A Few Quiet Hours in the "Country"

I know you might think that I am a little crazy, but last week John and I had to take a ride for business purposes and our destination ended in Chesterville, about 40 minutes from our home. While John took care of the business-end, I wandered the grounds with my camera. I knew we would be there for a while, so I also took a book AND my knitting just in case I got bored. I can't stand to be bored..... so I always leave the house 'prepared....'

I didn't know the scenery would be so intriguingly beautiful. Actually, since living in Maine, I have yet to see ugly landscape. Every turn, every stretch of road is always breathtaking. If you like greenery, you are definitely in the right place here. So out pops my camera and snap, snap, snap away I go.

We discovered that the person at the end of our destination lived on a pond, and as a sideline, he also has a wood business. He cuts down trees, debarks and slices them to be sold to people building houses, camps, or furniture. I love wood in all stages of existence. So you will see some photos of lumber in the slideshow, along with a few pictures of the bottom of the pond. Surprisingly I discovered mussel shells on the bottom. Who-knew??? Loons sang in the background as I walked around. Chipmunks and squirrels scampered about (as they do at my house). And I almost lost my camera because a spider landed on my hand and basic instinct made me fling it away even though it was the hand that held my camera! My camera went tumbling down a grassy knoll...... good thing it was all soft grass or I am sure it would have been the end of my trusty friend!!

How is this area different from where I live? It isn't really, except it sits on the shore of a large pond and the roads to get there are long, twisty, and unpaved. It's a deeper setting of woods than where my home is located.

So I hope you enjoy the slideshow.....

Our Annual Cabbage Island Trip

John and I went to Cabbage Island last week. Last year we drove to the coast ourselves, but this year for the second time we travelled with the Seniors Plus group from Wilton, Maine. Everyone meets in a parking lot, we board the bus and we're on our way. Don't have to worry about traffic, looking out for road signs, filling up with gas or parking once we arrive. The price is right too.... $71 per person. That's not bad considering the ride to Boothbay Harbor is about 90 minutes away; We get the boat ride to the island, the generous meal, and on the way back we stop for ice cream (the ice cream is on us, not included).

I learned a new trick yesterday. I can now place a slideshow on my Blog so you can see the photos without having to scroll down. Hope you find it convenient to look at. If not; let me know.

Boothbay, Maine Harbor Seal Watch...

John and I enjoyed a bus trip to the coast of Maine last week. We usually take a few trips to Boothbay Harbor each year; a quaint village loaded with trendy shops, restaurants, motels, and Bed and Breakfast inns. It reminds us of being on the Cape in Massachusetts, but doesn't have the extreme crowds of the Cape. Usually we take a ferry ride to Cabbage Island for its famous Lobster Feast, but this year we decided to take a Harbor Seal Watch cruise. We did it the 'easy' way by signing up with Seniors Plus; a Community Center in our area. You pay your fare and meet in a parking lot where you board a tour bus and get driven to your destination. You don't have to worry about traffic, following road signs, etc. When we arrived in Boothbay, we were treated to lunch at an Inn (nothing fancy, sandwich of your choice, beverage and dessert). I must say the dessert was very fancy. It was chocolate mousse served in a dark chocolate fluted shell. The shell was surrounded with a rich raspberry sauce and the mousse was topped with a small dollop of whipped cream. A little too rich for my palate, but I did eat the chocolate shell! It was delicious! After lunch, we had an hour to kill before our boat arrived at the dock so we looked through the various shops.

To my surprise I found a Quilting & Yarn Shop that was going out of business! The yarns they carried were 95 percent natural fibers, the rest were man-made and prices were marked down from 10- 20%. Of course I ooo'd over their wonderful stock and could not make up my mind what to buy; and everyone who buys yarn knows you have to take your time. Time was not something I had a lot of and I had to abandon the shop 'yarn-less'. What a bummer!!Wish the shop was closer to me, but a 90 minute drive is not feasible 'just for yarn.'

Back to the dock to board our ferry for the 80 minute cruise to see the summer colonies, islands and hopefully to spot a few seals on the island ledges. Considering everything involved, the price of $51 per person was quite reasonable.

Of course, you know I had my camera with me and I took over 100 photos! Don't panic; all of them will not be included in this posting. But I am sharing about 25 of them. Hope you enjoy the journey........

This ship is a replica of the "Bounty" from Mutiny on the Bounty recently used in the remake released a few years ago starring Mel Gibson. Scenes using the ship was actually filmed off Boothbay Harbor.

Leaving the Harbor

This large log home is owned by an executive of the 3M Company.

I could not resist taking this photo. This woman reminds me of "Maxine" of the comics.

A Navy Ship in the waters from a harbor celebration that occurred two days before our arrival.

A very small Lighthouse

This is how you 'board' your boat when living on an outer island, and there is no dock...

I love rocks. I think they are beautiful!

This is where the seals reside. There were some resting while we were in the area, but my camera lens is not powerful enough to get extreme closeups from a distance.

More Harbor views....

Of course, it would be nice if this was my summer or fall home!

Or this one ......

Some fellow cruisers.....

Here is how a small boat is loaded into the waters and retrieved at the end of the season for storage.

Isn't this a pretty scene?

Here is a boat carrying lobster traps...

Another boat with traps.......

A view of Boothbay Harbor. A catholic church sets in the background.

The Inner Harbor.....

A nice small Schooner ......

Heading back to the docks....

This is what our ship looked like....