Labor Day: Beech Mountain Cliffs

Labor Day was much calmer wind-wise so we decided to hike the Beech Mountain Cliffs trail with Baby Bear and Boo Boo. We took the short-and-easy way up and did the loop that provides great views of The Ducks (islands beyond the Cranberries in the Atlantic), the mountains to the east (St. Sauveur, Acadia, and those on the other side of Somes Sound), Echo Lake, and the far end of Somes Sound. The views, for the hike effort, are amazing. We then took the longer way back to the parking area going towards the Canada Cliffs area before turning back to the parking area.

Boo Boo had been marinating honey curry chicken since Sunday and cooked it on the grill for us after we returned from our hike. He made (on the stove) green beans with beans, roasted red peppers, garlic, and seasonings. Boo Boo has many wonderful qualities and among them is that he is a fabulous cook. We devoured his dinner. Papa Bear made a batch of pineapple sorbet that we had after dinner had settled. Papa Bear and Boo Boo watched baseball and football; Baby Bear and Mama Bear played on their computers and read.

Pictures are courtesey of Papa Bear and are from our hike: views to the Duck Islands, of the Beech Mountain Cliffs, and of the top of Somes Sound.

More after Earl Adventures

Papa Bear and Mama Bear continue to enjoy having Baby Bear and Boo Boo visiting. Boo Boo made us blueberry flan that is creamy and light with a definite blueberry flavor: a huge YUM!!! Boo Boo also helped us resolve the purpose of two light switches that seemed to be connected to nothing: they are, in fact, both connected to one outlet that Papa Bear and Mama Bear do not seem to use often as heretofor we could not determine their purpose. Tonight we played a girls vs. boys Trivial Pursuit game, which the boys won.


As I mentioned yesterday, we went to Seawall, a rocky area of the coast, just before Earl left this area. This cloud was amazing to watch as we observed the waves splashing and the southwestern horizon becoming blue and then spreading to the northeast as Earl departed.


Later in the day, when we went to the Ocean Drive area of the Park Loop Road, where we saw much larger crashing and splashing waves. Given the number of pictures we took as a group, and the number of people I saw there taking pictures, I confess I am a bit curious how many will be published to the web in some manner. I will likely never know, but I suspect it is a rather large number.


Today it was windy - much windier than had been predicted, and it was blowing in just the right direction to push water into the cove with such force that we had real white caps on our normally quiet cove. It was also much colder than recent days: we closed ALL the windows today.

We took time this afternoon to visit the Bass Harbor Head Light. The views from the shore yield two channel buoys as well as the light house. We have noticed in our travels that harbors are emptier as owners pulled their boats from the water or moved them to safer harbors.

Pictures today are courtesy of Papa Bear. The Bass Harbor Head Light picture is an HDR picture.

Park Loop Road: we road it!! (and Hurricane Earl approaches)

Baby Bear and Boo Boo are visiting for a short vacation this Labor Day weekend. Mama Bear and Baby Bear road the Park Loop Road this morning. We only did the loop, so the distance was just over 18 miles. We started early, and began with an uphill/rolling stretch that turned into a long uphill (up to the beginning of the road to the summit of Cadillac Mountain) and then a wonderful downhill followed by a killer hill just up from High Seas (a "summer cottage," i.e., many rooms, no heat - unless it has been renovated) and then the killer hill up to the Schooner Head road, and then an easy ride by Thunder Hole (it was booming today) and then back to our parking space. It was fantastic, and we celebrated with popovers at the Jordan Pond Tea House (and even remembered to bring popovers back to Papa Bear and Boo Boo.)



Hurricane Earl is approaching. Track continues to change but it looks like it might be a bit west of here, and we will have rain and wind during the overnight. We are likely to lose power and Internet and cable tv, but we now have a generator, and many games and puzzles, and food a plenty, so we should be fine (though it may be a couple days before I can post again.) The Park is taking precautions, too, closing some roads near the shore in an attempt to offer some viewing areas of the surf yet still afford safety for those doing the viewing.



The pictures today were taken with Mama Bear's Droid-X and show some of what Mama Bear and Baby Bear saw - a traffic jam on the Park Loop Road (some maintenance work had briefly closed both lanes), a view to Eagle Lake on the first long climb, surf at Thunder Hole, and our happy smiles upon completion of our ride.

Radical Hospitality

As is my custom, and for sustenance, Mama Bear went to St. John's for worship on Sunday last. The Rev. Emily Blair Stribling, who has taught Comparative Religion, was the Celebrant.

During this time of nourishment, I was struck by the following which touched me:

• More than one person said hello to me, one person introduced themselves to me.


• The sight of three small children, praying after taking the Eucharist: the oldest, perhaps five, knew how to kneel and position the hands; the middle, perhaps four, working at knowing what to do; the youngest, perhaps an old two or young three, having no clue, but imitating what was observed in siblings: there was something holy in what they did and how they did it - the prayers of angels were amongst us!


• A mobile of many origami cranes of many colors hangs from the rafters at St. John's these days, drifting slowly in one direction or the other in the stirrings of the spirit. A line in the bulletin says: "The origami peace cranes represent our hopes for peace throughout the world."


• The smell of the candles after they were extinguished at the end of the service: is there anything richer than the smell of candles? At St. John's, we sit and listen during the Postlude, gathering ourselves for return to the world. This Sunday was the first I had noticed the candle smell - perhaps it was caused by the way the spirit was moving amongst us.


• The flowers at St. John's are always spectacular. Someone with a true gift is selecting and arranging them. This past Sunday was no exception.


• An Isaac Watts paraphrase of Psalm 23 was sung. It was startling to hear these familiar words in such a different, beautiful and meaningful way.


• The sermon today was amazing. My understanding of the lesson (which may not be what was actually said) is that using the scripture passages were from Jeremish, Psalm, Hebrews and Luke's lesson from 14:1, 7-14; the Celebrant shared that the scriptures spoke to her of hospitality and humility, and that the two are linked: how can we offer hospitality if we have no humility? And, as Christians, we are called to offer radical hospitality: hospitality to those who have done nothing to deserve it and who cannot possibly repay whatever hospitality they receive. She talked of the tensions at the dinner described in Luke. Jesus had been invited not to offer hospitality but so that those who he was making uncomfortable could keep an eye on him. Seating at dinners like this one was arranged far in advance, much like seating at a State Dinner at the White House. Placement of seating was linked to honor and status of a person. Jesus criticized the seating process and went on to criticize the guest list. What must the hosts and other guests have felt? And yet, Jesus was trying to give a glimpse of the kingdom of God, to share the good news of how we become a part of that kingdom. We must exult others and humble ourselves. She talked of how she has been struck, given these teachings, of the conflicts surrounding the proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York City. Many were killed there. We have a responsibility to build a shared future in this space. She recognized that the pain that has resulted from the initial attack and this proposal is ongoing and is palpable. She had no solution to offer, but hoped that informed and sensitive people could struggle with the issue to find a wise, just, and merciful resolution. Jesus tells us that we all pray to one God. Our God is that same God that Al Quaeda members worship, the same God that Taliban members worship, the same God that Israeli's worship, the same God that Hammas members worship, ... you get the picture. One God and we are to work together for common understanding, for the common good, to form bonds, to form relationships. God sees us, not us and them. Such is the Radical Hospitality to which we are called. God's table is open to all; all are invited; all are valued; all are affirmed; all are healed. What an amazing and sustaining message of hope and living!

I left filled, humbled and peaceful. Those feelings are always a good way to leave this space.

The words about this lesson are my interpretation of what was said. The actual words said and ideas presented belong to Rev. Stribling and were delivered in a manner that was more interesting and likely clearer than what I have shared here.

Summer is ending

We arrived home from our journey to West Quoddy Head and Campobello on Wednesday evening. Papa Bear and I went to one of our favorite Island restaurants for dinner - The Seafood Ketch in Bass Harbor. The food was fabulous. I have the feeling (a feeling, not a fact) that the recent economic times have hit restaurants and other businesses on the Island quite hard. Some are offering what they used to offer but at a reduced quality. Others are offering a smaller selection, at an increased cost. I imagine it must be difficult to be a tourist destination in a time when tourism is down, though we are told that this summer on the Island has been good.

Thursday was catch-up day for the work we missed while away. Friday we did our grocery shopping. Saturday Mama Bear ran for about 5 miles.

Today, Sunday, we went to see the waves at Thunder Hole. One of the hurricanes is off-shore so the waves are up a bit. The picture at the beginning of the blog is of the rocks we were observing prior to them being inundated with waves. I am also attaching a video of the waves. Enjoy! Also know that the sound is missing from the end of the video: I am still trying to learn how to edit videos.


We are coming to realize that summer is drawing to a close - next weekend our beloved Baby Bear and beloved Boo Boo will visit us for Labor Day weekend. It scarely seems possible that we have only a couple more months here, but it is true. The cove, it is lovely at the moment. The tide is going out, The Cat is on the porch sunning herself, we have been reading after our visit to Thunderhole. It is suppose to stay warm with low humidity here for the beginning of the week. Picture and video taken with Mama Bear's Droid-X device.

West Quoddy Head and Campobello

On Tuesday, we drove to the West Quoddy Head light without difficulty. The scenery was pleasant and we were able to see parts of Washington County that we had (until then) only heard about via the news media. We passed a building shaped like and painted to resemble (i.e., it was a bright dusky blue) a blueberry. It was pretty amazing!! The voice on Papa Bear's GPS (known as Bridget, the voice on Mama Bear's GPS is Brenda, though Gypsy - i.e. GPSy - was considered) was unfailingly patient, precise and accurate.



We paid the entrance fee and walked around the grounds of the light, then went inside and viewed the exhibits that told stories of the light. It was authorized by President Thomas Jefferson in 1808, but is not the oldest lighthouse in Maine (which is the light at Cape Elizabeth in Portland, Maine.) I loved the entry in one of the logs: the morning dawned clear, changed to rain, then to snow. A rescue had to be made for a schooner that had run aground. I also loved that at one time the fog warning would happen in the following way: the ferry (I am not certain to where - perhaps Grand Manan, New Brunswick) boat captain would blow the whistle on the ferry, and then the light house keeper would set off a cannon repeatedly. Today they have an automated fog horn, and the light is solar powered.



After exploring the museum in the lighthouse and the grounds a bit more, we went to the nearby picnic area and took the steps to a rocky beach. We spent some time exploring the rocks, watching boats work lobster pots and sail, feeling the wind and watching the water.




We then journeyed to Lubec, Maine, where we spent the night in an inn near the waterfront. From the inn, we could see Campobello Island, New Brunswick. In the morning, we arose, insured that Papa Bear, who had packed light and only had his US state driver's license with him, would be able to return to the United States if we entered the Island, and then went onto the Island. This particular border crossing has what is called a "Friendly Border" because of the International Park on the Island. The park shows President Frankin Delano Roosevelt's summer place.



We went first to the East Quoddy Head light. We were unable to get close to it because it was high tide, but we were able to see the churning waters in the area, the light, and even some whales!!



Our next stop was at the International Park. We went to the visitor's center, saw a film, and many, many pictures that depicted the life and work of President Franklin Roosevelt. From the visitor's center, we went to the see the house. It is lovely. The grounds have beautiful flowers and the view to the Bay of Fundy is spectacular.



The house itself is kept much as it was when the Roosevelt's lived there. One point I feel I need to make is that Roosevelt spent summers growing up on Campobello Island, and then summers there when his family was young. His family continued to spend summers there even after he became too busy to travel there for extended stays. When the family visited, they brought their servants and hired people from the Island to help them.



There are 34 rooms in the home. The first two floors show the house as it was during the time the Roosevelt's lived there. The children were tutored even in the summer, so there was room for the children (five), Eleanor and Franklin, the tutor, and many servants. Water was pumped to holding tanks on the third floor, using a wind mill or a mechanized pump when the wind mill was not working. Campobello Island had no electricity until the 1940's, so the family used kerosene lamps. And the only telephone/telegraph on the Island was about two miles away from the family home. There was a large megaphone that was placed on the porch when they were there and Frankin and Eleanor would use it to call out to the people at the beach. We were told that Eleanor could be heard at times in Eastport, the village across the Bay of Fundy from the home. We were also told that the larger pieces of laundry were sent out to the island for washing and processing; intimates were done on-site by the servants.



One item on a display just outside the house struck me: it said that President Roosevelt had many, many New Deal programs in his attempt to end the Great Depression by spending the country out of it; and that not all of them worked, but some did. It made me think about the current status of our country and about how we seem to want everything to work instantly and well. I wonder if it is us, or the news media. Perhaps journalists need to try to show opposing views of each report: may not earn huge ratings, but would certainly be fairer than some of what we see these days, in my personal opinion.



We had purchased wonderful chocolates in Lubec and considered visiting the store again before we departed, but decided that we would keep the store in mind should we visit again in the future. The trip home was uneventful. We really enjoyed everything we did and Mama Bear is thinking that perhaps next summer we need to plan to visit Campobello again and also each of the ten Maine state parks!!

Pictures are from Papa Bear and are as taken.

The Blackberry Harvest

We have blackberries in the yard, and after watching them all summer, they are ripening quickly. I have picked about a quart in about twenty minutes total yesterday and today. It is good that they are quick to harvest as the mosquitos seems to use the movement of the brambles as a key that there is fresh meat nearby. I find I have to sometimes put the bowl beneath where I am harvesting as the berries are so ripe they fall to the ground as the bush moves from the picking. We are comtemplating what to do with them - more sorbet? a cobbler? something else?? Whatever it is will have to await our return: we are going to have a Traveling Tuesday and visit Quoddy Head and Campobello tomorrow. The West Quoddy Head Lightkeepers Association Frequently Asked Questions website about Quoddy Head will tell you where the name Quoddy Head originates.

Saturday and Sunday were quiet days for us. I ran four miles on Saturday and we then ran some errands in town. On Sunday, I was plotting a route on the computer and totally lost track of time and missed worship. After my run this morning, we have been reading, enjoying the quiet, and just relaxing.

Papa Bear has made the pineapple and banana sorbets. They are both good. The pineapple sorbet is especially fabulous.

Papa Bear shared with me that last Saturday was Move-In Day at the school where I used to work. It was apparently hot and humid, but went pretty well from reports I have heard. I did not miss it one bit. I recommend retirement.

It's Friday!

Sunset at House on the Cove, August 2010

It is Friday here at the House on the Cove. It is a lovely day, with an on-shore breeze, in the mid-70's, and a blue sky with scattered puffy white clouds.



Monday through Wednesday was my yearly "Girl Friend's Weekend" with my good friend/claimed sister from New York state. When I lived at the House on the Creek, we would meet in southern Pennsylvania, usually in either Philadelphia or Reading, and shop, go to ball games, hike, swim, talk, visit museums ... whatever we found that seemed fun. This year we changed our destination to Boston and, with the help of Baby Bear, had an amazing time. My new telephone, which has GPS that provides excellent directions, also helped.



We arrived just after mid-day on Monday (within 15 minutes of each other!), discovered the roses in the lobby, and then went shopping at the Wrentham Premium Village Outlets. We talked and shopped and found some of the stores offered outlet prices; others did not. I found a tea kettle!! And some much-needed small bowls!! After shopping, we ate dinner at Jalapenos Grill in Walpole and talked while we ate. It was yummy!! We then went back to the hotel for a evening of talk.



On Tuesday, after our morning walk in the nearby neighborhood (another tradition, and it involves our talking), we took our time deciding what to do and found ourselves that afternoon at Houghton's Pond in the The Blue Hills Reservation. What a lovely place! A play ground, a swimming area, a place for picnics, a concession stand (fried dough!), a beach ... in addition to places to hike. We took advantage of the water, which was shallow but fun. And we talked. After returning to the hotel, we ate at the Norwood Chateau for some Italian food and conversation and then went back to the hotel for an evening of talk.

On Wednesday, we arose early, did our walk and talk, and then navigated to Nails and Company in Norwood for manicures (and talking) followed by some shopping for shorts (and talking). We went back to the hotel, had a quick good-bye hug, and we were on our ways home. I discovered I had left my sweater at the spa and called Baby Bear, who retrieved it and will bring it when she and Boo Boo visit soon.

I stopped in Freeport to visit the mother-ship (I think they may call it their flagship) of LL Bean to find some khaki shorts, and then visited a drug store in Ellsworth on the way to purchase some items I was having problems finding here on the Island.

It was great fun!! After arriving home, we watched the Red Sox game, which Baby Bear was attending. She had planned to have dinner with a girl friend, and the girl friend received two tickets to the game, so they changed their plans. I am confident Boo Boo was sad he did not get to go, but I also know that he has sometimes gone to games when one of his friends received tickets, so I think they have an understanding about these opportunities. A home run was hit to the section in which Baby Bear was sitting, and we saw her!!!! A fleeting five seconds of anonymous and slightly blurry fame!!! And yes, you had to know where she was sitting to see her - had we not been DVR'ing it, and able to go back to look at that part of the game very slowly, we would have missed her.

Thursday I did a medium run, and some gardening while Papa Bear scythed, and we went grocery shopping. We did some reading, too, and watched some of the programs on the Discovery Channel and the History Channel, which are favorites of ours. I met with my House on the Creek book club via Skype Thursday evening - they are so patient when the connection drops!! And last night I learned that my doing things - even muting and unmuting - helps the connect stay active and prevents this ocean roar sound. It was great to see them and I know not how they did it, but they found a way to position the ASUS Videophone so that I could see all of them (some of them only some of the time, but it was great to see them!!)!!! (The videophone they are using has its camera fixed at the top which makes it difficult to position so that I can see them and they can see me.) I am so appreciative for the efforts of our techie Librarian who manages to get the connection going each month!!

Today Papa Bear and I arose early to visit the farmer's market for berries, completed the form for the rebate on the network extender we purchased to make our phones work a bit better at home, and went to Bar Harbor in search of heavy cream that was not ultra-pasteurized. We could not find any, so, despite the warnings in the recipe to avoid ultra-pasteurized heavy cream, it is what we have and so is what we will use!! We also stopped in Bar Harbor for breakfast at Jordan's, and visited some shops for some maps and books on the history of the Island.

We will have peach, banana and pineapple sorbets this week. Looks like blackberry and raspberry seasons are over. Peach season will be soon drawing to a close as will the wild blueberry season. It has been a good year for berries, which makes the locals wonder what is in store for winter this year.

The amazing sunset picture is an HDR effort of the amazing Papa Bear!

Date Night: Dinner, Music and the Stars!!

On Thursday we decided to extend our anticipation of our hamburger, sweet corn, and pickles meal (which means we decided to delay our grocery shopping) and instead go out-to-dinner in Bar Harbor and then attend the final summer concert of the Bar Harbor Town Band on the Village Green. This picture is of the clouds in the sky before the concert began (and before the sun set.)

We journeyed to Bar Harbor and searched for a place to park. The parking daemon was busy as the parking lots were full, but a kind woman with a car with New York plates let us know we could have her spot and then extricated her vehicle from the spot so that only we could get it.

We went to Rupununi's for dinner. The food was, as usual, fabulous and the Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale was a perfect accompaniment to both our dinners!



After dinner, we returned to our car to get our chairs and went to the Village Green. The band was beginning to assemble, and I took a moment to re-introduce myself to the band leader. I had met him many years ago when his wife was a graduate student at the University of Virginia. I remember talking with him and his sharing that he was from Bar Harbor and hoped to move back here one day. He shared in our short conversation that they had returned here immediately after his wife finished at UVa, and that they now have two children. He asked if I could play the clarinet, which I cannot. There were fewer musicians for this concert than the concert on July 4th, and they played more technical pieces, but it was still a fun time for all, with children circling the bandstand and people of all ages enjoying the music. Our chairs worked well and we were comfortable during the concert, which ended, as always, with the playing (and singing) of the Star Spangled Banner. If you are curious about the sweatshirts and jackets, yet, they were needed: it was a cool evening as soon as the sun set.

We were anticipating another trip out near midnight to view the Perseid Meteor Shower, but decided to take a side trip on the way home to see what was viewable then. We went to the Seawall Picnic Area (it is opposite the Seawall Campground). The parking area faces east, so we stopped for a bit. The time was about 9:30 or 10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and we were able to see a meteor about every 2 or 3 minutes. Some were small white teardrops that fell almost directly down as a firework might, and others streaked across the sky. One was a huge burning orange streak that winked out suddenly. It was amazing. And it was a bit chilly, so we got back into the car and made our way home.

What a perfect evening!!

Best Package of the Year

At a local store, we purchased and fell in love with some organic pickles crafted in Massachusetts. After eating one jar, purchasing another, and eating it, the store had no more. We talked with the store's owner, who said the pickles had not sold that well, so he was reluctant to order more. We checked the Real Pickles website and found another local store that was suppose to carry them. We could not find them there, and were told they would consider ordering them, but after we checked twice for them and did not find them, we ordered four jars. (Note: these dill pickles are fabulous but the company only ships to New England, New York and New Jersey addresses.) Yesterday the pickles arrived!!! We are looking forward to hamburgers, corn and dill pickles for dinner tonight. I believe that of all the packages we have received thus far this summer, this package is our favorite, and hence the best. We are still pondering how we get enough pickles to Virginia to last until we return next spring ...

Mare's Tails and Mackerel Scales

We have been enjoying cool days and even cooler nights of late. It has been rainy, foggy and sunny. We have had fun with weather folklore and are pleased to report the following:

Rain before seven, clear by eleven. This saying seems true. In our experience, if it rains before seven o'clock, it is usually not raining by eleven o'clock. It might not be clear-blue-skies clear, but it is not raining. We have verified this definitely in the evening and believe it is usually true in the morning, too.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. We have experienced that if we have a red sunset, the night is peaceful and the following day usually is nice. We have not been awake enough to see what color the sky is in the morning to make comment on that part of the folklore.



Mare's tail and mackerel scales make tall ships carry short sails. This saying, too, seems true. When we see the high level cirrus clouds (the mare's tails) and the clumpy altocumulous clouds and they seem to foretell that wind is on the way.



Of course, we can also watch the local television weather forecast, tune to the weather channel on the television, listen to the radio, check the weather on our computers or on our phones, but it is more fun for us to look at clouds, skies, and perhaps a weather map and to try to determine for ourselves what the weather will be. Today is is bright and sunny. We have a bit of an onshore breeze which seems to be mitigating the temperature, which is in the mid-60's right now.

Sunday was church at St. John's. The Rev. Jeffery Lewis talked to us on our responsibilities as Christians to keep the boat we share (the earth) whole from a people perspective and from an environmental perspective. He reminded us that captains of boats never step down to a life boat, they only step up to one, after all measures to save the ship have failed. We need to be alert to keep our ship afloat and healthy. And yes, this was all based on the day's scriptures.

The words about this lesson are my interpretation of what was said. The actual words said and ideas presented belong to Rev. Lewis and were delivered in a manner that was more interesting and likely clearer than what I have shared here.

Sunday afternoon I made a chicken stew that was served with bow tie pasta. Sunday evening I went to a concert in Bar Harbor at St. Saviour's. The Mt. Desert Summer Chorale presented a program named “Of Psalms and Kings.” (They had also done the program on Saturday evening.) The evening featured Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs (sung in what I think was Hebrew), Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms (sung in what I think was Latin) and music by Parry, Emlen/Stookey and Handel, with soloists Donald Wilkinson, Stephanie Leonardi, Miriam Schildkret,and Clayton W. Smith. The music was wonderfully done and I am so happy that I went with the person from church who invited me. Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul and Mary) was there, sitting two rows in front of me. He and Mr. Emlen (who was also present) took a bow. There were also members of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra performing. There was a harpist and her parents sat next to us. The parents hid from her until after the performance (literally crouching behind amidst the pews when there were instrument changes.) After the performance, after the bows, as people began to leave, the harpist was looking around, spotted her parents, and a huge smile spread across her face and she ran to hug them. It was heartwarming to see.

Monday we used to run errands and fix things at the House on the Cove. We found a different board to use to hold the towel racks in place and a tool we can use as a router on it.

Tuesday was what we call a "veg" day: we did not much of anything. I learned to rip music from a CD (yes, should have known how to do it before, now do) and then transferring said music to my phone. I now have many songs to which I can listen while I read. I am also trying to find a good Internet site that will tell me the beats per minute for the songs I have, so that I can make a run playlist from music I like. And I spent time updating my phone apps and gathering some new ones. We did some reading, tried sandwiches from Little Notch for dinner, snuggled with the cat for the thunderstorm, and watched some television. The Red Sox won, which is always a happy event here. My run this morning was great - it was very cool and I kept The Beatles Paperback Writergoing in my head (sans headphones) to maintain my pace. Yes, my pace is slow, but then, I am not a fast runner.

Today's fabulous forest picture is another from my Fun Guy (aka Papa Bear) from our Beech Mountain hike.

Cloud pictures today are from the Wikipedia websites:
Altocumulus mackerel sky
and
File:Cirrus sky panorama.jpg
and used in accordance with the permissions provided on those sites.

He's a Fun Guy

On Saturday, we went to the Beech Mountain Cliff Trail and explored farther than Mama Bear did with the group from church on Friday. We had so much fun! We went to the parking area on Beech Hill Road and walked up the gentle trail, and then did one of the loops at the top to see some wonderful views out to the Duck Islands and in to Somes Sound. We returned to the car by going out towards Canada Cliffs and then on the Valley Trail. Along the way in and out we saw some interesting rocks, moss, and some beautiful fungi. The amazing photos today are courtesy of my very own Fun Guy, Papa Bear.

View to Ocean	View to Somes
Trees and Water	Loop Trail
Rock	Fire Tower
Valley Trail	Moss
And the fungi ...