Tag Archives: nature

A sub par lunch, an east end stroll and proof that you can’t go home again..

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After our walk on the beach, G.’s pants were wet so she changed into shorts. This left us trying to dry her clothing in the sun on the roof of the golf cart while we had lunch…. and that required a readying hand.

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The only lunch available this time of year was at the Inn.

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It’s a grand old building…

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That seems to have new management every time we visit.

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We were the only people in the dining room which didn’t bode well.

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Kelp burger?

Hmm… no.

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Tiny flavorless rubber mussels, brightly colored but mediocre cocktails and disappointing sandwiches left us unsatisfied …

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But the view was nice.

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Another shoreline walk on Hamilton Beach…

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And then we drove by my old home.

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Old is the proper adjective because the original section of house on the right was built in 1842.

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And while the old girl still has good bones, I admit to being disappointed by the crumbling stone wall…

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The untrimmed shrubbery, overgrown lawn…

And general feeling of lackadaisical upkeep.

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When we lived here everything was neat as a pin and my father had glorious rows of red roses on the inside of the front wall. I lived here from age 14 to 20 and the place is full of memories, not to mention ghosts of those I’ve loved and lost.

They say you can’t go home again.

I guess they’re right.

😰

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Chandlers Beach

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Swinging around the bend from Chandlers Wharf, we visited Chandlers Beach.

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One of the largest sandy stretches on the Island and the site of many alcohol laden parties when I was young.

Walking along its shores, I was very glad sand can’t talk.

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G. seemed to be enjoying herself.

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A photo of the wharf from the beach…

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With the Casco Bay boat docked.

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Lunch?

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It’s hard to take a bad picture on the Island.

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Even when you’re 11 and a little leery of what’s being handed to you.

No worries, it was just beach glass.

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Back in our Rolls Royce touring sedan… T. was loving the Island experience and reiterating his desire to move to Maine.

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Which is when we drove by the only affordable fixer upper piece of real estate there.

🤣

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Day 4… our trip to the Island.

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On the fourth day of our favorite people’s visit we headed over to the Island where I spent my adolescence.

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There’s no bridge, so a $20 round trip per person boat ticket and a $20 a day parking pass must be purchased. It’s pretty, but no one said it was cheap.

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Waiting on the mainland dock I ducked into the freight shack to check if the initials I carved on the bench in my (misspent) youth were still there.

They were, as was this.

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Russel gets around.

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On the Island we landed at the Stone Pier and rented a golf cart for the day.

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At $330 I almost choked, but walking wasn’t an option.

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Our first stop was the west end where my husband’s mother and stepfather used to live.

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He was a lobsterman and walked right across the road to work.

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You can’t beat that for a short commute.

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This sculpture wasn’t there in my day, but it’s interesting.

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Chandlers Wharf. A pier on the opposite end of the island from where we arrived. The larger Casco Bay ferry from Portland stops here.

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The Island is beautiful.

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Home to roughly 350 year round residents, the population swells to 1,600 in the summer.

Boo to that.

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At 3 1/2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide, you definitely feel the difference.

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To be continued….

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Day 3… Boothbay Harbor

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And on the third day, River took them to Boothbay.

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First up was our very favorite drive along the shore in East Boothbay.

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Rocky beaches, the Atlantic ocean, stunning waterfront homes …

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And the private stone chapel we’ve always admired was open to visitors.

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We’d never been inside so we had to take a peek.

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Religious places aren’t really my thing, but this one was unique.

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And you can’t beat the view out the front door.

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D.’s husband T. fell in love with Maine right after this family picture was taken.

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I believe his exact words were, “North Carolina can suck it, I’m moving to Maine.”

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It’s not hard to understand the sentiment.

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The Maine coast is pretty damn amazing if I do say so myself.

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We spent the morning leisurely strolling and took lots of photos.

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Then headed for a fabulous seafood lunch down at the harbor.

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A little shopping followed.

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A walk across the footbridge…

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More pictures.

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And I was beginning to wonder if D. would be able to get her husband back on the plane at the end of the week.

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A flight of beer for the adults at a local brewery.

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And a flight of ice cream for the peanut at a local creamery.

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A quick stop at the Revolutionary War Fort Edgecomb…

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Where G. really wanted to go in but couldn’t.

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And then we called it a day.

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The one where we visit Portland Head Light.

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Scoring one for two on the lighthouse tour, we headed for Maine’s most famous, Portland Headlight.

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With a stop at the adjacent Fort Williams park for a quick walk on the beach. .

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Up the hill, the lighthouse comes into view. Built in 1791, it’s Maine’s oldest.

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It’s easy to see why this is such a popular tourist destination.

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The views are amazing,

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And positively scream for selfies.

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The light house.

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The light, as seen in the onsite museum .

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These are the money shots.

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The ones from which picture perfect postcards are made.

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The required family shot.

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❤️

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Destructive, but oh… so cool!

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I have a pretty pink hanging geranium on our back deck.

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I love it, but apparently I’m not the only one.

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Something has been eating the leaves and I finally found the culprit.

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He’s tiny, but is really doing a number to my plant.

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Bizarre, yet beautiful.

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I’m fascinated by these freaky things.

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After a little research… I discovered he’s much prettier in caterpillar form.

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🥴

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Random rambling.

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Lord Dudley Mountcatten, caught mid -stalk.

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It’s been an unusually wet summer and while this time of year usually finds our lawn dry and crunchy, the grass is verdant green.

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Which shows off the rainbows to perfection.

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I don’t care if it tastes good, the can alone would make me try it.

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I could never make decent shadow figures when I was young, but I found this recently and wanted to share. The spider looks like a scorpion and the puppy resembles a hippo but they’re still better than I ever managed.

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Mr. Hawk is back and has discovered a power line perch.

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Whether that’s a very brave or very stupid dove has yet to be determined.

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Another rainbow.

😊

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