s ridiculous, really, that such a common item was either not available or sold out at the five fine shopping establishments that I visited today. Forces in the universe were against me today, that’s all.

Good times.

At the final place, a Lowe’s in Middletown DE, I was so disgusted that I ended up just buying another vacuum. It’s an inexpensive lightweight Shop Vac upright that was only $49 on sale. It’s nothing to write home about but should have come with earplugs – it’s that loud.

More good times.

So I’m posting some photos of the Reading Terminal Market in Philly that I took last Monday, just for the hell of it. And they’re not that great, so don’t get on my case. (As if you would, dear readers).

We had Bassett ice cream for dessert (among other things).

You can get anything you want at Alice’s Restaurant the Reading Terminal Market.

Even plants, jewelry and beauty supplies.

Apparently, this is also where the Jolly Green Giant gets his giant jaw breakers. I don’t know who else would want a jawbreaker the size of my fist.

They even come on sticks. Gah! It’s a dentist’s nightmare!

Now yer talkin’, mama. Sweet chocolate.

My idea of the perfect dessert. I mean, just open a jar of each and and grab a spoon. Oh, my. Did I say that out loud?

I went into this specialty shop to see if they had any Marmite, one of my husband’s favorite oddball food items. They were completely sold out but another shipment was on its way. I toyed with the idea of getting him a jar of Dundee marmalade instead but didn’t want to spend the nearly ten dollars on it.

And now I only hope I haven’t overly excited you with my day.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

I should be cleaning

Gah! I should be cleaning my house but after a super early appointment to have the car serviced today, I am finding no energy at all.

I think I’ll drink a big ‘ol glass of iced tea (Earl Grey, thank you) and head to the store to buy the correct belt for my vacuum. The belt broke almost 2 weeks ago and of course, the store that sells the vacuum didn’t sell replacement belts. So I bought something I thought would work. Not only did it not work, but I think it may have ruined the motor. It was smoking. But before I go out and put the money towards a new vacuum, I’ll see if just getting the proper belt will fix the problem.

Aren’t you so glad you stopped by so that you could hear of my cleaning woes?

It’s a bit humid today in my little corner of Maryland, but nothing terrible. This afternoon, I think I’ll make a cocktail and take a swim in the pool.

Unfortunately, I keep forgetting that we do not have a pool. Maybe I’ll just run through the sprinkler, although it’s not as fun as it used to be. Like when I was six.

Gah!

Until later, my friends . . . and maybe my house will be clean by then . . .