Look Who I Bumped Into...

Hey Buddy! Wazz up?

Camden Hills Park

While on our vacation in Maine, we headed to Camden Hills State Park.


Mt. Battie was our destination and instead of driving we thought we'd walk up.


Our eventual destination was the tower at Mt. Battie.


We couldn't see the tower...


...by what an amazing view of the bay at Camden.


Nice flat rocks at the top...


...and views galore. I guess the hour and a half hike was worth it


We took tons of photos of the edge of cliffs.


And lookie here! See that road in the distance on the smaller mountain? Why that's Mt. Battie with the road going to the tower.


We eventually made it down what turned out to be Mt. Megunticook, the highest peak on the mainland of Maine...


...and drove up to the tower at Mt. Battie.


In the distance, you can see Mt. Megunticook and the flat rocks where we were sitting just a little while before.


Great views of Camden's harbour from Mt. Battie too...

Dale Chihuly

On our recent trip to Boston, we were lucky enough to spend a day at the Museum of Fine Arts.


The Lime Green Icicle Tower is an amazing work...


...by glass artist Dale Chihuly.


Amazing detail. Amazing work of art.

Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge

Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.


In the late 1950s, Carson turned her attention to conservation and the environmental problems caused by synthetic pesticides.


The result was Silent Spring (1962), which brought environmental concerns to an unprecedented portion of the public.


Silent Spring, while met with fierce denial from chemical companies, spurred a reversal in national pesticide policy...


...leading to a nationwide ban on DDT and other pesticides—and the grassroots environmental movement the book inspired led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.


Luckily, we stumbled upon the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge in Wells, Maine and walked its paths.


It was established in 1966 in cooperation with the State of Maine to protect valuable salt marshes and estuaries for migratory birds. Lovely spot.

Misaotra Means Thank You

I received this photo from the Madagascar School Project thanking me for the cake I donated that was auctioned off at a fundraiser earlier this year. Isn't this adorable? What a thoughtful card.

War of 1812

War on weekends only...We decided to take in the re-enactment taking place at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum last weekend.


There were tents set up where the folks actually spent the night.


There were activities like testing you on how well you can do different knots.


There was a fashion show were red coats, blue coats and green coats all spoke and described life on the battlefield.


The museum was set up to look like it might in those days.


And then they got down to business.


Lots of shooting. I got mixed up as to who was who. I thought the redcoats fought the blue but there was also green (Glengarry Light Fencibles) and various non-uniformed fighters.


I could have used a program!


Richard got into the spririt of the day, however...

Journaling in New England

I didn't get very much time to add to my sketching journal on this busy vacation, but I did manage one fast sketch of the rocky shoreline of Camden.


Then onto Newton, Mass. where we found Taste Coffee House. A great place to wait for the train into Boston and sketch...


...and drink lattes. I told Richard it was the best cup of coffee I'd ever had in my life.


And I wasn't kidding. Not bitter. Tasted like dark chocolate. Happy I immortalized it in my sketchpad.

Moody's Diner

In Waldoboro, Maine last week, we had to stop at the world famous Moody's Diner.


Since we had already eaten lunch, we decided on only perusing the pie menu. Yes, they have a menu devoted to their pies!


Fabulous interior dating back to 1927. This place is the real deal.


And so is the pie!


Richard chose the four-berry pie.


I went for the seemingly sky high lemon meringue pie.


Fabulous! Not sweet. Loved it!

Farnsworth & the Olson House

Our visit to Maine last week included a day visiting the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. This gem of a museum houses a good Louise Nevelson collection as well as an outdoor sculpture garden with several by Robert Indiana. He was a penpal of mine about 30 years ago!


Here's Richard through an Indiana multi-love sculpture...


...and me through the other lens.


The Farnsworth also features an entire building, a renovated church, devoted to the art of Andrew Wyeth.


Inside we saw the workup sketches for Christina's World, perhaps Wyeth's most famous work, as well as a collection of his father, N. C. Wyeth's illustrations for children's books.


A companion entry fee also lets you tour the Olson House, where Andrew Wyeth spent 30 years painting. It's pretty tricky to find, about 10 miles away from the Farnsworth but when you come upon it, it's pretty astonishing.


There are always red geraniums in the kitchen window as they were Christina's favourites.


The rooms are spare and many of them almost empty except for a chair or fresh flowers on the windowsill.


Except for Christina's bedroom which still has her rocking horse and crib.


The light in the house was remarkable.


The floors had lots of stories to tell.


Reflecting light was wonderful.


We also headed over to the Olson cemetery where Christina and her brother are buried. Andrew Wyeth requested he be buried there too.


Many people left markers of their visit.


Richard and I left one on Andrew Wyeth's grave to say we had passed that way.


And of course, being totally ridiculous, I posed as Christina for a version of Ronna's World. Couldn't help myself.