Glimpses of my Maine

Can I tell you how much I love it here? Every time I step outside and smell the scent of the sea and the pines, I think how lucky I am to be here right now, today. I think this especially when watching the news around the country with the heat wave because the days here are approximately 75 and in the evening, it’s comfortable in a light sweater.

I bought {this one} especially for myself. And come fall and school, I can wear it to work. But right now, it’s coming in very handy.

It’s late as I write this, and I’ve just come home from an evening with friends who are vacationing in nearby Southwest Harbor with their family. Having dinner with them this evening was so much different than the quiet times at our rental cottage. Their family is fun, their rental place is old-Maine, rambling and quirky, and totally cool. A thick fog rolled in as John was grilling lobsters on the front porch, and driving home wasn’t too bad, but still a little slow-going.

I love it here. Here are some captures from the past couple of days. There will be more on each to come, but for now please accept the following snippets ~

Sunrise on Cadillac Mountain – the first spot in the US to greet the day.

A pair of Northern Spotted Owls –

a delightful find on an early morning walk in the woods outside of Bar Harbor.

My first attempt at a homemade lobster roll. I was so full afterward that I had to take a nap, although my fatigue may have had something to do with getting up at 4 AM to catch the sunrise that morning . . .

Here’s the recipe:

Pearl Oyster Bar Lobster Roll Recipe

Absolutely delicious.

Picturesque Somesville on a sunny summer day.

A different perspective of Bar Harbor, taken from Bar Island which is accessible only during low tide - something I’ve always wanted to do.





A visit to the Thuya Gardens, another something I’ve always wanted to do. My blogging friend, Lili and her husband Henri, picked me up today and took me there.

Henri and Lili.

Hello my friends ~

(they are so mfeo*)

They also took me to lunch at Jordan Pond House, another place I’ve never been but have always wanted to visit. It was fabulous. The food, the atmosphere, just all of it. This was the view from our outdoor table.





Evening fog in Southwest Harbor tonight. If the scent of the sea could be bottled, I would sniff it whenever I felt sad or lonely. The scent of the ocean smells like something so familiar and comforting, almost like home. I grew up on the Jersey shore, so maybe this has something to do with it.

Well, it’s late now as I finish this post and I know I have to be up early tomorrow. We have much planned to enjoy our last day here on the island of Mount Desert, one of my favorite places ever.

Until later, my friends ~


* mfeo = made for each other

Maine in the fog

My husband and I are spending a week on Mount Desert Island, Maine, and our plans  for Tuesday included a visit to the Schoodic Peninsula, another section of Acadia National Park. We awoke to rain and fog and although some vacationers would be less than overjoyed at this fact, I was fine with a change of pace in regards to the weather.

For several days we’ve had the kind of weather I dream about. Warm in the sunshine but cool in the shade, the skies a deep blue, interspersed with light fluffy clouds.

But today was the kind of day that was so damp, my hair was drenched with mist. I could feel the dampness on my skin and I loved it. It was the kind of day that, had I a fireplace I would have a fire going just to dry things out.

 

We left the house at 7 and stopped at a store to get supplies then grabbed a completely unhealthy breakfast: an egg, ham & cheese sandwich from a Dunkin’ Donuts. Geez Louize. The coffee was damn good and we sat and ate our breakfast at the view point above. Normally you can see the mountains on Mt. Desert Island from here, but the fog obliterated them this morning.

 

This was the former location of the Waukeag House Hotel, which was very popular with the summer rusticator crowd from around 1877 to 1900. I have no idea when the house in the photo was built. The old hotel sat back quite a bit from this site. And look – you can see the mountains a little more here.

 

Then it was on to Schoodic Point where we watched the waves crash against the rocky coast.

 

I didn’t want to get too close. It was pretty intense.

I shot a little video of it but couldn’t get the old embed code to work in Vimeo.

Video - Early Morning at Schoodic Point, Maine

 

Then I took photos of seagulls in the fog.

 

 

I had the long lens on for this one but was permitted to get within just a few feet of it.

 

 

Hello in there.

 

 

Look at this face.

Oh, my stinking heck. This dog does NOT like the loud, booming noises coming from a coastline he can’t even see through the fog. And he much prefers the safety of the car.

And there is nothing wrong with that.

Poor little fella.

 

 

Further down the road, it was much more quiet.

 

 

We’ve always stayed on this side of Acadia National Park

and are pretty familiar with the area.

 

 

The house at Wonsqueak Harbor.

More photos of it {here}, at Flickr. And I saw one I took last year.

 

 

The public library at Winter Harbor is a former chapel.

And it’s beautiful.

 

 

Taken from the Winter Harbor Lobster Co-Op.

Lobster was 6.00 per pound for hard shells there. In Southwest Harbor, I saw it for 3.49 per pound. Good grief.

 

 

And when we returned to Bar Harbor later that day, the sun was shining and it felt like summer. We are not staying in Bar Harbor, but enjoy driving through. All along West Street it looks different with the new condo/hotel rooms that are on the right. They’re all part of the West Street Hotel.

West Street Hotel, Bar Harbor

Not really my cup of tea but it might be someone’s ~

 

Time to go. We’re off on another adventure ~

and I’ll keep you posted.

See you soon.

Greetings from Maine

It’s early on a rainy morning as I write this. A storm just went through bringing thunder and lightning which woke me. My husband was already up, shutting the windows and starting the coffee.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that our rental cottage had Wifi – so here are a few photos I’ve taken since arriving to Mount Desert Island on Saturday.

 

Sunday morning at Otter Cliffs

 

 

View from Otter Cliffs toward Sand Beach

 

 

View from the road up Cadillac Mountain

 

 

Cairn on top of Cadillac Mtn.

 

 

Valley Cove

 

 

Bar Harbor

 

 

A peek at our rental cottage

 

 

Beach roses are on the wane

 

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We’re having a wonderful time . . . and I love it here.

 

Will share more later ~

Au revoir for now

It’s late Friday afternoon and it’s been an absolutely hellish roller coaster of a day. A day in which I planned to spend a leisurely afternoon packing my bags for a trip to one of my favorite places in this country.

 

Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog knows that both my husband and I love the coast of Maine. And George, our faithful border collie, was actually born there. Our son will stay here and guard the old manor house on the hill while we’re away. I don’t have internet access where we’ll be staying, so this may be the last post you see on this blog for about a week.

Hope your weekend and your week to come is a good one. I’ll be sure to take plenty of photos to share with you when I return.

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Please know that I plan on taking supplements of this daily:

 

I love lobstah rolls.

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Until next time, my friends.

New favorite: Dove VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash

When BlogHer asked me to write a review on this product, I said sure – it sounds like fun. I’m one of those people who loves trying new lotions, body washes, and hair products; however, I'd never endorse something I really didn't like. Body wash is such an easy way to make yourself feel pampered. Thinking that I would be sent a small sample for this review, I was surprised to find an 18-oz. sample in my mailbox. I was advised to follow the directions, use it for a week, and then write an honest review.

The directions are simple. The lather was incredible.

And I can honestly tell you that I believe that this product works. My skin has actually improved since I began using it three weeks ago. I will tell you that I didn’t notice much of a difference in just a week’s time but after three weeks, I’ve begun to realize that I actually have visibly more beautiful skin – just from a body wash.

My skin seems more even-toned, softer and more supple. I’m 55 and suddenly my skin doesn’t look so “old”. This is especially nice in the summer, when more skin is showing. When I’m done in the shower, I don’t even feel the need to use moisturizer afterward, although I do. Perhaps it’s the ‘NutriumMoisture’ that the product touts, but whatever it is, it’s good stuff.






This body wash is available in three variants, according to the website.

1. VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash – helps to promote skin’s elasticity and strength. (this is the one I’m reviewing).
2. Renewing Body Wash – nourishes and replenishes skin.
3. Softening Body Wash – softens skin and dry spots.

The lather is rich and has a lovely light scent . . . could it be bergamot? Whatever it is, Dove’s VisibleCare Toning Crème Body Wash is from a revolutionary line of premium body washes and was designed to promote your skin’s elasticity. It contains the highest concentration of NutriumMoisture technology in their line of products and is available at WalMart, and Amazon, among others.

For more information, you may visit the website:

Dove

Question for you: Do you use soap in the shower or body wash? Inquiring minds want to know. Also, see below to get a coupon for $1 off for this product PLUS information on winning a Spafinder gift certificate worth $500.



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Captures from NYC

I have a few photos to share with you today, photos that I took while in NYC this past weekend. A trip to the Big City is pretty exciting, sort of stressful (if you’re driving), but usually always fun, and definitely interesting. The reason for my visit this time was to attend a farewell dinner for a good friend who is moving from Connecticut to Tennessee.

And it’s always nice to visit with my son while I’m there. I took a cab to his place downtown late Friday night and snapped a few photos from the open window.

 

Lots of things caught my eye, like this dapper gentleman who looked like he was waiting for someone and passing the time by checking his phone.

 

This is a very precise address.

It’s almost bizarre.

 

 

I love wrought iron work, and my photograph didn’t do this image justice.

It was gorgeous with the light from the lobby.

The cab zoomed along, and I took a few more images but they turned out pretty blurry.

 

 

The next morning I cabbed it to Daryl’s apartment and she treated me to a mani/pedi at her favorite place, Polished on W 78th between Broadway and West End Ave. The woman next to me was having her toes done and her nails done at the same time.

It was very posh and I felt like a million bucks.

Polished Beauty Bar

 

Then we walked up to Ditch Plains, a restaurant on W 82nd at Columbus Ave., where we had planned on meeting my son for brunch.

 

This was a fun restaurant with a very laid-back surfer dude kind of feel. I don’t know how else to explain it. Very family-friendly and I especially liked that they had special seating for parents with small children complete with little video screens at each table.

Ditch Plains, Upper West Side

 

The food was excellent. Daryl and I each had yogurt blueberry pancakes with warm maple syrup and a side of thick-cut bacon.

I couldn’t even finish half of it.

 

We strolled around on this very warm day and went into a few shops.

And snapped some photos.

 

And I found more ironwork that caught my eye.

 

 

I just think it’s beautiful.

 

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And then I handed my camera to Daryl and sat down on a bench with my son and she snapped this photo for me.

 

And it’s my new favorite.

With my messy hair and all.

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