More Deer and Latest NeedleWork......

We were blessed with a return of the Doe and her fawn.



Here is the mother Doe alone. Isn't She beautiful?!!



And you know I have to keep those knitting needles of mine going......
This sweater and hat set is for little Ruth Drake. Her mother loved the color combination. I also made the buttons out of clay.

Latest Venture

Well, every respectable leaf has dropped from the trees here in the Foothills of Maine. If it weren't for the millions of pine trees in Maine, this state would look so desolate in the Fall-Winter season. I so hate this time of year. Our planet is supposed to return to its' original 'temperate' condition in a few years and I cannot wait! If we could just do away with the winter, life would be so much grander for myself and quite a few others.

Right now, it is raining to beat the band outside. Flood warnings are up for most of Maine's counties and high wind warnings are supposed to be in effect later this weekend. Temperatures have dropped and most folks have been using heat for more than a few weeks now.

I have been using my creative energy to knit baby things for an adorable 4 month old named Ruth Summer Drake (who lives in my town), a sweater and hat set for my cousin Michelle who just gave birth to her first child in Los Angeles; and a Baby Blanket for another cousin's baby who is not scheduled to enter the world until November.



Ruth needed a Car Seat Blanket to keep her toasty while visiting friends and relatives.



Here is a hat, a pair of Thumbless Mittens and a pair of socks for Ruth. The socks are knitted from wool so they are sure to be extra warm.



Finally, here is little Ruth modeling her hat! Isn't she Cute??!!!



Here is the Baby Blanket for my 'Yet-To-Be-Born' cousin next month.



Here is the Kimono-type Sweater and Hat for my cousin Michelle's Baby Boy.

Autumn Arrives!

The leaves are starting to turn here in Maine. We saw a rainbow on the 10th of September (a very rare occurance), and shortly after we had one heck of a thunder, wind and hail storm! Made me sit up and pay attention...

September 30, 2006

The days are getting shorter too..... Not my favorite experience! It is dark here around 7 pm. Night temperatures are quite cold for this time of year. We already have had nights dipping down into the mid to high 30's. Day temps are 'decent' but chilly as well. I DREAD what follows! But I shouldn't complain. Parts of Colorado have already seen 7-plus inches of snowfall these past few weeks.




I haven't been 'out and about' with my camera in the past week or so simply because the leaves haven't sufficiently turned. They are starting to develop some rich coloring, so here are a few I took today on my property......


This is my driveway..... Some fun during the snow and ice season. Have to keep it plowed and sanded for safety reasons!


This is part of my "Leaching Field"... In small towns everyone has their own septic system, which must be maintained and pumped. The ground must be able to 'breathe' to maintain a healthy system and keeping the grass trimmed is part of it.



Here are some colorful leaves. I do believe these leaves belong to the maple tree.



Great color here!

More Knitted Things

While cleaning out my Picture Folder I found photos of knitted things I forgot I had. Here they are!


This is a Baby Sweater


Here is an Afghan I did for the house. This was crocheted, not knitted


Here is another Afghan for the House. They certainly come in handy when it is chilly and you need a little something to keep a draft off your feet or legs.


Here is another Baby Sweater. I tried my hand at embroidery on this one.


Here is a Hat and Scarf Set for myself! I am usually doing something for other folks, but this time decided to knit something for Yvonne.


Here is another Baby Sweater!


Another Baby Sweater...... I started knitting these primarily for Charity purposes, but over the past few years I have been knitting them for friends, and loved ones of friends and relatives. They are easier and quicker to finish than adult sizes.



A Toddler's Hat


Another Hat and Scarf I managed to knit for myself!

The Beauty of Maine

I am a transplanted Mainer. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland; left when I was 11 years old to join my mother in Boston and remained there until 1993. I grew up in Boston, met and married my husband Charlie and lived an interesting life there. As a middle-aged adult I began feeling surrounded by too many people. Boston's population was growing rapidly, and with an increasing population many problems such as intense crime, heavy traffic, lack of parking space and excessive noise levels increase.
The loveliness I enjoyed being in a large city began to grate on my nerves. I no longer felt 'safe.' Much of my inner harmony and balance was being siphoned off to create a 'safety shield' around my body. The noise level was unbelievable. Car alarms going off in the middle of the night, house alarms going off in the neighborhood, fire engines screaming through the streets, police in pursuit of suspected trouble sounding their alarms kept me from getting a good night's sleep. Going to work, not knowing if your apartment or home was robbed while you were away (it happened to us once and it is a feeling you never forget). Having to place 3 locks on your front door to keep people out did not make me feel 'safe'. For if someone was chasing me, it would be impossible to unlock three locks and reach 'safety.'

I found my blood pressure easing upward even though I was on medication to lower it. My breathing began to be affected. I felt as if I was having difficulty breathing and feared I might have something wrong with my lungs or an asthmatic condition, but the doctor could not hear anything wrong. So my labored breathing was 'emotional'. I began to dread living in a city where I spent 34 good years. My body and Spirit was telling me it was time to leave.

Once I made the 'scary' decision to 'move' things fell into our laps allowing us to leave. We had a very modest home built in a rural town in the foothills of west-central Maine named New Vineyard. It is populated with 735 people. The town was originally settled in the 1700's by people from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. If you are expecting the "city life" don't come to New Vineyard. It is a peaceful, quiet little town populated with folks who own cows, horses, chickens, sheep, ducks, and people who grow their own food. It is a town where the annual 'Town Meeting' is held every March and residents come to vote on how their tax monies are to be spent (wish we had that choice in Washington, DC). We don't have a mayor, we have a Board of Selectmen. Our post office is a small one-room building where the post master does most of the work while one person delivers the mail to roadside mailboxes 6 days a week. The service is always warm and very friendly. Our library is also one small room. Our fire department is strictly 'volunteer service.' We share police service with the nearby town of Farmington. I was 'shell-shocked' when I left Boston. By that, I mean you think you are 'normal' until you leave a place and discover living in your new home is totally different. I knew I needed a change, but I did not realize just how much tension was bundled up inside. It took about a year to 'heal' and totally feel 'whole'.
I am not trying to give Boston a bad name. For those who live there and love it, it's great. But for me, Boston represents a place of tension on many levels. In my little corner of Maine, I discovered we are located approximately halfway between the Equator and the North Pole of the planet. The one good thing about that is on quite a few occasions we are able to see the Northern Lights in the sky at night. Quite a beautiful sight if you haven't seen them before.

Maine is one of the heaviest forested states in the United States and covers 30,862 square miles. With a population of only about 1,321,500 people we have a lot of space to stretch and feel free. With only 42 people per square mile in comparison to 12,166 people per square mile in Boston (Boston has a population of approximately 581,616) is it any wonder why I was starting to feel 'squeezed out? '

What 'hit' me after moving to Maine is the wonderful scenery! Everywhere you drive, there is such breathtaking beauty. Here are some photos I have taken in the past few years:


Here we are on Wilson Lake, in the town of Wilton, a few towns south of New Vineyard. I think the blues of the mountain range in the distance is simply breathtaking!


I took this at a Blueberry Farm in Wilton. Blueberries are grown on either low or high bushes. High bushed blueberries are easier to pick because you don't have to bend over and pick them on ground level ( a real backbreaker). The high bushes stand about 8 to 9 feet. The field is dotted with round bales of hay drying in the sun. Later on they will be bagged and put into a barn to feed dairy cows during the winter months. If hay is stored while damp it will create spontaneous combustion. Some barns have burned to the ground because of improperly dried hay. Blueberries are loaded with Vitamin C and helps the body cleanse itself of toxins while strengthening your immune system.


Here is a beautiful field used to grow hay along Route 27 in Farmington. Once again, you can see the Mountains in the background. In the west- central portion of Maine you are surrounded with mountains.


Maine is highly populated with creative people. Here is a moose carved from wood that stands in front of the Mountain View Chocolate Shoppe in Farmington. The shop is owned by fellow New Vineyarder Pam West. Pam makes decadent chocolate candies, creates wedding cakes and carries a line of Made in Maine products.


Here is John posing with the wooden moose. Just so you have an idea how tall this creation is; John stands six feet, one. The antlers were found in the woods. The body was carved from a huge single tree trunk; the other portions were carved from smaller tree trunks. If anyone is thinking of commissioning a similar moose, better plan on dipping into your bank account for at least $3500.


Here we are crossing the bay of Maine going to Cabbage Island. Fog developed and the islands of the bay looked like something out of a science-fiction mystical place.....


Bales of hay in Jill & Randy Bates yard in New Vineyard. Jill and Randy own a dairy farm licensed to sell organic milk. Dairy farming is hard work. To my way of thinking, you are married to the farm. You cannot afford to neglect daily duties if you want to be successful. I take my hat off to those who do it, and feel it is a shame farmers aren't paid more for the work they do. Unfair compensation is also the reason so many are quitting the farm business.


This was taken at Clearwater Lake in the town of Industry.


This was taken at Rangeley Lakes a few years ago.


Here we are at the Shady Lane Farm in New Vineyard. It was Farm Day throughout the region and tours were given at various farms. The Lanes have a huge variety of animals and a Petting Zoo. They sell eggs, maple syrup, frozen chickens and ducks. They have the largest hogs I have ever seen!

More Hawaiian Photos.....

I really felt ambitious the other day and went through my albums for pictures to share with you on my Blog. Hawaii is a place very close to my heart because I found so much peace while there. Living in a highly populated area with close to a million or more people surrounding you really does increase the tension and stress levels in your body and mind. If you can afford to take a vacation, it is extremely important to go some place where you can erase your tensions. A lot of people take vacations, but end up doing the same thing they do at home. They are always on the go, they put themselves on a schedule to do this and that, and though they might appreciate what they see; when they arrive home they often find that they need a vacation from their 'vacation.' With each trip we took to Hawaii, I added a day or two, did my 'running around' during the beginning and dedicated the last week to just 'chillin'. After going back home to Boston I took an additional 3 days before I went back to the 'madhouse' of the work world. Well; enough of my philosophy, let me share some of those photos with you!

This photo was taken on the island of Maui at a Buddist Temple. It is the largest statue ot Buddha in the United States, and the background setting is simply breathtaking!

Here is Charlie standing beside some incredibly large leaves! We were visiting a botanical park on the Big Island. I was just in awe at the size of some of the leaves going in Hawaii!

These are gigantic Lily Pads! Our tour guide told us that they are strong enough to support 30 pounds each!

The 'Mighty Ocean.' I could sit for hours watching the waves roll into the shore.

I was brave enough to drag myself onto a helicopter so we could see Hawaii by air over the island of Kauai. We flew over and into the Waimea Canyon, the wettest place on the planet with over 500 inches of rainfall a year. Here is one of the pictures. Hawaii is a very beautiful group of islands. It is the reason why it is often the setting for many of Steven Spielberg's movies.

Here is another Canyon photograph. I love the iron-rich red soil of Kauai!

A beautiful aerial beach scene

Another beautiful aerial shot of one of the bays on Kauai

Isn't this beautiful? It is a giant clam shell sink (fully functioning) located in the bathrooms at the Coco Palms Hotel on Kauai.

The lagoon of this hotel was used to film the wedding scene of Blue Hawaii; an Elvis Prestley film classic.

Here is my Hawaii beachfront home (another 'just kidding' remarks). This scene was taken on the Big Island of Hawaii from our rented condo apartment.

On the Island of Molokai, this beautiful beach scene was taken

More beautiful iron-ore rich soil of Kauai taken from the helicopter.

Who would like to join me on the grounds of this hotel on Molokai?

Refreshing, rushing water coming from a waterfall...

There are crystals, and there are crystals! This one lies in a Temple on Kauai and is 36 inches tall. This crystal is also very powerful. If I told you just how powerful, most would not believe me; so I just won't go into it here. However, if you are curious, email me at delores@exploremaine.com and I will tell you what I know.

Here is a Giraffe Family living on the island of Molokai. I was surprised to discover just how very skittish they are. If you make one suddenly move, they will scamper like a herd of elephants to get away from you.

Cabbage Island Trip

Thursday, John and I drove to Boothbay Harbor and took an excursion to Cabbage Island; a 5 acre privately owned island for a lobster bake. It was our second trip there, and the second was just as enjoyable as the first! The boat ride was about 45 minutes long and just wonderful! The roundtrip boat ride, the lobster bake plus tax came to a nice $47.50. Quite a bargain if you ask me; especially when you get fish chowder, two lobsters, a healthy helping of steamed clams, an ear of corn, a baked potato, a hard boiled egg, a baked onion (why anyone would want one of those, I don't know), a nice hunk of blueberry cake (more like blueberry bread) and complimentary coffee, iced tea, with sodas costing a dollar; and there were alcoholic beverages for a fee. Everything is served picnic style on picnic tables you share with friends or strangers. I think they call that 'family-style' now. Of course the boat ride revealed many wonderful homes along the shores of the Bay; folks with plenty of money have palatial homes. Here are some photos I snapped of the island, and a few along the way.

Here's my place...... (kidding!) but I could 'live' quite well having the deed to this property!


A boat in the harbor.....


Here's another beautiful home on the way to Cabbage Island.
Some beautiful scenery on the way to the Island


Just leaving Boothbay Harbor


Arriving at Cabbage Island

A small island right next to Cabbage Island


Here is where you collect your Lobster dinner


Here are two happy souls walking back to their tables after receiving their dinners


Here's another happy person.......

Here is a photo of my dinner. I intended to take it before I started eating it, but I forgot! Sorry about that. Missing are my steamed clams and most of my potato....

Here's John! I think the expression on his face says it all about how much he is enjoying his lobster!

Look at him plowing into his corn! My man certainly enjoys his food!!

Thought you might enjoy seeing some scenery of the island. I love pictures showing the beauty of Mother Nature. Her greenery, water, rocks and flowers really moves my soul!

The sun was setting by the time we left , so here is a beautiful scene.......


The owners of Cabbage Island live in this house.


I love rocks and boulders.....


This is the entrance to the indoor seating area. The bar and restrooms are also inside.


Last but not least is a close-up of a beautiful flower growing on the grounds....
I hope you have enjoyed our trip to Cabbage Island, Boothbay, Maine!