Tag Archives: maine

I love my town… chapter 4.

 

My town’s FB page keeps me up to date on all the important local happenings…

 

 

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And some of the not so important ones as well.

 

 

There were a lot of takers for this next one…

 

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I’m just hoping this wasn’t their mode of transportation.

 

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Another lost pig made the news…

 

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And he seemed pretty happy to stay that way.

 

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Then there was a woman wondering if anyone was interested in a group she was getting together.

 

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Singing bowls?

Clearly she attended one of those crazy adult education classes I’m always riffing about.

 

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And finally there was this one, posted on the day Maine made cell phone usage while driving illegal.

Technically it’s not about my town, but funny all the same.

 

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Goat horn foreheads should never be overlooked.

 

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Thank you Google Images for providing my nightmare material for the foreseeable future.

**Shudders**

 

 

White Mountains trip…. Day 1. The resort.

 

As you know, we use our timeshare when we travel. Some of the resorts we choose have been fabulous… some less so.

The Grand Summit Resort at Sunday River?

 

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From the outside? Not bad.

Good location, up a long driveway, past a babbling brook… nestled in the mountains.

 

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Technically it’s a ski resort, so yes…. there are ski slopes.

 

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Inside?

 

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Rustic decor, heavily ski-centric.

 

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With questionable carpet choices.

 

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Which did not improve when we made our way upstairs to our condo.

 

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Yeah.

This literally made my head swim every time I had to walk on it.

 

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See? It even made the camera dizzy.

The only good thing I can say about it is they are in the process of ripping it up. Though sadly, not soon enough for us.

While I usually book the larger 2 bedroom unit for extra space, an extra bathroom and a larger kitchen…. this was a last minute deal and I had to take a 1 bedroom. Never having been here before, I have to say I was not impressed.

 

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It was really small.

 

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And as basic as I’ve ever seen.

The “full”  kitchen? Not so full.

 

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It also went a little heavy on the moose theme.

While it was clean and the bed was comfortable…. the smoke alarm went off everytime we made toast, which must have endeared us to our neighbors since we’re up with the sun most days.  The shower head was so low the 5’8” husband hit his head every time he attempted to wash his hair, and the kitchen cabinet doors stuck to the frames like glue. If you managed to pull them open? The shelves wobbled.

 

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Thankfully we only slept and showered there because the noise from the heating unit would probably have caused me to drink a Drano cocktail had we stayed any longer.

Of course they did provide some stellar reading material on the coffee table….

 

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And a nice big tree in front of our balcony…

 

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With a stunning view of the 6 slot parking lot.  The slots everyone jockeys for because otherwise you’re hoofing it down the hill to the auxiliary lot.

 

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Yes… 6 spots up front. For a resort that has hundreds of condo units as well as a hotel and restaurant. Smart planning, that.

Oh well.

The restaurant was fun.

 

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Appropriately named Camp, it was modern rustic.

 

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And we enjoyed it.

Who doesn’t want to be lit by an upside down canoe?

 

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Tasty seasonal cocktails…

 

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And a light dinner later….

 

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We called an end to our first day.

 

 

 

 

 

White Mountains trip… Day 1.

 

It was a little dreary the day we left, with rain threatening in the distance… but we made good time and actually arrived too early to check into our resort.

What to do. What to do…

Who am I kidding?

 

 

It was margarita time.

 

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So we found a chicken themed bar…

 

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And settled in for lunch. Liquid and otherwise…

 

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It was a funky place…

 

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Basically a converted farmhouse with lots of quirky little rooms.

 

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And though they don’t look wonderful….

 

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The homemade chicken croquettes were to die for.

Bellies full, we headed out.

 

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Fall color was intermittent during this trip. Some places gorgeous, others past peak.

 

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We got to Newry, still too early to check in… so we explored.

 

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Found a covered bridge….

 

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Built in 1872…

 

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And enjoyed the views.

 

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It was peaceful…

 

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And smelled like autumn.

 

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For those not familiar…

That means fresh air, apples, a hint of wood smoke, and dry crackling leaves.

 

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Nectar of the Gods.

Down the road a ways, we had a laugh.

 

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We followed the sign, but found neither hole nor Frenchman.

 

 

But we did pass a camp….

 

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With the perfect name.

 

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That says it all.

 

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I love the country!

 

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We’re baaaaack!

 

 

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I know, you never missed me.

But we had a fabulous nature filled week in Western Maine and Eastern New Hampshire and are happily exhausted.

We toured the White Mountains…. hiked, resort hopped, slept with rubber ducks, took beautiful scenic drives, leaf peeped, stalked a moose, went sight seeing, built a cairn, peed in more portapotties than I thought possible, and basically ate and drank our way across 2 states.

Life is good.

At least for us.

There are 1704 photos waiting to be posted here… so it may not be good for you.

And if you thought my series about the red rocks of Arizona were plentiful?

We were in granite country for 7 days people!

Rocks and trees, trees and rocks, more trees, even more rocks. We even went to a rock museum.

Weeeeeee!

 

 

But there are some baby barn updates I need to fit in, as well as all the other scheduled stuff…. so it won’t be wall to wall granite.

You’re welcome.

Because everyone needs a drink.

 

Bird baths.

They’re not just for birds anymore….

 

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These little guys never used to drink here until an apple tree sprouted in my garden bed a few years ago.

 

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Now they’ve realized they can safely climb onto an overhanging branch and jump in.

Like I do…

 

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                         Actual photo of me last Saturday night.

 

Pardon the quality of these shots, but it was dark and I was shooting through a window.

 

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I’ve often wondered why the deer don’t stop to slake their thirst.

 

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Now, I have proof that they do.

 

 

 

 

 

More random critters.

 

The photo files need purging again so…

 

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Mother woodchuck and her last baby.

The other 3 have taken off for parts unknown.

 

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And I get the feeling this final child isn’t the brightest bulb in the pack.

 

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Someone needs to tell him we eat from the bowl, not sit in it.

 

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Or lie in it for that matter.

 

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Our beautiful buck is back.

 

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Which makes me nervous as it’s hunting season.

 

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Fingers crossed no one breaks up his family.

 

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This little devil was perched on the feeder bar waiting for an unsuspecting meal the other morning…

 

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I saw feathers on the lawn later in the day, so mission accomplished.

 

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The flies have been thick for the past few days and target the deer mercilessly.

 

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It’s my opinion this doe was sticking her tongue out at the flies…

And not the photographer.

Finally, who needs video games….

 

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When you’ve got real live angry birds right on the back lawn?

 

 

Things I like today…. part 8.

 

I like….

These!

Have you tried them yet?

 

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Well, what are you waiting for?

Go!

 

I like….

Taking a break on our deck after mowing the lawn a few weeks ago, and having a friend show up.

 

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I thought for sure he’d run when he saw me. But he took a good look, deemed me no immediate threat and happily settled in for a nap.

Until the husband opened the door and scared him off.

 

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I like….

Reading that a lobsterman in Falmouth caught a rare 1 in 100 million cotton candy blue lobster….

 

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Took a picture… and donated him to an aquarium where he never has to worry about being captured or eaten again.

 

I like…

Amazing sunrises in our backyard.

 

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I like….

Driving home along country roads this time of year and seeing the trees bursting with color.

 

Autumn in New England is hard to beat.

 

 

Life is good!

 

Some random photographs….

 

Because sometimes I want to share, and they just don’t rate a blog of their own.

 

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A few shots of my local area.

 

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I’m blessed to live in such a beautiful state.

 

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Top that for sunrise color. I dare ya!

As you’ve probably guessed by now, when we travel…. I take a lot of pictures. The husband is quite patient with me and usually pulls over when I point out the window, squeee! and yell pull over. He never wants to photograph anything, so I had to laugh a few weeks ago when he stopped along side something and asked me to take a picture of it for him.

I did….

 

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And am seriously hoping it doesn’t end up in our barn in the near future.

 

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This is not what you want to be following during a traffic jam on Route 1. I saw pink hippos in my dreams for many nights after that.

And finally…

Me.

 

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No makeup, just a smile…. and the realization that laying out in the sun this past summer has bleached my hair to the point where I now have dark roots without ever having dyed it.

What the Hell?

 

Another weekend, another wall.

 

Work on the baby barn project graduated from glacially slow to slow as molasses last weekend…. and we managed to frame a wall in 3 days.

 

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Though to be fair, ripping off that old rotted pressboard is like Chinese water torture.

 

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It literally shreds in your hands.

But slowly… we saw daylight.

 

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And by Saturday afternoon we had open space and a center post that was barely hanging on.

And by barely?

 

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I mean barely.

 

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The husband did the usual dirt shuffle in his ongoing attempt to level the building. A pipe dream at best as it was built in the mid 70’s… and it’s Maine.

Frost heave central.

 

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Measuring is fun.

 

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Ripping out posts that were nailed in with spikes?

Not so much.

 

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Pardon the sun glare and bad manicure… but damn.

Talk about overkill.

 

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Framing started Sunday, with a new window taking center stage.

 

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And continued when the husband decided to dig out all the dirt underneath the structure…

 

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And lay paving stones in yet another attempt to level it.

 

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Then came the rain… and a mad dash to put everything away before it got soaked.

And then?

Then… the baby barn got a rainbow.

 

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And I found my honey at the other end.

 

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Can I get an awwww?

 

 

 

You’re never too old to learn….. LEGOS.

 

Next up in my continuing series on  the absolutely crazy things people will pay money for  Maine Adult Education is…. LEGOS.

Yes, LEGOS.

Those annoying little plastic toy pieces we’ve all stepped on and paid the price.

 

 

And while there have been some other ridiculous classes…

 

You’re never too old to learn…. Spoons.

You’re never to old to learn…. Potatoes.

You’re never too old to learn…. Ukulele

You’re never too old to learn…. Chakra Toning.

You’re never too old to learn…. Mindfulness.

You’re never to old to learn…. Tin Cans.

You’re never too old to learn…. Knotweed Flutes.

You’re never too old to learn… Succulent Picture Frame.

 

This one, and it’s  how the hell can we make this nonsense sound like a legitimate college course  description really made me laugh.

 

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Oh, it’s a facilitated process?  Well, that explains everything.

And they use specially selected LEGO elements! Wow.

Does that mean the red ones… or the green?

The group discussion would be interesting to hear. Problem solving and decision making? Give me a break… exactly what wisdom will you gain?

 

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Okay, there’s that.

But hey, you’ll be utilizing kinesthetic skills and will be required to learn and listen.

This is Serious Play!

Taught by a Serious Play facilitator!

 

 

Of course when I was young, the people who took LEGOS seriously usually ended up like this….

 

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But maybe times have changed.