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Another beautiful fall day, another scenic drive.
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To a festival called Apples and Artisans.
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Crafters, pumpkins, apples…
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And gorgeous foliage.
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Had to laugh at this license plate.
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No dogs allowed.
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The trees really put on a show last month.
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🍁 🍂🍁
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We drove west to Fryeburg the other day for the last fair of the agricultural season.
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It’s always a gorgeous drive this time of year…
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But due to the ongoing lack of rain and drought conditions the leaves weren’t nearly as bright.
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Patches of color, yes.
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But the trees have been stressed this year.
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They started turning early and in much more muted shades.
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Disappointing.
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But still scenic.
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😊
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Autumn is right around the bend.
Do I know this because the leaves are turning and the temperatures are dropping? Yes, but there’s also a less subtle sign of fall.
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Pumpkin spiced everything. Cereal, coffee, cookies… you name it, they spice it. Even the nuts aren’t safe.
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The next two photos were taken by a friend on the island where I spent my teenage years.
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Sunsets there are pretty special.
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Ours was nice that night, but not nearly as dramatic.
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Has anyone ever tried these tricks?
Because I fail to see how ice cubes are going to deodorize a stinky disposal.
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In a world where there’s entirely too much hatred and prejudice, Maine is welcoming some new neighbors.
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And finally, 61.
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I was 61.
😳
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Continuing north through the Carrabassett Valley on our leaf peeping day trip we passed Sugarloaf,
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A popular ski resort I’ve often heard of but never visited.
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First impression?
It’s huge.
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Long winding valley roads filled with spectacular autumn color.
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It took us a while to find the main lodge..
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And though we were hoping to stop in for lunch and a toddy their annoying restaurant was only serving breakfast and dinner.
Boo to that.
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So we explored instead.
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Past golf courses and condos and glorious trees.
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I love this time of year!
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😊
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🍁🍁🍁
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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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Ox.
These big guys can be prickly,
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Like this one who head butted my husband right after I snapped a picture.
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When they’ve had enough, they let you know it in no uncertain terms.
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And standing behind them?
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Not always a good idea. Let’s just say this one had to do his business and leave it at that.
By 5:00pm, we’d been walking around the fair for 7 hours, it was raining and we decided to call it quits.
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Leaving the gate, we took a right instead of a left and opted for the long way home.
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Maine, by way of New Hampshire….
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Up and over Evan’s Notch.
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A pass cut through the White Mountains.
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Again, there was mostly muted foliage …
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And not the vivid bright colors we usually enjoy.
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But even muted, it’s lovely.
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Fall is here and leaves are turning….though the temperatures have crept back up to summer numbers. 82 degrees is not the crisp cool air I love, but in honor of the season I wanted to share a few glimpses around my state. .
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It’s a two hour ride to this farm that takes corn mazes seriously…
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And sadly we’ve never been. Doesn’t stop me from being impressed though.
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Good news … as long as the decorations don’t block the windshield and mirrors? You and your skeletons are fine.
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Amen to that!
🤣
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Leaving the Kancamagus highway, we took an alternate route. Up and over the Bear Notch road.
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In certain sections, the autumn color was stunning.
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And from the scenic lookout where I screamed at my husband to stop the car….
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Pure perfection.
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Breathe deep of that fresh, crisp mountain air….
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And you’ll know why I keep returning to visit these glorious unspoiled areas.
❤️
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It’s that time of year…
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The short window between Halloween and Thanksgiving when that sickeningly sweet, multi colored, triangular abomination is everywhere. My mother used to have jars of it scattered around the house when I was growing up. Why? I don’t know… nobody who lived there ate it.
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Global distaste for the product is right up there with kale, and yet it persists.
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In all my years I’ve only met a few people who truly enjoy the stuff. Take a bow Mark, I’m talking about you and your Spam addled taste buds.
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Okay, I admit that last picture is kind of fun… but I’m still not eating it.
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We didn’t have to look any further than out our balcony to find a stunning vista of changing leaves. Every morning the color was slightly different.
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And you know I couldn’t resist that.
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On our way out that morning I noticed a sign I hadn’t spotted the night before… and I had a hard time believing it wasn’t put there just for me.
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No worries Pollard Brook Resort, I didn’t see any to feed… though I do take exception to the word varmint. In my experience, there are far more two legged ones of those.
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Ah… I do love the mountains.
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On the agenda that morning? Sabbaday Falls off the Kancamagus highway.
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It won’t surprise you to learn my husband’s first thought when he read this was, “I wonder if the tools are still there…” Good thing he didn’t have a shovel handy.
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It was just under half a mile hike to the falls.
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Past a babbling brook and on a wide, leaf lined path.
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As the elevation increased, fencing.
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It was so beautiful. So peaceful…
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A little farther on and the brook turned into a pool.
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Surrounded by glacial boulders. I was in rock heaven…
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And the husband was taking pictures, so you know it was good.
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We’ve driven by this area numerous times but never took the time to stop. Clearly that was a mistake.
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It took 10,000 years for water to wear down the rock and form the falls.
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With my bad knee, it took me nearly half that time to climb all the stairs.
To be continued….
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River's world..... 