9/28/06 (Thursday): This is a very sad day for us. We had Monkey euthanized this morning. Her kidneys have been failing for about a month now, and she had a very bad night last night. We decided early this morning that it was just a matter of timing and we were going to need to do it sooner or later. We're replacing the flooring in the camper and getting ready to make a very long trip back to Florida, and it just didn't seem fair to put her through that.

Monkey has been a joy to us for 19 years since we found her in our front yard where she was almost killed by a pack of dogs. She was quirky, smart, affectionate and funny. We'll miss her.

9/27/06 (Wednesday): Coming into the home stretch here--just 12 days to go! We're still enjoying work, the weather and the great scenery.

Last night we said goodbye to some camper friends who have been here the whole season, Gary and Nina. We had them over for hamburgers and enjoyed some wine around the campfire. It's getting cold enough that we really appreciated the fire! Then we came inside and gobbled up the delicious apple pie that they baked for the occasion. We hope to be able to stay in contact with some of the wonderful people we've met while we were here. Gary and Nina are on their way to Texas.

Monkey is having some health problems that have us worried. We've had her to the vet twice now. She's in the early stages of kidney failure. The vet has us giving her IV's every other day and has put her on special canned cat food. If she's not better by the end of this week, we've made the very difficult decision to have her put to sleep. We don't want to subject her to the long trip back to Florida, and we want to remember her for the nutty, engaging kitty she's always been, not as an invalid.

We've been tearing up the carpeting in the bedroom today (in addition to doing laundry and normal chores. Tomorrow we'll put down some tile (same as the tile in the living room). We've been enjoying the way it looks as well as how easy it is to keep clean. I enjoy this kind of project, but poor Wiley doesn't--he usually gets stuck with the hard and dirty parts of projects. He's doing the bulk of the ripping up and removing staples part of the job. I'm the expert on the finish work. I'll cut, fit and stick down the new tiles and then put down the toe molding (trim). We make a good team--everyone who's seen the work we did here has commented that it's very well done.

No pictures this time. The leaves are just beginning to change and I'm sitting here looking at the evening light slanting through the trees and casting colored shadows on the sides of the camper. There are very few people here now. We pick up a few over weekends, and we'll probably pick up some more next week (leaf peepers). Our friends, Julie and John, will be here next Wednesday. We're looking forward to viewing the colors with them and making one last round of our favorite haunts.

I've got to get back to work now--we're trying to finish up so that we can go buy some trim pieces we need and then go to Pizza Hut for dinner.

9/22/06 (Friday): We had a fantastic day today! We took my cousins, Donna and Dave` to Port Clyde where we caught the ferry (the Elizabeth Ann) to Monhegan Island--something I've been wanting to do since we first got here.

We left right on time, but about 10 minutes out the captain came on the loud speaker and said we were going back to the dock to pick up some stragglers. It was unbelievable the outcry that arose--you'd have thought the trip was canceled or we'd been asked to make some huge sacrifice! I felt sorry for the people who came aboard. They were teased and even treated sort of rudely by some of the passengers.

We hadn't gone too much further when someone spotted a whale. It came up twice and then a few minutes later I spotted one on the other side of the boat! What a treat! I went over and thanked the folks who'd come and late--I said we'd have missed the whale if we hadn't been delayed! They appreciated that, and I later heard them repeating it to some of the other folks. The captain said the whales we saw were minke (pronounced minkie) whales. This picture is from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minke_Whale), and this is about how much we saw of the whale. They're pretty small, but what a treat!

Monhegan is a small (about 1 square mile), rocky island about 10 miles from the nearest mainland. It is accessible only by boat. There are no cars or paved roads on the island, although we saw a few pick-up trucks doing construction.

Many of the houses do not have electricity (we could see kerosene and oil lamps through the windows of many homes). A few had hand pumps outside the kitchen doors.

The explorer John Smith visited the island in 1614, but it was well known as a prime fishing area to the Native Americans long before that. Fishing and lobstering are still the mainstays of the local economy, although it's also well know as a haven for artists.



Most of the homes had lovely gardens and there were lots of artists working outside everywhere--also sculptures in front of many buildings. The year-round population is about 65 people. This tree guy was carved in place on a stump!



There's a hotel, a school, a library, a general store and a couple of small gift shops and restaurants.









The first thing we saw when we got off the boat was Elva's P.O. Store. That was my mother's first name, and it's a very unusual one. I've never met anyone else with that name. It turns out that Elva was the postmistress in the 1890's.









We walked around the village and then got on a very pretty road that became a hiking trail with a kind of ugly name--Burnt Head. It led from the town to the uninhabited side of the island on the Atlantic.

The wildflowers were gorgeous. When I saw this one, I knew immediately that it was a fringed gentian. I'd never seen one, but I remembered the poem by William Cullen Bryan that I learned in high school:

"Then doth thy sweet and quiet eye
Look through its fringes to the sky,
Blue—blue—as if that sky let fall
A flower from its cerulean wall."

We could hear the breakers even before we reached the sea. This side of the island has some of the highest cliffs in all of Maine. It seemed like we were taking photos at every bend in the trail. This is absolutely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life.

There were artists working here, too.







This cross with a life preserver on it was a sad reminder that the cliffs can be dangerous as well as beautiful.







The trail curved back toward town, passing by the highest point on the island where the Monhegan Lighthouse stands. There's a museum there, but we reached it too late and it was closing. Plus we had to get back so we didn't make the ferry late (didn't want to receive any of the verbal abuse of the unfortunate passengers on the outgoing ferry!). We enjoyed a view of the town and Manana Island with its abandoned Coast Guard station on the way down. There are rocks purported to contain Norse or Phoenician inscriptions on Manana Island. Wish we could have gotten over there to see that!


We had ice cream in a little store with a beautiful view before we headed back. No whales on this trip, but lots of fresh air and our great hike had given us an appetite that the ice cream didn't satisfy. Donna and Dave treated us to a great seafood dinner at Cappy's in Camden. We all turned in early. Donna and Dave are leaving in the morning and Wiley and I go back to work.

9/21/06 (Thursday): We did my favorite day trip today with my cousins, Donna and Dave. We started by driving up Mt. Battie in Camden Hills State Park. It was a crystal clear day--we could even see Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, which is a 2-hour drive away. Aren't those clouds magnificent?!

Next we headed for Owl's Head State Park. We had a picnic lunch overlooking the water and then walked up the steps to the lighthouse. I've posted pictures of the lighthouse many times before, so I won't bore you with more. We walked a bit on the beach looking for beach glass. The beach glass up here is really beautiful and many crafts people make lovely jewelry and mosaics from it. I found a piece of blue glass that's really nice.

Our next stop was Birch Point Beach State Park. Dave took a nap on the warm rocks while Donna and I sat by a huge tidal pool and watched a couple of crabs and some hermit crabs and hundreds of snails. Tidal pools are absolutely mesmerizing. I can sit and observe the life in them for hours! We also enjoyed watching this cormorant fish in the midst of a school of small fish. Every time he (she?) dove underwater, a little school of fish would jump out of the water and then (s)he'd reappear with a little fish meal in his bill.

From there we headed down the St. George peninsula, stopping here and there at little stores or scenic spots that appealed to us. We happened upon a lobster dock where a couple of boats had just pulled in. First we watched some guys load their boat with bait and fuel. They were apparently headed out for some evening lobstering (or maybe getting ready for a really early departure tomorrow). Then we watched them unloading one of the boats, and I called down and asked one of the men if we could buy some lobster. He sold us 3 big ones for $28!! That's a great price. The guys are out cooking them right now. This is the third day in a row that they've eaten lobster, but that's what they wanted to do. I'm not crazy about lobster, so I'll eat leftovers from last night.

We're planning to go over to Monhegan Island on the mail boat tomorrow. Should get some fantastic pictures there--a lot of artists live and paint there, including my personal favorite, Andrew Wyeth. Tune in again!

9/20/06 (Wednesday): Today started out rainy and dreary and then turned into a gorgeous indian summer day. Dave's car has been in the shop since they got here, so he went with me to Walmart and the grocery store.

After lunch it cleared up and we took a walk on the breakwater. The breakwater is almost 5,000 feet long. It was built from 700,000 tons of stone, starting in 1881 and finished in 1899. The lighthouse on the end was erected in 1902. The water is very clear and there's lots of seaweed. We usually see starfish and sea urchins on the rocks and lots of seagulls and cormorants. Rockland harbor is full of interesting boats, including one that looks a lot like a pirate ship. We can never get a good picture of it because of the sun.

A lobster boat was working quite nearby and we saw the lobstermen retrieve several lobsters from their traps.


Although the wild flowers are fading, we're seeing more butterflies than ever before. I haven't figured that one out, yet.

After our walk, Donna and Dave picked up some lobsters and clams for us. We ate at the picnic table and had a nice fire.

Tomorrow we're going to go to Camden Hills State Park and then down to Port Clyde (the same trip we made with Wiley's parents). I've made some pasta salad and tomorrow I'll make some wrap sandwiches for our picnic lunch. I sure hope the good weather holds!

9/19/06 (Tuesday): It's very cool and foggy today and the wind is beginning to blow the beautiful red leaves off the maple trees here in the campground. They are blowing around in the bright green grass like schools of tropical fish on a reef. The fog drifts in the open windows of the camp store and makes it feel even cooler than it really is. A good day for a cup of tea and a good book (but I have to work until 3 PM and then do laundry).

We're having a fine time with my cousin and her husband. They have a beautiful motor home that dwarfs our little rig in every way, but we're both happy campers, so it doesn't matter a bit. I made dinner on Sunday (grilled veggies and BBQ chicken and sweet potatoes) and we ate on the picnic table. Then we had a fire and sat around talking and enjoying some wine and beer. What a relaxing way to end a day! We enjoyed it so much that we did the same thing last night! Donna made some great Oriental green beans, the guys grilled some fish they'd caught that morning, and I contributed some ham with a honey glaze (because Donna and I don't care for mackeral). We had another fire and some more good conversation. Life is good!

Tonight we were planning to have dinner at the Bayview Restaurant on Camden Harbor, but since it's so chilly and foggy, we might wait until tomorrow to do that. The best way to enjoy a seafood dinner is to sit outside. It's supposed to rain tomorrow, so we might go to the Farnsworth Art Museum and/or the maritime museum in Rockland. Thursday we'll do the scenic drive down to Port Clyde--maybe we'll have our dinner at the Dip Net instead of the Bayview! Donna and Dave want to eat some lobster while they're here. On Friday, if it's nice, we might do a lighthouse cruise or maybe drive to Acadia. They have to leave Saturday morning. They're heading to Colorado for some skiing.

We're looking forward to a visit from Julie and John next week.

That's all the news from Maine. I'll get some pictures and post again soon!

9/15/06 (Friday): We finished our floor yesterday. It looks great. We put shoe molding around the edges (painted in a cocoa color that coordinates beautifully with the tile). It's a little dark for my tastes, but it's the one Wiley liked, and I must admit it makes the camper look bigger for some reason! Today we'll put the primer on the bathroom floor and then go hiking for a couple of hours. It should be dry when we get back and we can put down the tile in there.

Everyone appears to be having trouble posting comments to my blog. Mag and Uncle Ed report error messages when they try. The web site is aware of the problem. One thing you might try is selecting the "Other" or "Anonymous" check box (underneath the text box where you type your message). Some people at the help site have reported that helps. Then just type your name somewhere in the message.

I heard from my cousins a couple of days ago. They're on their way to spend a few days with us. They're full time campers now, too. It'll be good to see them again.

9/13/06 (Wednesday): It's definitely early autumn here. We pulled the comforter up last night--it was in the lower 40's. West of here and in the mountains (where we were last week) had a freeze!

We went to Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor today. The waves were wild--apparently a result of the remnants of the most recent hurricane way out in the Atlantic. We got some gorgeous shots of the rocks and water. There were a number of artists painting here and there all along the rocky shore.

There were also a couple of brave boaters, including a sailboat way out past the breakers and a brave (?!) lobsterman trying to pull in his traps right in the midst of the breakers.

We could see Ram Light quite well, and a little further in the distance was Cuckold Light (apparently named for the poor light keeper whose wife stayed on the mainland and had a good time while her hubby was stuck out on a wet rock!).

After we walked the beach, we walked around town. It was a typical tourist town--lots of souvenirs and tee shirts. The homes were mostly old and elegant, but we got a kick out of this tiny house!

This house was pretty small, too, but it must have been historic, because they were moving it.

Imagine my surprise when we rounded a corner and saw these huge masts! This is the HMS Bounty. It was built in Nova Scotia in 1960 and used the the movie Mutiny on the Bounty (starring Marlon Brando) in 1962. I believe it was also used in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, too. The shipyard was immense, as were the timbers lying around everywhere. I peeked inside the door and took this shot of a shipbuilder at work.

We had a very good day. We even discovered a couple of new trails we wanted to hike one day. Tomorrow we'll stay home and do some housework, then Friday we hope to take a lighthouse cruise.

I know that some of you are having trouble posting comments. I'm still having some trouble posting pictures to the blog. Keep trying--your comments keep me going!

ATTENTION READERS: If you read this blog today or yesterday, it was just a draft. Please check it out again!

9/11/06 (Sunday): Sorry it took so long to finalize this post. We were busy putting in new tile in the camper and then I had some trouble with the blogger website. If you've been looking at it today or late yesterday, it was just a draft, so read on! This blog is about our adventure at Baxter State Park.

We left Wednesday morning and stopped at a little country diner near Stockton Springs for breakfast. I had homemade hash and eggs with homemade bread. Each diner has a slightly different version of hash up here, and all of it is good. Wiley had his usual pancakes. He's suffering now that blueberries are out of season, because blueberry pancakes are his favorite, and Mainers will not use frozen berries!

We were expecting a phone interview at 9:15 AM from The Nature Conservancy folks about the job at Tiger Creek Preserve, but unbeknownst to us, they'd emailed us to change the time! We also did not realize that we weren't getting a good satellite connection, and when they tried to call us, they kept getting our answering service. We sat in the parking lot for about 15 minutes waiting and wondering, but finally went on our way. It all worked out fine and we finally touched base with them via a pay phone and had our interview. They called the next day and left the message that we were hired. We're really excited about this job--once again it was our first choice of assignments! We'll start around October 20. It will be good to be close to our family and friends again. We've had a lot of fun in Maine, but we're ready to come home.

Our next stop was for a picnic at a roadside picnic area. Maine has a lot of these, and most of them are quite lovely, with bathrooms and often with nice views. This one was beside a huge lake studded with islands and expensive but rustic "cabins."

We stopped again at the Jo-Mary Multiuse Forest. We walked around the ruins of the Kathadin Iron Works, which was a big operation in the 1880's. All that remains now are the stone furnace and one kiln. The raw iron ore was superheated in the furnace using charcoal made in the kilns. Limestone was added, which caused a chemical reaction that produced molten iron. The molten iron flowed out the bottom into a casting shed, where molds were dug in the sand. As the molten iron flowed out it made a sound like a pig, hence the name for the product: pig iron. The pig iron was loaded onto a train and sent to Bangor, where it was loaded onto ships and sent all over the United States.

The area was very primitive (including the bathroom facilities). Mag--thought you'd like this shot of Wiley to add to your outhouse photo collection!

As we approached Baxter State Park, the views were spectacular. The maples were just beginning to turn, there were meadows full of wild flowers, ponds and lakes, marshy areas and always in the distance views of Mt. Kathadin and Mt. Doubletop.

The mountains in this area are considerably higher than those near us--3,000-5,000 feet. Baxter Peak is Maine's tallest (5,267 feet). And, of course, Mt. Katahdin is familiar to all hikers because it's where the Appalachian Trail terminates. The tops of the mountains are bare granite, the midslopes have fir and spruce trees and the lower slopes are mixed hardwood forests. The tops of the tallest mountains are alpine tundra, which is a unique ecosystem with dwarf vegetation that is adapted to survive extreme exposure of heavy snow and frost, cool summers, strong and drying winds, and intense sunlight. We did not visit this area because the hiking is strenuous and one has to be very well prepared for possibly harsh conditions.

The park is a wilderness of 204,733 acres. The only other traffic we saw was trucks laden down with huge logs. I don't think they allow logging in the state park, but they must allow it in nearby areas, because day and night the trucks went by--always loaded down headed southbound and empty headed northbound.

Baxter State Park was a gift to the state of Maine by a former governor (Percival Baxter). He purchased land over the years and designated it with the stipulation that the area be kept forever as a wildlife sanctuary and in its natural wild state. This included over 41 miles of roads (called "tote roads,") which are dirt and only minimally maintained. One of the signs we saw quoted Baxter as saying: "Man is born to die, his works are short-lived. Buildings crumble, monuments decay, wealth vanishes. But Kathadin in all its glory forever shall remain the mountain of the people of Maine." There are ten campgrounds in the park, but they are so primitive that they don't even have potable water, so we stayed in a nearby private campground with potable water and hot showers!

After we set up our campsite, we went on a moose hunt! We were given directions for a lovely drive on Golden Road. The road was elevated above a marshy area with forests and, of course, the mountains in the background. We drove past numerous ponds, stopping and looking frequently for our elusive moose. Finally, at the last stop, Wiley spotted one! We both got a good look at him with the binoculars. Unfortunately, our little camera didn't get a very clear shot of him (I had to enlarge him too much). But, just to prove we did it, here's our first moose!

The moose was at the Abol Bridge beside this gorgeous little campground. (This is not the campground we stayed at, but I'd love to go back and camp there.) I thought this picture summed up our whole Maine experience--a float plane, a fly fisherman, a moose, mountains, a gorgeous white water stream--life is good!

Thursday morning we headed into the state park. At the ranger station, we requested information about some easy hikes and were directed to Daicey Pond. We hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail which connected to the Grassy Pond Trail. We continued to look (unsuccessfully this time) for moose. The trails were well maintained and the scenery was excellent.

We returned to the truck and had a quick lunch and then hiked another section of the Appalachian Trail toward Little Niagara and Big Niagara. There was a large group of hikers who had come all the way from Georgia on the trail and were almost to the end on Mt. Kathadin.


We hated to say goodbye to Baxter State Park on Friday, so we planned some fun for the trip home. We took back roads and stopped along the way at a living history museum called Leonard's Mills (in Bradley, Maine). This museum centers around the logging and lumbering history in Maine. The centerpiece is this water-powered sawmill, which was just fascinating to me (the structure to the left of it is a covered bridge. I couldn't get a shot of the water wheel, so this is the other side of the mill.)

Water powered mills have been around (in Europe) since about the 13th century, possibly longer. Put in overly simplistic terms, the water turns a big wheel, which activates rods that push a saw up and down. By controlling the speed of the water, they can control the speed of the saw. The logs were floated into the mill pond, then pushed onto maple rails that held the log in position. A clamp and pushing device (also controlled by rods connected to the wheel) pushed the log through the saw as it went up and down. They could control the size of the planks pretty precisely.

There were many other interesting exhibits at this living history museum. This tiny building is a trapper's line cabin -- a place where fur trappers stayed when they were checking their lines. They were spaced a day's hike apart. Inside there was a central fire ring with a chimney in the roof, a cot, a shelf with some canned food and some hooks on the wall. Primitive, but get a load of the gorgeous door paneled in birch bark!

Mag -- here's another outhouse for your collection (yes, both were real, working outhouses). They were common and very welcome in this area where there are no stores, motels or commercial buildings of any kind.

That's it for this week's adventure. Tune in again soon. We still have a couple of adventures up our sleeves. We're going to Monhegan Island soon, among other special trips.