Home!
That's right, we came home a little early. We did this for several reasons. We had basically done everything that we had wanted to do in Maine and we have a few commitments tomorrow that it would be a lot easier to do if we didn't have to get up early tomorrow morning and drive for almost 3 hours to get here.
But, still and all, we had a great day. We made our way to Camden via Rockland and Rock Port - all places that we had never been before. Camden has a very picturesque harbor area and we ate a late lunch at a dockside restaurant. The weather was perfect - partly cloudy with the temperature in the low seventies. So it was a great way to end the week.
But there was even greater news! When I got on the web this morning to post the entries for the past three days, I had an e-mail from our deacon who has suffered from leukemia as well. She had a bone marrow biopsy last Friday and the results finally came in - negative! So I guess it's monthly blood testing for the forseeable future to make sure that she stays in remission. But that's a small inconvenence when it appears that you have knocked this disease. It looks like we are making inroads into defeating this beast call leukemia and it's great news for everyone.
So, it was a great day and a great week. It's back to reality, I guess, but with a refreshed outlook at the world as it should be when you have been away for awhile. I really have to thank our priest and his wife once again for the wonderful gift of their Maine cottage for the past week. I don't think that the wild parties that we had did not do too much damage to the place - us seniors really know how to live it up when given the opportunity!
Otherwise, feeling great and looking forward to tomorrow...
Bob
September 17, 2009 10:30 PM
Delicious!
That is the only word that comes to mind and does not do justice to the lobsters that we ate here tonight.
During the day we went to Freeport as I mentioned yesterday and we shopped around for a while purchasing a few necessities(!) as everyone is wont to do there. On the way back we stopped at a seafood market and picked up 4 1 ½ pound lobsters. They turned out to be soft shell as opposed to hard shell ones. The supposed difference is that the soft shell lobsters offer sweeter meat while the hard shell ones offer more meat. I can’t vouch for the truth in this claim but I can say that these were some of the best lobsters that I have ever had – so, maybe there is some truth to it after all.
It was a very comfortable day – but they are starting to get noticeably cooler. However, with the wood stove going at full tilt, we are somewhat immune to the changes. I must add that once the sun sets here it is pitch black! There is not a light to be seen anywhere! This is both strange and somewhat disconcerting to a man who loves the creature comforts that civilization has to offer. This only reinforces my prior comments about how remote this place really is.
Healthwise, as usual, I am doing and feeling great. A lot of walking this week but there was no giving in to any challenge. In fact, I think that I feel even better now – more invigorated, I guess – than when I first arrived on Saturday.
In spite of all that, and the great time that we have had, I feel that it’s time to go home…
Bob
That is the only word that comes to mind and does not do justice to the lobsters that we ate here tonight.
During the day we went to Freeport as I mentioned yesterday and we shopped around for a while purchasing a few necessities(!) as everyone is wont to do there. On the way back we stopped at a seafood market and picked up 4 1 ½ pound lobsters. They turned out to be soft shell as opposed to hard shell ones. The supposed difference is that the soft shell lobsters offer sweeter meat while the hard shell ones offer more meat. I can’t vouch for the truth in this claim but I can say that these were some of the best lobsters that I have ever had – so, maybe there is some truth to it after all.
It was a very comfortable day – but they are starting to get noticeably cooler. However, with the wood stove going at full tilt, we are somewhat immune to the changes. I must add that once the sun sets here it is pitch black! There is not a light to be seen anywhere! This is both strange and somewhat disconcerting to a man who loves the creature comforts that civilization has to offer. This only reinforces my prior comments about how remote this place really is.
Healthwise, as usual, I am doing and feeling great. A lot of walking this week but there was no giving in to any challenge. In fact, I think that I feel even better now – more invigorated, I guess – than when I first arrived on Saturday.
In spite of all that, and the great time that we have had, I feel that it’s time to go home…
Bob
September 16, 2009 9:05 PM
Nice and comfy!
Even though it’s about 53 degrees outside and the cottage is un-insulated, the fire currently going in the wood stove keeps us nice and warm. Now that it’s almost fall, the days are comfortable, if not a little cool – but the nights are getting chilly. We could sit out on the deck on Sunday and Monday but that’s not possible today.
However, the day itself was partly cloudy when we made our trip to the botanical garden. Even though it’s getting very late in the New England gardening year, there was a surprising amount of color that abounded in the flowers and plants that they had on exhibit. There are approximately 2 miles of trails to be walked in order to take in the whole of the place. These trails are no where near as rugged as the ones that we negotiated on Monday on Monhegan Island but they would have been daunting enough for me a year ago. Today they were no problem at all. I’m sure that my doctor would have approved of the outdoor environment, the length of the walk, and the leisurely pace that we took to make our way around.
The highlight of the visit was not any of the plantings but a wind sculpture that they had! It’s graceful motions as it’s arms captured the oncoming wind gusts were something to behold. It is literally poetry in motion!
Afterwards we ate at a dockside restaurant in Boothbay Harbor, stopped at a pottery shop, and came on back home.
It is my intention to try to post Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s entries on the web on Friday morning. After that we’ll be back home and resume our usual routine – ugh!
As we watch the trees slowly make their transition into their fall colorings, it was another beautiful, late summer day that only New England can provide.
No trip to Maine is ever complete without a trip to the outlet stores in Freeport.
Tomorrow guess where we will be…
Bob
Even though it’s about 53 degrees outside and the cottage is un-insulated, the fire currently going in the wood stove keeps us nice and warm. Now that it’s almost fall, the days are comfortable, if not a little cool – but the nights are getting chilly. We could sit out on the deck on Sunday and Monday but that’s not possible today.
However, the day itself was partly cloudy when we made our trip to the botanical garden. Even though it’s getting very late in the New England gardening year, there was a surprising amount of color that abounded in the flowers and plants that they had on exhibit. There are approximately 2 miles of trails to be walked in order to take in the whole of the place. These trails are no where near as rugged as the ones that we negotiated on Monday on Monhegan Island but they would have been daunting enough for me a year ago. Today they were no problem at all. I’m sure that my doctor would have approved of the outdoor environment, the length of the walk, and the leisurely pace that we took to make our way around.
The highlight of the visit was not any of the plantings but a wind sculpture that they had! It’s graceful motions as it’s arms captured the oncoming wind gusts were something to behold. It is literally poetry in motion!
Afterwards we ate at a dockside restaurant in Boothbay Harbor, stopped at a pottery shop, and came on back home.
It is my intention to try to post Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s, and Thursday’s entries on the web on Friday morning. After that we’ll be back home and resume our usual routine – ugh!
As we watch the trees slowly make their transition into their fall colorings, it was another beautiful, late summer day that only New England can provide.
No trip to Maine is ever complete without a trip to the outlet stores in Freeport.
Tomorrow guess where we will be…
Bob
September 15, 2009 10:10 PM
As promised!
As most of you know, I released the entries for Saturday through Monday this morning utilizing the local bookstore’s WiFi. I say local – but the bookstore is about 10 miles from here.
Since it unexpectedly poured last night we decide to push off the botanical garden visit until tomorrow (Wednesday) because we figured that the grounds would possibly be wet and muddy. Otherwise, the rain dissipated during the morning, the sun came out, and it was a beautiful day.
We ate lunch at a local restaurant that billed itself as having the best crab cakes in New England! My wife wanted to put them to the test and had them for lunch. She said they we very good but not necessarily the “best”. Not being a big crab cakes fan, I opted for the burger.
We did drive around a little and came back to the cottage to R & R for the afternoon. It was a very relaxing day. We started a fire in the stove to take the edge off the coolness that pervaded the cottage and ate dinner here overlooking the lake as the sun slowly set in the west (it always seems to do that!). As it sets earlier and earlier, you can just feel fall setting in and you start to shudder at the thought of winter being just around the corner. I suppose I can’t complain – especially this year – as I most certainly feel a lot better that I did a year ago.
I have to tell you that it feels awful to know that you just can’t do something that you were always able to do. Now, not just the feeling is gone – but I am able to actually DO many things that I had to forego a year ago.
God and modern medicine can both work wonders…
Bob
As most of you know, I released the entries for Saturday through Monday this morning utilizing the local bookstore’s WiFi. I say local – but the bookstore is about 10 miles from here.
Since it unexpectedly poured last night we decide to push off the botanical garden visit until tomorrow (Wednesday) because we figured that the grounds would possibly be wet and muddy. Otherwise, the rain dissipated during the morning, the sun came out, and it was a beautiful day.
We ate lunch at a local restaurant that billed itself as having the best crab cakes in New England! My wife wanted to put them to the test and had them for lunch. She said they we very good but not necessarily the “best”. Not being a big crab cakes fan, I opted for the burger.
We did drive around a little and came back to the cottage to R & R for the afternoon. It was a very relaxing day. We started a fire in the stove to take the edge off the coolness that pervaded the cottage and ate dinner here overlooking the lake as the sun slowly set in the west (it always seems to do that!). As it sets earlier and earlier, you can just feel fall setting in and you start to shudder at the thought of winter being just around the corner. I suppose I can’t complain – especially this year – as I most certainly feel a lot better that I did a year ago.
I have to tell you that it feels awful to know that you just can’t do something that you were always able to do. Now, not just the feeling is gone – but I am able to actually DO many things that I had to forego a year ago.
God and modern medicine can both work wonders…
Bob
September 15, 2009 11:20 AM
To all!
The entries are now there for the past three days.
I'll update sometime later in the week if all goes as planned!
Having a great time!
Bob
The entries are now there for the past three days.
I'll update sometime later in the week if all goes as planned!
Having a great time!
Bob
September 14, 2009 9:20 PM
A wonderful trip!
In perfect weather, we took the 10 mile boat trip to Monhegan Island – an artist’s retreat off the coast. It’s very picturesque and we did take lots of photos. But it is so remote out there that it makes where we are staying look like a thriving metropolis! We wanted to eat breakfast out there. But by the time that we arrived(10 AM), the ONLY breakfast restaurant had stopped serving breakfast by 9! So no breakfast.
We decided to forego lunch and eat at the same ocean side restaurant that we ate at yesterday because the food was great, the prices were good, and mostly because it was located right at the boat pier on the mainland!
Meanwhile, on Monhegan, we did a lot of walking along some pretty rustic trails to take in various beautiful coastal venues. The rugged, rock lined shore was very majestic and a site very much worth seeing. The houses and their settings along the edges of the rocky cliffs offered magnificent photo opportunities. But it’s really a once in a lifetime activity to do, because Monhegan really offers nothing else other than the scenery.
So, here I am a little sore from all that walking but none the worse otherwise. I know that a year ago I could not have accomplished all that I did today. It would have been too daunting for me even though we consciously tried to limit our walking so that it would not be too strenuous. As each day goes by, I can see that I am in better physical shape now than I have been in quite a while. Not saying much for someone who’s most rigorous exercise consisted of pushing buttons on a TV remote!
So, tomorrow we plan to get on the web for just enough time to publish all these entries and to check our email. Maybe we’ll even check in on what’s going on in the world! Without the internet and television we have been completely set adrift from mainstream society. Maybe not such a bad situation when you consider all that’s going on in the world – I think!!!
This entry is starting to get a little long – it’s so easy to get longwinded when you actually do something of interest during the day.
Tomorrow we’ve scheduled the supposedly very beautiful Maine botanical garden.
I’ll let you know…
Bob
In perfect weather, we took the 10 mile boat trip to Monhegan Island – an artist’s retreat off the coast. It’s very picturesque and we did take lots of photos. But it is so remote out there that it makes where we are staying look like a thriving metropolis! We wanted to eat breakfast out there. But by the time that we arrived(10 AM), the ONLY breakfast restaurant had stopped serving breakfast by 9! So no breakfast.
We decided to forego lunch and eat at the same ocean side restaurant that we ate at yesterday because the food was great, the prices were good, and mostly because it was located right at the boat pier on the mainland!
Meanwhile, on Monhegan, we did a lot of walking along some pretty rustic trails to take in various beautiful coastal venues. The rugged, rock lined shore was very majestic and a site very much worth seeing. The houses and their settings along the edges of the rocky cliffs offered magnificent photo opportunities. But it’s really a once in a lifetime activity to do, because Monhegan really offers nothing else other than the scenery.
So, here I am a little sore from all that walking but none the worse otherwise. I know that a year ago I could not have accomplished all that I did today. It would have been too daunting for me even though we consciously tried to limit our walking so that it would not be too strenuous. As each day goes by, I can see that I am in better physical shape now than I have been in quite a while. Not saying much for someone who’s most rigorous exercise consisted of pushing buttons on a TV remote!
So, tomorrow we plan to get on the web for just enough time to publish all these entries and to check our email. Maybe we’ll even check in on what’s going on in the world! Without the internet and television we have been completely set adrift from mainstream society. Maybe not such a bad situation when you consider all that’s going on in the world – I think!!!
This entry is starting to get a little long – it’s so easy to get longwinded when you actually do something of interest during the day.
Tomorrow we’ve scheduled the supposedly very beautiful Maine botanical garden.
I’ll let you know…
Bob
September 13, 2009 9:00 PM
A perfect day!
I know that you will be reading this a few days after this entry has been written but it does not in the least detract from the wonder of this day. This morning it was so calm, peaceful, and tranquil on the lake that you just forgot about everything and reveled in the beauty of nature and the glory of God. Because this place is so remote you feel that you are in another world – one whereby everything is right with God and, for the moment at least, the everyday things that we let bog ourselves down just don’t exist anymore.
This scene was followed up by a trip to Pemiquid lighthouse on the tip of one of the many fingers of the Maine coastline that make their way to the ocean. Under perfectly gorgeous skies and warm temperatures we further took in the wonders, beauty, and majesty of God’s creation as we viewed the ocean waves crashing their way onto the rocky shores. A further triumph was realized when I managed to effortlessly climb the 30 step narrow spiral staircase and 7 step meddle ladder to the top of the lighthouse. No problem for all of you, but for me a year ago, this would not have been possible without being extremely winded. Another example of God’s handiwork!
After making our reservations for tomorrow’s ferry ride to Monhegan Island (which is supposed to be very beautiful), we ate a late lunch (early dinner?) at an ocean side restaurant, toured more of the very picturesque Maine coastline, and returned back to the cottage where we sat on the front deck to view the gorgeous sunset over the lake and bring the daylight portion of the day to a fantastic end.
No fire in the stove tonight. As opposed to yesterday’s chilling rain, the warm sun baked the cottage and made for very comfortable inside surroundings as the early fall (late summer?) evening wore on.
This was certainly a day never to forget and just added to the magnificence of this most generous of gifts from our priest.
We did stop by the bookstore in Damariscotta and ascertained their hours and the fact that they have WiFi. Come Tuesday, I think that we will take advantage of that and quickly check up on e-mails and publish all my blog entries to that point.
Having a great time.
To think that I could have possibly missed all of this…
Bob
I know that you will be reading this a few days after this entry has been written but it does not in the least detract from the wonder of this day. This morning it was so calm, peaceful, and tranquil on the lake that you just forgot about everything and reveled in the beauty of nature and the glory of God. Because this place is so remote you feel that you are in another world – one whereby everything is right with God and, for the moment at least, the everyday things that we let bog ourselves down just don’t exist anymore.
This scene was followed up by a trip to Pemiquid lighthouse on the tip of one of the many fingers of the Maine coastline that make their way to the ocean. Under perfectly gorgeous skies and warm temperatures we further took in the wonders, beauty, and majesty of God’s creation as we viewed the ocean waves crashing their way onto the rocky shores. A further triumph was realized when I managed to effortlessly climb the 30 step narrow spiral staircase and 7 step meddle ladder to the top of the lighthouse. No problem for all of you, but for me a year ago, this would not have been possible without being extremely winded. Another example of God’s handiwork!
After making our reservations for tomorrow’s ferry ride to Monhegan Island (which is supposed to be very beautiful), we ate a late lunch (early dinner?) at an ocean side restaurant, toured more of the very picturesque Maine coastline, and returned back to the cottage where we sat on the front deck to view the gorgeous sunset over the lake and bring the daylight portion of the day to a fantastic end.
No fire in the stove tonight. As opposed to yesterday’s chilling rain, the warm sun baked the cottage and made for very comfortable inside surroundings as the early fall (late summer?) evening wore on.
This was certainly a day never to forget and just added to the magnificence of this most generous of gifts from our priest.
We did stop by the bookstore in Damariscotta and ascertained their hours and the fact that they have WiFi. Come Tuesday, I think that we will take advantage of that and quickly check up on e-mails and publish all my blog entries to that point.
Having a great time.
To think that I could have possibly missed all of this…
Bob
September 12, 2009 9:10 PM
Well, we made it to Maine – barely!
Not once – but twice! We were cut off and almost pushed off the road. The first time was by a moving van that swerved in front of me in an effort to change lanes. Fortunately, the beeping of my horn brought him to his senses and I avoided being forced into the lane next to me and its oncoming cars.
But that was nothing compared to the second time. We were in a construction area so that there was no off road room at all! We were in the left hand lane when the tractor trailer (actually 2 trailers!) next two started to swerve to the left and push me into the guard rail. Fortunately, I was able to stop and avoid any problems. It turns out that this wasn’t his problem as another driver entered from a side road and cut him off leaving him with no choice but to hope that he could bear to the left without any repercussions!
Both times our hearts were in our throats. To think that I was on my way to my first real R&R after all that’s gone on and that I could have been wiped out in the process. That would have really been ironic!
But, in any case, God has seen to it that we made it! The place is physically remote – you travel down two dirt roads almost going to the end of the second one in order to get here! I thought that they had outlawed dirt roads years ago! It is also technologically remote. As I said before, there is no internet – so I am not sure on what day I will have the opportunity to actually publish this entry. There is also a television that, with any luck, gets two stations and one of them is PBS! From what I hear, the digital age has decreased the number of stations from about 6 to these remaining 2. The law of unintended consequences strikes one more time.
I am not knocking it, mind you. It is very, very, very quiet and peaceful. Right now we have a fire going in the wood stove and it is very toasty, comfortable, and it puts you in a world that is all your own. The chance to just literally get away from it all is great.
As a reminder, of course, we’ll miss none of our TV shows as they are all being properly recorded as the week goes by. So what technology takes away on the one hand, it gives back with the other!
Life is really, really good…
Bob
Not once – but twice! We were cut off and almost pushed off the road. The first time was by a moving van that swerved in front of me in an effort to change lanes. Fortunately, the beeping of my horn brought him to his senses and I avoided being forced into the lane next to me and its oncoming cars.
But that was nothing compared to the second time. We were in a construction area so that there was no off road room at all! We were in the left hand lane when the tractor trailer (actually 2 trailers!) next two started to swerve to the left and push me into the guard rail. Fortunately, I was able to stop and avoid any problems. It turns out that this wasn’t his problem as another driver entered from a side road and cut him off leaving him with no choice but to hope that he could bear to the left without any repercussions!
Both times our hearts were in our throats. To think that I was on my way to my first real R&R after all that’s gone on and that I could have been wiped out in the process. That would have really been ironic!
But, in any case, God has seen to it that we made it! The place is physically remote – you travel down two dirt roads almost going to the end of the second one in order to get here! I thought that they had outlawed dirt roads years ago! It is also technologically remote. As I said before, there is no internet – so I am not sure on what day I will have the opportunity to actually publish this entry. There is also a television that, with any luck, gets two stations and one of them is PBS! From what I hear, the digital age has decreased the number of stations from about 6 to these remaining 2. The law of unintended consequences strikes one more time.
I am not knocking it, mind you. It is very, very, very quiet and peaceful. Right now we have a fire going in the wood stove and it is very toasty, comfortable, and it puts you in a world that is all your own. The chance to just literally get away from it all is great.
As a reminder, of course, we’ll miss none of our TV shows as they are all being properly recorded as the week goes by. So what technology takes away on the one hand, it gives back with the other!
Life is really, really good…
Bob
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