Hearts II

Dear loved ones of Suzann Diehl,
We visit that heart shaped rock slab on top of Cadillac Mountain twice a year.
We will check in on your heart each time we do…

On this April visit, all was well and as we first found it last October.
Sincerely,
Lee and Chuck


Previous post: Hearts

Hearts

Dear loved ones of Suzann Diehl,
We visit that heart shaped rock slab on top of Cadillac Mountain twice a year.
We will check in on your heart each time we do…
Sincerely,
Lee and Chuck

Ralph’s Best Side

Back in May of last year I posted about the nifty phenomenon of how “Ralph” the seagull is always waiting for us in the same spot on Park Loop Road. Yesterday we drove the same route and sure enough, there he (or she) was! Today, while happily rained-in by a nor’easter, I had some fun digi-scrapping a layout using current photos along with the text from the earlier post.

(By the way, Blogger has “updated” their platform leaving carriage returns and paragraph breaks non-functional. I’m looking forward to them sorting that out ASAP!)

Photos and layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Fonts: Jayne Print, Helvetica . Software: Apple iPhoto ’09 and Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Mac.

Aaahhhh....

Even when it is cloudy/rainy/windy and the Porcupine Islands are shrouded in fog, it is still a pleasure to be here.

(For those of you outside New England, “Maine ~ The Way Life Should Be” is posted on signs as you enter the state. As for the bottle in the photo, well, family and friends will appreciate that!)

Photo and layout by LMR/Pink Granite. Font: Hans Hand. Software: Apple iPhoto ’09 and Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Mac.

Welcome Back

"Fred" flew by to welcome us back to Bar Harbor, Maine. (Is it just me or does his look say: "What took you two so long?")

Ah Ha Moment

When the cruise ships pull into Bar Harbor, the launches fill up with passengers who are then ferried to the dock. The passengers then pour into Bar Harbor. It’s easy to tell the cruise ship passengers from the regular tourists. The cruise ship passengers are the ones walking, standing and wandering into the streets. They ignore crosswalks and have been known to stand in the middle of the road to snap a picture.

This morning, as we navigated the very busy streets, it suddenly occurred to me that the cruise ship passengers must view the charming and picturesque Bar Harbor as a theme park. All the locals are from central casting. And the crosswalks are surely just for show. But where the heck is Mickey?

Hello Hare!

As we were driving back to our hotel very late Saturday afternoon, we spotted this big, beautiful bunny sitting alongside a potholed, mixed surface road. This was just a stone’s throw from (the moderately) bustling main drag of Bar Harbor. I snapped a couple of photos through the windshield. Right after I did, he or she took off at a great pace. That was when we really noticed just how large and how white its feet were. Some research on the internet led us to believe it is a Snowshoe Hare or Varying Hare (Lepus americanus). It is likely beginning its long, slow transition to its white winter coat. And it is beautiful in any season.

Schoodic

With a beautiful day forecast we headed over to the Schoodic Peninsula and more of Acadia National Park. Perhaps because it was a Sunday it was a bit “crowded” - meaning we didn’t have the entire park to ourselves! The National Park Service made some improvements over the summer. The most important of which, from a very practical standpoint, is that they now have a universal access restroom open year round. Why yes it IS the little things that matter most! It’s located on the ride out to Schoodic Point, at the entrance to the former Naval base, now converted to the “Schoodic Education and Research Center”, part of the National Park Service. Because we travel to Maine in the shoulder seasons, all of the restrooms on Schoodic are usually closed. While it’s just a “one-holer”, this state of the art, ecologically sound facility was a pleasure. Now I want one of those nifty instant response water heaters in my house!

Sunrise

This was the sunrise today over Frenchman Bay and Bald Porcupine Island, here in Bar Harbor, Maine. On mornings like this I don’t want to ever go home, because not only is this exquisitely beautiful, it also feels like home.

Every Happiness

I don’t know who Jeff and Kate are.
I do know that yesterday they were at Seal Harbor in Maine and that we wish them every happiness...
;o)

Lobstah

At long last we have found a good Lobster Roll at a restaurant in Bar Harbor, Maine. Don’t get me wrong. Bar Harbor has lots of great restaurants. But it has been hard to find a decent Lobster Roll on a regular menu - not as a special. Tonight, however, we went to a place called the Side Street Cafe. It’s been open just a few years, but we’ve had a meal there on every trip up here. The Lobster Roll at the Side Street Cafe lets the lobster be the star: just a hint of mayonnaise, nestled into a buttered and griddled New England style, split-top frankfurter roll. They serve it with a wedge of lemon on the side if you want to squeeze a splash of juice on it. And, most surprisingly, they dust it with a bit of Old Bay Seasoning - very, very non-traditional, but it works.

The Side Street Cafe doesn’t have a huge menu, but because everything we’ve had has been very good, it never fails to leave us wresting with what to order. Now the Lobster Rolls have complicated matters even further. Nope. That was soooo not a complaint!

P.S. When the Thirsty Whale in Bar Harbor or Chase’s
in Winter Harbor, has a Lobster Roll on the menu, feel free to order it as you won’t be disappointed.

Left Behind

As the tide draws down and out across the sand, it leaves so much to see. Ever changing, it reveals new stones, shells, flotsam and sinewy tracks from rivulets of sea water. All quite fascinating and beautiful.

I Kid You Not

Ralph was there again!

For many years, on Park Loop Road, in Acadia National Park, just past Otter Cove, near Little Hunters Beach, a seagull has been waiting for us. O.K. I have no proof that it’s the very same Herring Gull, season after season, but it’s pretty darn cool. We pull up in the car, roll down the window and snap away. I usually get out of the car and continue taking pictures. Dollars to doughnuts, Ralph (or Fred or Harriet) stays patiently in place as if it is his or her pleasure to be part of our travelogue. And every single time, it makes me very, very happy.

After The Rainbow

Frenchman Bay and the Porcupine Islands at sunset

You can see why we never tire of Acadia, Bar Harbor and Mount Desert!

At The End Of The Rainbow

...is Maine.

This rainbow appeared Sunday afternoon, April 17th, several hours after a powerful storm had lashed Mount Desert Island. The wind had howled so fiercely our hotel door whistled and rattled relentlessly! But as the tide rolled out, the clouds followed suit. I shot the photo across Albert Meadow and Shore Path to Frenchman Bay, in the general direction of Egg Rock.

More Maine

Looking our toward Otter Cliffs from Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park

Maine

The week before Easter we drove up to Bar Harbor, Maine.
It was exactly what we needed.
Over the next few days I’ll be posting photographs and a video.

Shore Path, looking over Frenchman Bay to Sheep Porcupine Island.


Chuck watching the waves crash at Schoodic Point, Acadia National Park

V

V is for virtual vacation.
I look at this photo and it calms me.

V is for victory.
I wish the people of Egypt democracy, prosperity and peace.

The view from Schoodic looking across Frenchman Bay toward Cadillac Mountain in Maine.

2010 In Review

Wendy, of A Wee Bit of Cooking, made a cool photo collage of the year. She used a free online program called Mosaic Maker. I tried to use the program, but about one third of my photos were incompatible with its system. So I headed to Photoshop and made my own. Looking at the 25 photographs gathered together this way, left me feeling amazed at how swiftly the 12 months flew by and how much happened over the 365 days.

Thank you for sharing in what has been a truly eventful year!

Blue Ribbon!

Without a doubt, the best blue cheese I have ever eaten is Cashel Blue Irish Farmhouse Cheese made in County Tipperary, Ireland. I remember tasting close to a dozen artisanal blue cheeses out in Seattle a couple of years ago. Many of them were very, very good. But this past October I had some Cashel Blue as part of a salad at McKay’s in Bar Harbor. It was intense but not overpowering; creamy without being mushy. It had an ancient, earthy, yet wonderfully fresh taste. We made a note of the name. Saturday night we found some at Whole Foods near Alewife. Last night I added it to our salads. At this stage of ripeness it can’t really be cut and cubed. So you need to use your fingers to break and roll bits of it off. It was as good as we remembered! The Cashel site has a lot of useful information about the cheese along with some recipes. Although I have trouble imagining incorporating this blue into anything, simply because it is so enjoyable on its own - think very plain crackers, apples, pears or a lightly dressed salad. I look forward to having it with a prosecco or with a moscato. Basically, I look forward to having it again!