travel | Change Is Hard

July 12, 2014
by dawnkinster 8 Comments

Moxie falls

Pretty lake along the way.

Just a short post to show you Moxie falls, another aspect of Maine. We drove two hour north of where we’re staying near Lisbon (I think we were only a couple of hours from Quebec!) where the country begins to roll with small mountains, and there is a beautiful 30 foot waterfall. It was way back in the woods, so after we applied the usual sunscreen we layered on bug spray. It’s a lovely combination.

Walking in the woods.

The woods was cool and green and beautiful. But nothing compared to the falls.

Moxie falls

The upper part of the river was beautiful too.

Pretty cool.

We had a very good day.

Woodsy.

July 11, 2014
by dawnkinster 19 Comments

Beachy fort day

Thursday we visited two forts and a wonderful beach. Want to see?

First stop, the small Fort Edgecomb with it’s octagonal turret built in 1808.

All that is left is the tower.

It’s a small park now, along a bit of waterway that is filled with lobster buoys.

Wonder if all those traps have lobster in them?

Pretty spot.

Then we headed out to Fort Popham, built in 1862 right on a most glorious beach! This fort is mostly intact and was a lot of fun to wander.

Arches within arches.

But of course I was most attracted to the beach…miles and miles of beautiful sand…

Looked at clouds from both sides now.

…with smaller pools of water for children to play in.

Fun in the sun.

The water in the Atlantic was cold. It is Maine after all. But it was so much fun to play in the waves for a little bit.

Brrrrr!

Once you got in and remembered how to breath you could be a kid again! And really, it’s OK not to be able to feel your legs, it’s all part of summer at the beach in New England!

Moon over Maine.

We ended the day at a waterfront tavern having dinner with friends.

Special evening.

Can’t get any better than that.

July 9, 2014
by dawnkinster 20 Comments

Bridge to Fort Knox, and other stuff

Last night we stayed in a quaint cabin that had Wifi – – but it was so slow I couldn’t finish this post, much less publish it. So this one’s a day late. I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with baited breath! We stayed at Moody’s which is an institution around these parts. The original cabins were built in the 20’s and more were built in the 40’s, when they also added running water and electricity. No air conditioning, though there is a lovely little screened porch on the back and you can sleep with the windows open, listening to the breeze in the trees if you don’t mind the mosquitoes too much.

Built in the 20’s.

Moody’s diner is down at the bottom of the hill and has been in the family for at least three generations. The food is down home good; I recommend the rhubarb strawberry pie. Highly.

Moody’s Diner, where the cooking is homemade.

Anyway, yesterday we headed inland, on our way to Fort Knox. You know, where all the gold is housed. As we got close we saw a beautiful bridge over the Penobscot River. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Bridge art.

What’s even more amazing is how narrow the cable system is. Here’s what it looks like from the end of the bridge:

Not being an engineer, I think this is something of a miricle!

Not being an engineer, I think this is something of a miracle!

And in the top of one of the towers, which look like a skinny version of the Washington Monument, is an observation room!

You can go up to the top!

How cool is that! And you just know that we went up there! How could we not! This is the way the bridge looks from the observatory:

Narrow bridge over ‘The Narrows.”

The towers are 447 feet tall (The Washington Monument is 555 feet tall). From the observation tower at the top you can see views like this:

Beautiful!

Amazing.

Fort Knox from the top of the bridge.

After we were back on the ground we went to visit the fort. It’s an engineering feat from another generation, and fascinating in a whole different way. Built from 1846 -1866 it’s a wonderful example of forts from that era. It’s all pretty much still there, the parade ground, the barracks, the officers quarters…

Parade ground in the center.

…and the tunnels below and behind the walls, filled with dark damp memories…

Underground tunnels.

…and maybe the ghosts of soldiers past.

Did you hear something?

We spent a long time at Fort Knox, exploring all the nooks and crannies, thinking about what life might have been like back then, the conditions soldiers lived and died under.

Windows watching.

It seemed strange to see the old fort with the new bridge in the background. An interesting contrast.

New and old together forever.

Then, because we could, we stopped by a lighthouse. Just for you, because we didn’t want you to have lighthouse withdrawal. After all, we are in Maine.

This is the Fort Point lighthouse.

Someone lives here, wouldn’t that be fun?

It’s part of a State Park, but we found it on a road along the coast without going into the park. It has beautiful flowers, and sits high above the sea on a bluff. Such a pretty spot.

Angles.

So that’s it for yesterday. Today we overdosed on lighthouses. I’ll post more on those tomorrow. Or later. Sometime anyway; it all depends on wifi. Most of you know how that goes.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of the Penobscot Bridge, Fort Knox and the lighthouse!

Sunshine and flowers.

July 8, 2014
by dawnkinster 24 Comments

Oh my Acadia!

Sandy Beach. Literally.

Acadia National Park is a splendid example of all that is right about America. It’s natural beauty defies description; the ocean, the craggy coastline, the mountains, even the people visiting there, are unique and interesting and special. We were only there one day, so we couldn’t hike all the trails or bike the carriage roads or even stop for lunch, but I saw enough to show you around.

First stop was one of my favorites – Sandy Beach. This is a must for all of you that want to dip your toes in the cold Maine Atlantic. Or even if you don’t. It’s a great place to people watch or simply veg out.

It’s best to keep your toes in the water.

I, of course, was happiest strolling in the waves. There was a little stream flowing into the ocean that had the most beautiful patterns as the light hit the ripples.

Pretty.

It was warmer than the ocean so it made a good place for kids and adults to play. Or talk. Or just be.

Relaxing.

I could have stayed on the beach for hours but we knew we had more park to explore. So off we went.

So much fun!

Next stop was Thunder Hole; a rectangular split in the granite where waves thunder and spray. Or not, depending on the tide. For us it was more a gurgle and thud. But still it was cool to see.

Boom! Or not. Depends on the tide.

On to Littler Hunters Beach. At low tide it was a treasure trove of sea remnants.

Cool!

And rocks covered in colorful stuff.

Interesting!

We tried to stop for lunch at Jordan’s Pond which has a restaurant, but there was nowhere to park, even in the ancillary parking lot. I guess that’s just the way it is at National Parks in the summer season. But that was OK, we were on to Cadillac Mountain!

A short drive up the winding road, with plenty of stops to enjoy the view and you will soon arrive at this:

On top of the world.

The granite covered mountain reminded me so much of the mountain my family climbed in New Hampshire when we were kids. Lots of huge flat rocks with bits of green low lying foliage in between. And views that went on forever.

I think that’s Canada over there.

It was fun to watch all the families and think back over the years. I have to say I have a new appreciation for all the trips my folks took us on. How they managed four of us is beyond me. I watch and listen to families now and can see how much work it is to keep all the kids entertained and safe all day.

Up on a rock.

We ended our day at Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, down at the tip of a peninsula. It is actually inhabited with a family, so you can’t go inside and you take care not to intrude. We hiked a bit up the coast and climbed out on some crazy beautiful rocks for this shot:

Would love to live here. Minus the tourists.

And here’s another view from the top of the driveway:

Feels like home.

We had a wonderful day at Acadia. You just have to come and see for yourself. There’s so much more. I don’t want to spoil it for you!

…sigh…

July 7, 2014
by dawnkinster 15 Comments

It was a Maine weekend

I’ve been in a motel with no internet for the past two nights. But of course we haven’t spent much time in the hotel, we’ve been out exploring, so there’s a lot to show you. I’ll try to squish Saturday and Sunday into this post. We spent those two days driving through small fishing communities and along the rocky coast. But first, on Saturday we went out to the tip off Acadia National Park’s Schoodic Peninsula to see the wave action from Hurricane Arthur. Though by the time we got out there the hurricane was more a scattered storm, there were still some big waves. (Click on the photos to make them larger, you’ll see lots more detail!)

Ooooohh, aaahhhhh!

The wind was fierce but there were lots of people out there; you could hear they oooh and ahhh and squeal whenever a particularly big wave splashed high.

After that we ventured inland and wandered through many towns where lobster traps were piled high in yards and on wharfs. It seemed that many homes had a big boat in drydock in the yard and piles and piles of traps nearby. I wondered why the boat wasn’t in the water, and how people were making a living.

Piles of lobster traps.

We also walked along a community wharf used by locals where the piles of lobster traps made a colorful collage. And where we ran into this guy:

Lobsterman. Kind of Paul Bunyan in a rain slicker.

Of course we also found a lighthouse too. This one was on Prospect Harbor, just across the way from Mr. Lobsterman.

Classic.

But mostly on Saturday we were driving through communities looking for interesting things to photograph. There were so many I wish I could should you more, but here’s one quintessential Maine shot:

Ready to go.

Sunday found us on the road again, in the search for more lighthouses. We found this beauty in Luboc. It’s the West Quoddy Head Light Station.

Pretty!

It sits high on a rocky bluff. We hiked a ways up the coast on the advice of an employee and saw wonderful views of the ocean and the waves crashing on the rocks below.

Stunning!

Much of our path was muddy because they’ve had so much rain, but it was worth it to climb so high. We ended up near the top of that mountain you see in the photo above, way out at the end, at a place called Green Point. Where we saw views like this:

Worth the climb.

On the way back we climbed down a stair to the beach and I got to get my feet wet in the Atlantic!

ohhhh…ahhhh!

Yes. It was cold!

It was getting late, so we drove through a few more fishing communities and then headed back to the hotel.

From days gone by.

We didn’t even have time to stop and see what ship was in the harbor, but it sure was huge!

Big ship, big fisherman!

To see everything you’re just going to have come on over to Maine yourself There’s lots of houses for sale, or if you just want to rent for awhile, this place is open:

For rent.

Today we were at Acadia. That deserves it’s own post. I’ll try to get it together soon.

Window on the sea.

July 5, 2014
by dawnkinster 22 Comments

The start of something Maine

Flying at sunset.

After flying through and over a line of heavy storms, heralding Hurricane Arthur, we landed at the Portland airport last night. And this morning we visited the Portland Head Lighthouse. (Click on any photo to see more detail.)

Portland Head Lighthouse before the storm.

We got there early in the morning before the rain started. But there was misty fog out in the harbor.

Foggy morning.

Also located on the grounds of Fort Williams, aside from the beautiful lighthouse, was the remains of the Goddard mansion, built in 1858 by Mr. Goddard who made his money in logging, it was purchased by the Army and housed married officers in 1896.

Mansion memories.

It must have been an amazing house in its day.

Days gone by.

We also spent a lot of time just looking out at the ocean…

Weekend sail.

…as we drover up the coast and stopped for lunch at the Lobster Shack.

We were hungry.

Then we headed to Bar Harbor to watch the 4th of July fireworks. We sat for almost two hours in heavier and heavier rain, along with a few thousand of our closest (and wettest) friends. Just when we thought we couldn’t sit in the increasingly cold and heavy rain the fireworks started. They were amazing, it was worth the wait. There’s something about being with so many people, faces raised to the sky, drops of rain falling on our cheeks, to make you appreciate the fact we live where we do. The fireworks seemed close enough to touch. The children in the crowd clapped and cheered. So did many adults. We forgot we were soaked to the skin.

Day one in Maine has been magic.

Happy Birthday America!

July 1, 2014
by dawnkinster 5 Comments

World Cup memories

I can’t watch the World Cup without thinking of a warm evening in Tuscany. In July of 2006 we were in Italy and for three nights stayed at a beautiful old villa. Since we were the youngest couple in the group we were assigned a room on the third floor. The one with the tower and the great view overlooking the valley filled with olive groves below.

Italian villa

One evening, after a day spent in historic Sienna we climbed the tower stairs with a bottle of wine and a bag of ripe sweet cherries to watch dusk overtake the valley. We listened to the cries of joy floating up from the houses below each time Italy scored and watched the valley turn rosy then dark.

What wonderful memories. Today as the USA plays in the World Cup I might watch some of the game.

But my heart will be in Tuscany.

sigh….

June 25, 2014
by dawnkinster 20 Comments

Wordless Wednesday

June 24, 2014
by dawnkinster 22 Comments

Active retirement

A few weeks ago, while driving north for the Great Camping Adventure with Katie, I noticed a car. We passed each other a few times. It was the same make and model and even color as my car. But that’s not what made me notice it. What was special about the car was this:

Adventure mobile

Perched on the top were two kayaks, on the back hung two bicycles. It seemed to epitomize the kind of retirement I hope my husband and I have. The kind where you explore and enjoy and especially stay active.

I glanced at the couple in the car once when they passed me. Seemed to be people pretty much like myself. I wished them well and forgot about them. Until I pulled into a fast food drive through line and saw the car parked next door at another fast food restaurant. So once I got my taco I swung over there, parked, walked over and snapped the picture. Turning I realized the couple was sitting at an outdoor table looking alarmed.

So I walked over to them, smiling, and told them I wanted to be them when I grew up. Old enough to be retired, young enough to enjoy it and off on adventures every weekend with your life partner. She smiled, pointed at her companion and said “Him? We just met a few months ago!” Then we all had a good laugh.

But in my heart I still hope I get to have that kind of retirement. The kind with two kayaks on the roof, two bikes on the back, two voices laughing in the front seats.

Happy trails everyone.

Follow the road.

February 22, 2014
by dawnkinster 27 Comments

Reflections

Just last Saturday I was winging my way over snow packed fields toward sunshine and family. Katie was safe at the kennel, work was a memory. I enjoyed my time with family relaxing for a long weekend and we did a lot of fun stuff, some of which you’ve seen on Facebook; climbed the fire tower, went for a boat ride, ate, slept, read. It was lovely.

I knew this week would be a challenge; the combination of a dog home alone all day, a busy full time job and two community band concerts made for interesting logistics. I flew home Tuesday afternoon, landing at 5 which gave me just enough time to stop at the house, grab the clarinet and head off to our last rehearsal before the concert Friday night, followed by our big community band festival in a town an hour away Saturday morning.

I thought I had things all figured out. I had permission to leave work early on Wednesday to get Katie out of the kennel before they closed at 5 p.m. I had a dog walker scheduled to come to the house and play with her every workday. I had permission to leave work early on Friday so that I could go home, feed her, let her out and still make it back to town for our concert that evening. Yep. I’m a master at making lists and planning. And you know what they say about the best laid plans.

They say that I didn’t adequately factor in Katie. That’s what they say.

So let me tell you about the last four days. Settle in. This might take awhile.

Wednesday afternoon I picked Katie up from the kennel about 4:30. They said she was perfect, liked her food, didn’t mind her meds (she was finishing up antibiotics for an urinary tract infection), liked to go outside, liked attention. That’s my girl. I took her to the doggie bathroom before we drove home hoping to avoid a 30 minute howling session. She peed. We got in the car and she howled the whole way home in her voice hoarse from barking at the kennel for 6 straight days. At home she was a little terror, barking at me, running around checking stuff out, barking at me, wanting to go out, wanting to come in, barking at me, wanting to go out again but not doing anything while we were out. Did I mention barking at me? Wednesday night I was up and taking her out several times during the night. I was exhausted at work on Thursday.

Thursday night after work I was settling in for the evening, glad I was home after a drive through sleet on icy roads. Thankful I didn’t have any reason to go out in that weather again. Then I noticed Katie standing still, head up against a wall panting. Not normal. I took her out, but nothing. I figured maybe she was tired from her stressful week. Well, so was I. Maybe we’d take a nap. I carried her into the bedroom and she lay on my pillow slowly, as though it pained her to lay down. Then she got up and walked carefully to the end of the bed and gingerly lowered herself again. Then she got up and tried a new spot, walking stiffly, inching her way down. This was not normal. I picked her up and noticed the whole back end of her was trembling. Out on the sofa and she sat on a pillow leaning against the back of the sofa staring at me. Now her whole body was trembling. Not good. So we went to the emergency vet, a long way away, through the sleet on ice covered roads.

The vet was busy, with two critical dogs coming in after us. We waited a few hours, with Katie panting next to me on the bench, moving as little as possible. Finally they took her back and had someone look at her, drew blood, did xrays and gave her pain meds. After the pain meds kicked in she was a sleepy but happy camper. None of the tests were entirely conclusive so I left her there overnight for an ultrasound in the morning and drove home on the ice covered roads, making it to bed close to 1 a.m.

Friday I went to work thinking they’d be releasing her to me sometime in the afternoon. I had a concert to do that evening and I didn’t know how I was going to go get her, get her home and settled and then leave her to go perform. But I figured it would all work out. Turns out they wanted to keep her all afternoon, so I arranged to stop by after the concert (love these 24 hour emergency clinics!) to see if she was being released or not and to discuss the ultrasound findings. The concert went well, the ultrasound findings were not particularly conclusive. But there was evidence of a slightly inflamed pancreas and in combination with high white blood cells they figured it was pancreatitis. They had sent out another blood sample to an outside lab to confirm, but I could take her home.

Katie was very happy to be home and it took awhile to settle her down. Actually she never really settled down and we were up and down all night. At one point I put her in her crate at the other end of the house, went back to bed and closed the bedroom door. I lay down and I could feel my heart beating, not just in my chest but I was aware of the pulse at the ends of my fingers and toes and the intense overall exhaustion in my legs, neck arms and shoulders. I lay there and wondered if a person could just get so tired that their heart burst. I was OK if it did. Katie howled from her crate for an hour.

Eventually I just got up and got ready for the Saturday morning concert. She seemed normal but I didn’t trust her enough to leave her loose in the house. I hadn’t been able to get her to pee for several hours. Her path through the snow was covered in ice and she didn’t like it. Being a princess she just decided to hold it until there were better conditions in which to pee. Unfortunately the snow in the yard is higher than my knees, so the path is all there is for her. So we were at loggerheads.

Finally I started packing the car with concert stuff, instrument, music, clothes, purse…she watched me with narrowed eyes. She’d already been packed away in the car and delivered to a kennel, then a hospital. You could see the wheels in her head turning. I turned to her, planning to put her into her crate since she hadn’t gone to the bathroom yet. She backed up. No way was she getting in that car with her Mama. She didn’t know what hellish place I might be taking her this time! So I just said “Katie! Crate!” and she joyfully trotted in, sat on her pillow and all but told me “Have a nice day Mama, I’ll wait for you right here!” And so she did.

Our concert this morning went great, it was wonderful, such a relief to immerse myself in something that didn’t have dog hair, blood tests, or poop involved. We played a slow piece, “Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre that just about had me in tears. The lyrics:

Oh! hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
The moon, o’er the combers, looks downward to find us
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.

Where billow meets billow, then soft be thy pillow;
Ah, weary wee flipperling, curl at thy ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow-swinging seas

I just thought about Katie waiting in her crate and all the stress and emotion we’d been through in the last two days, and that hopefully we were almost through with the bad stuff. Our band played this beautifully, as beautifully as the link above. Give it a listen. I think our conductor had tears in her eyes too as the last notes slipped away. Those are amazing moments, when they happen, musical moments to treasure. I would have stayed and listened to other bands as I know people in several of them from across the state, but Katie needed me so I hurried home. As I merged onto the freeway a bright orange truck was going the other way. “Hey Dad” I thought and smiled. Then I turned up the radio and sang all the way home.

She was all happy face and crazy tail when I got home, none the worse for wear for spending a few hours in her crate napping. I called the vet and her test results for pancreatitis came back so low that we can’t really say she has that problem. Though seriously she had some sort of problem Thursday night. So there is more detective work to be done, but for now she’s happy. But boy do I need a nap. A good long nap. I guess I’ll play Seal Lullaby again and see if she and I can get some shuteye.

She doesn’t seem to be in the mood. Princesses are like that you know.

Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: travel

Moxie falls

Beachy fort day

Bridge to Fort Knox, and other stuff

Oh my Acadia!

It was a Maine weekend

The start of something Maine

World Cup memories

Wordless Wednesday

Active retirement

Reflections