Monthly Archives: October 2024

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Carrabassett Valley in the fall.

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Heading for the mountains in Maine is never a bad idea this time of year.

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So we took a leisurely drive and did some leaf peeping.

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These were taken near Kingfield.

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Which is an area known for logging.

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Apparently by bears.

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I do love autumn.

The cool temps, the crisp air, the apples, the pumpkins.

And yes, the color.

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Mother Nature puts on a wonderful show if you take the time to look.

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Albert Camus said…

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”

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Surrounded by this scenery, it’s easy to see what he meant.

😊

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The New Portland wire bridge.

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On our road trip to the Carrabassett Valley we saw a sign for a bridge.

But not just any bridge, no…

The Wire Suspension Bridge spanning the Carrabassett River in New Portland is a unique structure, the only survivor of four such bridges built in Maine in the 1800’s and probably the only such bridge still standing in the United States.

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Built in 1866, it’s definitely unique.

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The bridge was renovated in 1961, when the tower bases were capped with concrete, the towers were rebuilt, steel suspender rods were replaced by steel cables, and a new timber deck was installed. The tower framing timbers and main support cables are the original material. The span between towers is 198 feet.

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As you walk across it you can feel it sway .

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And when you watch a car drive across it the wood literally bends under the weight.

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Under the archway?

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Floor to ceiling graffiti.

Boo to that.

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Yay for autumn color though.

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An engineering marvel in its day….

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It’s stood the test of time and is still in use 158 years later.

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😊

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When you need some squashed cider ….

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Every fall I have to make a pilgrimage.

And while I used to drive to South Berwick, Maine this year I had to drive farther … down to Dover, New Hampshire because the cider I crave has moved in to larger new digs.

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This is small batch hard cider and has a very limited distribution range. Even if I do manage to find an elusive 4 pack in a store up our way, it’s never the seasonal flavors I want.

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With that many varieties, we had to do a flight.

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Which made me add a melon crush and a ginjah baby to the three packs of squashed I brought home. .

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You’re looking at $90 worth.

The prices make me gasp every time… $18 a four pack, which is $4.50 per can.

Insane.

But then so is the apple-y goodness.

😉

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Autumn splendor.

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As I said before, the fall color in my area has been less than spectacular this season. Not wanting to miss the full glory of a Maine autumn, we headed north for some serious leaf peeping.

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Ah, that’s better.

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The Carrabassett Valley rarely disappoints.

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I have a friend who hates the fall and sees the changing of the leaves as a sign of death. She says it’s depressing because it means winter is right around the corner.

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Winter is coming, ‘tis true, but the last gasp of nature’s beauty before the temperatures plummet is a show I never want to miss.

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And no, that’s not dirt on my lens, they’re falling leaves.

❤️

To be continued…

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Undoing all the chucker’s hard work.

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My husband needed something in the little storage room at the back of our garage the other day.

We rarely use it, but the woodchucks certainly do.

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It was all he could do to open the door…

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And even that required a shovel.

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From one little access point, they sure did make a mess.

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Once things were removed we found this:

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Tiny shredded strips of a tarp that used to be whole.

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An entire morning was spent putting things right.

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And not without my husband spouting a few choice words for our furry little digging friends.

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🥴

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More from new favorite wild haggis FB page.

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I’m sorry, but I seriously love this silly group of people and their irreverent haggis sightings.

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For those of my non Scottish friends, the definition of haggis is as follows:

Traditionally, a Haggis is made from the lung, liver, and heart of the sheep. These are mixed with oatmeal and a few spices and stuffed into the sheep’s stomach. After being boiled, the Haggis is brought to the table with a great deal of ceremony. A piper ushers in the Haggis and all raise a glass of Scotch whiskey and “brrreath a prrayerr for the soul of Rrrobbie Burrrns!” It is then served with “neeps and nips,” mashed turnips and nips of whiskey. I think you have to drink a lot of Scotch before you can truly enjoy this dish, but a party of Scots without a Haggis is simply not heard of.

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While I proudly lay claim to Scots ancestry, I cannot honestly say I’ve ever enjoyed their much beloved national dish.

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But that doesn’t stop me from chortling over the continued quest to spot the elusive wild haggis.

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Wily creatures, those haggi.

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Ouch!

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😳

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❤️

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A serious case of wagon envy.

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The antique transportation museum is always a favorite at the Fryeburg Fair.

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They have some truly amazing, well restored vehicles.

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Beautiful, but I can’t imagine traveling across country in one.

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Even back then they knew discussing politics and religion was a sure way to ruin a journey.

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Sharing your bottle on the other hand, is a sure way to make instant friends.

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My husband always has wagon envy when walking around this building.

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Or maybe he just wanted a beer.

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I loved this little Swedish ice sleigh. Wife on the seat in front, husband in back.

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A hearse, complete with laying out table.

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I hustled my spouse right past this sign before he could read it.

One antique carriage in our shed is more than enough.

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Outside, we found this one… which is very similar to the one he bought, though in a bit better shape.

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News you can’t use.

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And even if you could, you wouldn’t want to.

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No more nanas?

Say it isn’t so…

🥺

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And to think we only spent $30,000 redoing ours.

What a deal…

🥴

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I can honestly say this is s a situation I’ve never had to stress over.

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Wombats rock.

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They rock, and apparently can use their butts like rocks. You have to love that.

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Cruise ships are floating germ factories.

And what’s up with the constant gastro distress? Is Chipotles doing their catering now…

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