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The face he makes when you put out broccoli…
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But he clearly wanted carrots.
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🤣
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Our resident raccoon happily eats alongside the skunks. Although usually at a safe distance.
.
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But when he’s having a drink and little mister stinky is also thirsty?
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The better part of valor is to relinquish the water dish.
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And stay upwind of the stink hole.
🤣
.
A funny.
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George and Billy.
I love them both.
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Yes, that’s a Maine temperature reading on our deck. The mandevilla love it, but I certainly don’t.
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What I did love was my husband, immediately pulling over to the side of the road to help this young man who was delivering heavy metal sheets of roofing to a job site. The poor kid turned a corner and out they flew, onto the road with cars flying by and going out of their way to avoid him. The panels were heavy and he couldn’t lift them by himself…
.
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And I swear he’d still be there if my husband hadn’t stopped.
Most people suck.
I married a good one.
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Rewarding my husband’s good deed, we had lunch at one of his favorite spots. My first cocktail?
A watermelon cucumber cooler – cucumber infused gin, watermelon juice, lemon juice, salted basil simple syrup topped with sparkling water.
Perfect for summer and absolutely delicious.
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Cocktail number two?
A guava daiquiri – rum, guava puree & lime juice.
Tasty, but a little too sweet.
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Fried haddock bites for me.
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Lobster bisque, not pictured, and a lovely strawberry and basil with chicken salad for him.
Royal River Grill never disappoints.
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Cat humor.
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Funny.
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.
And very true..
I have the puncture wounds to prove it.
😉
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When friends visit from out of state? They want to have dinner on the ocean and take a sunset drive.
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We joined them for a nice meal and then chauffeured them to our favorite spot.
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Ocean Point Drive in East Boothbay.
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It’s always lovely, but at sunset?
.
.
Wow.
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We continued on…
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Into Boothbay Harbor proper.
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And then?
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No words were necessary.
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❤️
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Whenever we visit Boothbay Harbor?
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We have to take a drive out to East Boothbay.
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Their loop road is one of the prettiest in Maine.
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Skirting the shore…
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Right along the Atlantic Ocean….
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It’s quintessentially Maine.
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And has some pretty fabulous waterfront homes.
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With some stellar views.
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There’s even a mini lighthouse.
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Some of the properties are for rent in the summer, though I’d hate to guess the cost .
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Scenic drive done, we headed for the Thistle Inn for cocktails and a small bite to eat.
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A ship captain’s home built in 1861…
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it now houses a charming rustic pub and restaurant as well as six suites.
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Did I mention the bar is an actual boat?
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Husband’s French onion soup was rich and hearty.
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My truffle mushroom tart was rich and delicate and absolutely fabulous.
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If you’re in the area, Thistle has some of the best food around.
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A beautiful summer day in Maine requires a trip to the coast.
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And one of our favorites places is Boothbay Harbor.
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It retains its quaint old fishing village vibe despite being over run with tourists during the season.
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Parking is a nightmare.
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But the scenery divine.
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A walk across the footbridge is a must.
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As it has its very own house.
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Talk about waterfront property.
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It’s been many different things over the years.
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Right now I think someone’s summer home.
Not much in the way of privacy, but to each their own.
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Since we had friends coming up from Connecticut that week we decided to give a restaurant near the bridge a test run.
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Everyone wants to eat on the water when they visit so we sampled the Harborside 1901 Bar and Grille.
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I’d heard great things…
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And the craft cocktails didn’t disappoint.
The Man-Go Mojito – rum, lime, mango puree, mint, sugar, soda was fabulous. Light, minty, and bursting with fresh, ripe mango.
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The teriyaki dumplings app? Overcooked, dry and pretty tasteless. Husband’s lobster bisque? Puréed, with no discernible meaty bits.
Boo to that.
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As for Harborside… technically it was. But your immediate view is a parking lot which stretches the “waterfront” marketing.
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Cocktail #2?
The Strawberry Elderflower – vodka, St. Germain, lemon, strawberry, prosecco
Floral and fruity, perfect for summer.
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Since we weren’t overly impressed with the appetizers, we opted for salads. Which to be honest were nothing special.
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They looked better than they tasted with the husbands apple and pistachio having little to no dressing and my Caesar positively drowning in it. The grilled chicken on both was over cooked and tough.
Nice drinks aside, we’re crossing this place off our list.
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But not before I helped myself to a Grateful Dead coaster for the man cave/Barn Mahal collection.
😉
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The little chucks love their carrots.
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And there’s one baby who holds his high in the air.
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So high it tips him off balance.
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I never manage to get a picture of him falling over while nibbling …
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But trust me, it happens.
😊
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Every spring Maine has a pollen problem. The trees explode with new growth and yellow powder covers everything. And since winter hung on a little longer this year? The pollen season has stretched into summer.
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This was I-295 southbound a week ago.
Not fog. Not smog….
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Pollen. Choking the air.
Makes me glad I don’t have allergies.
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It’s rare, but woodchucks do climb trees. As evidenced by this photo I took of a youngster checking out our apple tree branch.
Even rarer?
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Capturing a picture of the young woodchuck kamikaze diving off said branch.
He was fine and wandered off shortly after the drop.
😳
Warning – little bit of grossness ahead.
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I bought a rotisserie chicken for a chicken and dumpling casserole recipe the other day. But as I started carving it?
Eewww …
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I can honestly say I’ve never seen whatever the hell this was before.
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A big blood spot on the breast and something disgusting that looked like pumpernickel bread in the meat.
What the hell!
Was it an infection? A tumor?
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Either way, it was disgusting and completely off putting.
Needless to say we ordered pizza that night.
🤢
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It isn’t often the entire woodchuck clan shows up for a nosh at the same time.
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But I managed to snap a few quick shots of momma and siblings vying for carrots the other day.
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A bit of squabbling took place among the kids.
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But no one got in mommas way.
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😊
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Momma Chuck and two babies showed up for broccoli yesterday.
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The little guys look so funny trying to maneuver their veggies.
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They watch mom sit up and eat so they try to mimic her stance.
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One little fellow holds his broccoli too high…
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Which throws him off balance.
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His brother says to hell with that and just sits.
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But baby number one is determined.
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And more than a little crooked.
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Momma chuck and one baby snacking on some carrots is a sweet sight.
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But when she turned around?
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All I could think of was that awful song from the 90’s… Baby Got Back.
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Even when another young chuck showed up.
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.
Yup.
Momma got back.
🤣
.
River's world..... 