Field-Tripping with Graham!

(Note: Thanks for your patience! I know I'm behind with posts --- another will be up within the next day or two about our fabulous recent visit from my brother, Richard, and sister-in-law, Carol.)

Al and I spent last week visiting our son, Mike, our daughter-in-law, Laurelyn, and our two grandsons, Graham (nearly 3), and Dean (nearly 6 months old).

For the second year in a row, we volunteered to help out during Band Camp week by trying to entertain Graham all week. And what a fabulous week we had!

I had to work four half-days so it cut into our "field trip" time a bit, but Grandpa more than made up for it with plenty of time for reading books, tricycle riding (Graham learned how to do a 3-point turn!), reading books, picking lots of wildflowers for Mama, reading books, playing with trains, reading books, playing in the sandbox, and ....oh, yeah, READING BOOKS!

Honestly, I bet we read more than a hundred books to Graham this week! It's more and more fun now that he asks a bazillion questions about everything on every page -- and he usually remembers what you tell him so that next time through the same book, he's got even more to tell you.

So. Our field trips. Monday - blueberry picking and a small farm. The blueberries were wonderful and you can just guess who was on "quality control" patrol. :) The farm was in Chemung and boasted an assortment of turkeys, ducks, pygmy goats, emus, llamas, and Graham's favorite -- miniature ponies.


On Tuesday, we made a delicious picnic lunch and spent several hours at Pinnacle State Park, just ten minutes up the road. Graham was particularly proud of putting our chosen picnic blanket in the car, and once at the park, spreading it out in just the right spot. We practiced our swinging skills and Graham couldn't get enough pushes -- "Swing me higher! Swing me faster!" After we ate and had a few more swings and a few runs down the slide, off we headed for home.

Wednesday was a special visit to a beautiful farm owned by a family that Mike and Laurelyn know from school --- Margie and Bill welcomed us warmly and Graham got to feed green beans to the pigs and grain to the goats, pet the barn kittens, collect an egg from the chicken's nest, peek at baby bluebirds in a nesting box, and pick his own corn for our dinner that night! Wow -- all of that and we were invited inside and treated to some cool lemonade. It was especially wonderful to hear what a huge difference Laurelyn and Mike have made in the lives of this couple's teenaged kids -- you just never get tired of hearing those kinds of things!

After we dropped Grandpa back at the house so he could start making dinner, I took Graham back (at his insistence!) to the Pinnacle State Park. He was eager to go back on the swings -- and something clicked! He is now able to pump his legs in just the right rhythm to keep his swing going for quite a while. What a proud little guy!

With a rainy day forecast on Thursday, we decided to forgo a visit to the Binghamton Zoo (there will always be other times to go) and visit the Sciencenter in Ithaca. On our way out of Addison, we stopped briefly at the elementary school playground --- more swings, a slide with big bumps, and a delightful "talking pipe" where you can whisper "I love you, Grandpa!" and Grandpa can hear you at the other end some 20 feet away.

The Sciencenter was quite busy but it's a fabulous place and there's plenty for everyone to see and do. Graham's favorites this visit were the newly-completed rope jungle gym, the water table, and kid-watching --- yup, he's a sucker for watching others kids to study what they're doing. After the Sciencenter, we went to the Moosewood Restaurant for dinner - Yummy!

Friday night was a long-anticipated ride on the "Ice Cream Express," a 22-mile train ride on the Tioga Central Railroad in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania --- all run by volunteers! What fun! The conductor took our tickets, we enjoyed ice cream in the dining car, rode on the open-air car (Graham's favorite!), and completed our ride in the parlor car on cushy red seats.On Saturday afternoon, having missed out on some time with Graham this week while I had to work, I made up for it with a "three-in-one" afternoon --- we visited a neighbor to buy some maple syrup and got a tour of the sugar shack (this fellow taps 1400 trees on his property); then we visited a small alpaca farm where Graham helped me to choose some fleece to take back to Maine to spin -- we were able to see the two newest crias (born this spring) and pat Sargeant York! Finally, we visited a wonderful Amish farmstand where we loaded up on peaches and apples. Yum!

And does this little guy EAT! He must be going through a tremendous growth spurt because all week, even soon after a meal was finished (and I'm talking mere minutes later!), he'd call out, "I 'till hungry! I 'till hungry!" We kept a ready supply of fruit and granola bars handy but we're pretty sure he'll be moving up to another size before long -- he's so much taller than when we last saw him in June.

Of course Saturday gave us plenty of opportunity to visit with baby Dean! He's developing so quickly, is constantly on the move, and is still the MOST smiley baby EVER!

Can't wait until Dean can go field-tripping with us, too!

Hiking 101

For those of you who haven't had a chance to hike in Acadia National Park yet, here's a primer to help you to get started. Perhaps watching all of those well-toned and super-human Olympic competitors has inspired you to get more active.
Let's go . . .

First, choose your hike wisely. Consider what else you have planned for the day and more importantly, know your limits. Yesterday was a gloriously sunshiny day here --- we had our usual exercise class at the gym in the morning, followed by a half-hour "Strengthen Your Core" class (better known as 'How Badly Can the Trainer Hurt Us?"). We had also been invited to a friend's home for dinner, so we had to plan enough time after our hike to get back home, shower, and dress for dinner. Knowing we wanted to hike in the afternoon, we hurried home from the gym, grabbed lunch, and took care of a couple of things we needed to do before heading out.

While eating lunch, I perused the "A Walk in the Park" hiking guide. It's one of many such guides but the one we use the most (it's out of print now, but might be available through used book distributors). I happen to be the kind of hiker who likes to know what we're in for. I carefully read and re-read Tom St. Germain's nearly-poetic descriptions of several hikes, and gauging how much time we had for our hike yesterday, I suggested to Al that we hike Penobscot Mountain. He agreed enthusiastically! It has what many consider to be the best views in the park.

Bring lots of water. Even when it's somewhat cool and cloudy, it's essential to bring several Nalgene bottles filled with fresh water. It's amazing how much you sweat while you hike. You certainly don't want to take a chance with even approaching dehydration --- NOT good! While hiking, don't wait until you're thirsty. It's better to plan for rest stops and water breaks all along your way.

Sturdy footwear is essential. I know firsthand what can happen when you hike in Tevas (i.e., broken ankle in '98, ranger rescue, surgery, blah, blah, blah). It's all too easy to roll an ankle or skid on fine sand while crossing a boulder with a precipitous pitch. Nonetheless, it's unbelievable what we've seen adults and children hiking in -- everything from flip-flops, bare feet, and my personal favorite, high heels.

Bring a map and know how to read it. We tend to bring both the hiking guide (which has maps for each hike) as well as a fabulous topographic map that Al always carries with him. Many people who hike in Acadia think that since it's such a small park (relatively speaking) that they don't really need to hike with a map. We met a family yesterday who really had no idea where they were; they knew enough to ask for help, but come on, people! Be smart!

Hike with a partner and/or let someone know where you're hiking. Of course, my favorite hiking partner is Al! He's a great encourager especially when I get a bit edgy (pun intended) on a trail.

Enjoy every accomplishment. It can be quite a rush to make it successfully through a challenging hike. I've learned to think about a hike as many "mini-hikes" strung together. Sometimes I count to myself while hiking. How high can I count before I stop for my next break? Or I set small goals by looking at what's ahead. Can I make it to that next cairn before stopping for more water? Of course, we always bring our cameras along to capture breath-taking views. Al's great about offering to take a picture of me doing something I wasn't sure I could. Like this . . .


Pay attention to those trail markers. Colored marks lead you along each trail in Acadia. Many national parks use different colors for different trails that overlap or that begin from the same spot; all of Acadia's trail marks are blue. See? There are also rock cairns on many trails; they are carefully placed piles of rocks that mark the trail and were put there either by those who constructed the trails or by those in the Park Service who maintain them.

Here is one of the cairns found along the trail to the top of Penobscot. These are particularly Zen. (And please don't create new cairns when you hike; moving rocks can cause trail erosion, and misplaced cairns can distract and confuse hikers.) Is this beautiful?





Enjoy the view! No matter how many times we hike the same trails in Acadia, every outing brings thrilling views. There is something magical where the mountains meet the ocean . . .



Allow plenty of energy and time for your descent. Don't wait until you're exhausted to make your return trip down the mountain. It's too easy to stumble when you're tired and careful footing going back down the hill is essential. My knees can become pretty wobbly if I've pushed too hard on the ascent. Consider using two walking sticks (ski-poles work great!) for your descent; they can really take the stress off of your knees.

And finally, pay attention or you'll miss something really wonderful! Hiking affords us the opportunity to slow down and notice the little things -- angelically draped spiderwebs, miniature stands of wildflowers, and unassuming creatures who are eager to move aside to let us pass. We spotted this pretty little cluster of Pinesap on our descent from Penobscot.


And this little guy slithered by near the end of the trail to wish us a good day! Can you see him? He's easy to miss!

Hope you've enjoyed Hiking 101. Find a trail near you, and invite someone to accompany you. Better yet, come visit Acadia National Park. Hope to see you on the trails!

Quick! The Sun's Out!

We've had so much rain and cool weather lately, that the crickets think it's already fall. Seriously. I can here them outside singing away. Jeesh.

But today was a gorgeous day. 82 degrees. Bright sunshine and blue skies. Whoa! Quick! Throw the kayaks up on the car! Pack our hiking boots and water bottles! Hurry. Hurry. We don't want the sun to disappear.

We drove to one of our favorite places to paddle -- Seal Cove Pond. It's about 10 minutes from our house and it's part of Acadia National Park. It's simply lovely. Quiet. Pristine. Can you imagine anything more peaceful?






If anyone had EVER tried to tell me when I was younger that one day I would LOVE to kayak, I'd tell them they were CRAZY! But let me tell you . . . I LOVE IT! Can you tell??






After we kayaked and tied the boats back up on the car, we headed to Flying Mountain. It's a wonderful hike on our side of the island that gives you a tremendous reward for relatively little effort. The trail is kind of "rooty" in the beginning but soon turns more rocky. It was rather muddy in spots due to the recent monsoons but we spotted some fat rain-plumped blueberries . The views of Somes Sound were just fabulous! Look --- all those white dots on the water are sailboats.


This is a "loop trail" which means that you don't go down the same way you came up. Al wanted to be sure that we visited another outlook farther along the trail. It's always a bonus when you get TWO or more outlooks along the way -- quite honestly, that's one of the best parts of ANP. So many breath-taking views along any of dozens of trails. So we headed down the path to the outlook. . . I think it should have been called a "Look out!" Yup. A red fox. Isn't he beautiful?


The trail continued after our brief encounter with Mr. Fox -- it lead us to Valley Cove. It's a beautiful spot in Somes Sound where some very wealthy people moor their very big boats.






And the last part of the trail, reconstructed in recent years, was just gorgeous! Many of the ANP trails are constructed and maintained by volunteers (Friends of Acadia) -- pretty impressive. Look at this!

Hope there's more sun tomorrow. . .

Come Visit our B & B (Please call first!)

Few things give us more pleasure than having good friends stay with us at our home here on the Maine coast. We love sharing the beauty of Acadia National Park. This past week, our good friends Judi and John, came for a visit and we had a ball! Lots and lots of rain was predicted but we're apparently so good at this "B & B" thang, that we were able to enjoy all of the things we'd planned without getting more than a drop or two of rain on us. If you've been following our horrendous summer weather system here in New England, you'll agree that we accomplished quite a feat!

Of course, we ate lots of seafood --- lobster, salmon, lobster, clams, lobster, scallops, and . . . um . . .oh, yeah, LOBSTAH! We also enjoyed fruit including LOTS of wild blueberries (we picked them ourselves and made some yummy pancakes with real maple syrup), brownies a la mode and macaroons from the Quietside Cafe (B.E.S.T. macaroons ever) in Southwest Harbor, and ice cream "flights" from our new FAVORITE ice cream/sorbet shop, Mt. Desert Ice Cream (sorry that they don't have a website but they DO have two locations in Bar Harbor -- most inventive flavors of sorbet and ice cream EVER -- including blueberry basil, lemon-lemon mint, orange tarragon, lime cucumber, Mexican chocolate, and salted caramel -- WOW!).



We hiked Homans Path -- a recently recovered hiking trail that is just charming and usually empty because it's not listed in any of the current trail guides for Acadia National Park. Here are Judi and John in a really cool part of the trail.





We also hiked up to Thuya Gardens with views of Northeast Harbor along the way. Even with the fog, it was beautiful.



We enjoyed the beautiful Thuya Gardens and found a surprise visitor in a lily there.

And no visit to "Kathe and Al's B & B" would be complete without a side excursion to Schoodic Point! This is actually part of ANP but about an hour's drive from the most frequently visited part of the park (SandBeachThunderHoleJordanPondHouse).
We were very fortunate that Saturday, the chosen day to visit Schoodic, was lovely! We ate our picnic lunch on the rocks and spent a good part of the afternoon scampering and relaxing on the fabulous rock outcroppings.
We made it back to MDI from Schoodic just in time for a breath-taking sunset atop Cadillac Mountain.
What a wonderful visit we had with Judi and John! No matter how many times we have friends or family come for a visit, we're always seeing things here with brand-new eyes. We hope you'll come to see us for a visit us in one of the most beautiful parts of the world! Give us a call.

Arachni-mania

I've been spending lots of time with spiders lately. Not always on purpose. But with great fascination and much respect.

While awaiting the beginning of our concert the other evening, some of us in the Mt. Desert Summer Chorale are standing in the lovely portico at the St. Saviour's Church. It is cool and comfortable and I quickly realize we aren't alone. As I lean toward an opening in the wall to get a better view of the beautiful courtyard and its rainbow of blooming flowers, a lacy spider's web catches the light. I move in closer so that the entire web becomes visible; it is about ten inches across but is tethered with a slender thread to both sides of the four foot wide opening in the wall. Another choir member is perched in the next opening, right next to the spider and the fantastic web.

"Be careful!" I whisper to my fellow alto as she stands to stretch. What if she forgets where she was sitting and disturbs the web? I quietly point and share my find. Within moments, two other choir members join us as we silently marvel at the delicately woven web. There is a tear in the web in the shape of a rather large teardrop. The spider centers herself in the web and quickly works sideways to the edge consuming the fine threads as she moves. Working her way back to the center as if on a clothesline, the spider continues her meal ravenously. We repeatedly gasp in surprise as the web quickly disappears.

"Do spiders recycle?" we giggle. "Wow! I wonder if she's taking in all that protein because she's getting ready to spin another web and to lay eggs?" Our choir director signals us to line up and I quickly count the openings in the wall so I can check in on our little friend after the concert.
Two hours later, all that remains are two wide threads and a quiet spider. Amazing!

Two weeks ago on our way home from choir rehearsal, one of my carpool buddies, Sharon, told us that a member of the soprano section had been bitten by a brown recluse spider while sleeping on the floor at a friend's house. Dave, our carpool "chaffeur," tells us that this is indeed a poisonous species that demands our attention. "It especially likes to hide in dark places and wood piles," he cautions. Of course, I find it necessary to research the spider on the Internet and turn up some rather horrifying photos of brown recluse spider bites. (CAUTION: These pictures are graphic!)

So imagine my excitement at having two cords of firewood delivered the very next week. Our job: empty out the remnants of the old woodpile from our dark shed and stack this coming winter's firewood. Gulp!

The morning after our concert, I tune in NPR on the bathroom radio before hopping into the shower. How ironic . . . Melissa Block shares a story about E.B. White and Charlotte's Web. Lovable Charlotte A. Cavatica -- I wonder if she has any relatives in Bar Harbor.

And sure enough, two days later while driving back into Bar Harbor for a movie, I noticed a teeny-tiny hitchhiker on my rear-view mirror.

Seen any spiders lately?