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We’re down to one single woodchuck now.
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Momma and the other 3 siblings have departed the pattern…
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But this little guy knows a good thing when he sees (and eats) it.
.
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😊
Saw this the other day and had to do a double take.
.
.
And while it’s absolutely true, I had to wonder if it also looks like anyone we know….?
.
.
❤️
.
.
Do you still live in the state where you were born?
.
.
I don’t, but am rather amazed so many people do.
.
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Map aside, $100 ain’t what it used to be.
.
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Maine is the birthplace of Needhams and Whoopie pies, I’m surprised we’re not all diabetic.
.
.
And now?
Neither will you…
😈
.
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We always had a white Xmas. Not so much anymore…
😰
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It took us a while, but we got there.
.
.
Good to know.
But it does me wonder how much fish lassoing is happening elsewhere.
🐟
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Still at the fair, and still admiring old farm equipment.
.
.
Well, one of us was.
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While he was doing that I wandered over to meet some geese.
.
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With strict instructions not to feed or pet, I stood and photographed.
Next up was the youth calf competition.
.
.
If you’ve never seen one of these, you really should.
Taking care and responsibility for livestock is a full time job and these youngsters were doing their best to show off their accomplishments.
.
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If you’re showing momma?
Better bring baby along.
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Such sweet faces!
.
.
I do love cows.
.
.
After the show we wandered a few barns.
.
.
Always my favorite part of the fair.
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These are Belted Galloways, but we call them Oreo cows… for obvious reasons.
.
.
At the end of our cattle tour, the husband stopped to talk to one of the owners and her daughter.
Husband likes to talk.
Husband was raised on a dairy farm.
Husband talked for over an hour.
Husband talked to so many people for so long we didn’t see the other half of the fair, I didn’t buy a fried dough and when he finally stopped chatting…. it was time to go.
.
.
Back over the bridge of flowers to a small town seafood restaurant we always try to visit when we’re in the area.
.
.
It doesn’t look like much.
.
.
And the atmosphere is more family style diner than anything….
.
.
But the clam chowder is to die for. Thick, rich, creamy and chock full of clams … it’s almost a meal in itself. (deckhand lemonade with Tito’s, because yes… they serve alcohol)
.
.
The meals are always amazing, and their fresh seafood is cooked to perfection. I had a massive platter of fantail fried shrimp with baked potato and cole slaw, husband had a garlic butter broiled haddock with butternut squash and a bowl of cottage cheese. Neither of us went away hungry.
Two soups, a cocktail, a beer and two more than ample seafood dinners for $82. In our neck of the woods that amount barely gets you past appetizers.
🥴
.
,
And if you can use it?
I don’t want to know.
.
.
Oh my.
.
.
Sorry Wyoming, your Wind River Range is being crossed off my bucket list.
🤢
.
.
Sells it the next day of course. Anyone who’s ever tasted it knows that.
.
.
If this is true? My husband has a friend who will never die…
.
.
Et tu mouse?
It seems no one is trustworthy these days.
.
.
Late summer and fall are agricultural fair seasons in Maine and on a beautiful sunny day the husband and I decided to take a drive northwest to check out one we’d never visited before.
.
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Located in Dover Foxcroft…
.
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The Piscataquis Valley Fair was very small.
.
.
But it had an impressive building filled with a large collection of fire fighting memorabilia.
.
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The disembodied Smokey the Bear head was a trifle disturbing..
.
.
But these old pull along pumps were fascinating. Can you imagine putting out your burning house with that?
🥴
.
.
The husband was checking out the patches, but all I could see was the Happy Hooker. Limitless marketing opportunities there…
.
.
Random giant carved fish?
Check.
.
.
Award winning art and Maine centric photography?
.
.
Check.
.
.
I had to laugh that even here I couldn’t escape the pickles…
.
.
And some extremely unappetizing carrots.
.
.
Did my husband find people to chat with? Boy howdy, did he ever.
Over 40 minutes were spent learning about invasive, non native water plants choking Maine lakes and streams.
Do we live on a Maine lake or stream? No. But we learned how to identify the evil greens all the same.
.
.
Another half hour was spent talking to an old farmer about rusted machinery and equipment.
.
.
I was tempted to remark on the unfortunate company name on this one, but I didn’t have the heart.
And yes, that second letter is a worn off O.
.
.
Along with our extremely dry, drought ravished lawn?
.
.
A pair of young bucks.
.
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They’ve been coming for a nightly nosh since they were born and are now sprouting their first sets of velveted horns.
.
.
Adolescent male deer will stay together until they’re ready to rut.
.
.
Then it’s every deer for himself.
.
.
Our last Boothbay Harbor stop was the Boathouse Bistro as seen on the left.
.
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It’s a rustic three story restaurant with three floors that are usually packed with summer tourists as it has the best food in town.
.
.
We always land here, on the glassed in second floor.
But along with the first, it was closed… and empty. The same disturbing trend we’d seen all day.
.
.
Three places that are always bursting with tourists… weren’t. Tariffs and bad blood with Canada may not be affecting you… but they’re certainly hurting this area.
.
.
Granted…. the top floor had a crowd, but the bar was empty and the bottom two levels were deserted.
.
.
A shocking loss of prime season business.
.
.
Saving the best for last, along with my pomegranate margarita I had blackened jumbo shrimp with fried balls of chorizo grits and smoky tomato sauce while the husband went with pan-seared scallops and crispy cornbread with an apple gastrique (apple cider, sugar, apple cider vinegar, calvados,thyme, chicken stock).
.
.
Both tapas were excellent, and came with a view.
❤️
.
.
In a time when our country is becoming more and more divided, let me drive the wedge down a little bit deeper.
.
.
The first pet I remember as a child was Hector.
.
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He was followed by Herman and Henry.
.
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And Hiram and Hortense.
.
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Then Hubert and Horace and Harold…
.
,
As well as Herbert.
My parents had a thing for the letter H, what can I say?
When I married my husband he thought he was a dog person, but it didn’t take him long to switch allegiance to Team Cat.
We had Frank.
.
.
And Mr.White.
.
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And Huffington.
.
.
Who looked very much like Frank but wasn’t.
There was Duchess and Theodore and Pooter ( don’t ask) .
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.
And Bubba.
.
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And Sam and a long list of others we’ve loved and lost, ending with our current ruling monarch…
.
.
Lord Dudley Mountcatten.
While there have been occasional dogs at Casa River, I think it’s safe to say my heart is firmly planted in feline soil.
Where do you stand…
Cat or dog?
.
.
Our second stop on the toddies and tapas tour of Boothbay Harbor was McSeagulls, just to the left of our first… Mine Oyster.
.
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Unassuming places from the front…
.
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Lovely waterfront spots in the back.
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Can you guess which glass of craft beer I raised?
.
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Once again we found a popular summer tourist restaurant/bar nowhere near capacity. It was a shock… this area is usually jam packed.
.
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A bowl of creamy tomato bisque for the husband…
.
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Some calamari for moi.
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And a groan worthy fish pun for the rest of you.
😉
.
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Our lawn has turned brown from the troubling lack of rain, but that doesn’t stop our nightly critter visitors.
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Skunks and raccoons are usually not a good mix…
.
.
But these guys make it work.
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There are five trash pandas here…
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.
And this family has been coming since they were babies.
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.
I rarely get photos because they arrive after dark but here’s a quick clip to give you an idea.
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💕
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River's world..... 