Cruising Frenchman's Bay

Instead of dealing with car traffic on our final full day in Maine...

...we decided to take the ferry from Winter Harbor to Bar Harbor.

The views were far worth the trip.  We didn't manage to capture the eagle, seal, and dolphins on the camera, but we did see at least seven different types of watercraft on the trips across Frenchman's Bay...

Above, a group of sea kayakers are preparing to enter the water, and the streets of Bar Harbor were full of passengers from the cruise ship, eclipsed by this colorful sloop.

Here are a few other boats at anchor in the harbor...

And on our drive back to Sullivan, we passed this "cottage" on Grindstone point.  Hydrangeas are the flowers to plant...

We hate to leave Maine with all its beautiful variety of landscapes!

Kayaks, Granite Gardens, and Lobsters

We started our day off with a paddle around Flanders Pond.  Since we didn't bring our own kayaks on this trip, Gina and Jay were kind enough to lend us their kayaks, as well as their vehicle to transport them.

I didn't take my camera out on the water with us because of the brisk breeze and choppy waters, but I wish I had.  We had a close-up view of a bald eagle on a tree not far above us, as well as a younger eagle.  Later, at the marshy end of the lake, we saw a beaver dam, and all the water lilies were in bloom.

In the afternoon we visited a local Granite Garden Gallery (https://www.stonedesignss.com/sculpture) and were amazed by some of these works of art, displayed around a granite quarry.

This sculpture reminds me of a very happy dog.

In late afternoon, Jay built a campfire, and we feasted on a Downeast lobster boil, complete with fresh lobsters, potato salad, cole slaw, corn on the cob, and three-berry pie (fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries). Delicious!

To the left, Doug is dropping a lobster into the pot, and below Jay is pulling it out.

It wouldn't be a trip to Maine without a foggy day...

...and it wouldn't be a trip to Maine without popovers straight from the oven at Jordan Pond House, along with a bowl of seafood chowder.

The day was too wet and foggy for them to be serving on the lawn, so we ate indoors.  And later we had to forego afternoon tea with a view of the Bubbles across the pond.

We did hike along the coastal path with a stop at Thunder Hole, which wasn't thundering very loudly at low tide.

 Just look at all those rock babies!

A bit of color on a gray day...

Late in the afternoon we walked along the shore of Eagle Lake...

And managed to catch a glimpse of clearing sky at day's end.

The Schoodic Peninsula and the Hancock Community Garden

Today we explored the Schoodic Peninsula, beginning with the Farmer's Market in Winter Harbor.  Then we drove the loop to Schoodic Point, which included a stop at Raven's Nest, a spot we've never seen on the many trips we've made to this area.

In this photo (above) you can see Cadillac Mountain in the background across the bay.

I happened to catch Doug with his camera...

and my friend, Mary Lou...

At Schoodic Point, there were some lobstermen at work...

And, not caught on camera, a sea gull grabbed an entire sandwich (still in its plastic bag) right out of Mary Lou's hands and flew away with it.

Here are some photos of the working harbor in the small village of Corea...

You can tell we were there at low tide.

And, finally, we stopped by the Hancock Community garden where Mary Lou and Gina have plots.  I couldn't resist the artichokes and eggplants.

A Trip to the Coast of Maine

I am resurrecting this blog a year after our cross country ramble.  And this time we're not traveling with our little tent camper.  We have much nicer accommodations.  But there's a short prologue first...

During my freshman year at Guilford College, I met Mary Lou Hinton (now Barker), but when I transferred to Appalachian State University, we lost touch for 40-some years.  A year ago, thanks to Facebook and my brother's searching, we reconnected.  To my delight, she and her husband are now living in Sullivan, Maine in this lovely late 19th century house.

Her sister and brother-in-law, Gina and Jay, live nearby and offered us their beautiful garage apartment to stay in for the week that we're here.  You can see the living room and kitchen in these photos:

And the outside entrance and view of the garden in these:

This deck is the perfect place to enjoy our morning tea and coffee...

I feel as if I'm sitting in a tree house!

My favorite part of the garden are the sunflowers.

And here's a view of the outside of the garage.

The afternoon we arrived, we went to see the tidal falls.  When the tide is coming in, the falls flow one way, and then shift when the tide is going out.  In this late afternoon photo, the tide is coming in.

This morning we took a walk along the shore of Hancock Point.

And I couldn't resist a picture of this tiny post office.